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Author Topic: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;  (Read 10409 times)

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Offline kCherry

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Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« on: April 01, 2019, 04:03:32 AM »
I don't really have an 'issue', more of a rant really. So very many people don't ship overseas and I guess I'll just have to become one of them. :sad:

I sold a pretty nice Mimic on eBay, shipped it immediately only to have to contact the buyer weeks later to receive a reply saying she's been busy and will check with her postal service. (Wow. If I spend over $100 on a pony I am all over that postal service from day one of it being shipped!!!) And of course, the UK post is telling her it's lost, so sorry.

So, I now have a $150 hold on my Paypal funds effectively putting me in a hard spot with my other sales as everything I currently sell is going towards this ridiculous negative balance currently showing in my funds. (I always keep my paypal monies in my account until buyers have received the items for this reason, but I made an emergency purchase when my phone bricked itself last week and it used up all those available funds first.) I just sold a doll yesterday and I'm having to pay shipping out of pocket cause of this crap. I'm so aggravated, atm. :mad:

And so, now we are just playing the waiting game while Paypal figures out that there is no fraud going on and that the item simply got lost in the mail. *sigh*

I will never ship an expensive, htf pony overseas again. Lesson very sadly learned....


At least it wasn't USPSs fault this time! XD
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Offline banditpony

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2019, 05:09:41 AM »
I don't think that one package means you shouldn't ship overseas, but you should be aware of your coverage of the shipping method you use.

Priority mail international: https://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc3_006.htm
Quote
Priority Mail International shipments containing merchandise are insured against loss, damage, or missing contents up to $200 at no additional charge. Priority Mail International shipments containing only nonnegotiable documents are insured against loss, damage, or missing contents up to $100 for document reconstruction at no additional charge. Indemnity is paid by the U.S. Postal Service as provided in 933. For a fee, the sender may purchase additional insurance to protect against loss, damage, or missing contents for Priority Mail International items containing merchandise, subject to individual country limitations. Additional document reconstruction insurance may not be purchased. If the item has been lost, or if it has been delivered to the addressee in damaged condition or with missing contents, payment is made to the sender unless the sender waives the right to payment, in writing, in favor of the addressee.


I also think that it's not the best time to be sending to the UK right now...

ETA: When you start sending things that are $1,000 and up, that's when it gets dicey because you only have so much indemnity.

And you really have a chance of your domestic package going missing as well. For instance, my package was at a PA processing center when there was a mercury spill. It's pretty much missing in action right now for 9 days. (I have my doubts it will show up, but we will see).
« Last Edit: April 01, 2019, 05:16:21 AM by banditpony »
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Offline Skelletonimp

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #2 on: April 01, 2019, 05:12:14 AM »
I'm so sorry this happened to you. And to the buyer :(

Offline LadyMoondancer

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2019, 12:45:05 PM »
Does tracking show up on the package?  They are supposed to track First Class International packages from the US to UK but I know sometimes they don't. 
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Offline Taffeta

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2019, 11:37:17 PM »
I get that right now you're annoyed because of the whole situation. I would be too. But punishing all international buyers because a parcel got lost is a major overreaction.

There are processes, and solutions. Banditpony is right. Claim the insurance on the lost item. Your buyer can't do that, only you can, because it was shipped USPS. It will cover the whole lost amount - problem dealt with. Cover exists in that situation to protect you and your buyer. She has to get her refund from you, but it doesn't mean you need to be out of pocket.

On the subject of the missing parcel and the UK post.

It's really unusual for it to go missing this side of the atlantic if there's tracking on it. It may be stuck in customs or maybe the label got damaged in transit, but I would check (if you didn't already) what the tracking says.

I say this because I have noticed increasingly erratic behaviour from the USPS international hubs over the last few months. I often have Chicago sending parcels to Canada by mistake (postcodes, sigh) but lately I had NY depot send my parcel first to Dubai then Bangladesh. Of course, it still got here, but it vanished off the tracking for a long time between arrival in Bangladesh and arrival eventually in the UK.

When that happens, its incumbent on the recipient country to either send it back or send it on. Sometimes that takes a while. Sometimes it doesn't happen. But it is worth checking whether that is what occurred. It may help your case with the USPS and claiming insurance.

