Package delivered... But missing.

blt-2-drg

blt-2-drg

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Long story short... I sold a $50 item at the end of last month. USPS delivery confirmation number shows it was delivered on 3/4. On 3/8 the buyer emails me saying they have not received it even though the DC # shows otherwise. I requested the buyer check with there post office and his response was "they said check with your neighbors or file a police report". Fast forward a few weeks and now the buyer believes this is my responsibility and wants a refund. He also does not believe its his duty to check into the matter on his end any further.

What do I do from here? As far as I am concerned the package was delivered and its the buyers word against the post office. Paypal was used and I believe since the tracking number shows delivered the buyer has no cause for a claim, but my "rep" could be on the line even though I had no control over the situation.

I've shipped over 2500 packages in the last 3 years and have never had anything like this happen.

FYI: The package was not insured, although I don't believe it even matters since the package shows delivered.
 
If you have shipped that many packages and never had a problem,just send the buyer back his 50 bucks,chalk it up to cost of doing business and keep your good rep.

Stan
 
I believe you are correct. It is indeed the recipients obligation to check with their post office.
 
USPS says the package was delivered, as long as it was at least a couple of business days afterwards, I would have to assume it was delivered.

He also does not believe its his duty to check into the matter on his end any further.
Click to expand...

I don't see why he should expect you to do anything else either then.
 
"He also does not believe that it is his duty to check into the matter on his end any further"

Sounds to me like a very strange reply, If it were me, I would try whatever I can do to recover the item.

To the OP, IMHO it was your responsibility to ship the item in a timely fashion, not to deliver it.....

Very strange indeed
 
Things are stolen from front porches, mail boxes etc.. all the time.
It could be a few streets over at a house with the same street number (happened to me about 5 times in the last 10 years)
Another person living at the address could have opened his package and liked what they found and kept it.

The possibilities are endless.

You shipped with a reputable service, and have delivery confirmation. You have satisfied your obligation.
If you believe the guy, and are able to offer another item at a reduced price as a god will gesture, that would be above and beyond. Especially when your customer is not willing to help himself at all.
 
Removing my post... I'm really not sure what the right call is on this one... I hope the package turns up.
 
I had a similar experience. I ordered a round sharpening stone for my GB axe. The Post Office said it was delivered, but our Carrier said he hadn't delivered any packages for two weeks. oddly enough, the stone was also $50. I ended up buying another, never finding out where the first one ended up!
 
I have also had mail delivered to someone else's mailbox and a package was delivered to a neighbor which I didn't discover until a few days later.

Since this kind of crap with the post office saying they delivered it when it really wasn't to the addressee, I suggest that any valuable packages ($50+) should be sent with SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION so there is no doubt about delivery to the person it's sent to. That way no one can claim they didn't get it.

The problem I see with insured mail is that it shouts out to everybody at the post office delivery system "STEAL ME".
 
Well I've seen the postal carrier drop off packages that had SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION without getting a signature! There isn't any sure thing when it comes to usps service.
 
Had a package delivered to my place this Saturday someone opened the door she put it in the hall I live in an apartment building . It's gone now pretty much screwed now. Someone took it or left the door open and somebody else took it . Not much i can do now that's why i will pay a little more and use United Parcel and make sure its signature required for delivery.
 
There is no perfect system really. If you use delivery confirmation, it only shows that it was delivered somewhere, but not necessarily to the addressee. Insurance says "steal me", and if DC says its delivered then insurance doesn't pay anyway. When I sell, one of my conditions is that I accept the risk of loss up to the point that the USPS says its delivered, and then the buyer accepts the risk. But even this doesn't prevent a grumpy buyer from trying to undo the deal after the fact. And even with a signature, it only shows that someone signed your name.

If there is a flavor of delivery that requires the buyer to come to the shipper's office, produce an ID and sign for the package, that would be the safest (for the shipper). But I don't know if you can do that with USPS or UPS.

Blt, with the volume you are shipping, you may just want to eat this one like Stan said and move on. I don't know.
 
Happened to me once elsewhere. We split the difference. He asked for half the value. Fair enough.
 
Little update... Buyer read through this and it seemed to motivate him a bit. He is going to check with neighbors to see if anyone received his package by mistake or if anyone has had any packages turn up missing.

I'll have to give it a day or two and see what happens. Thanks everyone for the replies.
 
Here are a few things that have happened to us:

1. UPS delivered the package to the neighbors house; luckily the customer checked there and found it.
2. USPS delivered a package to my neighbors house, the person never put an address on the box, just a house number and zip code. How it got to my neighbor's house is not short of a miracle. USPS had a record of which address they dropped it off at; so I was able to track it.
3. USPS never finished delivering a package overseas to an APO address. They paid out on insurance very quickly; within 1 month of filing a claim.
4. UPS took 8 f'n months to deliver a ground shipment. After 2 weeks the customer called me asking where the package was. The tracking information on the UPS website went cold. I filed an insurance claim and sent the customer a new knife as a replacement. I got the insurance check from UPS> 8 months later the customer calls me up and says the package finally arrived. I am amazed not only that the customer called me, but that UPS actually delivered it. Since I already filed an insurance claim and got paid, I told the customer to keep the knife or give it to a friend. A brand new Ultratech (well, an 8 month old Ultratech).
5. Package delivered to a police officer's house; package was stolen from his doorstep while he was at work. Insurance paid.
 
It's the sellers responsibility to get the item to the buyer. I agree the buyer should be doing everything he can to track it down but it's really the sellers job. The seller has a contract with the buyer to give them an item in exchange for funds. The seller has a separate contract with a courier to deliver the item. Delivery confirmation isn't proof a buyer received the item. It's proof it made it to the buyer's zip code. Shipping with USPS and delivery confirmation is a risk you as a seller have to be willing to make. If an issue arises you need to be prepared to either send another item or refund the buyer's money. Could the buyer be lying, sure. They can also be telling the truth. If you want to use USPS require signature confirmation. That is proof of delivery.
 
knife_fan said:
It's the sellers responsibility to get the item to the buyer. I agree the buyer should be doing everything he can to track it down but it's really the sellers job. The seller has a contract with the buyer to give them an item in exchange for funds. The seller has a separate contract with a courier to deliver the item. Delivery confirmation isn't proof a buyer received the item. It's proof it made it to the buyer's zip code. Shipping with USPS and delivery confirmation is a risk you as a seller have to be willing to make. If an issue arises you need to be prepared to either send another item or refund the buyer's money. Could the buyer be lying, sure. They can also be telling the truth. If you want to use USPS require signature confirmation. That is proof of delivery.
Click to expand...

Based on the information we have so far, the seller has done everything in their ability to get the package to the seller. Short of hopping on a plane and flying the darned thing and hand delivering it to him. I disagree with the idea of Delivery Confirmation, it does as its name implies; it confirms delivery. Otherwise it would be called zip code confirmation. Up until recently the USPS did not offer "tracking", rather delivery confirmation. That is the USPSs way to confirming that an item has infact made it to it's intended destination. The recent changes have been problematic for some according to their own experiences. Items being delivered and not updated as such, items going missing and ending up in a sorting station and status not updating, etc.
 
I am sending a hand made buck style knife and I am shipping it plus out of my own pocket I paid so somebody has to sign for it. just to be sure.
 
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