Simple Delivery: Royal Mail put label on another parcel, how do I deal with this?

[obedientatom]

I sent a parcel to a buyer earlier this week and they've just received a completely different parcel with two different labels on it. I have a receipt to prove I dropped it off at the post office and I have the tracking code of the other label which presumably now shows as lost.

What exactly am I supposed to do with this? eBay seems to suggest it's their responsibility for the delivery but I don't see how they can even challenge this claim. I am going to give the buyer a full refund once I know how to proceed but I'd much rather Royal Mail incur the cost for their mistake than me if possible.

[moldosgifts]

You have tracking and receipt for the label you sent?

The second tracking you have what is that for?

How many label did you send?

Was the second label on the parcel your label or some other seller?

Lots of question 

Also was it SD ?

[obedientatom]

I have tracking and receipt. I sent one label but the post office somehow put it onto someone else's parcel. I've both my tracking number and the tracking number for this other parcel. The second parcel, the one my buyer received, has nothing to do with me or the buyer.

Yep, Simple Delivery.

[department28]

If it's a Simple Delivery issue, then it will be eBay that will have to cover the buyer's refund. I think your buyer will have to open a 'wrong item received' case. Don't do any refunding yourself, or that will mean eBay won't 'step in' to do the refunding.

[obedientatom]

Update here: ebay aren't acting on the buyer's case, I believe that technically means they're just out the money and ebay aren't going to bother following Royal Mail up on it?

This feels wrong to me and the buyer has been extremely reasonable so I'm now looking to do a refund; but it looks like I'm not even allowed to refund the postage/buyer protection costs.

[department28]

Has the buyer opened a 'received the wrong item' case? If they do this, you should be able to fully refund the buyer - but eBay should be covering the refund, because you used a Simple Delivery label.

I suppose the problem is if the post office put the label on the wrong parcel, the tracking number is not showing that your parcel has been successfully delivered, or not delivered to to the right person? Have you spoken to Customer Services about this? You have proof that the parcel was dispatched, so what happened with the label at the PO is not your fault.