cseitter Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 the item was lost and you have a DC # that shows you mailed it? Just curious.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I went through this before. I did once, but will never do it again. I let most know that if they want a guarantee they need to pay extra for insurance. My job was done when the stuff was mailed and tracking numbers are given. After that you have no control over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 the item was lost and you have a DC # that shows you mailed it? Just curious.... Does the dc show that it was just sent, or that it was delivered? Have you talked to the buyer about the possibilities - e.g. a neighbor took in the package so it wouldn't get snowed on, the mail carrier left it in an unusual location, etc.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cseitter Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Shows it was sent and was tracked to NC and no more tracking information.... PO considers it lost. I did not put anything in my post about insurance though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoastalGal Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I went through this before. I did once, but will never do it again. I let most know that if they want a guarantee they need to pay extra for insurance. My job was done when the stuff was mailed and tracking numbers are given. After that you have no control over it. How does this work if the item was paid for w/ Paypal?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Was it purchased through Paypal? Paypal will side with the buyer if they open a dispute because they believe the seller's job is to get the item delivered as shown by Delivery Confirmation. I recommend talking to the purchaser and see if you can split the cost then neither party is out all the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 if the post office lost it, then yes...just like I would expect a company I order from to reimburse my money if a package never arrives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohdanigirl Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) I had this exact thing happen with someone here on the boards. She was really sweet, and I felt bad that she was now out quite a few books. She mailed the books to me with dc, but they never arrived. It was not her fault or mine. We split it. It seemed like the best thing to do. As a buyer, I took a risk, as she did as a seller. I see no reason why she should have to lose twice (sale money, and books). If there had been no proof of mailing, then I may have wanted a full refund. Danielle ETA: I paid through Paypal. What other posters have said is true, they will side with the buyer. I personally preferred to work with the seller. Edited March 9, 2011 by USDGAL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Yes, I would give them a full refund but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) No. But, I've also never had anything go missing using DC. On PBS alone, I have mailed 584 books and never had one go missing. I have had 10 (of 617) never make it to me, but the sender didn't use DC. Of course, they may not have sent them either. Insurance for loss, theft or damage is up to the customer to pay for. I am not a company. Edited March 10, 2011 by nestof3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Amanda~ Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Unfortunately, as much as we say "its on the buyer to buy insurance", it protects us as the seller. It sucks :( but if she files with PP, they will side with her and you will have to refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Shows it was sent and was tracked to NC and no more tracking information.... PO considers it lost. I did not put anything in my post about insurance though... How long have you waited? I've had packages end up going around the elbow to get to the thumb, so to speak and then arrive at their destination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rootsnwings Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 If you have DC paypal will side with the seller. It's the buyer's responsibility to request insurance for the item and their responsibility to hash it out with the Post office. So long as you have DC you have no further liability. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 if the post office lost it, then yes...just like I would expect a company I order from to reimburse my money if a package never arrives. :iagree: which is why I try to use insurance now unless it is a rawly inexpensive item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolmom Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I went through this before. I did once, but will never do it again. I let most know that if they want a guarantee they need to pay extra for insurance. My job was done when the stuff was mailed and tracking numbers are given. After that you have no control over it. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Shows it was sent and was tracked to NC and no more tracking information.... PO considers it lost. I did not put anything in my post about insurance though... Agree with Dawn, how long has it been? I think the PO considers it lost at 28 days, but if it was sent media mail it could take longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubrey Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 if the post office lost it, then yes...just like I would expect a company I order from to reimburse my money if a package never arrives. :iagree: I think ins is the seller's responsibility. Sure the buyer can turn it down, but then if the pkg is lost, you're both going to be unhappy & it's going to be icky. I rarely buy ins, but if something happens, I *expect* to take the loss. I don't want to touch the possibility of appearing to take advantage of somebody w/ a 10' pole. My reputation is worth a lot more to me than a $5 book. If I don't want to risk the loss, I can buy ins. I can even include that in the cost that I ask. But to list one price & then ask the buyer to pay *more* seems...a little like a bribe to me. "Ok, if you don't want the ins...I hope you get your package...." