Buyer opens item not received case.

[kingoffootballshirtskofs]

I sold a shirt on eBay 2 months ago and shipped it using Royal Mail tracked 48, the buyer has now opened a case 2 months after they purchased, saying it has not been received, the tracking doesn’t show delivered however I believe Royal Mail have forgot to scan the parcel when delivering, I feel the buyer has just realised the item doesn’t show delivered so they will try to get their money back, is the buyer still eligible for eBay money back guarantee? 

[ile136yz]

eBay Guarantee is 30 days, but the Buyer can open a case with their Payment Provider which gives longer protection.

You can claim off Royal Mail 48 Tracked Service for not delivering.

[rjwilmsi]

If you don't have tracking to prove delivery then the buyer would almost certainly be able to win a chargeback with their payment provider.

What reasonable explanation the buyer would have to have waited 2 months to report the missing item, I don't know.

Tracked 48 is generally very reliable but the odd item will be lost or damaged. Also the odd one will have the scan missed. That the buyer has taken so long to report it seems dubious, but if they were doing it fraudulently then I would think they would do it sooner (to ensure they are covered by eBay moneyback guarantee). But you never know, buyer may have been dealing with a bereavement and forgot about an eBay order for a few weeks. Hard to say what the truth is.

However, as they've opened a case on eBay after 30 days, you can ignore the case - buyer is too late to escalate it. The case will time out and be closed with no action. Then if the buyer opens a chageback with their card provider, eBay should cover you under seller protection (protection includes chargebacks if they are for the same reason as an eBay case).

In theory you could claim for loss from Royal Mail, but I think Royal Mail require loss claims to be submitted within 30 days of estimated delivery date, so you would be too late.

So in this instance, while it's not normally the right thing to do on eBay, I think this time the best thing to do is to do nothing.

[vinylscot]

In this case, I don't think eBay would cover the chargeback, as the eBay case was never resolved. They would cover it if delivery had shown on the tracking, but that didn't happen.

[kingoffootballshirtskofs]

Thank you, it is still telling me to reply to the case by the end of today? Should I contact eBay? 

[ile136yz]

Even though it is over the 30 days eBay Guarantee period, I would answer the Open Case asap by informing eBay of the date the item was purchased.

Keep a record of any written correspondence you received regarding this sale.

[rjwilmsi]

(edit)

With an open INR case from a purchase over 30 days, I would just ignore the case. If you contact eBay customer support they may press the wrong button. The case should later automatically close.

[missdollydaydream]

Whatever you do, do NOT ask eBay to step in/resolve the case!

[akemp1]

For the possibility the buyer might be genuine you could try and raise a case with RM to see if they will investigate. Only costs you a bit of effort and it might resolve the issue.

[kingoffootballshirtskofs]

Why should I not contact eBay? 

[4_bathrooms]

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@kingoffootballshirtskofs wrote:

I sold a shirt on eBay 2 months ago and shipped it using Royal Mail tracked 48, the buyer has now opened a case 2 months after they purchased, saying it has not been received

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What does the subject of the case state? Does it state "your buyer has opened a request", "your buyer has filed a dispute with their payment provider" or something else? Your buyer should be out of time to open a MBG claim but a buyer can open a "request" up to (I believe) 90 days following purchase.

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@kingoffootballshirtskofs wrote:

the tracking doesn’t show delivered

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If the buyer has filed a dispute with their payment provider (a chargeback) you may as well send a refund and open a claim with Royal Mail. You will not win a payment dispute without an online delivery scan no matter how many times you contact eBay.

[lucy_farmer]

'Why should I not contact eBay? '

Because the *automatic* result of  a case like this (i.e. over the 30day MBG) is to close the case in your favour. (It'll all be done by computer; humans won't even look at it)

If you contact ebay and get a human on the case it may be different. Humans (especially ebay CS humans) make mistakes.....

[kingoffootballshirtskofs]

it says “buyer has opened an item not received request “

[lucy_farmer]

'it says “buyer has opened an item not received request “

Well, hopefully that means it's not a 'payment provider/chargeback' dispute. ('cos you can't fight that)

So sit tight.

If it's *over* 60 days the buyer won't be able to leave feedback either.

(this may all sound a little unfair on the buyer if it's genuine, but they really should have been a bit more on the ball than leaving it for 2 months IMHO...)

[kingoffootballshirtskofs]

I messaged them but they didn’t  reply so I believe that they have received their item and are just trying to get their money back.

[akemp1]

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@kingoffootballshirtskofs wrote:

I messaged them but they didn’t  reply so I believe that they have received their item and are just trying to get their money back.

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Maybe it will take them another 2 months to reply.

[missdollydaydream]

Because eBay will always side with buyer.