Ebay buyer says item missing from parcel. *update*

[Ringlets]

 updated 28th April:
After another week went by without contact or response to the qusetions in my last message, I got a message from the buyer again yesterday

Hello,No, only Anna was there.Thanks for replying anyway. 

so I responded with this:

Hello ........ I'm extremely puzzled by this as 3 of us witnessed the packaging of these dolls, we have doll set reference numbers for our records and the post office receipt. I need you to answer the questions I sent you in my last email please. Do you have pictures of the box/ contents?  do you have pictures of the gift wrap ?  The two dolls and book were definitely in there and the weight/cost of postage also confirms this on our receipt , so I will have to pursue this matter further and take it up with the Post office/ Royal Mail. This is a very serious matter. Since the items were sent recorded the person who delivered the item/handled it can be traced. If items have been stolen then we must also involve the police as well as ebay.Could you please give this matter your immediate attention so we can take it further.Kind regards 

and she responded soon after with:

  Hi ........,I really don't know what has happened. I don't have the box, I took the doll out, stored it on a high shelf in my wardrobe and waited the week until her birthday. I threw the box away. Not checking and realizing was completely my fault, however I was receiving Kristoff and the others throughout the week and this is where I got muddled. I should have looked more carefully, checked things off and made contact immediately. Keeping the box etc and having evidence to show (with all that you have) that something had gone astray. This was my fault.Luckily I located an Elsa in a town not to far from here and drove there at midnight so my daughter had her for her birthday.I am not difficult person and am not disbelieving you. As you say, you have all of the evidence your end.Just a shame and an expensive. I was only checking with you in the first place in case you had made an innocent error.Kind regards ......

My last response was :

  Hi ......
Thank you for your fast response.
Firstly I'm really glad that you managed to get another Elsa doll for your daughters Bday. Its really very unfortunate though that you havent got the box or packaging/any evidence from the parcel that we sent you as we would have liked to have taken this matter up with the post office/police for our peace of mind and yours too. We try to take as many measures as possible to ensure that our customers are happy and get the items they paid for.  We appreciate your understanding and co-operation and we are sorry that things have turned out this wayIs there anything further you wish us to try to do to help you? or do we consider the matter closed?Kind regards and best wishes
........ and Family 

Still dont know what to make of it, but she seems to want to let is go now (no pun intended! )
If this was innocent (and so I'm not including the buyers ID) then its a real shame she doesnt have any evidence/pics/packaging as it needed to be reported to Royal mail and the Police if a tracked and signed for parcel had really been tampered with and items stolen. 
If it was an intended scam then she realises she cannot win a case and so she is backing out.
It still all sounds very odd though to me  

...................... Original post........................

  This is a new one for me although I've heard of people claiming this before....
 Let me explain my particular situation.

I sold a set of 2 disney Frozen dolls and a coloring book on ebay UK. I have sold a number of these over the last few months. I always send with tracking/delivery confirmation and I keep all of the receipts.
It was sent on 15th April, delivered on 16th April and there is a signature with a name that matches that of my ebay buyer when i check the royal mail website. OK... i havent heard anything until today (22nd April)
My buyer contacted me with this message

Hello,I ordered these dolls from you and they arrived promptly, with plenty of time before my daughter's birthday tomorrow.I opened the parcel slightly, saw the beautiful wrapping and left the parcel be.On sorting everything out tonight I only have Anna.I am in complete despair and was just wondering if by chance Elsa is still with you?My daughter will be heartbroken, I was so delighted to think I had been so organised.Kind regards

Now... I (along with hubby and mom) had packed each doll  and the book all seperately in its own matching giftwrap, bubble wrap, tissue, airbags, packing noodles and then I put them all  (3 seperate giftwrapped items) in a sturdy box with a note inside for the buyer, sealed the box, covered the box in brown parcel paper, and then completely sealed the brown paper all over with tape (clear tape over the address and my address) and brown tape everywhere else. Then I put "Fragile" tape around the box too.  I posted the parcel on 15th and she recieved it on 16th as I mentioned. 
 
*The box is so well sealed in its double tape shell that you would literally have to cut it open to get anything out. It cannot be torn in transit

*I never sell the Anna dolls seperately

*I always keep dolls I have listed together seperate from other dolls in other listings etc and items so that they are the exact ones in the listing and they are already together ready to pack/post.

*I never heard from the seller to say the box looked tampered with or that anything was amiss although she has had it in her possession for  a week (according to the signature)

*My post office receipt has the correct weight for both dolls and book (938g) approx the same as the other sets I have been selling (which have arrived with no problems) and it was sent as a medium parcel as it was large and heavy at £6.75. (I have receipts for where I previously sold elsa dolls alone and they are showing approx half that weight  and go as a small parcel £4.30)

*3 of us checked that all items were correct and packed before I posted the parcel

* she would have to have unwrapped the doll to see it was Anna (she had said she wanted to keep it in the pretty wrapping paper and was sorting out her daughters presents last night) - and she would have been able to see only one doll if only one doll was in there in that big parcel all alone.


