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Buyer wants refund for item not received after just 4 days. Untracked 2nd class letter
Summary: speedyshipzales shared an issue where a buyer opened an "item not received" case just 3-4 days after purchase, asking for a refund due to estimated delivery time discrepancies. They sought advice on handling the situation before eBay's involvement. tobiasd4 and tressygirl offered insights, noting the drawbacks of using untracked services for low-value items and suggesting adjustments in dispatch times. speedyshipzales appreciated the advice but expressed concerns about the fairness of the system for sellers using low-cost, untracked shipping.
Hi all,
This one is new to me, a buyer started an "item not received" case pretty much as soon as they could I guess. I believe it had been only 3 or 4 days from purchase, dispatch and posting the items, they demanded a refund as items not delivered within what it said on eBay. (The estimated delivery time?)
What should I do in this case? I have messaged the buyer explaining it is an estimate, not a guarantee. I need to resolve it by Thursday 24th but to claim compensation from Royal Mail, I would need the buyer to tell me the item wasn't received by the end of next week?! I am so confused.
Should I just let it expire and let eBay get involved?
Any help would be appreciated! Thank you
tressygirl
Mentor3 weeks agoWas this a Simple Delivery transaction? If so, when buyer opens a case for item not received, eBay take over, fully refund the buyer, and you get to keep the payout for the item.
Was this sent with Simple Delivery?
@speedyshipzales
tobiasd4
Mentor3 weeks agoI doubt this was SD, as seller is sending untracked.
Others have complained that posting tracked on low value items is not worth it.
tressygirl
Mentor3 weeks agoGood point !
speedyshipzales
OP3 weeks agoHi all, thank you for your replies! Yes, I am not using SD. As tobiasd4 just said, I can't justify any other delivery service on low cost items such as £1 cards. It doesn't look like a very fair system for the seller, but it seems that I will just have to suck it up and stop selling cheap cards if this keeps happening. Thanks again
john1297576
Mentor3 weeks agoBearing in mind you say post within one day, it does seem that you are inviting claims of not received.
Increase the dispatch time but still post asap, give items longer to arrive and stops the buyer who wants a refund and a free item.
tobiasd4
Mentor3 weeks agoBuyers can open item not received case 1 day after estimated delivery date.
Without tracking showing delivered, you always have to refund within 3 days.
RM claim is nothing to do with ebay case.
speedyshipzales
OP3 weeks agoI appreciate the quick reply thank you! A bit upsetting but that's the way it is I guess... Like mentioned on another comment, when selling £1 items I can't justify anything else other than 2nd class untracked. I will just have to see how much money I lose and maybe stop selling cheap cards. Thanks again
tressygirl
Mentor3 weeks agoHow about this solution!
Your most expensive card is £19 plus so worth selling on its own, and worth using Simple Delivery here to protect against a claim for non delivery and damage in transit.
The lower cards the £1 plus cards, are surely not that rare , and may be worth placing in a group of say 5 or 10 cards, the total price again makes it worth using Simple Delivery tracked service for the protection it offers.
Worth a try?
I would also definitely increase your dispatch times from 1 day to say 3, Royal Mail isn't that reliable to guarantee such a fast delivery and definitely not on a 2nd class paid service.
@speedyshipzales