So I wanted to ask peoples opinions on what to do in this situation (I know what I will probably do) and I thought it might have some good info for everyone anyway.

 

Couple of weeks ago I sold a minifigure (10$). The buyer opened up a "haven't received item case" today. They said they know the item shows delivered but they never got it. They also said there was something else they were waiting for that shows delivered that day and they never got it either. They mentioned that "they know sometimes the post office will show delivered when it is at the post office" but that it never made it to their actual residence.

 

So I said that its sounds like either the post office delivered and someone took it or that they made it show delivered but it got delivered to the wrong address or something (in short) and that they should contact the local post office to find out about it and see if the postman remembers it, etc.

 

So final deal - its a 10$ figure which I could just reship as a courtesy. I am leaning towards that provided USPS does nothing (which they wont because they are worthless). Real question is Should I? Is it worth it as it could just be a buyer trying to get something free (doubt it)? Worth it to not deal with the issue anymore?

 

I assume Ebay would side with me on this, right?

What I do in these situations is provide the buyer with the phone number and address of his local post office (you can find it easily by typing his zip code and "post office phone number" into Google). I tell him to call or visit the post office and ask to speak to the carrier that scanned the package as "delivered". I give him a good description of exactly what his package looked like (appearance, materials, color, dimensions) and tell him that if the carrier and/or the postmaster can't locate the package, they can assist him in filing a lost/stolen item claim.

 

This is an issue between the buyer and his post office, or the buyer getting mail regularly stolen off his porch. You can, just out of niceness, send him a replacement if you want, but in my opinion you certainly don't owe him one and he will be MUCH better served in future if he gets his post office to deliver his packages and/or does something about the security of the packages that get left at his door.

I assume eBay would side with you in a dispute (you know what they sat about assume...), what to do about it is up to you. Personaly I don't like to send out "freebies" in situations like this, but Ive spent waaay to much time in retail and am kind of an a-hole about anything that even remotely smells of theft.

And yes, eBay and PayPal will both side with you. If the buyer has a good reputation with eBay and PayPal, those guys may send out a courtesy refund to the buyer, but it'll be out of their pockets, not yours.

Not sure about ebay`s stance on an issue like this, as I`ve only sold a couple things on there, none of which was Lego, and it was quite some time ago. Agreed with USPS being useless, they`re just a bunch of greedy careless bastards (some small level of sarcasm intended   ). If it`s $10, probably the worst that happens is you are out that amount. I`d check the bear members` feedback; is there evidence this has happened before from him/her? Shady transactions, etc. You could also inquire with USPS to see if they did in fact deliver it. That`s probably unreliable, but may be worth a shot. Go with your gut, if the buyer seems sincere about this and USPS is in fact useless, maybe the thing to do is offer a refund or ship him another figure. Not that either is what you want to do, but may be the best options. 

Good advice folks. I had this happen to me once, but the recipient miraculously found the package before any claims were filed.

ebay has your back as long as the tracking shows delivered and the item is under $250 (I think it's $250). Over that, ebay requires a signature.

 

I've never had a problem with ebay in cases like this. If tracking shows the item delivered, then it got delivered.

I have had this happen as well.  99% of the time the buyer miraculously found the package.  The problem now is that even if the buyer just wants to send the seller an email, it automatically opens a case.  I recommend giving them the post office's number and asking them to start there.  Just from my own experience if I bought something and it said delivered and it was my town not some other state or something crazy I would not expect the seller to refund me money.  I would notify the post office and try to locate it.

They were very quick to say they "opened an inquiry with the post office" which I thought was weird. And I fail to see if they had a second one missing too why they didn't immediately go that route.

 

On the other hand, its such a small item I don't care too  much. I would be out about 4$ which isn't a huge deal. Obviously if it was something bigger I would feel different.

 

I basically sent to them what Frog said. I am thinking they will come back and say it didn't help. However, with some other people saying the buyer miraculously found it, I am wondering. lol.

 

My other experience with this was one where the package was delivered, but it had been ripped open and everything stolen out of it. I ended up sending the buyer new stuff, because they sent me pictures and seemed honest. But this one is different.

