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Delivery Dilemma

UffDa

UffDa

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I have seen complaints about delivery of knives and who is responsible. The general censuses is that the seller is responsible for the delivery. Here's my dilemma. I shipped a knife on June 7 by priority mail. USPS tracking says that it was delivered on June 10. The buyer contacted me today asking if I shipped it. I emailed him on the 7th with the tracking number, but he apparently didn't see it or ignored it. Anyway, there are 3 possibilities. It was delivered to the wrong address. Someone stole the knife out of his mailbox. Someone brought the knife into the house and never told him about it. There is a 4th possibility, but I doubt that he would try to cheat me out of the knife. He has excellent feedback.

Here's my question. At what point am I, as the seller, no longer responsible? I have shipped and received thousands of items and only one was lost and that was something shipped to me. BTW, since USPS says that the package was delivered, I doubt that they will honor the insurance.
 
UffDa said:
I have seen complaints about delivery of knives and who is responsible. The general censuses is that the seller is responsible for the delivery. Here's my dilemma. I shipped a knife on June 7 by priority mail. USPS tracking says that it was delivered on June 10. The buyer contacted me today asking if I shipped it. I emailed him on the 7th with the tracking number, but he apparently didn't see it or ignored it. Anyway, there are 3 possibilities. It was delivered to the wrong address. Someone stole the knife out of his mailbox. Someone brought the knife into the house and never told him about it. There is a 4th possibility, but I doubt that he would try to cheat me out of the knife. He has excellent feedback.

Here's my question. At what point am I, as the seller, no longer responsible? I have shipped and received thousands of items and only one was lost and that was something shipped to me. BTW, since USPS says that the package was delivered, I doubt that they will honor the insurance.
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I feel like once it shows delivered by USPS it is no longer my responsibility (but I always ship Signature Confirmation).

~Chip
 
Go to your local post office, and explain that - while the tracking states "Delivered" - the recipient claims to have not received it.
 
Find out the mail box situation-if it isn't multiple they should be able to find the GPS for the delivery
He should contact his carrier and you should file the claim
Technically you are going to be off the hook with PP(I believe), but I personally have a problem with someone not getting a knife they paid for-doubt they are satisfied. I would likely do something for them(not necessarily a full refund) if I trusted them, but that is up to you.
 
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Sometimes USPS screws up and it accidentally goes to another address. I sometimes get mail that's supposed to go to a house a few streets down. You should go to your local post office and ask because in that case, insurance should cover it. USPS keeps a lot of info you don't have access to. They can track where the delivery scan occurred if I remember right. I had a wannabe scammer send me a package a while back. On the site, it said delivered to my zip code but at the post office, their system showed that it was delivered to a random address in my zip code. I got the info and used it to get my cash back.

According to PayPal, I think you're no longer responsible when it shows as "delivered" but nothing's ever consistent with them. The info you get changes depending on the person you talk to.
 
ShadyMethods said:
Sometimes USPS screws up and it accidentally goes to another address. I sometimes get mail that's supposed to go to a house a few streets down. You should go to your local post office and ask because in that case, insurance should cover it. USPS keeps a lot of info you don't have access to. They can track where the delivery scan occurred if I remember right. I had a wannabe scammer send me a package a while back. On the site, it said delivered to my zip code but at the post office, their system showed that it was delivered to a random address in my zip code. I got the info and used it to get my cash back.

According to PayPal, I think you're no longer responsible when it shows as "delivered" but nothing's ever consistent with them. The info you get changes depending on the person you talk to.
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I checked PayPal policies. As long as the item is less that $750, a signature is not required as proof of delivery. I suggested that the buyer check with his family to make sure that it wasn't brought into the house. It was delivered in the early afternoon. He may have been at work. I am waiting for a response.

I also looked up his address. He is in a very rural area. It doesn't look like he has neighbors close by.
 
Happened to me twice shipping, and once recieving. All 3 times the cost was split right down the middle between both parties after all avenues were exhausted with USPS. It isn't the buyers fault if they dont get the package. I always ship signature confirmation.
 
NCCNC said:
Happened to me twice shipping, and once recieving. All 3 times the cost was split right down the middle between both parties after all avenues were exhausted with USPS. It isn't the buyers fault if they dont get the package. I always ship signature confirmation.
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Not even that is a sure thing. I have shipped expensive items with signature required and the package was left at the front door. :rolleyes:
 
It’s a bad situation all the way around for both of you. I know the anxiety I feel, even if it’s only a day late by the ETA. Please go into the USPS and speak to a supervisor, and take it from there as what the next step is in tracking the package. Find out the what the GPS says.

