low cost items that get lost in the post

oompaloompa · #1 10-31-2009

whats your policy on refunds if non-insured items dont turn up.

Sometimes you get a buyer who bought say a £2.00 item and had 1st class post and packing, and when item doesnt turn up (or they say it doesnt), kick up a fuss. I sometimes refund and sometimes dont depending on my mood. If it goes to dispute, normally paypal sides with me/seller, but Ive had a couple that havent for some reason, didnt look in to it further as too petty.

Wanted your experiences , as things are going missing, delayed more often right now due to strikes and I think its either that or buyers think they can use it as an excuse....I know the shipping dsrs are more lenient right now.....but it doesnt stop them making a fuss...

captainjack1980 · #2 10-31-2009

I give it a min of 10 days from dispatch for 1st class (14 for 2nd) then refund or replace and put a claim in with royal mail after 21 days. Not had to claim once in the last 6 months though.

CaptainJack

oompaloompa · #3 10-31-2009

claim for a non-insured service? how?

captainjack1980 · #4 10-31-2009

All post is insured up to 100 times the face value of a first class stamp... so £39. That's where they get the cut off amout when they ask if you are you sending anything of value.

Long as you get a certificate of posting you can get a claim form from the post office should anything get lost (it has been said you don't even need a certificate of posting to claim but I have never tried without). Takes a while for the investigation to conclude though.

CaptainJack

oompaloompa · #5 10-31-2009

I kind of forgot this info actually, I used to know it, but forgot recently, this is from Royal Mail website. So the rule is that you need evidence of value and a certificate of posting, which has address on it.

For items posted with Royal Mail which have no intrinsic value, or where a customer cannot provide evidence of posting, there will be compensation for loss, damage and delay of a minimum of 6 x 1st class stamps at the first weight step. In the event of a compensation claim for loss we will refund the postage paid or 6 x 1st class stamps at the first weight step, whichever is greater.

For lost or damaged items that have an intrinsic value, with evidence of posting with Royal Mail (such as a certificate of posting) and evidence of value (such as an invoice or receipt) customers will be entitled to a postage refund plus compensation for actual loss up to the value of the item, or 100 x 1st class stamps at the first weight step, whichever is the lowest;

I think I forgot this because I stopped getting proof of postage for each and every item as it was too time consuming - One way round if buyer agrees, is when they report item not received, send them another letter and get proof of postage cert, then you can claim for it, as they will ask buyer if it was received, and they can say no..I dont tink this is dishonest, if the first item genuinely wasnt received but you didnt keep proof..I mean can you imagine 50 items a week, having to get proof, standing there with people tutting behind you.......

captainjack1980 · #6 10-31-2009

I meant to put 100x and not 10 honest lol (I've editied it now).

I go through phases with proof of posting. I send a lot of large letter packets and I just chuck them in the post box after my morning run to the post office so no COP for them.

I print all my own postage though so I do print the COP for post office items, unless I have run out of paper. Saves time at the counter when handing over. Good idea with the letter thing.

CaptainJack

crazed_ebayer · #7 11-01-2009

If you have a receipt for it then Paypal will have to side with you because this proves the item was posted to the destination. So , you should'nt need to refund them because it leaves you out of pocket.

Me personally , i hate refunding in situations like this because you never know if your being scammed.

However , is it worth it to refund the buyer for £2 just to save yourself a negative feedback comment ? Of course it is !

Everyone knows that if a seller has a 100 % feedback score then this is invaluble in terms of attracting customers and pushing sales.

Maybe you should try and cut down on selling £ 2 items , it probably takes you more time to list , pack and post the item than it is worth.

Royal mail have just finished 3 days of striking so i am sure many items will be lost over thye next week , strikes are set to continue untill both sides come to a resolution.

captainjack1980 · #8 11-01-2009

Paypal will only side with the seller if you have tracking information to prove the status of item (COP is not enough).

And you won't be out of pocket because you claim from Royal mail (or whatever courier you used).

Unfortunately if you are selling as a business you have legal obligations beyond just sending the item.

CaptainJack

oompaloompa · #9 11-01-2009

^^sell alot of £2 items = profit, mix with bigger ticket items = even more profit..

Boring post and packing, beats getting a real job

GreenBean · #10 11-01-2009

^^^Can't have it both ways. Do whatever you can to have a sparkling luberly account

Here We Go Again · #11 11-01-2009

Personally....

For the cheap useless items I use to build up my feedback and make accounts....
I just refund them and call it a day and move on.
I know that losing $3-$4 on one person will pay off with good feedback on a good account in the long run.

oompaloompa · #12 11-04-2009

We went off track from original post

Losses are very rare. On business accounts I refund as thats my obligation but on personal, I usually say not insured so no refund on initial email and some people come back and some dont, and if they come back pleading or threathening neg, I refund and dont bother claiming from Royal Mail (I forgot I could, its been so long!) Its just the numbers of losses have increased recently and I put it down to buyers SAYING not rcd. (Ive had all my mail, so I think its an excuse) but I was curious as to paypals view on it...

I will now do as CaptainSensible says and refund everyone and claim more often, hopefully all these losses will die down soon....I just get a strong feeling buyers are getting more savvy to the lack of rights sellers have!!

Another thing is when youve got alot of user ID, you do not want to reveal that to Royal mail as they might somehow divulge it or get suspicious..ie you want the cheque in your name - I asked trafficzombie who works for RM, and he said they look at it case by case, but Im not so sure - its pretty unstealthy to claim for muli-accounts under one name.