A knife trade gone wrong. What to do?

JJ_Colt45 said:
Just saw this statement in a for sale ad ... and since it relates to much of what has been discussed in this thread I thought I would share it ... the sale thread had this statement at the bottom ..."Once I ship the knife via USPS my responsibility is complete."

Why is it so difficult for people to understand no matter how you word it or put a "disclaimer" into a sale thread ... the seller IS RESPONSIBLE UNTIL THE PACKAGE REACHES THE BUYER ... and no denying your responsibilty changes that ... why is this such a difficult concept ???

If you are going to get involved in buying and selling anything you should take a minute to research and understand how sales work.

I see these more and more ... and if you see it ... turn around and walk away ... and if you might be one that attempts to use such a disclaimer ... understand the law over rides your claiming no responsibilty.
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Exactly, I work for a well known shipping company, I've seen $2000 laptops packaged in 6"of foam and double boxed, and I've seen them dropped in an empty box along with an $800 iPhone and $xxx iPad, left to smash into each other during shipping, both got delivered, guess which one would be covered for loss or damage if something happened. I've seen people try to ship fragile items in shoe boxes and taped up paper bags. If something happens it's on the shipper because they wanted to save a $1.50 shipping a 7lb package instead of an 8lb package.
 
jmh33 said:
I agree.. BUT.. Once I hand my package off (insured or not) its out of my hand into other peoples hands.. I have no control over it then cause it aint in my hands..

I will politely agree to disagree with most of what is posted here.. :D
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The reason you are responsible is that the person never got what they paid for. Losses suck, but the sender has much more control then the receiver-You chose how to package it, you chose the mail service and what grade of shipping, and you chose not to insure(protect yourself against loss).
No one likes to pay claim(USPS Included), but it is the right thing to do.
 
As of now, my knife is less than a week late
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When was it shipped? Sounds like it's been less than 7-10 days? It's the USPS right? A package can take 2 weeks for no understandable reason. Most don't.

As a Seller Buy insurance or Not no big deal. If you chose "Not" then it's called Self Insuring and you The Seller are assuming the full risk.

When you buy something you're paying to have it delivered. Same for Trading. The seller is responsible for taking all the necessary precautions to ensure the item is delivered.

Personally there's no gray area here- It's business.
 
Hang in there OP, the USPS can be unreliable and if it's been less than a week there's a chance it will show up.

I say seller is responsible for insurance and ensuring the purchase reaches the buyer.
 
jmh33 said:
Once I hand the package over to the PO.. How am I responsible?? I don't get this at all.. I cant control what goes on.. John
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It's not your fault it's lost, the only fault is if you don't protect yourself with insurance or packaging was inadequate. At the end of the day it's responsibility of sender to get item delivered to buyer. Look at it like this. If you purchase a product from an online vendor, do you not expect to receive what you ordered? If your $400.00 product gets lost in shipping would you accept the loss as a buyer or expect a refund from the company?
 
LastRodeo said:
You both assumed the liability of not insuring the package you shipped. You were just more fortunate than him.

Ultimately he has to return your knife or compensate you for it.

If you want to work out a compromise, to be a nice guy that's up to you.
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This sums it up perfectly and I agree
 
jmh33 said:
Insurance does not control what happens to a package.. PEOPLE DO.. I give my package to people at the PO not insurance.. Insurance is a means to an end.. NOT CONTROL.. Insurance does not loose a package.. PEOPLE do.. JMO!! :D John
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If you sell something to me your responsibility it to get me the item. Period. You can do that by driving to the address I give you and putting it in the mail box, you can do it by pony express, you can can do it by carrier pigeon, but I didn't pay you to take it to the post office, I paid you to GET IT TO ME. Your choice to use the post office, your responsibility.
 
jmh33 said:
I agree.. BUT.. Once I hand my package off (insured or not) its out of my hand into other peoples hands.. I have no control over it then cause it aint in my hands..

I will politely agree to disagree with most of what is posted here.. :D
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Dude think about it like this: you sell a knife, you insure the package for the full value and then USPS looses it (legit lost, like +30 days missing). USPS doesn't cut the buyer a check, they cut you the check cause it's you that's responsible, it's YOU who has to pay the buyer back cause youre the one who entered the contract with the buyer to sell them a product in the first place.

When the buyer files a non receipt claim with PayPal is it USPS whos gonna reimburse him? HELL NO! Its YOU whos gonna have the charge reversed against your account, therefore you recover that loss (technically the loss of your knife) by filing the USPS insurance claim to get YOUR money back.


Insurance has zero bearing on what paypal does in a non-reciept case, in any such case they take the mobey back from the sellers account and give it back to the buyer, whether or not you insured it has absolutely no impact on that, buyer gets his money back every time, only YOU'RE out money. Do you want to pay out of pocket or do you want insurance to cover you?
 
jmh33 said:
I agree.. BUT.. Once I hand my package off (insured or not) its out of my hand into other peoples hands.. I have no control over it then cause it aint in my hands..

I will politely agree to disagree with most of what is posted here.. :D
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You have no control, true, but you are still responsible for it until tracking says delivered.
 
I think the EXCHANGE rules say seller is responsible until it arrives.
Good for the USPS. Seeing what I see every day (I am a postal employee) it is amazing how some packages make it to their destination. One of the biggest problems is correct zipcode and correct house number. Make sure they are nice and clear!! Also put the address on a small piece of paper INSIDE the package.
 
Glad you got your package ... sometimrs a little patience works wonders ... and hopefully a learning experience. Enjoy the knife!
 
jill jackson said:
Right from the rules to sell/trade here. See #3.


Traders/Trading -
  1. Be honest and provide an accurate and detailed description of the item. Forgetting to mention defects, blemishes, or other problems is not acceptable. When in doubt, be pessimistic with your descriptions.
  2. Provide as many photos as possible, in the best lighting possible. It's always nice to see what you are about to trade for. Keep in mind, gigantic photos take forever to load for some people and can be an eyesore, resizing to a reasonable size is advised
  3. If you choose not to use insurance to save money, any repercussions will fall on you (Shipper). Insurance is there to protect you, use it.
  4. Package and ship your items in such a way that they are safe to handle, will not arrived damaged, and will reach their final destination intact.
  5. Do NOT post cash value equivalents in your trade threads, if you are caught selling in a trade thread you will receive an infraction.
  6. Communication is key, honor your word. If you say you will do something, then do it. Since we are not dealing face to face, your word and integrity is all you will be judged on.
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But the trade was not here so these rules do not even arguably apply.

And there was no seller or buyer so all the rules on sales not not apply.

Seems like the logic of the loss-shifting rules on sales are still present: the sender, in this case, has control over selecting the shipper and packaging and can buy insurance whereas the addressee has no control over the shipper or packaging and, as a practical matter, cannot buy insurance.
 
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