OT - Ebay

Hi guys, hope somebody may be able to help, I sold a gift card on 14th February via Ebay, the buyer paid via paypal and I sent the item 2nd class signed for last Friday afternoon.

Buyer is continuously contacting me to advise its not turned up, tracking # says it was posted from my local post office on 16th February and is progressing through our delivery network however a few days before that I sent another parcel same method that was delivered within 3 working days and signed for.

Where do I go from here as I don't want to have to refund this buyer and it then turns up, apparently it could be in a local sorting office where they have attempted to deliver it and not been able to, BUT the Royal Mail site won't tell you that.

Any help would be a blessing

According to Royal Mail tracking site if the parcel has not been received after 10 days you can claim compensation for the lost parcel. I've sent stuff before and it has taken longer than the 2 to 3 days they promise. I would just keep checking your tracking number and advise the buyer that if it is not received in 10 days from the posting date you will refund him or her. Not much else you can do really. Hope for your sake it turns up as some people on ebay are only too quick to leave bad feedback. Good luck!

According to Royal Mail tracking site if the parcel has not been received after 10 days you can claim compensation for the lost parcel. I've sent stuff before and it has taken longer than the 2 to 3 days they promise. I would just keep checking your tracking number and advise the buyer that if it is not received in 10 days from the posting date you will refund him or her. Not much else you can do really. Hope for your sake it turns up as some people on ebay are only too quick to leave bad feedback. Good luck!

Thanks Avondale, appreciate the help as I didn't know about the 10 day turnaround.

By all chance, you're not based at Avondale Gardens in Grangetown?

If you paid with paypal there will not be any trouble getting your money back. Not being funny but many people on ebay say they have not received their item when they have , and then get refunded and have the item, but if you have a tracking number then they would not be able to do this, as it would show that the buyer had received the item.

According to Royal Mail tracking site if the parcel has not been received after 10 days you can claim compensation for the lost parcel. I've sent stuff before and it has taken longer than the 2 to 3 days they promise. I would just keep checking your tracking number and advise the buyer that if it is not received in 10 days from the posting date you will refund him or her. Not much else you can do really. Hope for your sake it turns up as some people on ebay are only too quick to leave bad feedback. Good luck!

Thanks Avondale, appreciate the help as I didn't know about the 10 day turnaround.

By all chance, you're not based at Avondale Gardens in Grangetown?

No Avondale Crescent mate

If you paid with paypal there will not be any trouble getting your money back. Not being funny but many people on ebay say they have not received their item when they have , and then get refunded and have the item, but if you have a tracking number then they would not be able to do this, as it would show that the buyer had received the item.

Yeah i've told the buyer that I will contact sorting office direct if not delivered by Saturday then go from there.

You don't have to refund but you'll get bad feedback.
sometimes they try pulling a fast one!

How did you send it?

Royal mail treat gift cards as cash and will only pay compensation if sent by special delivery.

Edit - just re-read your original post. I don't think you will be covered.

https://www.royalmail.com/personal/uk-d ... -2nd-class

Compensation cover up to £50. Excludes jewellery and money (coins, cash, postal orders, bonds and coupons or vouchers exchanges for money, goods or services, which includes tickets).
Find out more about sending valuable items

The letter with gift card still hasn’t been delivered, a week on from when it was sent, RM site says going through delivery network, I’ve sent parcels same method this week all delivered no problem so 2 things ;

Either guy at Post Office has failed to put this with stuff to go out

Postie has delivered it without asking for a signature which apparently isn’t uncommon so buyer potentially has it and will ask for a refund and no doubt Ebay will make me refund

It’s been lost in the system and may eventually turn up

I’m waiting for the buyer to start a dispute, I’m basically shafted, should have sent it guaranteed so I knew it would get delivered, you live and learn.

On dec15 I ordered some stuff from a well known place but did it online so I would get it by xmas , paid the extra delivery charge for 2 day delivery via Fedex and 2 days later their website told me it had been delivered, no sign of it here, waited a couple more days & still no sign so I naturally assumed some thieving fkr had stolen it off the doorstep. Got a refund etc. no problem as it was a big company but it turned up on my doorstep on Jan 21, the box was a bit battered but it got here.

Not everyone is a scammer, sometimes shit just gets lost.

Update on this guys, the buyer made a dispute with Ebay on Friday as it's been over 2 weeks since sending it, I communicated with buyer all the way, kept messages, Ebay gave me till this Friday to resolve, but in doing so they put a temporary hold on any Paypal funds I held which I already withdrawn, I rang Royal Mail today to try to get to bottom of it, they've told me it's likely been posted to the address without a card, they apologised and said there isn't anything I can do but keep checking Track and Trace site, I rang Ebay who said they will refund Member if not resolved, put a strike on my account and withdraw monies from my bank for it, I said not to do that, in the end I gave the buyer a refund but told him if it does get delivered I will open a dispute if he signs for it, he said he would contact me which I doubt he will.

Lesson learnt, won't be using Ebay again, and Royal Mail will unlikely assist as it was a gift card which isn't covered by them.