Royal mail delayed/lost

[smdkgd123]

I sold an item 13/11/23 and posted same day first class. 

Buyer messaged to say it still hasn't arrived (20/11/23). Tracking is still stuck on when the parcel was accepted at the post office I used to send it, no further updates. When i go on royal mail it says i can't open a case until 7 working days after the last expected delivery date (despite being first class they say this is 16/11/23). 

What is the correct course of action here? I am concerned that if I refund the customer already, the item may turn up and then I won't be able to claim for it as being lost either, meaning I'll be down an item and the refund money for it. If i have proof of postage and postage service lose an item is it up to me to refund the buyer, or ebay? 

Thank you to anyone who can help! I've tried to ask eBay but it says i can't raise a question as there's no open dispute. 

[rjwilmsi]

Ask the buyer to be patient and wait a few more days (if possible). Sometimes first class items do take more than a week to arrive.

Sometimes though there is never a tracking update even if item delivered OK (about 5% of items I send with first class that should get a scan don't get it).

Eventually / if nothing changes, the buyer will open an Item Not Received case - if buyer keeps messaging you then direct them to open the case. That case will give you another 3 postal days. If the Royal Mail tracking doesn't update then before the deadline in the case you need to resolve the case by issuing the buyer a full refund. Don't let the case time out otherwise eBay will forcibly issue the refund and not credit back the eBay fees. Also, if the buyer doesn't open a case then don't issue them a refund.

If you do end up refunding then you can claim from Royal Mail, but that is entirely separate to any eBay process - you can't make the buyer wait for the outcome of any Royal Mail claim.

In future do look into using the Royal Mail tracked services - they are about the same price as first class for parcels but have end to end tracking - much more reliable tracking than 1st class. You need to purchase label at home but can still do post office drop off if that suits you best.

[fargvs]

Nothing should be done until/unless the Buyer raises a case ... you will need to prove  Delivery.

The RM/Post Offce receipt should have a 13/16 digit Reference number ... you can re-check the delivery status here > https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item

[bigbogdog]

I'm in a similar situation, what happens if you give the buyer a refund and the parcel reaches them a few days later? Thanks 

[tommystrezures]

In this case if you refund the buyer and it later arrives the matter is between you and the buyer and is down to trust. There is no mechanism on ebay to re invoice a buyer for monies owing. HOwever as the the transaction has been completed in the eyes of ebay you can exchange information. First port of call for us is to ask have they got paypal, if yes send your email address with the amount outstanding. If the buyer did not pay via this method or does not have paypal the next quickest way is BAC transfer, alternatively POstal order for the amount, which they would then need to post to you obviously.

Has the buyer opened a case in this instance? Do not refund until they have done this. Most buyers are understanding and will allow a few extra days for items to arrive etc. Do you have tracking on the item at all? - if you have tracking or a 16 digit code (if a large letter over 100gms and or parcel) ensure this is entered in to the tracking section against the item in question.

[bigbogdog]

Hi, yes I’ve got the tracking ref, I posted it 2nd class on the 2nd January, it shows that the parcel is at Cardiff sorting depot, ( I live up in north wakes) and the buyer is in Bristol. I’ve entered the tracking number on the system so the buyer knows that it has been posted. He says he will wait until Friday before filing a request. Cheers Jason
Sent from my iPhone

[tranceenthusiast]

What happened here?  I'm in a similar situation item sent days ago via trance 48 it's tracking is not updating from the post office I sent it from. Most annoying thing is my funds are on hold because of eBay's bs policy.. 

[bigbogdog]

Hi, I persuaded the buyer to wait for a week, eventually the parcel did arrive, although it did take much longer than I would have expected. To be honest I thought the buyer was out of order complaining to me that he was going to raise it with eBay after only two days. Hope this helps, good luck, Jason
Sent from my iPhone

[tranceenthusiast]

Thanks for the update, good to hear it got delivered did the tracking update eventually then? 

[bigbogdog]

Yes it did, but it took a few days, it wasn’t instant .
Sent from my iPhone

[tranceenthusiast]

Cheers mate, my tacking is now updating! 

[bigbogdog]

No probs, glad to hear everything is ok 👍
Sent from my iPhone

[smdkgd123]

This wasn't in reply to me but just thought I'd chime in - the delayed parcel was delivered a few days after I posted this. Was very delayed but all was okay in the end and customer was alright about it. After the week passed, I queried it with Royal Mail online and sent a screenshot to the customer to assure them I was looking into it. RM were useless but then it randomly turned up anyway. Hope the same happens for you! 

[tranceenthusiast]

Cheers, yeah they are useless tracking is updating now though. 

[psycho_comics]

THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRACKING. IF THE BUYER GETS  IT DELIVERED HE CAN SEE WHETHER IT HAS BEEN SCANNED OR NOT EASY EVEN THO HE OR SHE HAS GOT THE ITEM THEY CAN STILL ABUSE THE SYSTEM AND STIL DENY RECEAVING IT  BECAUSE THE TRACKING HAS NOT UPDATED OR ITS NOT BEEN SCANNED . I DONT THINK THE BUYER SHOUILD BE ABLE TO SEE WHETHER IT HAS BEEN SCANNED OR NOT  THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THE BUYER 

[bits_n_bobs_heaven]

---

@psycho_comics wrote:

THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRACKING. IF THE BUYER GETS  IT DELIVERED HE CAN SEE WHETHER IT HAS BEEN SCANNED OR NOT EASY EVEN THO HE OR SHE HAS GOT THE ITEM THEY CAN STILL ABUSE THE SYSTEM AND STIL DENY RECEAVING IT  BECAUSE THE TRACKING HAS NOT UPDATED OR ITS NOT BEEN SCANNED . I DONT THINK THE BUYER SHOUILD BE ABLE TO SEE WHETHER IT HAS BEEN SCANNED OR NOT  THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THE BUYER 

---

Regardless of whether the tracking updates or not on the sold item page , if a buyer opens a case of 'item not received', eBay always check RM directly to see the live update / feed of the parcel. RM like other carriers experiences maintanance time which often leaves tracking unavailable for a few hours or a whole day if an update has caused issues. Either way, tracking does update eventually, so false claims can be dealt as, exactly that.

I'm not in favour of tracking numbers being unavailable to buyers as they might need to reschedule delivery if they know they're not going to be in and don't want an item left on the doorstep or safeplace............