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 :iagree: I think ins is the seller's responsibility. Sure the buyer can turn it down, but then if the pkg is lost, you're both going to be unhappy & it's going to be icky. I rarely buy ins, but if something happens, I *expect* to take the loss. I don't want to touch the possibility of appearing to take advantage of somebody w/ a 10' pole. My reputation is worth a lot more to me than a $5 book. If I don't want to risk the loss, I can buy ins. I can even include that in the cost that I ask. But to list one price & then ask the buyer to pay *more* seems...a little like a bribe to me. "Ok, if you don't want the ins...I hope you get your package...." :lol: This! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silliness7 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 It's tricky because even though there is DC on the package it is possible that the sender wrote the wrong address on the package or didn't tape the label on securely or didn't secure the package well and the whole thing fell apart. The buyer has no way of knowing if the seller packaged with care to insure a safe arrival and DC doesn't address that issue. What looks like the post office's fault could actually be the seller's fault. With the package missing there is no way to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I think it's the seller's responsibility. But I wouldn't give up. I have never had a package truly lost with the post office and I have mailed thousands for my business. I once had a package that got lost in Atlanta somewhere, but it turned up about 2 weeks later. In the meantime I had sent a replacement item via UPS so I had to recall that one... it was an expensive hassle but it turned out ok in the end. I tried calling the delivery address post office and talking to the route supervisor several times trying to find it. I knew it was somewhere there because they had scanned it on arrival. I don't know if this is what helped it eventually turn up or what, but it made me feel like I was doing something! Mine was a $200 item and the customer needed it for Christmas so it was worth the time and effort to me. ETA: paypal will not consider it delivered unless the delivery confirmation says delivered -- to the mailing address entered in paypal. Just paying for delivery confirmation and even having it scanned on the way is not the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 If you have DC paypal will side with the seller. It's the buyer's responsibility to request insurance for the item and their responsibility to hash it out with the Post office. So long as you have DC you have no further liability. HTH This is only true if delivery confirmation shows it as delivered. I've been in this position before once or twice, both as a seller and as a buyer. Paypal asks to see the DC information, so they can look and see whether it was delivered. If it was not delivered, they will side with the BUYER. If it was delivered, then they will side with the SELLER, unless the buyer can provide evidence that it arrived damaged. In which case, paypal will side with the BUYER and require the seller to refund the money. I often see people write that buyers need to buy insurance if they want coverage, but this does not work. The USPS or other carrier is only going to deal with the person who *bought* the insurance, that is, actually went in and bought it when they shipped it. So even though we sometimes think of the buyer paying for the shipping, because we include it in the price of the sale, the seller actually pays for the shipping and will have to be the one to file a claim if it goes awry or is damaged in shipment. I once bought a set of dishes on ebay, and paid extra for insurance. The dishes arrived and at least half of them were broken, because of poor packaging on the seller's part. It ended up being a nasty Paypal dispute, long story, but the crux of it is that the seller did not actually purchase the insurance they had paid for. But Paypal did not get involved in the insurance aspect at all. Since I was able to prove the dishes arrived damaged, they refunded my purchase amount from the seller (but not until after I shipped the stupid broken dishes back to the seller, so I was still out $25 with nothing to show for it :glare:). Then they told the seller to settle up with the PO themselves (which they couldn't since they didin't actually buy the insurance). So, the moral to the story is: the Seller needs to buy insurance if they are unwilling to risk both losing the item they've shipped and having to refund the payment they've received. Of course, there's nothing wrong with rolling the cost of insurance into the shipping and handling cost. But with each sale I make, I determine my level of comfort at losing the item and payment, and I decide whether to buy insurance or not, because it is myself I am protecting, not the buyer. For me, my threshold is usually over $30 or $40. Under that, I'd rather just risk taking the