What do you do if a package didn't get to buyer?

[Mrs Mungo]

I'm glad this situation worked out. It definitely sounds like a mistake on the part of the USPS.

 

That's why shippers such as USPS, FedEx, UPS, etc. offer insurance.

 

from Eliana:

USPS very clearly states that they do not take that responsibility. ...if you want them to have the responsibility you have to buy insurance. When we choose to use their system, we are accepting those limits on their responsibility.

 

The problem with this situation is that the insurance would not have paid since the postal carrier insisted that the item was delivered.

 

I've always thought it was the buyers responsibility to purchase the insurance in a transaction like this' date=' not the seller.[/quote']

 

According the the USPS and paypal, it is the shipper/seller's responsibility.

 

I can tell you that when I sell items on the boards, I give a price that includes shipping with dc and insurance. I've never had in insured package go missing (although I've had a couple heavily damaged), so I think they use better tracking with those.

[LMA]

I can tell you that when I sell items on the boards, I give a price that includes shipping with dc and insurance. I've never had in insured package go missing (although I've had a couple heavily damaged), so I think they use better tracking with those.

 

Also, my carrier told me that they are more careful with Priority mail and first class mail than with media mail even with delivery confirmation.

[mommymilkies]

Also, my carrier told me that they are more careful with Priority mail and first class mail than with media mail even with delivery confirmation.

 

Yup. I did recently have an insured ($100!) package go missing from USPS. It said delivered and I personally know the buyer and know she is honest that it never arrived. It's still trying to get sorted by the USPS and has been over a month. :glare:

[Plucky]

THIS is what I would tell the post master. If this mail carrier is insisting there is mail in your box when there isn't, something is wrong. What else might have been in your box that got lost as well?

 

ETA: I see the package was delivered but I would still complain that your postal carrier doesn't seem to be telling the truth. I can understand him/her trying to argue he/she did deliver that package but to assure you that your box was "full"? Where is the other mail?

 

It is so hard to get a post master to listen to you. They generally take the postal worker's side and don't enforce rules or policies. Tell me how I know. :angry:

 

I felt that a usps worker was either stealing from us or shockingly incompetent. I know she wasn't following usps policies, but the post master did nothing about my repeated complaints. Most of my neighbors ended up getting post office boxes in other parts of town.

 

Thank goodness we moved, but now I have a postman that is angry at everyone. Fun times.

[Rene']

I can tell you that when I sell items on the boards, I give a price that includes shipping with dc and insurance. I've never had in insured package go missing (although I've had a couple heavily damaged), so I think they use better tracking with those.

This makes sense, because wouldn't USPS then be responsible if something happened?

[mamajag]

You can state that, but your legal obligation is not changed.

 

...the post office does not accept the responsibility you are placing on it. And, again, until the package reaches the seller, your obligation is not fulfilled... a sale has not taken place, it has only been begun.

 

Paypal accepts proof of shipping through delivery confirmation and will even more so if the delivery confirmation says delivered. With a listing stating the above, a buyer not willing to purchase insurance is on the hook if something goes wrong.

 

Yes, I've had it happen with someone who did not purchase insurance, and no, I did not replace the item or issue a refund because such was stated in my policies. I cannot be responsible for the USPS once it leaves my hands, and if they don't want it insured, that's their choice. I went to this method because of complaints I was overcharging for shipping because I was including insurance by default to make sure we were all covered. Paypal sided with me when the person tried to dispute because I had done all I possibly could and they refused insurance on the transaction. Later it did show up, but it took a while. Do you think I'd have gotten my money back when the package showed? Um, no, I wouldn't have.

 

It's a sad situation, to be sure, but if you're too cheap for insurance that runs under $2, there's not a lot I can do for you. You'll just have to take your chances with the shipping method you chose.

 

I did have an insured package disappear, and by the gods it is a pitb to file with the USPS and hound them, but I did refund the buyer and wait for the insurance to pay. It takes forever, and the shipper has to do it.

[KidsHappen]

It is so hard to get a post master to listen to you. They generally take the postal worker's side and don't enforce rules or policies. Tell me how I know. :angry:

 

I felt that a usps worker was either stealing from us or shockingly incompetent. I know she wasn't following usps policies, but the post master did nothing about my repeated complaints. Most of my neighbors ended up getting post office boxes in other parts of town.

 

Thank goodness we moved, but now I have a postman that is angry at everyone. Fun times.

 

Yeah, I almost got arrested once talking to a postal worker about a missing package. I was very frustrated and said, "Now I know why they call it 'GOING POSTAL'. She came back with, "Are you threatening me?" Nope, just saying I understand.

