Online auction-Lost Item

[riverrat56]

So I bought a few discontinued OCW Husky jerk-baits on an online auction over a month ago, seller had some problems with shipping and got them out about 2 weeks ago. Now the fun part, I never got them. He has a receipt from the post office saying he mailed it, and the [PoorWordUsage] tracked it to my local post office (I have seen the receipt in an email), but I never recieved them. I am assuming they were lost someplace at this postoffice or delivered to the wrong house. Is there anything I can do?

[Jim Almquist]

It sounds like they were shipped by USPS and sent by general delivery and not return receipt and no insurance offered. If that is the case the only recourse would be the threat of bad feedback or if you used Paypal you might want to open a claim. I always use UPS so I can track as well as the customer and include insurance so it is not a option. That way if it is missing nobody loses any money.I feel the seller is still responsible for making the transaction right and should have covered his behind in this case.

[hhguide]

You might have to go pick it up at the post office or something?

[DTro]

If you have the tracking receipt then bring that to your local post office. All you need is the number. Heck you can even plug in the number on the usps HSOforum. It will show you where it went.

I would think that it's the usps responsibility if they have no record between your local post office and your home.

[riverrat56]

They were shipped USPS, insurance was offered and I didn't take it, the seller has shown me proof that it was deleviered to the post office. I did threaten bad feedback....and then I left it (maybe it wasn't his fault that I didn't get it, but taking over 2 weeks to get it in the mail...). Can I still open a claim with Paypal even if he has proof that it was shipped and out of his hands?

[Ralph Wiggum]

I would bring the receipt to your post office and have them do something about it. If he has proof that it was delivered to your post office, you can't really blame the seller (except for the late shipment).

[Jim Almquist]

The one thing the seller can't prove is that it is in your hands so the burden of proof is up to him. If he is giving you the "not my problem I shipped it" I would open a claim with Paypal and explain everything with as much detail as you can and they will contact him with that info.HE should have shipped it with a return receipt requested so he knows who and when signed for it.

[ChuckN]

Try losing an outboard motor! It happened to me. A Yamaha 9.9 4-stroke... I made several phone calls to trucking substations, and tracked it from CA to Chicago where it "mysteriously disappeared" at that station. It never got on the truck to the Twin Cities. Freight theft is pretty big out there, so be careful and make sure it's insured!

This stuff happens all the time...I found out there was nothing I could do about it.

I'd rather lose a couple lures.

[riverrat56]

Well true....

I'll look into contacting Paypal and will also check with the local post office to see what I can find.

[ddsbyday]

What type of feedback does the seller have? Does there seem to be any history of lost articles. I sell quite a few jigs and ship with no ins. or tracking unless I have a questionable buyer. (problems in past). I have been lucky so far. Not shipping for 2 weeks is very questionable. I would contact paypal. If you did not get the item I would say you should have your money returned. I would also hold off on the neg feedback until the non received item investigation is over. Sellers can not leave negs for buyers but they can respond to their negatives so chose your words carefully. Some sellers are experts at one uping a neg. comment. Go to feedback and check feeback as a seller. You should be able to see a track record. Good luck.

[GotOne]

I got burned on a depth finder a few years ago. I filed a claim with paypal, got refunded some of the money-less a 25.00 fee (bogus fee) and filed the balance of the claim with my credit card company. After all was said I done, I was refunded the full amount because the seller could not provide proof of delivery. Good luck.

[riverrat56]

Well I'm only out about $17 bucks, I just want my lures as they are discontinued and getting harder and harder to find. The seller had great feed back, not 1 negetive feedback or late shipping comment, so I felt good about the purchase. He claimed a family sickness held him up, then claimed that paypal and [YouNeedAuthorization] had switched something up with his shipping labels so he didn't get it printed ect. and only got it shipped after a few emails from me asking about it.

More and more I think about it he may be full of [PoorWordUsage].

[jwhjr]

I had the same thing happen with some lures I purchased about 6 months ago. It took almost a month after they were sent, but the postmark was in fact the date from the month before that he said it was shipped. It had never happened to me before or since, but for some reason it took a month.

[Ralph Wiggum]

  jwhjr said:

I had the same thing happen with some lures I purchased about 6 months ago. It took almost a month after they were sent, but the postmark was in fact the date from the month before that he said it was shipped. It had never happened to me before or since, but for some reason it took a month.

That happens! We had several RSVP cards from our wedding that either never showed up or were delivered after our honeymoon, even though they were mailed 2 months prior!

[DTro]

Did you go to the post office?

I would do that first before anything.

Especially if there is a tracking number.

[SomethingFishy*]

  riverrat56 said:

They were shipped USPS, insurance was offered and I didn't take it, the seller has shown me proof that it was deleviered to the post office.

Unfortunately it looks like you are probably SOL as the insurance was offered and you chose not to purchase it, the seller has tracking that proves it left his hands, as for his family emergency story unfortunately things come up unexpected. Negative feedback to the seller is not the answer here.

[jholland]

  dtro said:

Did you go to the post office?

I would do that first before anything.

Especially if there is a tracking number.

[riverrat56]

I'm headed to the post office after class today.

Why negetive feedback, well he promised to ship in 2-4 days after the sale, it took him over 2 weeks to even say he got them into the mail, and then I never got them, seems like a negetive transaction to me.

[IFallsRon]

I bought some stuff that was delivered to my house number on another street. Post Office had the paperwork, too, but didn't do anything to help. My charge card revoked the payment and I got bad feedback. I haven't bought on that site for years.

[Johnny_Da_Der]

  riverrat56 said:

I'm headed to the post office after class today.

Why negetive feedback, well he promised to ship in 2-4 days after the sale, it took him over 2 weeks to even say he got them into the mail, and then I never got them, seems like a negetive transaction to me.

If you want to give him negative feedback then go for it. But only because of the late shipping. If he shipped it, has proof he shipped it, and it made it to your local post office - how can you possibly blame him for it not making it to your house?

I have ran into this family emergency, death, or my personal favorite, "I was on vacation when the auction ended" carp before. You know, doodoo does happen and maybe there are valid reasons for late shipping or maybe he is full of it. Who knows. A family sickness prevented him from swinging by the post office or from penning an email saying hey sorry but i won't be able to ship that out for a while . IMHO, if you are selling stuff and somebody paid you for that stuff you need to get it to them like you agreed despite unfortunate circumstances. If you can't hold up your end of the deal then expect negative feedback.

[Johnny_Da_Der]

  IFallsRon said:

I bought some stuff that was delivered to my house number on another street. Post Office had the paperwork, too, but didn't do anything to help. My charge card revoked the payment and I got bad feedback. I haven't bought on that site for years.

Sorry dude, but the buyer held up his end of the deal. The post office screwed you not him. The mess was between you and the post office not him and the post office, but he took a loss on the deal. I would have left you bad feedback too.

[riverrat56]

I did give him negetive feedback for the late shipment, I understand that the rest of it is out of his hand. I feel it was my right to do so.

[katoguy]

It was your right to do so. I did yesterday on some stuff, too.

People are foolish not to insurance!

[Whoaru99]

So what does the Post Office say about it?

BTW...little known fact... at least with UPS, and perhaps with FedEx too, some items like certain art, some types of collectibles, and other things with highly variable and sometimes vague value are limited to insurance payout of only $100 max, no matter how much extra you purchased.

Always read the fine print...