loss. But ironically, of the many, many packages I've shipped and received over the last few years, the only ones with damage were high dollar items in big boxes, and I've only had one or two small boxes go missing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 It's tricky because even though there is DC on the package it is possible that the sender wrote the wrong address on the package or didn't tape the label on securely or didn't secure the package well and the whole thing fell apart. The buyer has no way of knowing if the seller packaged with care to insure a safe arrival and DC doesn't address that issue. What looks like the post office's fault could actually be the seller's fault. With the package missing there is no way to tell. :iagree: ...and that reminds me: when I trade a book on paperbackswap, I can print out the postage from home and buy delivery confirmation. I can do that even if I never intend to actually mail the book (not that I would do that...hypothetical I). I realize that the OP specified that the package had been tracked to another state, but I'm just pointing out that delivery confirmation in itself really doesn't mean anything, not even necessarily that the package was mailed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 No. But, I've also never had anything go missing using DC. On PBS alone, I have mailed 584 books and never had one go missing. I have had 10 (of 617) never make it to me, but the sender didn't use DC. Of course, they may not have sent them either. Insurance for loss, theft or damage is up to the customer to pay for. I am not a company. Except for the buyer can not go to the post office and apply for the insurance -- the post office will only deal with the seller. This is why ebay and Paypal now both say sellers should build insurance costs into their price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phathui5 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 No, if I had proof I mailed it and the buyer didn't choose to pay for insurance, I would not offer a refund. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda1951 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Delivery confirmation shows where the package is along the route. I can see where it is , if it is sitting at the post office or has been delivered. No do not give back the money. That is what insurance is for and a lot of people will not buy the insurance. Once you have mailed it and have DC it is now in the hands of whoever gets it between your post office and the place it was to be delivred. I had to cut and paste and show a woman one time that it said it was delivered to her house. SHe did not believe me. I think she was trying to get money to get another item. I have seen that trick trying to be done here lately also. Have to be very caucious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Except for the buyer can not go to the post office and apply for the insurance -- the post office will only deal with the seller. This is why ebay and Paypal now both say sellers should build insurance costs into their price. Yes, but the buyer will still have to pay the insurance. I don't bother selling many individual books (like read alouds and such) because by the time I charge the person for shipping and insurance (and paypal fees), the person can buy it cheaper on Amazon. And, I'm not wasting my time to make 50 cents on a book. So, instead I use paperbackswap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I would refund the money, particularly since insurance was never discussed by either of you. Because of the ebay and paypal policies (and online retailers), most online buyers don't even think about insurance. They didn't decline insurance, it wasn't discussed. I would feel bad keeping money for something I know the buyer never received. Christine W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 OP: What does the tracking show today? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Oh, and the other thing that bothers me is that we pay the postal service to deliver something, but if we really want it delivered, we have to pay extra money. I understand them not covering damage from improperly packaged items, but if the item was scanned by the post office, the blame lies with the postal service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I would refund the money, particularly since insurance was never discussed by either of you. Because of the ebay and paypal policies (and online retailers), most online buyers don't even think about insurance. They didn't decline insurance, it wasn't discussed. I would feel bad keeping money for something I know the buyer never received. Christine W :iagree: When I buy something from a company it's their responsibility to make sure I receive it. I paid for shipping. I've never had issue the few times I didn't receive what I ordered, the company made it right, no questions asked. When I sell something to an individual it is also my responsibility to make sure they receive it, they also pay for the shipping. It's not their fault the PO can be lame sometimes, they weren't gambling when they bought something from you, they paid for an item. Obviously you have to weigh the idea that some people may not be totally honest, so selling books is an exchange of trust as well as an exchange of material. :D After reading horror stories and realizing I'd make little money when selling, I also use Paperback swap. The cost of buying used is usually not worth the hassle for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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