posted on November 10, 2008 03:04:29 PM new
Received this email today:
"I unpack and found 3 cups with broken handles and one with a large chip out of the rim it appears to have happen in shipping since the piece are in the plasic with the cups. Please advise.
Thanks,
Melissa"
The entire set of Fiesta was new/never used.
I wrapped each cup in bubblewrap, the box was filled with peanuts nice and snug to prevent shifting, the bidder chose Parcel Post without Insurance, paid Paypal.
I emailed her a few minutes ago and told her I was disappointed that she received her item damaged. I asked her to describe the condition of the box, b/c I want to know what happened. I await her response.
I will refund the three pieces based on the final price divided by the pieces. This fiesta is in production, and can be bought open stock. Is that fair considering she didn't buy insurance? It was 8 cups & 8 saucers, plus in my auction I stated I would include 2 bonus cups and saucers that were not part of the auction. How would you proceed.
posted on November 10, 2008 03:43:53 PM new
I would ask that the damaged ones be returned and then refund just as you said final price divided by the number of items.
posted on November 10, 2008 04:05:56 PM new
On fragile items, even though I list insurance as optional so as not to make my shipping seem too high (the crap we have to go through!@), I pay for the insurance even if the buyer does not. It just helps me rest easier. Then if a mishap does occur, I can hand them off to the PO.
posted on November 10, 2008 04:18:49 PM new
In the past months, two of my packages were actually RE-BOXED by the post office. They damaged the cases somehow and put the contents in a new box. Unfortunately most of the protective packing was removed. It wasn't done by the buyer either, postmarks and stamps on the new box shows it was done at the PO.
posted on November 10, 2008 05:46:21 PM new
Since you gave her 2 cups for free, I would only refund on one but then I am such a grinch and get easily peeved when buyers want to whine about damage when they were the ones not willing to purchase insurance.
Like Merrie, I often insure the fragile items even if the buyer did not purchase insurance. Parcel Post packages get handled very roughly.
posted on November 10, 2008 05:57:05 PM new
I generally insure them myself on fragile items, but this one must have escaped the list.
I have been using stamps.com for several years and have never had a claim using their insurance. Anyone have experience with how they handle claims?
This is the first time in a very long time (at least a few years) that I've had an issue with something arriving damaged. I attribute this to the fact that I use bubblewrap, packing peanuts, and new boxes-allowing for plenty of extra space. This email comes as a bit of a shock, but I know that accidents do happen.
I am offering her a $4 refund on a 19.99 purchase for 4 of 20 broken pieces. That is without asking for photos, etc. this is kind of stupid, because she can easily see that I packed them properly, and she knows she refused insurance coverage.
Just curious, but how would Paypal deal with this? I am a power seller, so I know I'm covered... but if she opened a dispute that the item came damaged, but didn't buy insurance, how would they handle it?
[ edited by shagmidmod on Nov 10, 2008 06:11 PM ]
I use stamps.com for years and had only 1 insurance claim with them I sent them an email from the buyer and I sent them a picture that the buyer sent to me along with the auction listing and within 2 weeks I got a check in the mail for 100.00 which was the insurance amount I insured the item for.
I refunded the buyer his 100.00 as soon as he showed me the pictures of the heavy large lionel transformer that had cracked in transit. Which I was shocked that it had happened because I bubbled it so much that for it to crack you would have to run over it with a truck. I had thought that he bought mine and claimed the damage on one he had which was like mine because the box was not damaged. But I couldn't prove it.
I always insure with stamps.com on everything over 50.00
Also from what I have been reading it is the responsibility of the seller to make sure the item arrives to the buyer in good condition and if not it is our responsibility to refund his money.
There are sellers that say if you don't take insurance then they are not responsible if the item gets lost or broken, but they are responsible because the buyer will make a claim with PP or there credit card company and they will get a refund.
posted on November 10, 2008 11:22:31 PM new
When shipping fragile items, I caution the buyer to observe the box first, give it a little shake, and take a photo of any apparent damage to the exterior. Then as he unpacks the items, take pictures of the broken ones, if possible, in that box. And send the photos to me.
_____________________
posted on November 11, 2008 02:06:54 AM new
rhpepsi - I'm so glad you posted that about the post office. I got a neutral about 4 months ago because a item was broken. She didn't want to file a claim because one of the feet was missing on figurine and it wasn't in the packing (so I must have packed it that way??). I knew it was there when I shipped it so I thought she either had me confused with another seller or the post office must have re-packed it. Of course she "Didn't want to hear from me again" so I dropped it. At least I know I'm not crazy now.
posted on November 11, 2008 04:26:06 AM new
ladyjewels...well, we are all a little crazy...we sell stuff online(for years now).
but yeah, I sent a 6pc set of books, a little heavy, and had packed them in a sturdy box with both foam and plastic. The box was a prior household chemical box, so it was made for the weight. Sealed it tightly so there was NO movement in it. When the customer got it, the foam was gone, books still wrapped in plastic, but the box was changed and the post office actually attached a note saying they repacked it. I'm thinking in this case they questioned the MEDIA MAIL and ripped it open and then couldn't repack it properly.
posted on November 11, 2008 06:23:09 AM new
Working in retail and at the post office I learned some tips for shipping that may help you save some time and Dollars.$$$
The post office does check for media mail and also does repackage. I usually try this with my items:
1.Place item in a plastic bag.(Trash bags,plastic grocery bags or recycled bags from another source it does not add that much in weight)
2.Attach a return address label on the item or tape to the plastic bag and seal. In case of damage etc it will be returned to you or all the parts go to one place hopefully.
3.Then place your items in packaging material.
Place in the box.
4.I even go so far as to place items in sandwich bags with the label on the bag and drop in a mailing envelope.
this works on almost everything for me
Hope this saves you some pain but it does take time discipline and effort on your part.
Good Luck
posted on November 11, 2008 07:55:57 AM new
I think at this point, I am going to start requiring Insurance for all fragile items. It seems the whole insurance industry is nothing but a scam... that and ebay/paypal's relationship. you're damned if you do damned if you don't... so I'm going to damn myself into a packing peanut filled box of insurance and hope for the best.
On a side note, she accepted the $4.00 refund without any argument. That is a positive. I always expect the worse in bidders, since that is generally what happens. My first thought was she was going to want me to buy her new cups to replace the broken ones. retail are $8 each... 4 x $8.00 is $32. she bought 10 new cups and saucers from me for $20. i sent the refund last night and haven't heard from her or received feedback yet.
posted on November 11, 2008 08:22:20 AM new
I add a handling charge to the shipping calculator on most items and save the proceeds for the insurance fund. I do not insure everything but that leaves some money there for when I do. Buyers are dinging us for shipping charges anyway so why not cover yourself?
posted on November 11, 2008 12:59:02 PM new
Something to keep in mind about insurance. It is really there to protect the seller.
The buyer is protected by their credit card company and PayPal. If there is a problem with delivery or condition of the item the buyer will get their money back from their CC or PayPal 99% of the time.
Shipping with out insurance puts the seller at risk. They are ultimately responsible for the safe delivery of the order. If you can pass that expense on to the buy that is great but if the buyer declines paying for insurance remember that they are still protected. To protect themselves the Seller needs to still buy insurance.
posted on November 11, 2008 01:03:42 PM new
As far as I know seller can still require insurance which is what I do for anything over $25.00. I wouldn't be surprised if ebay stopped letting sellers require it but until they do - I'm not changing my policy.
posted on November 11, 2008 01:24:22 PM new
I was told by Paypal that if a buyer wants to return an item for a refund, then, the buyer has to pay the return shipping. They said it is stated in the Paypal terms.
