Ebay dilemma...HELP!

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Longgone

Longgone

John/68 Barracuda & Dart
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
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Newport News, Virginia
I`ve got an Ebay dilemma and I hope to get some sage advise from some others here. The abridged story goes like this:

I had a Dart GTS trunk panel for sale on Ebay, it was pretty thrashed but I figured that someone could use it so I put it up for auction worldwide. A Brazilian wins the bid but can`t follow through on the purchase, having trouble with his credit card. I offered it to the second highest bidder who bought it, he lives here in the states. I wrapped the ends w/cardboard, rolled it in soft Styrofoam, then backed it with hard Styrofoam, put it in a cardboard box, and shipped it via the USPS (his choice) without purchased insurance. He received it the other day and said it was totally destroyed. I`ve filed an insurance claim with the USPS but I doubt they`ll honor it since no insurance was purchased separately. I don`t know whether to just give this guy his money back or what. I feel terrible for him, yet I don`t want to lose all the money from the sale. Shouldn`t the P.O. have some obligation to deliver your package in the same way it was brought to them regardless of whether insurance was bought or not? I`m in a quandry and don`t know what to do. The P.O. says it`ll be at least two weeks before they can render a decision. Any suggestions would be welcome. On the lighter side, if you dont think Ebay`s a circus ,I just sold two items last week to B. Barnum and G. Bailey. :toothy10:
 
First of all, ask the buyer to send you pics of the panel. You stated that it was pretty thrashed before you sent it out, maybe the purchaser has buyer's remorse or didn't understand how thrashed it was by your description.

I doubt you will have any recourse from USPS. But make an attempt at a claim. You may get lucky and receive a settlement.

After you compare pics from the buyer and determine that it is in worse shape than when you shipped it, negotiate with the buyer (split the difference), I mean is the panel a total loss? Or is it still salvageable in some capacity?

Good luck. And remember to buy the insurance next time. :toothy10:
 
Did he send you pics of the part, and is it infact in worst shape then what you shipped him ?

And the price of insurance on packages I find is peanuts, compared to replacement value.

Wishing you all the best, I'd feel the same as you if that would happen, but that was the agreement you made with him.

My .02.
 
I've had good luck shipping USPS, even shipped a few guitars out of country. They tend not to tear up things, but once in a while I guess it happens. As much as it sucks they're going to deny the claim since that's why they offer insurance. I would feel bad for the guy but I certainly wouldn't give his money back if he opted out of the insurance for a few bucks or less. Gotta think people....:angry7:
 
It's water under the bridge, but for what its worth I take a picture(s) of anything I'm shipping.
Daryl
 
shouldnt the buyer of the object then request insurance? If i recieved it all messed up, i would immediately think "I shoulda got shippers insurance".

I dunno - i guess being a good person, you'd refund... but i dont see how you'd HAVE to or anything.... It would save your ebay score though.
 
crashcaptn said:
It would save your ebay score though.
Click to expand...

A BIG maybe on that. So people are just vindictive, So I would get a good feedback BEFORE I refunded anything. Or maybe make a partial refund and the remainder after feedback. Don't ask how I know this...
 
jimmyray said:
A BIG maybe on that. Some people are just vindictive, So I would get a good feedback BEFORE I refunded anything. Or maybe make a partial refund and the remainder after feedback. Don't ask how I know this...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wouldn't count on it, if he's asking for a refund...he'll give you negative feedback anyhow. I accidentally got two packages mixed up and sent the wrong stuff to people. I realized it right after the stuff was sent. I contacted both people and let them know, told them I'd pay for the shipping to the correct party. One of the guys was really cool about it the other jumped down my throat, gave me negative feedback saying that I was a rip-off and filed a complaint with ebay. He got his parts a few days later and never appoligized. Luckily he sent the other guy his item before he turned into an ***...

Like I said, I wouldn't refund if you know you packaged it well enough and you offered him insurance on it and he turned it down.
 
...The guy saw pics on the ebay add of the item? You shipped it as to his instructions? Did he elect not to have insurance? Was the package open or damaged when he picked it up at the PO? Did he unwrap it then and there and report it on his end? He was told of it's condition prior to shipping? Humm?
 
I always include insurance on any items I ship.

If you offered insurance and he refused to pay the couple bucks, he gambled and lost.

I only ship very small items and items to Canada USPS. Otherwise, they are a hassle not worth dealing with. I ship most of my stuff FedEx Ground. They are cheaper than UPS, and have much better service. I wonder why the guy requested USPS. Was it to a PO Box?
 
If the buyer paid via paypal and files a complaint, paypal will require you to refund $$$. They will also require buyer to return the item to you.

Email seller for more specifics on what "totally destroyed" means. See if he/she wants to return item to you for a refund or maybe offer a partial refund and buyer keep the panel.

If this is a metal panel, I can't imagine what could have happened to it. Sounds like you had it securely packaged.

Good Luck
 
I got burned on this thru ebay also. I sold a heater box to a guy in Canada. He requested usps. It also was damaged. He filed a claim with ebay. I could not talk to a real person at ebay on this concern, only thru email. My question to them was, what proof that this was the part that I shipped? Whats to keep the bad guys from scamming me? I had to refund the selling price, not the frt. & he keep the alledged damage part. What a deal! What was I gonna do? Drive to Canada! I don't have much use for ebay anymore, HIGH listing fees, High selling fees, & FRAUD! I would rather list my stuff thru here to sell or trade. This way, if you get burned, everyone can be warned.
 
Some time back, I sold a set of Six Pack carbs on ebay. The winning bidder wanted them shipped the cheapest way possible.....to the Republik of Kalifornia, which meant USPS PARCEL POST. AND he didn't get insurance. I, however, opted for delivery confirmation.

wise move.

