USPS Problem (PWCC Vault)

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by Bugsy

This is what concerns me. The buyer can file with eBay or Paypal and request a refund on "lost" mail. If you have a tracking number, but an item is taking a few extra weeks, will eBay/Paypal just side with the buyer and force the refund? I assume that USPS isn't going to pay out insurance claims on delayed mail either. I can see buyers winning a claim with eBay/Paypal, getting a refund, but the package eventually makes its way to the destination, so the seller can't file an insurance claim either. Anyone run into this yet?

Just had this happen on an international shipment that left the country mid-March and didn't register any tracking updates for two months. Buyer finally reached out to ebay for a resolution, and ebay responded within minutes with a refund, which they funded because they found me not at fault. Two days later the buyer messages me to say the package finally arrived. There is an option to appeal a decision by eBay for which they give "tracking indicates package was delivered" as a potential justification for an appeal, but even though I feel it's wrong for the buyer to get the item and the refund too, I'm hesitant to appeal it lest ebay somehow decide to refund them out of my pocket instead.

In another recent instance, a shipment to Canada has been MIA for about two months, and the buyer asked ebay to step in. I was hoping for a similar result, but this time ebay refunded the buyer out of my pocket instead because I "failed to provide tracking that showed the package as delivered." Again, the decision came back within minutes of the buyer escalating the issue. I'm hoping it turns up in the 30 day appeal window so that I can try that avenue, but I have a feeling I'll end up eating this one.

I've had a good track record since everything broke, but it's not been a good week for me internationally.