trouble with post office and ebay

[Reaperman]

I'm a regular ebay buyer but I've got a very useless post office. They contract out to some local dunces for delivery so every so often a package gets sent back without me getting any notice of it. I don't mind eating a couple dollars shipping here or there. Neither do most sellers. But now I've got a real problem.

 

this item cost $45 to ship. (usps tracking EI522350090JP was given to me yesterday) I bought it back in march, and it went back to japan with zero notices given to me--tracking info says one was given on a day I worked from home. Now the seller obviously doesn't want to eat shipping, so he wants another $45 out of me (how's that even work?), and I don't think I should have to eat all of my post office's mistake. Naturally the post office main complaint line just had the local post office call us, who said everything's fine, and I was an idiot.

 

What's the smoothest way out of this? I say paypal claim neutral feedback right now. If he's not even meeting me half way, I don't see a problem exercising my full buyer powers as far starting claims. But since there's a (false) report that the package attempted delivery once, I'm not sure how that would go in my favor. I'm also not paying him squat outside of ebay--so how does ebay handle the new invoice etc?

 

Now that the item isn't as exclusive anymore (a month later) and I really don't need it from this seller.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Reaperman

[Trade-N-Games]

First where do you live?

Second how can this be any fault of the seller? DID he wait weeks to mail or does this service just suck this bad? Maybe you could pay a few bucks for signature receive only in the future. I had a few boxes returned over the years with no fault of my own. I contacted the buyer and made sure they gave me correct info. All of them did and they had dumb reasons for not getting them and they all paid again for shipping. If they had not it would have been a total wash for me to have sold it to them.One package was returned to me and I had to pay for return shipping to me, that really sucked.

I would just work it out with the seller to refund your money for the item but i dont think he could refund shipping since he paid it and did his part and the mess up was on your end.

Sorry this might not help you much

[Albert]

Second how can this be any fault of the seller? DID he wait weeks to mail or does this service just suck this bad? Maybe you could pay a few bucks for signature receive only in the future. I had a few boxes returned over the years with no fault of my own. I contacted the buyer and made sure they gave me correct info. All of them did and they had dumb reasons for not getting them and they all paid again for shipping. If they had not it would have been a total wash for me to have sold it to them.One package was returned to me and I had to pay for return shipping to me, that really sucked.

I would just work it out with the seller to refund your money for the item but i dont think he could refund shipping since he paid it and did his part and the mess up was on your end.

Sorry this might not help you much

I've had this happen a few times as well, and it's nearly always the fault of the buyer. Generally I ask the buyer to pay for shipping again and I've never had someone refuse to do so. Just a few days ago I had a package come back from Greece. Made it all the way there, and it appears that the buyer did not respond to a pickup notice, and the package came all the way back. Buyer claims he never got the notice (same as OP here states). Buyer still paid the $5 for me to repackage and reship (was a small and light package).

 

It's hard to fault the seller if the package obviously made it all the way to your home town and then your local post office did not properly deliver it for one reason or another. In an ideal world, the post office could be held accountable and responsible for getting the package back to you at their expense, but that sure as hell isn't going to happen..

 

..Al

[Reaperman]

the seller's obviously not at fault here (though I don't like his out of ebay payment request), but I'm not at fault here either and I don't see why I need to pay $90 ($45x2) in shipping for a $92 item. If you can kind of see where I'm going here. Though both responses are a bit untrusting of buyers (and having been a seller up until moving here) I can understand. However, I have no reason to 'fib' in here. It's a postal delivery problem--but of course you know what the post office is going to do about it.

 

the package wasn't delivered properly, attempted delivery wasn't up to USPS standards. I never got any notices--though if you check the tracking number it says 1 of the 4 required notices was left. since it was comming from japan, I thought nothing of 1 month shipping time and didn't contact him until late in the game to get my tracking number. I've caught a couple with one (the final) notice before and a couple even made it back to their sender--but they only cost a few to ship and one of the other of us just ate the expense.

 

the way I see it, I'm not at all at fault here, I don't have a package and it's the seller's job to get me one. He did *nothing* wrong, but life sucks sometimes when your customer base in on the other side of the world, and he's unwilling to even meet me halfway in terms of cost. my 45 days to file a claim are running slim too.

 

further--if I did want to give him the requested $45--which ebay form does that? I'm not going outside ebay.

 

First where do you live?

Second how can this be any fault of the seller? DID he wait weeks to mail or does this service just suck this bad?

