have a dilemma and need some help

[selfbowhunter]

i sold a LRF on here last week and it apparently hasnt shown up yet. i was working and left it up to my wife to ship. normally she will call me and ask how i want it handled but evidently she could not get in touch with me so she just sent it. it went priority mail but that is it evidently. the buyer never requested insurance so i am wondering if it is the consensus that i take total responsibility or if it should be shared between the buyer and i. i have no way of knowing the package was not actually delivered but i can prove that A PACKAGE was shipped (i guess it works both ways). my wife has spent the morning calling the post office where it was mailed from and where it was going. she even spoke to the mail carrier for the buyers address. evidently there is some paperwork i can file at my local post office to help track it down. i want to do what is right but i dont want to be taken either though i dont believe that to be the case. i offered to send the money order back to the buyer to hold until the LRF shows up there or here. is this the proper thing to do? it could still be setting me up for a very hard lesson in ethics.

chuck

 

[BobinNC]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

Chuck,

A buyer has the responsibility of delivering payment to you. Once paid in full, You as seller have the responsibility to deliver the goods to buyer.

Insurance in this case covers not the buyer, but you the seller. You cannot transfer that responsibility, in whole or in part to the buyer.

A third party common carrier, like USPS, UPS, FedX, will only assume liability if you insure the goods. If the goods are lost or damaged in transit, and they are insured, then they pay you the shipper, not the buyer, even if the buyer paid you for insurance.

Not buying insurance is on your dime I'm afraid.

Bob

 

[selfbowhunter]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

thanks for the reply bob. how can i be assured the package was not delivered? as i said before, i dont think that is the case. hard lesson learned i guess.

chuck

 

[TimK]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

I agree it's all on you. It may well turn up yet though. The post office has been known to lose packages for a time and then have them pop back up.

Hope it shows up.

 

[selfbowhunter]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

ME TOO!

chuck

 

[jcfd2201]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

I had some predator calls ordered and the guy shipped them USPS Priority Mail. They didn't show up and when I contacted him he asked me to give it a couple more days and I did. They still didn't show up and he asked me if I wanted a refund or for him to just ship me some new ones. I opted for him shipping me another set. I got the ones he re-shipped and 3 days later got the original ones! Things can tend to take longer during the holiday period and often seem to get mis-directed or temporarily lost with the USPS. I hope this is the case with your LRF and that it shows up soon!

 

[BobinNC]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

Chuck,

Without insurance, or delivery confirmation, you really can't tell if the package was delivered. You have to rely on the honesty and veracity of the buyer, whom you probably don't know.

It's a tough lesson, and these days a hard one as well.

Bob

 

[ORD]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

The short answer is that there is no way to prove that the package was NOT delivered because of the way it was shipped. I love my wife dearly, but I don't EVER leave her to her own devices when it comes to doing things for me as 99.9% of the time it will get done wrong (or at least not the way I wanted it done). How long does it take to write a 2-line post-it note saying USPS Priority, insured for $xxx.xx, with delivery confirm.?

Depending on the value of the item being shipped and the pucker factor you are willing to endure if something happens, you should always ship: 1) if USPS, use insurance, with delivery confirmation; 2) if by UPS/FedEx...again, insure and tracking is mostly likely included except for the most basic forms of shipping. If you feel uneasy about a buyer for whatever reason, you can go as far as doing signature confirmation (not required in 99.9% of cases).

The best advise I can offer right now is: 1) wait to see if the package shows up and hold payment in the meantime (word of the buyer to be honest with you if he/she receives it...it was a holiday week last week and there will be shipping delays); 2) if the package doesn't show (and it may never), then refund the money and learn your lesson from your wallet to NEVER trust the wife to get things right!

 

[selfbowhunter]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

if i was to hold the payment, what is the customary period to wait for it to show up? also, if i do send payment back and it shows up later is the buyer still obligated to purchase or has it all been a waste of time?

chuck

 

[Spazz.]

Re: have a dilemma and need some help

I work in shipping. If you sent a package (even Priority Mail) from Texas to anywhere else in the continental US, I would normally give it 3 days. Since last week was a holiday week, and people are flooding the USPS with Christmas cards, Hanukkah gifts, and solstice goodies, I would wait until at least next Wednesday before deciding that it's lost. It may very well turn up today, tomorrow, or Monday, but after Tuesday the chances look pretty slim. Wednesday I myself would consider it most likely lost, but it may well show up in the middle of January.

NEVER ship anything you can't stand to lose through the USPS without delivery confirmation. Also, there is no default insurance on USPS packages, so <span style="font-style: italic">you</span> must declare the value and purchase insurance in case something becomes lost or damaged.

My advice: Hold the payment until next Wednesday, and get it in the mail back to the buyer by next Thursday a.m. Let the buyer know that if they receive the package if it's become lost (and there is even a likelihood they could get it in, say, March), you would like the payment for it. <span style="text-decoration: underline">Learn</span> from this never to ship anything without tracking information at the very least, and it's unwise to ship anything expensive without insurance. FYI, insurance is cheaper through UPS, and they have a default $100 insurance on every package. Just don't lie to them about what's inside. Good luck, man!