Need advice- Ebay ethics

wendybdh

wendybdh

Cathlete
I recently sold one of my Cathe PS tapes on E-Bay since I have it now on DVD. Anyway, the person paid right away and I mailed it out the very next day. Now, it's been about 2-3 weeks and I got an e-mail stating that they haven't received it. In the auction I stated that I am not responsible for items lost in shipping but I wouldn't want to purchase a tape and not receive it. I e-mailed her back asking what she would like me to do. Should I refund the money - it was $8.00 (including S&H) or what should I do?
 
Hi Wendy,

Whenever I've purchased anything on E-Bay I've paid extra for insurance with the shipping. Did they insure the package? If not, I'd say it's not really your problem, especially since you stated that you are not responsible for items lost in shipping. Also, is there any way to track the package?

Michele
 
Michele,
I offer the option of buying insurance but the purchaser did not take it. Unfortunately, there isn't any way to track the package.
 
Hi Wendy!

I sell a lot of things on ebay. My general policy is to refund money, including shipping, if someone says they did not receive an item. Sure, some people could be lying but I figure that's on their kharma, not mine :) I just figure, hey, how would I feel if I won something that never showed up and then the person refused to refund me. I don't think you'd be wrong to NOT do that, especially since you state it in your auction rules, I'm just giving you my thoughts. :)

Good luck!

Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
I too sell a lot of things on Ebay. If they didn't receive the tape, then I would refund their money. I think that is about ethics. From now on apply the insurrance (and have them pay), it is a safer way to do business, with no extra money to you.
 
Wendy-

I see your point, but also have ordered things that just haven't arrived. Both positions are yucky, but I really appreciated the seller who refunded my money, no questions asked.

She was concerned about a poor rating if she didn't, and told me that was why she did the refund. I thought that explanation was probably the best one, since she didn't get into the trust question at all, which is a slippery slope. I think eBay, etc only work if you trust people!!

I like the suggestion to automatically insure the package and include that cost in the shipping total for next time.

Good luck!
 
Okay, my head is hanging--LOL! It seems I'm in the minority here but I still say that people need to take responsibility for, in this case, their failure to pay a little extra for insurance. I've never sold anything on Ebay but I've purchased quite a bit and I would not expect a refund under these circumstances. You can't be responsible for what happens to a package once you place it in the care of the USPS, which is why it was really stupid for your customer to pass on the insurance.

I do agree with the other posters though, to automatically include insurance in your shipping costs in order to avoid this scenario again, although I've rarely encounterd a seller who did that.

Michele
 
Michele,

I'm with you in the minority. If there was a disclaimer on your description stating you were not responsible if the USPS lost it, the burden is off you and on the purchaser. You offered insurance which they opted not to take. That was their risk to do it that way. I wouldn't refund. I always pay my postage through the eBay service which has a nice delivery confirmation component to it that costs only 13 cents extra.

This is just my 2 cents.
 
Great question, Wendy!

I sold some stuff on Ebay just before the holidays and one of the packages ended up getting lost in the holiday rush of mail. The gal was super nice about it and was in no rush to ask for a refund or anything. She just wanted the item and was willing to wait extra time to see if it surfaced. In the end, it worked out great as the package arrived and she was thrilled! I got a good rating from her simply for keeping in touch with her through it and not blowing her off.

She too declined insurance so I was on the fence about giving money back (she hadn't actually asked for a refund or anything YET). I considered splitting the difference (item cost + shipping) since she declined insurance but fortunately it didn't have to come to that.

The problem with this package in particular is that she paid very little for the item and lots for shipping because it went out of the country! If she insured it and it never turned up, what $ would she get back? I am thinking just the purchase price so it wasn't even worth it for her to insure...she literally won the auction for less than a buck! LOL

Ebay can be tricky...I just started selling very recently. I hemmed and hawwed over it for atleast a good year before I finally got up the nerve to do it! It's a great resource for getting rid of great stuff you just don't use anymore but it can certainly cause headaches/stress as well!
 
Just as an additional comment, I used to offer insurance but it was such a pain in the tush that I stopped. Once or twice I've sent something to someone and had it not arrive or be broken in transit. The process for claiming the insurance with the post office was so laborious and time consuming that both myself and the sellers said forget it. Sure, if someone buys something from me and it doesn't show up, that is not necessarily my fault but dealing with the insurance claim will eat up my time and energy as well as the buyer's. It was easier to simply refund the money and get on with my life.

Good luck whatever you decide to do :)

Sparrow

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow - what a ride!’ — Peter Sage
 
I would ask the person who purchased it if she wouldn't mind waiting just another week or two and see if it surfaces. I have had things take weeks longer than they should have to get places because they have been routed and re-routed to the wrong place. There is still a chance it could show up.

Did you verify the address before you sent it?

Katie
 
I also had this happend and refunded the money. I was not happy about it, especially since I had a return address on it and it never came back. But I did it to protect my 100% positive feedback. Sticky situation for sure....
 
Hi, if the buyer paid through Paypal I believe there is insurance through Paypal. Also if by chance you sent the video using USPS's Flat Rate service and printed the shipping label on-line, there would be a confirmation/tracking number on your USPS receipt. Hope this helps, Sue
 
When I had bought a DVD off e-bay the seller never verified my address or even read the e-mail I wrote immediately after I bought it and I stated that my paypal address was my old address and to make sure he used my e-bay address. He told me 10 days later he mailed it to my previous address not seeing my e-mail and if I didn't receive it, he would send me another. He mailed out the duplicate DVD and I did receive end up receiving both. It cost me $2.00 to mail back the duplicate, but I appreciated how he tried to set things right.

I would wait a few days and see if it shows up or gets returned to you. If it doesn't, I would refund the money to keep your good standing.....it's only $8.00 and your name is worth more:)

HTH,
Robin
 
My DH does alot with ebay. He also offers insurance, but some choose not to use it, and that is fine with him but he then states that he can't guarentee. There have been instances where someone says that they didn't receive his shipment. Usually what DH does is check their feedback. If their feedback is shady and looks suspicious (like they "lose" packages often, or seem to wiggle out of auctions won), he refuses to refund. If they have a high rating and a good past, then he will go ahead and refund. Fortunately he has only had to refuse once. :)

HTH
Missy
 
>Michele,
>
>I'm with you in the minority. If there was a disclaimer on
>your description stating you were not responsible if the USPS
>lost it, the burden is off you and on the purchaser.

BUT, if there is no way of tracking the package, how does the purchaser know you actually sent it? How do you know that they didn't get it?

There are some unscrupulous people on Ebay (I'm not saying you are), that make people leery of situations like this.
 
Hey Kathyrn,

I agree, providing a tracking number IMO is essential in this situation. I always use delivery confirmation with a tracking number.


ETA - on the flip side, when I am the purchaser, I know I don't have control on whether the seller will use delivery confirmation. I haven't had any problems with anything I've purchased on eBay, however, I do pay close attention to the feedback scores of the sellers as well as comments made on their delivery practice, etc.
 
I just wanted to add that DH always goes into the post office and gets a receipt whenever he ships anything for ebay so that he has proof that he sent the item. Just something to think about for the future. :)

Missy
 
I would give it another week or two and see if the package shows up. I've had that happen where I've sent a package and it didn't arrive for 3 weeks! The buyer contacted me after two weeks and I asked her to "wait and see" and if she didn't receive it, I would refund her money (she had very good feedback). It eventually showed up and all was well!

Good luck!:)
Angie
 
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