I responded with the following message:

Hi ------- . I'm so sorry to hear this. I have no idea what is going on as both Elsa and Anna were definitely sent together in the same box, each doll and book were all individually gift wrapped  in matching wrapping paper  then placed together in the box (so the box contained 3 gift wrapped parcels), air bags, bubble wrap, packing noodles , a card box, then brown parcel paper, then it was completely sealed in with tape all over  and then fragile tape on the outside too.  The box would have needed to be literally cut open to get to the contents inside . Both dolls and book were definitely sent together in the same box - I have had no Anna dolls for sale on their own and I have not have packed one alone. I only sell Anna paired up with Elsa and I keep each pair I list seperate in sets of two . I also have the post office receipt with  the weight for two dolls and tracking number. It would also have been signed for by you. Did the box look tampered with or damaged at the point you received it?  do you have pictures of the box and its contents?  The parcel weighs 938g on my receipt - which is the weight for two dolls and a book  (and is the same for the other sets of these dolls with a book that I sold recently), and it was sent medium parcel at £6.75.(single dolls weigh half this and go by small parcel at £4.30). I'm at a loss as to know what to do to be honest since both dolls were definitely in that box with the book as proven by the receipt. Myself , and two other family members all packed this parcel together so one or more of us would have known if anything was missing.Is there a chance that your daughter has already found her present and taken Elsa? or has someone else in your family moved the doll? please check your daughters room/other parts of the house just incase she found it and check with other family members too.Was the colouring book in the parcel or is that missing too? Please let me know as soon as possible.Best wishes

BUT

This buyer has 100% feedback and has been a member on ebay since 2005. She is mostly a buyer. On checking her feedback it doesnt look she she is in the habit of leaving bad feedback . I found one other example of an item she says was lost in the post a few years ago and the seller sent her a replacement. she left a positive. I havent found anything bad on her by doing a google search either   
She doesnt come across as a scammer. If someone has genuinely stolen her item then of course she would be devastated.... but something is off somewhere and  I'm confused with this one. Is there anything else I can do at this point? I'm awaiting a response from her.
If she still says she doesnt have the doll (its of course the more valuable one of the two   am I still going to have to refund or replace although its been a week since delivery and although I have signature and correct box weight as well as correct address on my PO receipt?


*Thanks , cookies, chocolates, and hugs for making it through that*    Any advice is welcome

[TwistedRiver]

Sorry to say but it does almost sound like a scam to me. A lot of things in her message just don't seem to add up. Without unwrapping it is impossible to see which dolls are there. Hopefully if it is a scam she'll realize that she hasn't been able to get by you so easily and will drop the whole thing and if it isn't a scam then I hope Elsa shows up somewhere in her house or whatever.
Unfortunately I'm not real up to date on the policies and such regarding this but I really hope it is all worked out to a point you can both be happy with.
As for her 100% feedback, I was under the impression that buyers could no longer receive anything but positive feedback? Hopefully someone else will be able to offer some better advice on how covered you are and such.

[ponylady]

  You have asked for proof, so now you just have to sit back and wait to see what she does. Do not refund until you are either satisfied they did not get the doll, or until they file a dispute. If they file an Item not received claim with Ebay- just put your delivery confirmation number in the dispute.

You can also just tell her you want the box sent back to you with the one doll, coloring book and anything else in the box before you refund- this would be an Ebay acceptable way to do it.

[Dragonflitter]

Oh dear!! So sorry to hear about this trouble. It's hard to balance the fine line between sympathy and suspicion when dealing with online people. Of course we always want to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but the sob story 'oh it's my daughter's birthday' has been used many times before. And like you said, coincidentally it's the more expensive doll that is missing? But then again the message they sent you seemed totally sincere and not like a scam at all.

But I think it was great for you to ask the buyer if someone else in their house got the package or if the daughter got it. It could be the truth after all, or if the buyer IS trying to pull a scam they might realize you're too smart for that and just take the excuse you so handily provided. Perhaps they will come back and say they found the doll and that someone else in their house took it out of the package.

Also I think it's genius that you have the weight of the package and can prove that when you mailed it, it was heavier than one doll would be. I'm not sure if this fact alone will satisfy ebay/Paypal if a dispute does get opened, but at least you have that much solid fact backing you up.

Please keep us informed! *hug*

[Galactica]

Thank goodness you kept track of the weight!

