Received an eBay package that isn’t for me

[ay98182]

Hey everyone,

so I received an eBay package (it says Marketplace Seller on it) that is to my correct address but the name on it isn’t someone I know. No one in my family etc has ordered anything. It was just left between my grate and my door, so I didn’t get a chance to reject it. I’ve posted about it on my estate’s WhatsApp thread and no one’s claimed it. What’s the best course of action?  There’s a return address (and a package reference code it seems) but I don’t really want to pay return postage ideally. It’s probably for someone in my building and the flat number is wrong (it’s quite a big building but with a very specific name), do I wait for them to come to me once they’ve figured out the issue with the seller? Is eBay able to do anything? All the options I’m seeing in Help are for not receiving something you’ve ordered yourself, or it coming to a wrong address. Not for an order that has nothing to do with me. I know how *bleep*py it can be when your order is lost so would love to help this person out as best I can! And is there a chance this could be some kind of scam?

[tressygirl]

If you have purchased some recent items from eBay,  checkout those sellers,  they may just have posted to the wrong buyer.

Click on the seller's listings,  then down the left sidebar click on Sold.  If you find the item there, send that seller a message  that you have received their item in error,  for them to send you enough money to cover a fully tracked return postage to return the item back to them.

Do not be fobbed off with sending to the correct buyer, it goes back to the seller.

If this is not the case, and no one else in your household knows of this purchase,  google Brushing Scam see if that applies here.

@ay98182 

[ay98182]

Thanks a lot for your advice! No I haven’t purchased anything at all for a few months. I did look up brushing scams but the item is pretty hefty (like a phone in its box) and has a battery warning on it. So doesn’t seem like your typical low cost item brushing scam.  Must be some address typo!

[tressygirl]

Hopefully someone on that that WhatsApp thread will see your post but if not, if there's a return address just hand it back to your postie , cross your name out and write on it  ' Person Unknown please return to Sender. ' 

Or hand it in  to your Post Office.

You don't pay  the postage for mis delivered items.

@ay98182 

[red_magpie]

If it's not addressed to you it's not up to you to sort it out.

If it was sent by Royal Mail, mark it as "not known at this address" and return it to a post office or sorting office.

If it was a courier, they may not be interested as it was delivered to the correct address. But as there's a return address it's possible they may be willing to return it to the seller, as Royal Mail would.

Otherwise, it isn't  your worry. If you can't contact the seller through eBay I would just keep it unopened for a couple of months. If nobody caims it, do whatever you want with it.

[ay98182]

Thanks so much for your advice! Hopefully a neighbour will just get in touch about it, will save them the hassle - otherwise I’ll give it to my postie (who I know quite well) and it’ll be returned to sender (given there’s a return address). Or hand it back at the post office next time I’m passing by there.