Delivered item stolen from doorstep Hermes

[thesherrifofnottingham]

 Hermes again,

I have had a message from a my buyer,

The item I sent was delivered and left behind a bin right near the door at 10.30 am 

the item could be seen from the pavement about 25 ft away,

the buyer didn't return until 6pm and they are claiming the  parcel has been stolen,

Hermes have provided photographic evidence  of it,

In fairness  they have been in touch with Hermes and had a reply stating they need to contact the retailer for a replacement or refund ,

I am a private seller and the goods are not replaceable, 

mid it my duty to claim on the basis the courier left the item in an unsafe location,

Am I required to refund my buyer or not,

Any recommendations appreciated 

Kind regards

phil 

[red_magpie]

Am I required to refund my buyer or not

That's up to eBay, but the short answer is probably not.

This has become a regular problem. Parcels may be signed for by the driver, left with neighbours, delivered to the wrong address or left in a "safe place" to be lost or stolen. "Porch piracy", or the theft of parcels from the doorstep is soaring.

If the buyer hasn't done so already, ask them to open an "item not received case" under eBay's money back guarantee, through the resolution centre. You must respond to this within three working days.

Before doing this, if you haven't uploaded the tracking number to eBay, you MUST do so now, see: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/tracking-items-youve-sold?id=4088

EBay can't and doesn't attempt to investigate deliveries. They will decide the case according to the tracking record. If it confirms that the item was delivered to the buyer's address, eBay will almost certainly find in your favour, and that you as the seller are not responsible if the item was later stolen. If so, you will not have to refund the buyer and they will be blocked from leaving you negative feedback. Any already left can be removed.

For full details of the above, see eBay's money back guarantee policy: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-poli...

Obviously, you can still try to claim any compensation you can for the buyer from Hermes,  but if the parcel has been tracked as delivered they're unlikely to accept responsibility.

[thesherrifofnottingham]

Thank you m,

[thesherrifofnottingham]

The buyer keeps contacting me to open a case with Hermes on the basis they did not leave the parcel in a safe place. Ebay have held the funds but have not had any reply or decisions as yet