[KidsHappen]

I just wanted to add that the post office itself has told me that there is no guaranteed method of delivery. I mail my prescriptions off to be filled and some of them are controlled substances. I have to account for the prescriptions therefore I need to be sure that they get to the pharmacy. I have asked what is the best way to insure that it gets there and ended up paying $18.95 and still being told that that is no guarantee. And I have actually had the post office lose my prescriptions before and that was a real PITA. I had to get proof from the post office that I mailed it, that it wasn't delivered and that the company didn't fill it before I could get a new script and try to do all of this before I run out of my current prescription. That's a very fine timeline to be treading. I just got a noitce from my company today telling me that they can't mail my prescription until the 30th (the day I run out) but I am leaving on vacation on the 28th. I'm still not sure what I am going to do about this. :glare:

[shanvan]

Paypal accepts proof of shipping through delivery confirmation and will even more so if the delivery confirmation says delivered. With a listing stating the above, a buyer not willing to purchase insurance is on the hook if something goes wrong.

 

Yes, I've had it happen with someone who did not purchase insurance, and no, I did not replace the item or issue a refund because such was stated in my policies. I cannot be responsible for the USPS once it leaves my hands, and if they don't want it insured, that's their choice. I went to this method because of complaints I was overcharging for shipping because I was including insurance by default to make sure we were all covered. Paypal sided with me when the person tried to dispute because I had done all I possibly could and they refused insurance on the transaction. Later it did show up, but it took a while. Do you think I'd have gotten my money back when the package showed? Um, no, I wouldn't have.

 

It's a sad situation, to be sure, but if you're too cheap for insurance that runs under $2, there's not a lot I can do for you. You'll just have to take your chances with the shipping method you chose.

 

I did have an insured package disappear, and by the gods it is a pitb to file with the USPS and hound them, but I did refund the buyer and wait for the insurance to pay. It takes forever, and the shipper has to do it.

 

I'd like to know when you had this happen because I've been in contact with paypal quite a bit recently on the phone and they continue to state that it is the seller's responsibility to purchase insurance.

 

Also wanted to add that there are other reasons people don't buy insurance besides being too cheap. My Dh doesn't like me to purchase insurance because he has several experiences where the USPS just will not pay out on a claim. They made him jump all kinds of hoops and provide documentation and still he was not reimbursed for the damage they did to paintings he shipped to a gallery.

 

And, for some people who have been told that a seller is not allowed to ask for extra fees (for insurance, delivery confirmation, etc.) they may not pay the insurance just on principle, especially if they are under the impression that the seller is on the hook.

 

[LMA]

I'd like to know when you had this happen because I've been in contact with paypal quite a bit recently on the phone and they continue to state that it is the seller's responsibility to purchase insurance.

 

Also wanted to add that there are other reasons people don't buy insurance besides being too cheap. My Dh doesn't like me to purchase insurance because he has several experiences where the USPS just will not pay out on a claim. They made him jump all kinds of hoops and provide documentation and still he was not reimbursed for the damage they did to paintings he shipped to a gallery.

 

And, for some people who have been told that a seller is not allowed to ask for extra fees (for insurance, delivery confirmation, etc.) they may not pay the insurance just on principle, especially if they are under the impression that the seller is on the hook.

 

 

Yes, insurance is for the seller's protection, not the buyer's. The buyer does not own the merchandise until it is received by the buyer. The seller is responsible for making sure the goods make it to the buyer and for making sure that the goods are not damage. If there is a problem with shipping, the buyer cannot make any claims. The shipper has to take care of claims and that is why insurance covers the shipper, not the buyer. The shipper is still responsible to find out if the package was delivered to its place of destination. Even, hypothetically speaking, if in the end a package was delivered correctly and a buyer was lying, the shipper still has to follow through.

[shanvan]

Yes, insurance is for the seller's protection, not the buyer's. The buyer does not own the merchandise until it is received by the buyer. The seller is responsible for making sure the goods make it to the buyer and for making sure that the goods are not damage. If there is a problem with shipping, the buyer cannot make any claims. The shipper has to take care of claims and that is why insurance covers the shipper, not the buyer. The shipper is still responsible to find out if the package was delivered to its place of destination. Even, hypothetically speaking, if in the end a package was delivered correctly and a buyer was lying, the shipper still has to follow through.

 

Yes, this is what I was told. I called again this morning to clarify. I was mistaken about the seller not being allowed to ask for extra to cover the cost of insurance. They can ask, but if the buyer declines, the seller is still on the hook if the items do not arrive, or are damaged.

 

In the case mamajag described above I wonder if paypal may have decided that not enough time had gone by and wanted to allow time for the item to arrive. Or, maybe there were other circumstances. They repeatedly tell me that the seller will still be required to fork out the money should something go wrong---even if the buyer declined insurance. It seems odd that they would go against their own policy.

[mamajag]

You're not allowed to ask to cover Paypal fees. Shipping and insurance on items shipped are a different matter.

 

It was maybe a year and a half ago. The transaction wasn't in limbo awaiting receipt; it was simply refused. Delivery confirmation said the item was delivered, and Paypal took that as proof the item had arrived.