No one can tell you what to do, but I would, if the package can’t be found, refund the buyer, 1/2 the money.

No guarantee, but next time, consider “signature required.” Then if the signature didn’t happen, it will strengthen your insurance claim. I wish you luck.
 
This happened to me once as a buyer. I filed a claim with usps and it showed up on my door 10 days after it was "delivered."
 
I'm always concerned about shipping nowadays. I follow the tracking number and once it says delivered, I start bugging the recipient to make sure they got it.
I would think that once you sent the tracking number, then it's also up to the buyer to keep up with their purchase, I know I do. The buyer also needs to contact his local P.O. with the same info so it can be chased down on both ends.
 
Legally, unless agreed otherwise, risk of loss passes to the buyer upon delivery of the goods to the address the buyer specified.
UCC 2-509
 
Seems strange that the buyer would wait 9 days before asking if it was shipped. My rule of thumb for signature confirmation is $200 or more. So far out of hundreds of transactions (mostly on eBay), have only had one time where the buyer claimed the item never showed up. I filed a claim but USPS said it was delivered so they were off the hook. I refunded the buyer and then later he told me he found out someone was stealing stuff off his porch. It was only $40 so no big deal.

I have had a couple cases where I get a delivery notice, but the package doesn't actually arrive until a few days later. Strange...
 
jlauffer said:
Seems strange that the buyer would wait 9 days before asking if it was shipped. My rule of thumb for signature confirmation is $200 or more. So far out of hundreds of transactions (mostly on eBay), have only had one time where the buyer claimed the item never showed up. I filed a claim but USPS said it was delivered so they were off the hook. I refunded the buyer and then later he told me he found out someone was stealing stuff off his porch. It was only $40 so no big deal.

I have had a couple cases where I get a delivery notice, but the package doesn't actually arrive until a few days later. Strange...
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USPS lies. I have had several packages "delivered" on day x, only to arrive on day x+1. I had one package claimed by USPS to have circled over the Atlantic for over a week (Polish super aircraft shatters endurance record by over 300%!/) [An employee at Kennedy admitted international shipping containers were piling up in "mountains" at JFK. USPS solution - lie.] Then there are the boxes left on my neighbor's porch.
 
I'm still waiting to hear back from the buyer. You would think that he would show more interest. I guess that he doesn't check his email very often.

I mailed a USPS money order to a company and they never got it. I ended up paying with my credit card. A week later I got he envelope back with a label that said ti was undeliverable.
I searched for the address with google street view. The picture was from the highway and the building and number were visible and clear. I suspect that the delivery person was late for lunch and didn't want to bother. BTW, it was in the same town in NV. :rolleyes:
 
Better to wait for a few more days, I traded a knife on here for some silver rounds and USPS showed delivered but I did not get them so we both decided to wait (since he had received mine and he had excellent feed back) and see what happened. They showed up at my door about 10 days later beat up with one of the 10 rounds missing. We evened if back up though Paypal so all ended up OK in the end but it was touch and go for a few days. We never confirmed where/if it was actually delivered the first time and how it got back to me???

Hope it ends as well for you!
 
It's frustrating, as a seller, there is only so much you can do. In this day and age of instant updates to email or text, once a buyer has been given tracking info', there is not much excuse IMO, for them not knowing when a package was "out for delivery" and making sure it will be safe as delivered, or if not, held at the PO so they can get it in person. Once it is delivered at their end, how much can the seller be expected to do???

Insurance and signature confirmation are seeming more necessary these days, but even then they are not a guarantee. I shipped a 400+ dollar Randall to FL, fully insured with signature confirmation, and it arrived on a Saturday, when the buyer was out of town all weekend.....the USPS worker just left it on their porch and it say there until late Sunday evening.
 
If a package is lost, it is up to the seller to get reimburse from usps for that.

If the package shows delivered, its a done deal. Do not let anyone tell you its your issue after that. many will say " it got stolen, send me a new one or refund"..but it was delivered and no shippign company covers theft of packages. Thats for the customer and law enforcement to deal with at that point.

A lot of times though, it is simply delivered to a neighbor or something, so I will usually go ahead and do a tracer for the customer, after asking them if anyone in the house got it ( this happens a lot as well, some one int he household grabs it and misplaces it ), or for them to ask their neighbors themselves.

If it doesn't show as delivered, and its been a few days passed delivery time, I will then refund, and take the case up with the courier.

Saying that, absolutely always upgrade for signature and insurance for any item of value.
 
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