As for posting to the UK, current situation is post is normal. Shipping anything here in Feb or March shouldn't have incurred any issues. From/around April 12th that may change, but only in a no deal scenario. We don't know yet if planes would be grounded in a no deal scenario, but there would be additional custom checks on EU packages which currently don't get checked by customs because of EU customs union. I personally am not buying from overseas until things are settled and whatever happens, happens - but it is worth noting that from 12th April, unless a deal is arranged, there could be additional delays in the UK post.

Right now, though, it should be fine.
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Offline LadyMoondancer

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #5 on: April 02, 2019, 07:45:22 AM »
First Class International shipping doesn't include insurance.  If it gets lost, the seller can't claim anything from the PO.  If the OP paid by Priority International then they have options, but most people offer First Class International as buyers prefer it.

If the tracking got "dropped" (which I've had happen with First Class International before, even though they're supposed to track it to the doorstep for the UK) then it's possible the buyer did receive it and is now lying about it.  A lot of people (in every country, US included) would be scammers if presented with a low risk way to scam.  And if the tracking did drop, that might be an irresistible opportunity.

Sorry if that sounds cynical, but I've been collecting since the 90s, when NOTHING was tracked (unless you went out of your way to purchase separate tracking) and I've seen sooo many people scamming for ponies.  Just because the franchise is sweet and innocent doesn't mean the people collecting it are.

I would be a lot less suspicious if the pony in question was, like, Cotton Candy.  It just seems more than 'unlucky' that of all the ponies to go astray it was a Mimic, you know what I mean?  In my experience the UK post is pretty reliable.

Anyway, my fingers are crossed that everything is legit and the package either makes it to the buyer or is returned to you.  It can happen . . . I had someone buy a doll from me and after a month (and after I'd refunded them) it made its way back to me with "INVALID ADDRESS" written on the packaging.  I let the buyer know and told them they should update their address in case other packages went astray and they casually responded with "Oh yeah, none of the things I ordered off eBay arrived."  Ha ha, wow.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 07:51:33 AM by LadyMoondancer »
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Offline banditpony

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #6 on: April 02, 2019, 08:17:54 AM »
I think my point was to not send out expensive items that do not have indemnity covered. If this was sent first class, then it should of been registered.

I don't think international buyers should be punished for one item going missing. I think sellers need to be aware of the risks, because it's always been a risk to send first class-- despite how many people who have great experiences. Because a post is never going to be 100% reliable.

OP will be fine with paypal if it shows that it arrived it the seller's county.

most people offer First Class International as buyers prefer it.

I'm a mean seller. I say "who cares if you prefer it, I prefer protection for us both" when it comes to expensive items. Because when we sell on larger platforms, sellers take the burden of having the package delivered.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 08:19:43 AM by banditpony »
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Offline Taffeta

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #7 on: April 02, 2019, 09:11:34 AM »
Ah, I see. So the method of shipping and the cover are two separate issues. Ok.

But yeah. The tracking thing...sellers have to protect themselves. It's nothing to do with the destination of the parcel. First priority when you send anything is make sure that method of sending covers you for the value of the item you're sending. The buyer pays the shipping or they don't buy from you. That's common sense, within the US or overseas.

Do we know for sure it arrived in the UK? I am cynical about that, I admit, because Royal Mail are usually a lot more reluctant to call a package lost if it's lost in their possession.

I understand the annoyance of the seller and the frustration of the paypal issue. But also, I'm fed up as an international buyer with international people being scapegoated simply for being abroad. It's way too easy to blame foreign people/foreign post for issues that are ultimately bad luck.

In reality in any shipping, anything could happen - a damaged label, being caught on another package and slipping into the wrong sorting container...an error on the customs form, even a mistake on the buyer's address that didn't get picked up on when they paid. Lots of possible explanations which, mostly, can apply to domestic selling as well as to international.

It is easier to ship within your own country, wherever you live, but one bad experience isn't enough in my view to stop shipping to people outside one's own borders.

On a final note, I don't question the ethics of the buyer in this case. If they were running a scam, they'd have received the pony and then gone on at the seller about it not arriving, wanting a refund, etc. That didn't happen. The OP said she pushed the buyer about whether it had arrived, and the the buyer started looking into it. If you're running a scam for a refund, you don't wait several weeks before putting it into action. In this case I think it's one or other postal services at fault.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2019, 09:22:42 AM by Taffeta »
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Offline Galactica

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2019, 11:13:37 AM »
Yikes! I'm sorry that happened to you.  I've had stuff go missing for a while only to FINALLY turn up, but if the post is saying it is gone, than I guess it probably is.

