General sales question....tracking says delivered, no package, what next?

B

buendia518

Feedback: +76 / =0 / -0
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Messages
777
This didn't happen here and it's not even a knife, but Bladeforums seems like the best place to ask advice on the matter.

I sold a camping item for $20 + shipping and USPS tracking says it was delivered 11/24. The buyer, who had the tracking number, contacted me today to say he's still waiting. This is a reddit user that I don't know.

What should I do next? I guess the possible scenarios are the package was a) stolen, b) delivered to the wrong address, c) accepted by a family member or neighbor, or unlikely d) the buyer is lying.... I assume it's not D. Insurance won't be any use as the package says delivered.
 
buendia518 said:
I'd like to think my responsibility ended....oh...6 days after the tracking stated it was delivered :).
Click to expand...
Not if it wasn't actually delivered. I don't know why you're so sure that some unknown person is being wholly honest; but I would contact the postal service for confirmation.
 
The unknown person being the buyer or the mailman?
I did just put in a missing mail claim, not sure how else to follow up with usps. My last claim got no response at all. I guess I'll see what I can do and ask the other guy to check with his post office. I still can't tell if ai can confirm the actual address where the package was left.
 
From my limited knowledge the PO should be able to confirm it was actually delivered to that address through GPS(if it had tracking). If it was sent priority there is insurance for the claim, but they won't pay if their system shows proper delivery. Also anything you do with the PO will eat large amounts of your time and you have to decide how much time to spend on $20 item-that is up to you.
 
Oh man what a headache, what I would do is contact the manager of the delivery post office and go from there. When I was a mailman I actually had people take the parcel locker key from their mailbox and take it home and loose it never bothering to open the locker. Then complain about a lost package.
 
Thanks all. I will try to get ahold of someone at the delivery end. It's only $20, but damn I gave him a good deal and if it's lost and refunded I'll be out the shipping too.
It's a headache indeed...so I had a beer for breakfast.
 
ive had this happen many times. shows delivered to me. postal folks scan it and shows some sort of gps location. ive had a usps deliverer many times scan it houses away from me and didnt deliver it. point being is most usps are good people and honest. my local bunch arent.

you need to contact usps. they can show where it was scanned for delivery. problem is doesnt mean they actually delivered it. least its a start though to see where it was scanned. helps eliminate left at wrong house things like that a bit.

i solved my problems by putting up cameras to record box by road, doors and sides of my home and it stopped the lying and stealing, for now anyways. does the reciever have cameras or one of those broan or ring doorbells with a camera deals? makes it a lot easier to prove what really happened. good luck on solving it.
 
I'm there with buendia, my local USPS has marked items delivered when it hasn't been. Incredibly frustrating, and complaints are met with apathy to disinterest. I didn't know about the GPS thing, is that available for all mail?
 
The P.O. will just put it on the porch too, meaning a package stealer could have swiped it. I dunno if they're supposed to just leave it, but we've been home and had them not even bother ringing the doorbell, just dump on the deck and go. Package stealing is a lot worse around the holidays, too.

Speaking of "dumping on the deck", if you don't watch them, they may take a dump right in your driveway, I saw on the news a Fed Ex driver did that yesterday!
Is he "canned for using the can"? I dunno that either, but it was a pretty crappy thing to do-doo. ;)

EDIT: Just saw "Porch Pirates". Exactly. Good name for em, except if I ever catch em on MY porch the only thing they'll be boarding is a stretcher.
 
Last edited:
Couldn’t count how many times that someone has been home and they do not ring the bell. Either dump it on the porch or take it back and leave a note that no one was home.
Very friggin irritating! Especially when waiting for a new blade!!
 
palonej said:
Couldn’t count how many times that someone has been home and they do not ring the bell. Either dump it on the porch or take it back and leave a note that no one was home.
Very friggin irritating! Especially when waiting for a new blade!!
Click to expand...
I've had this done where they don't even knock and then I have to go to the post office to get it.

One time they gave the pathetic excuse of "Well at least it's not lost!"
 
And that's why I use a Signature Conformation selling any knives or anything of value ... leaves a paper trail of the whole delivery from leaving my hand stepby step through final delivery.

I realise in this case it seems to be a less expensive item and the Signature Confirmation may not have been worth the chance of losing $20.00 ... but you can still contact the local USPS office most can check the time and location the item was scanned and delivered ... and should open an investigation being as it's federal to steal tamper with or open someone elses mail.
 
buendia518 said:
I'd like to think my responsibility ended....oh...6 days after the tracking stated it was delivered :).
Click to expand...
Unless the buyer expressly agreed otherwise, risk of loss passes to the buyer upon delivery. So there is an issue of fact. Was it delivered to the buyer?

USPS and Amazon (sometimes the same) repeatedly "delivers" on the side of the township road >500 feet from my house - rain, shine, or snow; on my neighbor's porch, rain, shine, or snow; by dumping on my garage turnaround, rain, shine, or snow; days after "tracking" says they delivered.

I am awaiting a package delivered November 29th per eBay. Probably didn't help that it was mailed the afternoon of November 29 from 1400 miles away.

Good luck.
 
I like what skyhorse skyhorse said. Contact the manager at the local branch, though finding the contact might be frustrating enough by itself. I had a knife go wonky on tracking/delivery last year (I was recipient). The branch manager had it straightened out in a couple of hours and I had my knife.

Obviously YMMV, but it seems a good place to start.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top