New Orleans area--seller in japan. Not seller's fault at all--actually his shipping was much quicker than I imagined. I paced around for almost a month and contacted him a few days after I got a package ordered from hong kong at around the same time. his package was already gone back to japan by then. I had no way to know where it was, got no notices and instantly I'm at fault. It's not fair to ask either of us to eat this expense, but somebody is going to have to.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Reaperman

[holygrailvideogames.com]

I sent a package to Italy last year. Shipping was around $40. The tracking showed that the post office in Italy kept trying to deliver it but it never was delivered. The buyer claimed that they didn't try to deliver to him. It was sent back to the United States. I called 1-800-ASK-USPS and they actually tracked down the package in the United States and resent it back to Italy. The 2nd time around it was delivered. I didn't have to pay to resend so I was happy about that.

 

Maybe you could try to call them and see if someone can help you before it is sent out of the country.

[Captain Beard]

the way I see it, I'm not at all at fault here, I don't have a package and it's the seller's job to get me one. He did *nothing* wrong, but life sucks sometimes when your customer base in on the other side of the world, and he's unwilling to even meet me halfway in terms of cost.

Life also sucks sometimes when you order things from the other side of the world...

You admit the seller did nothing wrong, yet you still expect them to eat (at least some of) the shipping cost.

I feel for you -- I really do -- but to give bad (or neutral) feedback because a third-party (the USPS) screwed up is pretty unfair to the seller. Once it left their hands, they had already fulfilled their end of the bargain. Your refusal to send money "outside of eBay" is also pretty unreasonable as there's really no easy way to send additional payment via their checkout process. Unless you have reason to believe this seller is not on the up and up, there's really no reason why you should be so unwilling to do this.

 

I think you got screwed, to be sure, but two wrongs don't make a right. Screwing the seller doesn't accomplish anything.

[FND]

Not the sellers fault, your issue is with your post office. The seller did all he could or should do

why should he be held responsible ? did you contact them about the long wait and ask for tracking

info ? you should of been asking questions and maybe you could of stopped this before it got

returned. The seller had no way of knowing your post office is a problem, however according to your

statement you have had prior issues once your item was taking longer then you

expected you should of been checking.

[Reaperman]

Not the sellers fault, your issue is with your post office. The seller did all he could or should do

why should he be held responsible ? did you contact them about the long wait and ask for tracking

info ? you should of been asking questions and maybe you could of stopped this before it got

returned. The seller had no way of knowing your post office is a problem, however according to your

statement you have had prior issues once your item was taking longer then you

expected you should of been checking.

since when wasn't I checking? I was the one who followed up with the seller, nagged a tracking number out of him, sat on hold with the post office numerous times. I had no way to know of my post office ever had the package until I got the tracking number. He picked the shipper, they dropped the ball. Their ball-dropping is partially recorded in their tracking info.

 

why is the buyer entirely to blame for this? and it's a sad affair--both of us are good ebayers with lots of feedback. but I'm fairly certain that I'm going to get my entire lump back from paypal, and go with a seller with less expensive shipping. There's no telling if it would even get here if I did cough up money again.

 

and yes, I purchased this item through ebay, and I would like ebay's protection, so I am not making side deposites.

 

in any case, I've started an official dispute with paypal, and we'll see if we can come to an agreement on this.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Reaperman

[FND]

Again NOT THE SELLERS FAULT your issue is with the post office

[Reaperman]

Again NOT THE SELLERS FAULT your issue is with the post office

from where I sit, there are two outcomes money-wise. the two of us agree, and "our issue is with the post office" or we don't and the dispute system really makes it "his issue is with the post office."

 

even if I'm only refunded the item price, I can get it shipped cheaper through other sellers.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Reaperman

[Captain Beard]

why is the buyer entirely to blame for this?

Who said that?

We all agree -- you, the seller, and everyone who has posted on this thread -- that this was the fault of the Post Office.

 

The issue here is that you seem to think you're entitled to a refund (or free return shipping) from the seller, but since you admit that this was not the seller's fault, I'm completely at a loss how you've arrived at that conclusion.

 

Since the item was returned to the seller, you are entitled to a refund for the cost of the goods. But the money for shipping has already been spent and the seller made a good faith effort to get the goods to you. Why you think he should have to cover the POs mistake out of his pocket is truly beyond me. Honestly, this is a prime example of why sellers often complain about the unreasonable expectations of buyers; if he did everything right, why are you trying to stick it to him?

