eBay - getting better for buyers, worse for sellers?

Oh no, not another eBay thread :twisted:

Sold some XTR STIs on eBay recently, offered worldwide shipping but stated not insured. An international buyer won, paid and did not request insured delivery so I sent the parcel from the Post Office getting a Proof of Postage and advised via e-mail that the parcel was on the way.

Fast forward 10 days or so and a Paypal dispute was logged as 'item not received' despite no correspondence from buyer in the meantime. Have e-mailed to check that still not received but no response. Paypal have been in touch to check my view, saying that if I didn't respond then they would likely refund the seller. I provided my perspective but it appears that without a Tracking Number, even though I have a Proof of Postage, I may be scuppered. Item may be lost in the post but I included a return address and nothing has plopped onto the door mat. Frustrating to say the least and I'll update when I hear more.

But some general thoughts:
1) 'Power' seems to be very much with buyers - surely they cannot just state "not received' and that's good enough?
2) Following on from that, should sellers always send insured and with a tracking number? It appears so, in which case why does eBay not insist on it?

Any other thoughts (apart from taking it on the chin :evil: which is what I guess will ultimately happen)?

Yet again Paypal demonstrating that they consider themselves above the law and choose to adhere to the banking code of Ebayland rather than those of any reasonable nation.

Yes Paypal is convenient but so is stealing a car to joyride to work in the morning rather than going to the expense of owning and maintaining one yourself but it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.

Sorry to hear you've been added to the list of those royaly shafted by the bunch of sharks. Fingers crossed for you.

This is happening more often, I insist stuff is sent recorded delivery nowdays. If the buyer doesn't want to pay a bit for for the postage they can look elsewhere.

this happened to me a few weeks ago , i now send everything recorded....

Where were you sending it? A few years back my mum sent my contact lenses out to Oz when I was travelling, they never turned up - fast forward EIGHT MONTHS later and they turn up back at my parents house, with the front of the parcel literally covered in postmarks from all the places it had been including amongst others tokyo, the phillipines and the flipping post office it was supposed to go to in Melbourne!!! Another parcel that was sent, I received 2 weeks after it was sent!!! My point is it sometimes takes bloody ages sending stuff internationally, especially with the postal strikes we've had recently. If the buyers not answering your emails than see if you can drag it out a bit, just a thought, good luck with it!

I send recorded too
On the few occasions that ive sent standard at least half the recipients 'claimed' it never arrived
Of the 300+ ive sent 'recorded' ,not a single parcel has been lost.

Given the high rate of losses in standard parcels as opposed to the loss of none via recorded i conclude that these buyers are trying to rip me off and it did arrive.
i suspect the same here,they got it but because theres no way to prove it arrived are claiming otherwise.

contact them asking for the name of their local post office saying you intend to speak to their local postie and sorting office,as it may cause them to 'fess up' if they think theyre going to get caught out.

paypal

Sorry to hear your woes Ed.
Its a shame that there are barstweards out there who claim it didnt arrive when it did. Must say it would never cross my mind to even think about trying it on.
Paypal does have its list of things to do to ensure sellers are covered by their protection and I think top of the list is sending things recorded. I just factor it into the postage price, which is about £2.50 - £3 extra for Europe and the States. I always mention when I give a postage price that its included, though not optional. Insurance depends what its worth as once over a certain amount it get costly, but again this is optional. At least if its recorded theres no denying it arrived.

Jamie

i've got some1 claiming against me atm, same story as u, got proof of posting but to paypal it doesn't matter, the buyer always wins, if they have the item or not, most know this as well, most of the time its from low feedback buyers as well, it sux! but ur buyer has only waited 10 days b4 claiming? he has 45 days, hes abit impatient don't u think!

I know what you are saying Ed - defo getting worse for sellers e.g. we can't even leave neg f.back for a buyer!

Taking Ebay payment via PayPal means the onus is on the seller to make sure it is covered/insured - the item must be trackable online to meet the PayPal sellers protection criteria (was last time I checked?).

So as a seller asking if your buyer wants insurance or not is a waste of time - you have to make sure it is covered if accepting a PayPal payment on Ebay.

If an item is less than £39 (1st class - 2nd class has less cover) in value then a cert of posting will keep you covered + help keep postage costs down - so no need to use signed for etc if under that value + using PayPal.
Over £39 make sure you are covered. Just make sure you factor in the cost of extra insurance + the trackable service when sending internationally.

For those not in the know - Royal Mail has an online calculator which gives you the exact cost. It's a pain if you are listing lots of high value or heavy items but will pay dividends when the item sells + you know the exact cost of postage. Otherwise you may be in for a nasty surprise at how expensive international shipping might be.

Forgot to add - Ed you should be covered for the first £39 or so of it's value - I think.

You're absolutely right Tim, just railing at the inequity of my having to provide more than proof of sending while the receiver has to provide **** all apart from saying "I didn't get it"! Live and learn I expect.

And to sour things further I sold an immaculate yellow Flite and the buyer has decided it's not as described, he overpaid and wants to return it. No returns stated but fair enough I suppose. Oh, and could I pay the 10 euros postage, uninsured, from Belgium too. Oh, and pay before it is sent. Oh, or he'll keep it for a partial refund. Why don't I just send him the money and enough to build a new bike, perhaps adding a few euros for the bike to be assembled by the LBS :twisted: ?

I think I'm a bit fed up and need a glass of wine.