Post office lost my package?

[Iris]

I've got kind of a nightmare situation going on right now and I just don't know what to do.

Last weekend someone purchased a card from me on Ebay.  When it comes to cards alot of sellers seem to just stick a postage stamp on them and just go with that.  I wanted to be a little more protected and make sure it got there so I went ahead and spent the $2 to have tracking/confirmation.

On Monday the 11th a little before noon I dropped 2 packages into the out going mail slot inside the post office.  One of the packages was scanned in/accepted around 2:30 in the afternoon and went on to get lots of scans and eventually be delivered.  The other package was never once scanned.  It still shows the whole "the seller created a label, it'll be scanned when it reaches the carrier".

Today I went to the post office and had one of the ladies check the slot and their lost/damaged mail sections looking for it.  With no avail and no advice.  So I dropped it off for sure on Monday the 11th, but I have no clue where it is, and they have no clue where it is.  Because they never scanned it themselves I'm guessing that neither the post office or paypal will side with me if it never shows up and I'll be totally out the item, the money for the item, the ebay fees, and the shipping/confirmation/etc and risking bad feedback. T_T


Really the whole situation has me stressed to death considering the whole reason I sold the item was because I really needed money for some bills.

So I'm looking for a little advice.
Should I contact the buyer right away? 

I've always prided myself on keeping ebay buyers updated and what not.  But I'm a little afraid if I send a message saying "hey the tracking isn't working, let me know if and when you get the item" the person might be like "Cool, free item and they have no proof I didn't get it" and claim they didn't recieve it even if they did.

So I don't know if I should give it another week (Aug 22) to see if it arrives there (like they leave feedback or whatever) or comes back to me before contacting them.  Or if I should bite the bullet and contact them now to let them know there might be a problem when it could possibly bite me.

Any thoughts? T_T

[Navi]

The post office may have sorted it and mailed it without scanning it. I know my post office occasionally skips scanning something I mail, especially if their reader is having a problem, or the label didn't print perfectly. I've had a lady who worked there admit to me that she doesn't scan everything if they're very busy, so there's that too.

I'd wait to see if it gets scanned at another PO facility, or shows up at the buyers house. If it doesn't get scanned in the next couple of days, then I'd let them know.

[Haruna]

Eeek! That does sound like a tricky situation. It does worry me that one of your packages was scanned while the other wasn't. It seems like they'd both be scanned around the same time. But, like Navi said, I guess sometimes packages don't get scanned. Hopefully the card was just missed somehow.

You have all your receipts from the post office, right? I hope that will protect you in case the package is really lost. Maybe someone else will have more info about when you'd need to show these to Ebay. And it might be true that if you have your post office receipt but the post office loses the item, they'll reimburse you, right? *hooves crossed*

As far as telling your buyer, I think you could wait the week, and then if they email you wondering where it is, you'll know it really is lost, but you won't have given them a chance to scam you.   

I'm about as lost as you on what to do, but there's my advice. I hope it turns up!

[Iris]

Unfortunately I don't have any post office receipts because I printed the label at home via Paypal/Ebay.  So I have a reciept for printing out a label but because the post office never scanned it I assume both places will just say "Oh well you probably didn't ever drop it off and still have it".

Lesson learned though.  From now on when I print something at home instead of dropping it in any of the boxes or slots I'm going to have to go up to the counter and either ask for a receipt or ask her to scan them right then and there so I can see it happen.  *sigh*

I think I'm going to wait a few more days before contacting the buyer.  Thanks guys <3

[Haruna]

Yeah. Sorry about the trouble! Here's hoping that it all blows over.

[ponylady]

What a stressful situation Iris. 

Personally if it were me I would contact your buyer immediately. I say this because you are going on a week since the label was created and technically if things go smoothly through the PO system, it should have arrived at it's destination by now. I know there are cases of the PO not scanning, as I have dealt with it before myself. They have always showed up though.  So let's hope this will happen for you too.

Anyways by contacting your buyer it will show them you are on top of things and aware there maybe a situation. It's better to be honest and upfront and in return hopefully your buyer will do the same. I know you are afraid they may screw you over but either way since you do not have a working tracking number if she opens a case you will lose out. It's a terrible situation but thanks to the incompetent PO system, your between a rock and a hard place right now. 

[Haruna]

Okay -- so, it's a little confusing, but the USPS has these rules in their domestic mail manual, section 609, Filing Indemnity Claims for Loss or Damage (http://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/609.htm#1125385):

"1.3 
Who May File
A claim may be filed by: 
. . .

b. Either the mailer or addressee who is in possession of the original retail mailing receipt, or in possession of the online label record or computer printout of the Web-based application as described in 3.1d., for lost articles.
. . .
3.1 Evidence of Insurance
[1-26-14] For a claim involving articles listed in 1.1, the customer must retain evidence showing that the specific USPS service was purchased, until the claim is resolved. Examples of acceptable evidence are:
Evidence of Insurance
. . .
d. For insurance purchased online, a printed electronic online label record or a computer printout from the application used to print the label and purchase the insurance. The printout must identify the USPS Tracking number of the insured parcel, total postage paid, insurance fee paid, declared value, mailing date, origin ZIP Code, and delivery ZIP Code."

So I think you can file a claim with the post office, even though all you have is your web receipt. It says in another section that you must file the claim in 15 days, though, so you probably want to do it soon. I hope this helps!

[ponylady]

Unfortunately it sounds to me the only way you can file is if the package was insured.

[kakenterprise]

If the buyer has not said anything I'd leave it alone.  I had a similar situation with a package that was never scanned.  If the buyer had wanted to they could have said they never received it.  About 3 weeks later they left positive feedback, so really I was a bit paranoid over nothing. 

[blackestbird]

I agree with ponylady personally.

Put yourself in the buyer's shoes. If you had purchased something and were waiting for it in the mail, and your seller realized there could be a potential lost item situation, you'd want them to let you know immediately. They'd probably be more likely to work with you on things like refunds, paying again later if the item does show up [assuming it's actually lost, I think there's a good chance it just never got scanned, that seems to happen frequently enough], etc, if you're upfront and honest with them. Sure there's a chance they might take it as an opportunity to scam you, but *most* people aren't the scamming type, and like ponylady also pointed out, either way if a case is made you don't have much of a chance without a receipt and the PO showing it as never having been scanned anywhere.