Post Office Lost Shipment??

[TG-Naper99]

Hi,

I bought some items though a vendor that accepts PayPal.  The vendor shipped the items via the US Postal Service and sent me a tracking number.  Well, the Post Office lost the package.  The vendor said it's not their problem, they shipped it.  Is this a valid dispute or am I just out the money?

Thanks,

TG

[BigKahuna97 · Accepted solution]

This sounds like a horrible seller who is also horribly wrong.  When a seller sells an item and ships the item the transaction is not over until the item arrives and has verifiable proof the item was delivered.  I would go ahead and file a claim for item not received.  You should be covered, no questions asked.  

Take Care

[TG-Naper99]

Thanks.  I will  give it a shot...TG

[lhndez]

I believe also that if the seller has proof of shipment and the reciever claims it has not been recieved or there is no type of signature, the PO is still responsible for the lost item, thats why it is insured.  The same goes for UPS, and Fedex. so what I am saying don't linger and go get your package or money.:)

[TG-Naper99]

I opened a dispute and the vendor would not budge.  They insisted they are not responsible.  Well, for once I got lucky and the package was finally delivered, about a month late (so much for priority mail).  

You never know what kind of customer service a vendor provides until you have a problem.  I know what kind of support, or lack there of this vendor provides.  As I learned in a seminar on customer service many years ago, a dissatisfied customer will typically tell 9 people about the problem and that was before the age of the internet.  I will probably tell at least 9 people.

[redtab]

In a perfect world there will be perfect buyers and perfect sellers. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There are dishonest people out there on both sides, and that is why there is so much difficulties in transactions. With the state of the economy and constant cutbacks in the postal service, I for one am seeing a rise in both missing items and things damaged in transit. As I am sure this has been said a thousand times, once an item is passed off into the hands of the post office, the seller no longer has any control or influence as to what happens to the package. It is a gamble that both buyer and seller has to take in order to play the e-commerce game. There are safeguards that can be put in place to ensure that both the items shipped either reach their destination or can be compensated, but again this does not influence the post office in how they handle the packages. Most of these options costs money which adds to the total cost of shipping. They ain't free! The seller is in it to make money, like it or not, otherwise the seller wouldn't be doing it. If the buyer or seller does not put the safeguards into place, who is really to blame? The buyer definitely has rights, but so does the seller. If the seller lays out the rules of the transactions, then the buyer in all rights should take these if he/she decides to still do business with the seller. If the buyer chooses to not take advantage of any of the options, then the buyer should understand it is their decision, and not the sellers. Yes the seller should work with the buyer in all cases, but at some point, the seller needs to be protected from too. Common sense, fairness, maturity, and honesty are all important here.

[Jewelry-Man]

The new Ebay/Paypal terms of service now states that if the seller can prove the item was shipped and delivered then the seller is no liable for a charge back.  This is found under the Buyer protection section.   Here is a copy of it...

In order to be protected from a case when a buyer reports an item was not received, sellers must provide valid delivery confirmation before the case is escalated to eBay for a final decision.

So if I ship an item via United States Post Office and use Delivery Confirmation and it shows the item was delivered, customer service issues asside, the business would not be liable.   I would personally resolve the matter with the customer - but it is clear that Ebay / Paypal has made changes to protect the business.  Although the cavete is "the case is escalated to Ebay for a final decision". 

Bottom line for me is that if I ship an item of value $40 to $80,  I usually send it Restricted Signature Required. Its an extra few dollars for great added protection.   Anything larger than $80 value, I ship UPS as their tracking system and reimbersement process is far better than the US Post Office.