The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: StarFaerie on November 09, 2020, 03:05:54 PM
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Back in May I sold a Fairy Tail Bird MIB to someone in Italy. The package arrived in Italy but was never picked up by the buyer and was sent back to me. She says Post Italia didn't leave notices or try to deliver. Unfortunately it never arrived with me. I have put in 2 enquiries with Australia Post but with no result. Unfortunately with Australia's borders closed, mail is spotty and hectic. I bought insurance but Australia Post won't cover it because the time has lapsed and it didn't happen on the outward journey. Returning the item is not covered apparently.
So I've opened up yet another enquiry but I have no hope it will be found.
Should I refund the buyer? Partial refund? 50% of it minus shipping?
I'm a bit upset as the buyer is really upset with me but it's the post office in Italy that stuffed up not me. But on the other hand as a seller I didn't get the item into her hands.
I really just want the bird found :( and I'm never shipping to Italy again.
Thanks for any opinions.
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Do you have screenshots of tracking showing where it went? Italy is one of the few places that I do not like to do business with, as there are quite a lot of scammers there. Russia is another place I don’t do business with. Maybe try to file a claim with the post office?
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Hi. Thanks. I've put in 2 enquiries with the post office and just a third today. I tried to put in a claim but they said that once it has had a delivery attempt it's considered delivered for insurance purposes so no claim is possible.
I have screenshots showing multiple delivery attempts to the buyer. Then saying it was being returned and then it disappears. Neither Australia Post nor Post Italia seemingly have any idea where it went or is now.
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I think in a situation like this you would refund the buyer the price of the bird, but keep the shipping cost...
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I'm not a seller, but it seems the buyer is at fault here? The package was attempted to be delivered but they didn't follow up with the post office. If you get the item back and are feeling kind, you might refund them, but if you are out of a product because of their lack of follow up, I'm not sure you owe here.
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If the buyer wasn't notified by Italia Post then they're not at fault. The problem is proving that, especially in a pandemic. I know of situations here in the UK where Royal Mail have attempted a delivery but there's been no card put through the door. The buyers in those cases only knew to go question their depot because of tracking saying it was there.
I think probably from a seller perspective refund at least the cost of the item is unavoidable. It should be either Australia or Italia post who are responsible but it seems like both are skipping out on their responsibilities here. If the tracking says it's being shipped back without being delivered, then it's not a scam. At least, why would you buy an item and then not pick it up when it arrived if you intended to scam the seller? This is a postal issue.
...As for never shipping to Italy again, I take some issue with that because these are exceptional times and the buyer is not necessarily at fault given that fact. But Italy does have some interesting postal regulations and there are sometimes delays. Especially outside of the European Union (which is an experience we're gonna have soon!).
It sounds like you took all the possible usual precautions to get the item there safely, but it also sounds like it's been a victim of COVID. It may yet still come back to you. I've had items take 6 months to get to me before now. So it might turn up. In the meantime, I think you probably have to refund the buyer. It seems like they would have picked up the item if they had had a notification.