Honestly it does sound like a scam.  Even though her buyer history doesn't reflect problems-  there is no way to know from looking at her feedback whether she may have done this before.  Most sellers just post feedback quickly after payment is made (to avoid complaints of holding feedback hostage)

[Ringlets]

Thanks all   you know I deal with TS and ebay stuff all the time but when its my own issue, sometimes its not so easy to stay calm enough to remember all the policies and even with my researching i didnt turn up much  .  So I truly appreicate all the answers here
  I honestly didnt know how to take this particular issue. It shouts scam and sends me tingling but the message does sound sincere.  I have learnt over the years that some people will try anything though so thats why I keep the items seperate and give them a reference number on the listing, keep all the proof, the weights, other past receipts for the same items to compare, single doll receipts, send with tracking and signature,  and wrap so securely it will take you half and hour to break into the parcel....

Still, until I hear more of the story and see some sort of proof/pics of what came in the box, what the box looked like etc  I cannot say for certain its a scammer  (it really is possible that the daughter found the parcel and took a doll out or someone else moved it or whatever)- although that is what they told me at my post office when I went there with mom today to ask for advice on this.  They said that if the box had been tampered with or damaged inbetween me posting it and it being delivered then Royal Mail will not deliver a signed for parcel in that condition- and it becomes serious as in fraud, possible prison etc for the one who stole the item.  Items sent by this service , you can trace who delivered it etc.  The people at the PO know we regularly post dolls there, know what our packaging is like and of course there is the receipt. They think the buyer is a scammer  (they say that the buyer probably thought I was an online store rather than a private seller and can easily send another  doll to them by making it sound like one of my supposed workforce didnt pack the order correctly and missed a doll off). I cant make that judgement but I did  however contact ebay via phone and they now know of the complete situation and they have looked at her message to me and also my response should it come down to a case.
Its true that sellers cannot leave bad feedback for buyers so thats not really a good way to tell if this person is a scammer or genuine, but its worth looking incase there is any mention in the feedback of anything not being received or refunds given or whatever else- as I said, I found one instance of a seller sending a replacement item to this buyer as the first one supposedly went MIA in the post. Googling can also turn up threads on forums about ebayers, but I got nothing from this one.
I have been checking ebay all day but I have had no response to my message so far. I will update as things progress

[Ivaness]

I hope it all gets worked out, but my initial thought was "she's tryin' to pull one over on ya".  But, I really hope that isn't the case.  Who gets a package, waits a week to open it to check the contents? PSH. I get a package, I'm ripping into that thing!!

She either has MAD patience... or ... yea... 

If it had been me who received a parcel that didn't look right form the get go, I'd be taking pictures to prove I'm not a liar. Seems like common sense to me. And I would have gotten back to you by now and well before a week.

[Ringlets]

I hope it all gets worked out, but my initial thought was "she's tryin' to pull one over on ya".  But, I really hope that isn't the case.  Who gets a package, waits a week to open it to check the contents? PSH. I get a package, I'm ripping into that thing!!

She either has MAD patience... or ... yea... 

If it had been me who received a parcel that didn't look right form the get go, I'd be taking pictures to prove I'm not a liar. Seems like common sense to me. And I would have gotten back to you by now and well before a week.

I completely agree with everything you said here ^^    always check parcels right away and if anything is wrong take pics and contact the seller right away. Even if the item is gift wrapped  (as mine were here as they were to be presents) you can still take a look inside (by opening at one end and slipping the item out or the wrap)  to check the items are correct/ok and seal the gift wrap back up again after if you need to.

[Ivaness]

I hope it all gets worked out, but my initial thought was "she's tryin' to pull one over on ya".  But, I really hope that isn't the case.  Who gets a package, waits a week to open it to check the contents? PSH. I get a package, I'm ripping into that thing!!

She either has MAD patience... or ... yea... 

If it had been me who received a parcel that didn't look right form the get go, I'd be taking pictures to prove I'm not a liar. Seems like common sense to me. And I would have gotten back to you by now and well before a week.

I completely agree with everything you said here ^^    always check parcels right away and if anything is wrong take pics and contact the seller right away. Even if the item is gift wrapped  (as mine were here as they were to be presents) you can still take a look inside (by opening at one end and slipping the item out or the wrap)  to check the items are correct/ok and seal the gift wrap back up again after if you need to.

Oh, especially since it's for your daughter's birthday! -.-  People, losing my faith in them daily.

[CupidStrikes]

I completely agree with everything you said here ^^    always check parcels right away and if anything is wrong take pics and contact the seller right away. Even if the item is gift wrapped  (as mine were here as they were to be presents) you can still take a look inside (by opening at one end and slipping the item out or the wrap)  to check the items are correct/ok and seal the gift wrap back up again after if you need to.