[Reaperman]

Honestly, this is a prime example of why sellers often complain about the unreasonable expectations of buyers; if he did everything right, why are you trying to stick it to him?

simply, I paid for a product and its shipping but didn't get it because his shipping method fell through. What he didn't get right, is getting the product into my tiny little hands and that's exactly what I gave him money for. Certainly the problem caused by the post office, but as of now I don't have a shipped product in hand, which I've paid for. And that makes it more the seller's problem than mine.

 

I don't remember paying for 'attempted shipping.' As I see it he hasn't used my $45 yet--I think he used his own $45 for the practice run and didn't know it at the time. Out of the pure goodness of my heart, I would accept a split ($22.50) cost for reshipping, but I'd want tracking info in advance in case it happened again. Still, if I have to fight for a refund, I'm asking for it all back.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Reaperman

[Artlover]

simply, I paid for a product and its shipping but didn't get it because his shipping method fell through. What he didn't get right, is getting the product into my tiny little hands and that's exactly what I gave him money for.

Wow, just wow.

[Captain Beard]

I paid for a product and its shipping but didn't get it because his shipping method fell through. What he didn't get right, is getting the product into my tiny little hands and that's exactly what I gave him money for.

You didn't give him money to get the product in your hands, you gave him money for a product -- which he made a good faith effort to provide -- and you gave him money to hire a shipper to get the product in your hands. I mean, you didn't think that $45 was for a plane ticket so he could fly over from Japan and leave the package on your doorstep, did ya?

[nonner242]

I agree it not the sellers fault and he should not have to pay athing for you package. It the post offices fault and good luck on that one.

It has happened many time to me also, but I CANNOT expect the seller to pay for it. They did what they were supposed too and shipped it.

Its outta their hands now.

Sorry to hear about it, but either pay again for shipping however you work it out. Or just get your money back for it...minus shipping.

If you neg him for it...shame on you.

Take you anger out on the postmaster not seller.

[Reaperman]

oh I was just good and rude to a couple of post office drones calling about my complaint. They did agree that my package was mishandled, but disagreed with me as to how much. (because the paper trail disagrees with me as to how much and that's all they have) Either way, the sender has to be the one filing these complaints, and instead he's just got his hand out.

 

I have no problem filing more post office complaints until I piss everybody off though.

I'm sick of my 3-4 days a week mail delivery, all the misplaced bills, and the occasional returned package (usually they go back as having an 'incorrect address'). Amazing since I can see the post office from the front of my apartment complex.

 

but I am really not mad at the seller. Still, I am pretty firm that he's not getting another $45 out of me, and I do want my toy. "it's not your fault, but you still have to pay" isn't something I'm going to listen to right now--emotions just won't let it happen. I think paypal will have to settle this one--though I'm giving the dispute a chance to work out before bumping it.

 

On the up side, I'm moving in a month--the down side is that I'm moving from the suburban Metarie post office, to (I suspect) one of the actual new orleans branches.

Edited April 21, 2009 by Reaperman

[lemoncurry]

If your PO is that incompetent, I suggest you rent a PO box, they'd have a hard time screwing that up!

[nonner242]

If your PO is that incompetent, I suggest you rent a PO box, they'd have a hard time screwing that up!

 

Not true I work for the PO, I had a PO box at my place of work and they still F'd it all up for 6 months...lol

And most ppl & places dont/wont ship to a PO box.

[Crazy Climber]

Sorry Reaperman, I have to agree with everyone else, this is not the sellers responsibility. You even said you have had prior problems with your post office sending things back, meaning you knew this was a possibility but you usually "ate" the cost of shipping. Knowing this has been a problem you should have checked the delivery confirmation number frequently and should have checked/called your post office when it arrived. Normally I wouldn't say you have to do all that but you said yourself that it has been a problem in the past, maybe you should have complained a little louder previous times so they could investigate instead of just eating the cost of shipping. If you don't complain they don't know anything is wrong and the lazy postman will just keep getting away with it, if this is in fact it is his fault. Sorry but to file a paypal claim and leave nuetral or negative feedback for this guy is just bullshit. What is your Ebay ID so I can block you. I don't want this to happen to me because your post office sucks.

[FND]

Has anyone looked at the USPS tracking log (see below)

 

This item was prepared for shipping on March 25 in JAPAN

Arrived and a notice was left at the buyers address in USA on March 27

(even went though customs ?)

 

I find this very hard to believe, door to door 2 days

 

also notice only one notice was left over two week time frame and then returned

dont they try more then once ?

