On my way to my first Negative Feedback on eBay?

[DavidS]

Sorry in advance for the length of this post. I'm so annoyed.

So, last Wednesday, I sold an item on eBay. It was a Buy it Now listing with free, Parcel Post shipping included. I shipped the package out the same day, after receiving payment from PayPal. I emailed the buyer, letting him know that it had shipped.

On Monday, I received an email, through eBay, from him, stating that he did not receive the item yet and that if I did not provide a tracking number or if he did not receive it within 48 hours, he would file a dispute.

I emailed him back promptly, telling him that Parcel Post does not include a tracking number. If he wanted that, he should have inquired prior to making the purchase and payment. I emailed him a copy of the USPS receipt, showing shipment.

Interestingly, the item was going across town, not across the country, but Atlanta was hit with some snow and ice after I shipped this item. I'm sure that Parcel Post items get last priority in this situation. I explained this to him.

This morning, I get a PayPal dispute notice. I replied and listed all of the above information. I can prove that I mailed the package at the post office. He cannot prove that he did not receive the item. It may still be in transit, but for all I know, he received the item, but just wants to get it for free by lying and disputing it.

My mistake for not protecting myself by not including a tracking number, but I've never had a problem in the past. This buyer joined eBay in October 2009 and has feedback of 3. I joined in 1999 and have 100% positive feedback of 83.

Grrrr.....


Edit: The item was $60 Buy it Now

[mattkime]

how much was the item?

i'm having trouble figuring out how he has a leg to stand on

[clay]

paypal will side with you if you can prove you shipped it. sounds like you have the receipt so you should be fine.

[Ombligo]

Shipping does not constitute a completion of the sale - his receipt of the product does that. To fulfill the sales contract you must prove that he received the item, not that you sent it.

If the price is low and you are concerned about the feedback, send him the refund and request that he returns it if the item arrives (don't count on that happening, but you never know). Otherwise take the hit and move on.

[Zoidberg]

20/20 hindsight, but I usually do either UPS or Return Receipt for items over $40.

You may luck out with PayPal since you have proof of shipment; however, Ombligo's point is well taken.

Regardless, sounds like the person is being a jerk, especially considering the foul weather you guys have had in the region.

[thermarest]

Not that this helps you now, but delivery confirmation is pretty cheap if you pay the postage on the PayPal site. Can't remember the number, but maybe $.30 or something, far less than paying at the counter.

[rz]

yet another reason why I stopped selling on ebay years ago. And this was before they started changing the rules to make it easier for idiots like this to basically screw the seller.

When I sold on ebay, back before the seemingly mandatory use of PayPal, the account that was tied to Paypal was emptied every time someone sent me money. That way, if there was a dispute, Paypal couldn't take the money back.

Ebay used to be cool, when you could usually buy hard to find stuff from average Joes, and sell off some of your "treasures". Now, it's basically a marketplace for fraudsters and scammers. I buy maybe one or two things a year, and it's only when it's something I can't get anywhere else easily. I think the last thing I bought was a sun-visor for my 99 Pathfinder. I could have driven to the local junkyards and hoped they had one, but it was just easier to get on ebay.

[Janit]

Unfortunately, PayPal's dispute resolution process requires delivery confirmation as proof of delivery, so that it's always a good idea to pay for delivery confirmation.

I'm surprised that your Post Office clerk didn't suggest that you use Priority Mail instead. For local mail, Priority Mail is very close in price to Parcel Post. In fact, if you buy postage online or through PayPal, the online discount will make Priority Mail cheaper. Delivery Confirmation is free for Priority Mail purchased online and .19 for Parcel Post.

This guy is clearly a jerk, so the best you can do is to be polite in your correspondence with him. The dispute resolution process does take some time, and PayPal is supposedly sensitive to timing on "premature" disputes, so maybe the package will arrive before the process reaches completion.

[Acer]

As an ebay buyer, if I saw a neg coming from a 3-feedback noob against an 83, I'd be disinclined to let it worry me. There's little chance an 83 would endanger his feedback with some petty swindle. It's much more likely there's an honest error and the 3-fer was impatient or at fault.

[Zoidberg]

Agree with rz; wish there was a viable alternative.

FWIW, I sell most of my stuff via Amazon now, but lately I'm selling books, DVDs, CDs, etc. I also set up a sale page some time ago for personal stuff (a la StingMe) that a few here @ MRF and clients know about.

But eBay, though once awesome, is now mired in its own success.