This! I would especially check it if it was a present to make sure it was the right item and that it hadn't arrived damaged or anything (only thing worse than not having the present to open would be opening an anticipated gift to find it broken...). It sounds like, best case scenario, she has misplaced or accidentally broken Elsa and is hoping you have a small mountain of replacements you can easily and cheaply send out.

You seem to have thoroughly covered all your bases, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if the buyer mysteriously finds Elsa in the next day or so.

[BerryMouse]

Well I think the weight of the parcel should proof that you sent them both!

I'm crossing my fingers for you

[ponylady]

I agree that the weight should be enough evidence. Plus the fact that you have tracking on it and it states delivered.

I think since it has become increasingly harder to dupe sellers, they have to come up with new ways to get free products. Thus the increase of Charge Backs and claiming items missing. It's just unfortunate that you are a victim in this scenario.

Just stick to your guns, you have covered all your bases as a seller and everything should work out in your favor. I actually wouldn't be surprised if you don't hear back from her at all.

[Ringlets]

Thanks all
Well I havent heard anything back from her yet PL , even though I let ebay give her my number too so we could talk in person as well as via email on ebay if she wanted to 

It sounds like, best case scenario, she has misplaced or accidentally broken Elsa and is hoping you have a small mountain of replacements you can easily and cheaply send out.

Yep, that is something I thought about too - that perhaps her daughter or someone else  accidently broke Elsa and she doesnt want to fork out to buy another one so she came up with a story to try and get another one from me thinking I have a shop.  I dont have a shop, its just me(along with mom and hubby)  trying to fund my own collecting by selling a bit of new stuff and a bit of older stuff .
 I've sold all the Classic and Magiclip Frozen doll sets I had on ebay now anyways.  (slightly OT but hey I wish I did have a small mountain of Elsa dolls - who doesnt?   )

[Dragonflitter]

*nod* Lack of communication at this point seems to me to mean she was hoping for an easy free 2nd Elsa and when you stuck to your guns she figured she'd just drop it. Hopefully that's the case!

[Ringlets]

 updated 28th April:
After another week went by without contact or response to the questions in my last message, I got a message from the buyer again yesterday

Hello,No, only Anna was there.Thanks for replying anyway. 

so I responded with this:

Hello ........ I'm extremely puzzled by this as 3 of us witnessed the packaging of these dolls, we have doll set reference numbers for our records and the post office receipt. I need you to answer the questions I sent you in my last email please. Do you have pictures of the box/ contents?  do you have pictures of the gift wrap ?  The two dolls and book were definitely in there and the weight/cost of postage also confirms this on our receipt , so I will have to pursue this matter further and take it up with the Post office/ Royal Mail. This is a very serious matter. Since the items were sent recorded the person who delivered the item/handled it can be traced. If items have been stolen then we must also involve the police as well as ebay.Could you please give this matter your immediate attention so we can take it further.Kind regards 

and she responded soon after with:

  Hi ........,I really don't know what has happened. I don't have the box, I took the doll out, stored it on a high shelf in my wardrobe and waited the week until her birthday. I threw the box away. Not checking and realizing was completely my fault, however I was receiving Kristoff and the others throughout the week and this is where I got muddled. I should have looked more carefully, checked things off and made contact immediately. Keeping the box etc and having evidence to show (with all that you have) that something had gone astray. This was my fault.Luckily I located an Elsa in a town not to far from here and drove there at midnight so my daughter had her for her birthday.I am not difficult person and am not disbelieving you. As you say, you have all of the evidence your end.Just a shame and an expensive. I was only checking with you in the first place in case you had made an innocent error.Kind regards ......

My last response was :

  Hi ......
Thank you for your fast response.
Firstly I'm really glad that you managed to get another Elsa doll for your daughters Bday. Its really very unfortunate though that you havent got the box or packaging/any evidence from the parcel that we sent you as we would have liked to have taken this matter up with the post office/police for our peace of mind and yours too. We try to take as many measures as possible to ensure that our customers are happy and get the items they paid for.  We appreciate your understanding and co-operation and we are sorry that things have turned out this wayIs there anything further you wish us to try to do to help you? or do we consider the matter closed?Kind regards and best wishes
........ and Family 

Still dont know what to make of it, but she seems to want to let it go now (no pun intended! )
If this was innocent (and so I'm not including the buyers ID) then its a real shame she doesnt have any evidence/pics/packaging as it needed to be reported to Royal mail and the Police if a tracked and signed for parcel had really been tampered with and items stolen. 
If it was an intended scam then she realises she cannot win a case and so she is backing out.
It still all sounds very odd though to me