 

still not the sellers fault but I find the USPS Tracking info very hard to believe

 

 

USPS TRACKING INFO

 

Label/Receipt Number: EI52 2350 090J P

Associated Label/Receipt:

Detailed Results:

 

Processed, April 14, 2009, 5:11 pm, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113

Unclaimed, April 14, 2009, 9:31 am, METAIRIE, LA

Notice Left, March 27, 2009, 12:50 pm, METAIRIE, LA 70003

Arrival at Unit, March 27, 2009, 10:44 am, METAIRIE, LA 70003

Processed, March 27, 2009, 6:48 am, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70113

Inbound Out of Customs, March 26, 2009, 1:12 pm

Inbound Into Customs

Inbound International Arrival, March 26, 2009, 1:01 pm, ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)

Foreign International Dispatch, March 26, 2009, 3:43 am, TOKYO INT, JAPAN

Origin Post is Preparing Shipment

Foreign Acceptance, March 25, 2009, 11:30 am, JAPAN

Edited April 22, 2009 by FND

[Crazy Climber]

I find this very hard to believe, door to door 2 days

I have had 2 day EMS shipping from Japan, usually it takes 3 maybe 4 days but 2 days has happened on occasion. I do agree the post office should have notified him more then once though. That sounds a little strange.

[Lincoln]

I'd say responsibility is on the seller. OP paid the seller to have the item delivered and it didn't get there-the seller didn't hold up his end. That said, the seller paid the postal services to handle his delivery which they fucked up. The seller should be recovering his money from the post office.

 

In practice, it's a mess. The seller probably has no way to go after the USPS directly, but he might be able to get his country's postal service to do it for him. Can you sue the USPS? If it was any normal business, it'd be pretty easy to show they have a pattern of failing to provide services paid for.

[Reaperman]

I'm actually not doubting the two days to my door. It would have had to be in metairie for them to have scanned it. But it is simply amazing shipping time. I don't doubt that it got here that day, but I was never notified, and I always check the mail for stuff from the ebay, since I'm a pretty heavy buyer. Post office said they should have at least sent a 'final notice,' in addition to the first notice they said they sent, but say they can't do anything without a complaint from the sender. I doubt they'd do anything then either, they were just trying to get me off the phone.

 

I've cooled off a bit--really venting on the call from the post office helped (and I knew they wouldn't do anything else for me, so I vented away). I know I'm paying for shipping again, but *not* with this seller. If there happened to be something funny about how it was sent or something like that--I just wouldn't be able to take it again. I've got a dispute open currently and I'm asking for a refund so I can go with somebody else. paypal says they protect 100% of my purchase price, including all shipping--so we'll see what that means exactly. Of course I'd prefer to have all of it back, but even minus shipping, I'm not out that much if I go with a less expensive seller (he was the first to have the product so he was expensive). Round about $20 I'd lose, but that would be it.

 

I've cooled off to the point where I won't feedback him--unless this turns extremely south during the dispute/claim or he asks specifically for it with a nag message. feedback's changed too much to use it properly, and he is a decent seller. Besides, I got to feedback the post office over the phone, which is really what I wanted. Maybe I should fill out another complaint with them. It's not fun, but maybe I'll feel even better.

 

about the same time I posted the question here, I also put it over on ebay (link). Answers vary and are similar to here (down to the PO box), but I wish I had an answer from a 'higher power,' if that makes any sense. To maybe put some closure on this.

 

What is your Ebay ID so I can block you. I don't want this to happen to me because your post office sucks.

ID is Mustclick, though as stated in this thread, I'm under a month away from getting a new post office and will stop ordering very soon anyway (shouldn't be doing it now, actually). I would like to know if you do end up blocking me so I can make a note and adjust my browsing as far as the buy/sell section here.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Reaperman

[+thanatos]

I've had a hang-up on a USPS package just because the mailman was lazy.

 

Mom sent a package, and I never got it. She insisted I should have it. No notice or slip for me.

 

She's friends with the PO in her town, since she always picks up the daily work mail, so they helped her out a little, and after I still didn't have my present after 2 weeks, they said "well, it should still be at X post office".

 

So I went there, gave them my name, and picked it up. Guy just went right back and found it in like 30 seconds.

 

Mailman never left me any notices at all, even though he logged that he did.

 

It was on the 'about to get sent back' pile.

 

Seeing you're near New Orleans... I just have to assume it's the PO fault...

[Captain Beard]

Quick question: Why won't/can't the seller file a complaint with the post office?