Who is responsible for an item lost in the post on Ebay?

Question

I have a question from a buyer who says they have not recieved their item so it has presumably been lost in post. Also I bought an item that has not been recieved and they said they sent it so that too has been lost in post.
Which one do I have to lose out on? DO I have to pay the buyer whose item was lost or not get refunded by the seller?

Answer 1

the responsibility lies with the post office. however, the sender has to be the one who talks to the post office. All first class mail is insured up to 25 pounds. It will be the buyer who loses out though as if the post office don't pay up then it the buyer who didn't ask for insurance. A good seller on ebay would offer a refund/replacement as a good will gesture

Answer 2

i buy and sell on e bay and this varies from person to person, some sellers claim no responsibility for any item lost but it is better to state this when selling so people know this upon purchase. I have been lucky so far only one item i bought got lost and the seller sent me another out which i recieved.
you dont have to pay a refund to the buyer but it would be better if you in future stated , that you are not to take responsibility for lost items this of course could put some buyers off,but at least you will have no comebacks, i would also let the seller of your item know it was never recieved and what will happen either getting a refund or not will depend on there policies. did it state anything regarding this on the sellers sale description. decide what your policies are going to be and if needed state upon putting the item up for sale, hope this helps, it is very complicated because you have only the persons word that it was posted in the first place.

Answer 3

Hi There, legally the buyer takes the risk but the seller must do all they can to help trace the item.

Both of these problems have happened to me. As a buyer I have lost a number of items. As a buyer I accepted the risk of not insuring the item and when it was lost advised the seller that this had happened. On 2 occasions the seller sent a new item in goodwill. On another occasion they simply refunded me (although I sent the money back to this guy as I really didnt think he should have taken the hit) and on another occasion I was told tough luck.

As a seller I have also had an item lost in the post. This was sent to the US, but as the buyer did not complain until after 40 days EBay told him it was too late.

It depends on the cost of the item. My advice as a seller would be to offer a goodwill replacement if the item is only small. Although at the moment it is Xmas so the post will be much slower. I think that Royal Mail tell you to wait 14 dys before you can start complaining anyway.

Answer 4

You're writing in pounds. You're posting to the USA board. So, assuming this thing was mailed ground, three weeks is NOT a reasonable amount of time to wait. Postage does NOT automatically include any type of insurance. If the seller mailed the package, and has proof, they are off the hook. Your friend doens't know what he's talking about - the seller does NOT have to follow all the postal workers around and make sure the item gets delivered. Sure, you could ask your credit card to sort this out. But 1. you haven't waited long enough for an item to make it through customs and 2. the seller is going to win the paypal dispute and 3. you didn't BUY the "guarantee" from the post office that the package will be delivered, or you get your money back. That's what the INSURANCE is. Yes, you don't have a leg to stand on.

Answer 5

You are responsible for providing a proof of postage to the post office in the event of a claim for a lost item. You will have to refund the buyer, then claim your loss back from the post office.

The person who sold YOU an item, is in the same positiion, they should refund you, then chase the postal service for losing the item.

I wouldn't be too quick to assume an item is lost at this time of year though. I remember assuming the same last christmas with an item I sent mid December and it took 3 and a half weeks to arrive. I would allow a good 28 days before persuing the claim. I think this is what the post office will tell you too. In the case of items paid for through Paypal, you can put a claim in up to 45 days after the sale date, so you have some time.

I hope this helps and good luck recovering your goods and cash!!

Have a good one!!

Answer 6

The buyer should allow 14 days for delivery especially at this time of year. After that you may be obliged to offer a refund.

The same could be said where you have not received your goods.

personally I would recorded or special delivery if the item was valuable, doesn't cost that much but should be cheaper than a refund.

If either item was sent by the above methods then they can be tracked and delivery verified.

Answer 7

eBay act as an intermediary between sellers and buyers so hold no responsibility.

As a seller you should retain proof of posting and can get up to £32 back from the post office for first or second class post with the original proof of posting which nowadays is the receipt from the post office that shows the transaction number or a traditional certificate of posting form. These limits apply every if you didn't insure it.

Your buyer should do the same and claim back for your item. Bear in mind that post is really slow this time of year and it can take up to a week for an item to arrive.

Answer 8

Go to the post office and ask for a lost-item form. If you fill in all the details they will look for it and refund if necessary. If you sent it by recorded delivery it is even easier.

If you sent something not recorded, with no proof of postage, and royal mail refuse to refund, it is you that is responsible.

Answer 9

Depends.

The sender may not have sent the item off, therefore his fault
The package got lost in the mail, thereforeit is Royal Mail's fault

Check with Post Office Deliveries, to see if it had turned up there.
Also, I reccommend that if you have the option, use 1st class or Recorded Delivery.Keep good contact with the seller also

Answer 10

This happened to us. The item was delivered during our absence to a neighbour's address who actually signed for it then forgot about it. She found it three weeks later...Needless to say the Post Office declined all responsibility at the time.