How annoying though that paypal is holding your funds. Doesn't tracking show that you mailed it?  I didn't know they'd hold your $$ in those situations.

Offline banditpony

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2019, 12:26:08 PM »
How annoying though that paypal is holding your funds. Doesn't tracking show that you mailed it?  I didn't know they'd hold your $$ in those situations.

Tracking doesn't mean too much. Sellers have the burden of delivery, not that an item was shipped.

Paypal holds funds when a buyer opens up an "item not received" case because they are investigating and the seller most likely will need to do a full refund if the item doesn't show up. And they are making sure they don't spend the funds they might have to give back to the buyer.

Sometimes if the package is shown to arrive in the buyer's country, then sometimes that counts enough for paypal as delivery.

Also, when you check tracking-- don't just check within ebay... check with the buyer's post website as well. Sometimes more info shows up.
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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2019, 12:32:32 PM »
Royal Mail also sometimes converts the tracking number to a UK tracking number on entry which sometimes gets lost in the confusion.

I find that the USPS site is better than the UK one for tracking packages in general, but it's worth a try if it helps. If RM say it's lost, it might not help - but I just had a thought from what banditpony said.

https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item#/

That's the link, anyhow, but it occurred to me that if the buyer didn't phone Royal Mail and was just using this tracking thing it might have told her that the item was not located in the system. Which might have been interpreted as 'lost'. It's hard to know without details of the tracking and the investigation that went on - but just in case this helps.

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Offline banditpony

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2019, 12:35:21 PM »
Royal Mail also sometimes converts the tracking number to a UK tracking number on entry which sometimes gets lost in the confusion.

I find that the USPS site is better than the UK one for tracking packages in general, but it's worth a try if it helps. If RM say it's lost, it might not help - but I just had a thought from what banditpony said.

https://www.royalmail.com/track-your-item#/

That's the link, anyhow, but it occurred to me that if the buyer didn't phone Royal Mail and was just using this tracking thing it might have told her that the item was not located in the system. Which might have been interpreted as 'lost'. It's hard to know without details of the tracking and the investigation that went on - but just in case this helps.



Interesting. I've always used the other country because other countries don't always report to USPS. As my post office says "Once the package arrives in the other country, USPS is no longer responsible for the package".

But UK must be different because they change the number.
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Offline Taffeta

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2019, 12:44:22 PM »
They don't always change the number. I think it depends on the type of post and how stringently it needs tracking. Also there's Parcelforce (which I doubt Mimic travelled by, she's far too small and light) which also has its own tracking system. The good thing about the RM tracking is that it tells you if the incoming item is actually going via parcelforce and not Royal Mail.

But yeah. My usual rule is to check both the sending country and recipient country tracking.

Unsurprisingly the best tracking I've found globally is Japanese. Predictable right....

But the USPS is not bad at giving details if you want them. That's why I know all the weird places they accidentally send my stuff xD.
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Offline banditpony

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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2019, 12:57:56 PM »
Unsurprisingly the best tracking I've found globally is Japanese. Predictable right....

Not incoming to the US.
I had mail recently come from there. Once it arrived in the US -- Japan post did not track what so ever until it was at the local post office.
(And skipped passing customs into the US, 5 distribution centers / other local post office that did sorting)
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Re: Mimic Lost in the UK Post ;-;
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2019, 02:23:31 PM »
How annoying though that paypal is holding your funds. Doesn't tracking show that you mailed it?  I didn't know they'd hold your $$ in those situations.

Tracking doesn't mean too much. Sellers have the burden of delivery, not that an item was shipped.

Paypal holds funds when a buyer opens up an "item not received" case because they are investigating and the seller most likely will need to do a full refund if the item doesn't show up. And they are making sure they don't spend the funds they might have to give back to the buyer.

Sometimes if the package is shown to arrive in the buyer's country, then sometimes that counts enough for paypal as delivery.

Also, when you check tracking-- don't just check within ebay... check with the buyer's post website as well. Sometimes more info shows up.

Ebay usually will cover loss in this situation-  at least they used to.  You just have to prove you mailed the package.  Again, that is  how it USED to be.

 

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