So I am not going to post the whole thing here because it would take forever to read, lol. So I will give a summary and final decision instead.
So I had an HTC Droid Eris, that I rooted, in good condition and working that I sold on eBay. I decided to make it an international listing (mistake on my part). And it sold internationally for 78.00 USD with shipping included. A steal if you ask me, it was listed that I was going to ship priority from USPS. I was informed that tracking was only avliable for Express which is $90 USD for just shipping. But the custom forms number that I had to fill out would act as a tracking agent so I just went with that. I was also told that insurace would be about an extra $25 USD if I wanted that. I opted out, because I would be losing too much money if I did. So I got the tracking number, shipped the item and I thought that would be the end of it.
Well about two weeks later I get an email from eBay saying that a buyer listed an item in resolution center, curiously I read over everything and that's when all this bs started. So to make a really long thing short, the buyer claims that I never shipped the item after he paid me for it. I updated everything with the reciept from the post office and the correct customs tracking number so that both him and eBay could see that I did in fact ship the item. After a few more weeks I got a response from eBay saying that they are going to side with the buyer because my tracking is no sufficient enough to prove that he got the package, not that I didn't send it, just he didn't get it.
Here is there final assesment:
So I had an HTC Droid Eris, that I rooted, in good condition and working that I sold on eBay. I decided to make it an international listing (mistake on my part). And it sold internationally for 78.00 USD with shipping included. A steal if you ask me, it was listed that I was going to ship priority from USPS. I was informed that tracking was only avliable for Express which is $90 USD for just shipping. But the custom forms number that I had to fill out would act as a tracking agent so I just went with that. I was also told that insurace would be about an extra $25 USD if I wanted that. I opted out, because I would be losing too much money if I did. So I got the tracking number, shipped the item and I thought that would be the end of it.
Well about two weeks later I get an email from eBay saying that a buyer listed an item in resolution center, curiously I read over everything and that's when all this bs started. So to make a really long thing short, the buyer claims that I never shipped the item after he paid me for it. I updated everything with the reciept from the post office and the correct customs tracking number so that both him and eBay could see that I did in fact ship the item. After a few more weeks I got a response from eBay saying that they are going to side with the buyer because my tracking is no sufficient enough to prove that he got the package, not that I didn't send it, just he didn't get it.
Here is there final assesment:
Thank you for contacting eBay in regard to the HTC Droid (item # 220754134937) that you recently sold. After reviewing your email, I understand that your item is still in shipment but that we closed the case in the buyers favor. I see that the item has been in transit for over 30 days. This is definitely a difficult position to be in.
I understand you have shipped this item to your customer, but at this time the tracking does not show the item was delivered. As a reminder, sellers are responsible for ensuring that the items they sell on eBay arrive to their customers. Because we cannot verify the item has been received by your customer, I regret to inform you that we are not able to grant your appeal at this time. Our automated system will generate a standard email to you but I wanted to take a few moments and explain it in further detail.
I hope you can understand that it would be unfair for us to overturn our decision without first verifying that your customer has in fact received the item. It is very possible that the item was held up at the post office or was lost in shipping, which would explain why the tracking information has not shown any recent movement. While I realize that this was through no direct fault of your own, shipping is your responsibility as a seller.
To protect yourself from this type of thing in the future, I would suggest purchasing shipping insurance. That way you can file a claim with the carrier used if the package is lost or damaged in transit. The reason I mention this is because shipping upgrades such as tracking information and insurance are your protection as a seller in these situations. These will obviously cost a little extra when shipping an item, so it is something that you will want to weigh as a business. If you're selling $20 items, it may not be profitable to purchase tracking and insurance every time. If you go this route, know that if situations like this arise you may encounter loss. On the other hand, if you're selling $300 items, it may be a good idea to always get tracking and insurance.
Tony, I can see that you have been with eBay for some time now and that you have been able to maintain a positive feedback score of 100%! This is quite the accomplishment and something that you should be very proud of. Its great people like you that buy and sell that make eBay such a great place. We truly value you as an important part of the eBay community and wish you the best with your future transactions.
Sincerely,
Jeff B.
eBay Customer Support