Well, the carbs sat at my yocal post office for two days before moving on to the P.O. in Fort Worth, which for some reason took a week. They went to Kalifornia, back to Fort Worth, then BACK to Kalifornia. WHY? I don't know. Anyway, he received the carbs ONE FULL MONTH after I sent them.

He raised hell, saying they were trashed when they arrived. When I didn't refund his money he filed a complaint with ebay AND with his credit card company saying he never received the carbs.

So after more than a month of screwing with this guy, ebay, and his credit card company, they finally saw things my way when I provided proof of him accepting delivery. The credit card company immediately gave me my money and I think ebay kicked him off.
 
Sorry to hear of your problem John. I hate to tell you but I wouldn't count on USPS doing anything about it. They are pretty much like E-bay. As long as they get their money that's all that matters to them. Since no insurance was purchased they probably won't do anything. That's the only advantage with UPS is they have automatic $100 insurance but you still have to show it is double boxed in most cases or they won't honor claims. Like some of the others said make him send pics of what it looks like now and the box too. That'll tell you if he's trying to pull a fast one.

What really sucks is the new E-bay feedback system. Yeah the old system wasn't great but at least you could give a buyer negative if he screwed you. Now the seller cannot give negative feedback for any reason. Can't even give neutral FB. Only positive.
 
Exactly what fishy68 said...:sad1:......:banghead:........:thumbdow:to ebay.
 
Not so. I got neutral feedback from some guy called fatrodder. He is the type that would only leave positive feedback for a buyer after the buyer left him positive feedback.

As far as "I'm" concerned, if the buyer pays (and especially if they pay immediately) their obligation is done and they deserve positive feedback. I paid this *** immediately after the auction. His communication sucked and held me hostage. So I left him neutral and he left me neutral afterwards. All this over a 9.99 chrome oil pan.

What a dick
 
i ran into a similar situation awhile back/ here is what i found out .you automatically get $100.00 in insurance with ups when you ship with them.if a claim is to be filed the shipper has to do it and ups will go retrieve the item from the reciepent.what they do with it then i don't know what i did figure out was that the indiviual i was dealing with was scamming ups to get his parts for free i called the fraud dept of ups and reported him and then i told him to never bid on any of my items again and that he had been reported to ups / i never heard from him again
 
Right now I have perfect feedback and I`m almost certain that if I don`t refund his money (no matter what the P.O. did/does) that he`ll give me a negative feedback. It`s a buyers responsibility to opt for insurance and the carriers responsibility to deliver the item intact. I offered him UPS as a carrier, which automatically insures up to $100.00 but they were a dollar more and he decided not to use them. It`s an inequity that (although it`s out of my hands once I`ve shipped the item) he can give me negative feedback for what the carrier did and I cannot give him negative feedback. I feel absolutely powerless. I`m between a rock and a hard place, I guess all I can do for now is hope that the post office will honor the insurance claim.
 
If I remember correctly USPS only insures up to $100 if it's shipped Priority Mail. Insurance is cheap and depending on the item I automatically add it into the shipping cost whether the buyer wants it or not. It's assurance on your part. I normally do it on expensive items or stuff that could be easily damaged. So far its worked out for me. If your feedback right now is 100% then I wouldn't really worry about it even if he does leave a negative after a refund. You should be in a high 90's anyway. Nowadays people leave negatives for stupid stuff. IMHO unless he provides proof that it was damaged when he received it he is SOL. I don't think the USPS will do anything because no insurance was purchased. Did he have to sign for it when it was received? If so why didn't he inspect it then? Also USPS delivered it to his door? I know depending on size and weight you have you to go the USPS and pick it up.
 
I thought I saw something about the USPS offering a certain value coverage on some of their parcels now??? Probably dreaming or they've changed it again along with all the other loop holes, size and weight requirements etc. that all cost more and more. Don't even get me going on International shipping!!!!

I'm with the others here. Get actual pictures of the part. Make sure to specify that the pictures need to be clear and of the damage present. Also pictures of the box etc. Then compare to what you sent and decide from there as far as your part. If you never offered coverage on the USPS shipping, advised purchase of it or explained that you would not be responsible for any damages if coverage was not purchased then that might be something to consider on how you feel about helping the guy out if it did indeed get damaged.

If no coverage and no real proof (pics etc.) of damage can be provided to the USPS then I doubt you will get anywhere. Most string you along until you give up and they don't have to mess with you.

Funnily, the UPS $100 auto coverage is loop hole filled too. Someone mentioned the double boxed part. I'm in the local UPS store all the time and I've never seen them double box anything people are shipping with them.....

The new eBay system for feedback is a real waste for a seller. Supposedly you do have recourse if a buyer is trying to pull a fast one through the claim process. As far as your feedback goes, even if the buyer leaves you a neutral that still changes your percentage. Ebay takes your feedback number and divides it by all the positives, neutrals and negatives that you receive. So, in essence a neutral IS a negative for you.
I've pretty much mellowed or honestly I've just reached the point of being past caring really with all the eBay site changes, fees etc. I still just take care of people as I've always done and just see what happens. At the moment I have 2,600 plus positive feedbacks with only one negative from an International buyer who said they had not received their item. Amazingly left the feedback the day after the confirmation of delivery shows that they received the item! Just a matter now of whatever whim the buyer has as far as feedback left. Even so, makes my feedback 99.7 percent or some such with their NEW math.

Get the proof pics and go from there. If you get a song and dance about not being able to provide pictures, not having a digital camera (look to see if they've sold anything on eBay, no digi cam? how did they get the pics for the listing?), threw the box away etc. etc. then just let them know up front that the pictures are a vital part in your being able to do anything to help them out.

Best of luck with it.
 
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