Ebay Item Returned... Who Pays For Re-Shipping?

[Lancer]

So here's the story...  I sold an egg cup on eBay and shipped it at the end of October.  No feedback or other communication from the buyer.  Then the egg cup was returned to me this past weekend. 

There is a Royal Mail label on the parcel to say "We were unable to deliver this item because it was not called for".  In other words, for those of you not familiar with our postal system, the buyer missed the postman, a card was left for her telling her to pick it up from the local post office/arrange redelivery, and she didn't do so.  The post office only keeps it a certain length of time before returning it to the sender.

Mysteriously, the buyer writes to me TODAY (coincidental timing, huh?), with a very calm message - almost as though she KNOWS what has happened, as she doesn't seem at all worried that the item has actually gone missing - saying she knows I must have posted the egg cup some time ago but that she hasn't received it.

I haven't written back to her yet as I'd like to get some advice from others who have been through similar situations.  No doubt she'll ask me to ship it back to her.  Who pays for re-shipping?  The egg cup itself was only worth £2.99 (before packing materials, eBay and Paypal fees) and shipping is £2.20 so I'm actually going to end up out of pocket if I have to pay.  And who's to say she won't miss the parcel again/not bother to pick it up this time?

Grr...I hate eBayers sometimes! 

Thanks for reading, guys!

[NoDivision]

in that situation I'd say the buyer is responsible for the cost of re-shippnig it, and I think (though I might be msitaken) that in cases like that ebay would agree.

[Galactica]

SHE is responsible.  She probably got a note to pick it up and forgot.

Although if she disputes it with paypal, she will win.

[emery]

I agree, if she didn't go pick it up then it's her responsibility to pay for it to be reshipped.

What I would do is keep it simple in your reply, something like "Yes, I posted it back on (ship date) but I have actually just received it back with a note that it was not called for. It's no problem to resend to you and I will send you a money request through Paypal for the postage costs and will get it sent as soon as you can pay."
Then send a money request at the same time so that she has her solution right there.

If it hasn't been 45 days she could open a dispute but that would most likely end in you just having to refund her money if she doesn't want it shipped again.

[Sternenstaub]

Hm, it's also possible that the postman forgot to leave the note for her?
I know that this happens sometimes.

But it's a bit mystical that she never ask before for the parcel ...just today when you got the package back.

When she forgot to go to the post office to pick her parcel up - it isn't your fault. Either she pays shipping again then - or when she don't want the egg cup longer you can refund her only the 2.99 for the egg cup - but not more.

[Stormy31685]

I agree with Emery.  This is a very tough one because if it were something expensive it would not be too big of a deal for you to pay to re-send.  If I were the buyer though, I would personally expect to pay for the shipping again.  But that's just me.  If the buyer doesn't want to pay, you can always offer to refund her for the price of the item (not the shipping) and recover your fees through eBay.

Best of luck to you!

[Lancer]

Thanks for the advice, guys!  She hasn't replied to me yet, so I'm just biting my nails waiting for the arguments and negative feedback to begin.  I took a look at the feedback she leaves for other people, and she seems to love leaving neutrals and negs for no real reason.  Such great comments as, "Looked blue in picture, but was more purple in real life", "Nice pen, but not as pretty as I hoped" and my personal favourite (on a US brand chocolate bar she bought), "Packed well, fast delivery...but didn't taste as good as I remembered!"  Oh boy, looks like I've got another great one, doesn't it?  However do I attract such strange buyers?! >.<

[emery]

Just a note... if you do go though a dispute and the buyer wins you will most likely have to refund her the TOTAL price (including shipping) not just the item price. That's part of the buyer protection at least on the US ebay site. The buyer is the one who paid for the shipping to begin with anyway, it was not out of your pocket so if a refund is ordered then it's normally for the total amount they paid. Sucks 'cause then it's technically out of your pocket if they do refund it. I'm not sure how it would go though since it would be a case of her wanting it reshipped or not, it would probably have to be reviewed by Paypal and take a bunch of extra time.

If you personally offer to just refund the item price and she accepts that's a different story though. Good luck with her, she does sound like a bit of a *fun* one....

[Sternenstaub]

and my personal favourite (on a US brand chocolate bar she bought), "Packed well, fast delivery...but didn't taste as good as I remembered!" 

OMG - I have no words for it!

[Ringlets]

Oh dear! the situation is not that uncommon, but this buyer sounds like she is a bit speshul
sometimes Royal Mail posties do not push a card through. Iwent through this a few months back - I bought a pony, it went MIA, eventually got returned to the seller who contacted me. There was a label from Royal Mail on the parcel saying that i had not collected it, but the truth is that I never had a card pushed through to say that it had arrived and needed collecting . This could also have happened in your buyers situation as well
 I dont think that you should pay to resend it since it isnt your fault that it got returned, but I think that you'll have to wait and see how she replies to know what best to do next.

[Gaspode]

I have just had this situation with a parcel sent via insured airmail to USA from UK.  The buyer says it never came to their house; the post office said they tried to deliver but buyer wasn't in and then they never came to collect. Perhaps they never got a card through their door?

Luckily for me the buyer is very nice to deal with and knows it isn't my fault and has paid for postage to have it sent through to them again. I hope your buyer does the same!

If they don't and they leave unfair feedback PLEASE report them and ask for the fb to removed - I've heard of a few ppl achieving this recently after encountering the more 'nutty' ebayers who are out there so I think ebay *does* listen to sellers.... at least sometimes!!

GL!
Gaspode

[Galactica]

and my personal favourite (on a US brand chocolate bar she bought), "Packed well, fast delivery...but didn't taste as good as I remembered!"  Oh boy, looks like I've got another great one, doesn't it?  However do I attract such strange buyers?! >.<

Hah! That's a good one-

[Dyzarktarzk]

Buyer is responsible for re-shipping.

Seller is not at fault, unless you wrote the address wrong then I'd feel then it was the seller's fault (in my case), if it's the correct address then it's the buyers. 

But sometimes I wonder IF the postmen REALLY let out a card when there's no one to receive the package =S

In my case... I love my mailmam... it's not common, but once they came to my home searching for me 5 times until they decided to leave a note =X  I didn't go to the PO because it said: "In mailman's  hands"...

[fingerpaints]

I have been in a similar situation. Item was sent overseas, buyer never picked it up from the post office, and it was sent to me as "unclaimed". I messaged them and gave them the option of re - shipping or getting a refund for the item cost minus the postage I had already paid. You do not have to however back out of the transaction, it is the buyers responsibility to go pick it up, you did what you could at your end.

I have only had this happen once the entire time I have sold online, and the only reason I let the buyer back out was it was going to cost an extra $23AU to send an $8 item to them in the US, and I was feeling kind lol.

I don't understand what it is with some people, why would you bother buying an item if you couldn't be bothered picking it up?