I just dealt with this myself. I shipped a Bionicle, the buyer paid $95 for it. I shipped it the day he paid and it took 23 days to get to his house. I hadnt realized this yet, but he contacted me and said that the item took a really long time for it to arrive and it said that the lego was delivered and he did not receive it.

 

I do not know if someone suggested this already (dont have time to read every comment). I verified that his address was up to date, and it was. Pretty much after that as long as you have the tracking number you are all set. Ebay will protect you. The only thing i told him to do is contact his post office and ask about it. 30 minutes later he said he found it. 

 

A little sketchy if you ask me. 

I think Frog gave very good advice. Ebay will have your back since you have deilvery confirmation. The hard part is working to make sure the buyer does not neg you or ding your stars. I am sure a few phone calls to ebay could get those removed if it happens. Personally I would also block the buyer (maybe you can let us know the username so we can also add them to our lists). Hope it all works out.

I've pretty much done everything imaginable on these. I've refunded, resent, and did nothing but try to help buyer locate. Sometimes a similar address screws things up. My neighbor and I have similar addresses and get each other's items at times. 6 freedom to 6 freedom circle.

Also have never gotten bad feedback because of it.

Ebay has sided with me before even when tracking said it was delivered to me. They look at more than just tracking info.

Ebay has sided with me before even when tracking said it was delivered to me. They look at more than just tracking info.

Was it an item over $250 or did it happen awhile back. There stance on things has changed over the years or maybe they sided with both of you.

Frog has great advice and it most of the time would go with that attitude. I t is personal and depends how the buyer is behaving. Ebay will have your back and in some cases they will pay you and the buyer, or refund the buyer for you out of their pocket. The postal service here in the UK will honor compensation if it says delivered although takes a long time to sort out. I personally send anything over

Was it an item over $250 or did it happen awhile back. There stance on things has changed over the years or maybe they sided with both of you.

It happened about 2 years ago and it was a 200 dollar item. Haven't had something like this happen recently.

It happened about 2 years ago and it was a 200 dollar item. Haven't had something like this happen recently.

Oh nice. It's a shame how much fraud is out there cause they still have to protect buyers too from shady sellers ll that could just send the wrong cheap item and claim they sent the more expensive item

A SNAD (Significantly Not as Described) claim would be different than a not received claim. An empty box, the wrong item, a broken item, a Lego box filled with puzzle pieces    ) - these are all SNADs that eBay will definitely take into account the relative reputations (public and that known only to eBay) of the buyer and seller, at least in some cases.

A SNAD (Significantly Not as Described) claim would be different than a not received claim. An empty box, the wrong item, a broken item, a Lego box filled with puzzle pieces ) - these are all SNADs that eBay will definitely take into account the relative reputations (public and that known only to eBay) of the buyer and seller, at least in some cases.

Doh. Thanks for clarification

This is the reason why I no longer sell outside of Europe. Not only is international tracking cost prohibitive, there are often long customs delays which the buyer/seller can do nothing about. I once sent an Iron Man to LA with correct customs paperwork and it arrived 3 months late after being torn open for inspection! I had no choice but, to refund buyer within 7 days of opened case. I did eventually get a refund from Royal Mail but, it took months.

I was starting to feel the same way shipping internationally when eBay introduced the Global Shipping Program over here - it's great for any seller who doesn't want to cope with international shipping hassles for us. I don't know if eBay will ultimately try to institute it outside the U.S. (for sellers in Europe, etc.) but if they do, take a look at it.

It happened twice to me as a buyer, tracking number would say that it was delivered but I haven't received it. Both times I filled for missing items with USPS. Eventually I received my items, 1st one after 4 days and 2nd one after 8 days, without no apology.

Expecting an apology from any government agency is not recommended lol

DNIIM started a trend here.  Have similar problem only with me USPS appears to have lost the box.  Tracking info is stuck on out for delivery Delivery status not updated.  Does anyone know if USP offers automatic insurance for parcel select?  I didn't buy the additional insurance. 

There's no automatic insurance for parcel select, only for priority mail. Go and request tracking updates at usps.com -- if the tracking doesn't update to "delivered", though, you'll be on the hook for a refund to the buyer. Unfortunately all part of the cost of doing business.

Even if they had it, good luck collecting insurance from USPS