Stolen, Lost, or Damaged Shipments, how does the seller handle it?

Summary: The discussion focuses on how sellers handle shipments that are stolen, lost, or damaged. Participants share insights and experiences regarding the policies and practices involved in addressing these issues.

Hello everyone,

from the seller's point of view, if a shipment is sent and it gets stolen, lost, or damaged, how do you handle it or how is it handled by eBay?

From a strictly legal point of view, the courier is responsible in these cases, but do you actually have any experiences like this where the courier actually pays for the damage caused?

Obviously I am referring to the shipping integrated into the eBay platform.

For example, I read eBay's pages on how to pack parcels to be compliant and be able to get a possible refund, but according to this guide the materials to put in the parcel in order to protect the goods would require us to put in all sorts of things, and obviously this represents a not insignificant cost that would affect the profit on the individual sale.

In future listings I will specify that the courier is responsible and that if the buyer wants peace of mind they can also add parcel insurance by paying a few euros more; this is to be as transparent and clear as possible, because it's true that we sell the goods, but it's also true that we are not responsible for how deliveries turn out.

I look forward to your feedback, thanks in advance

mlg_store

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Posted 1 year ago·Last reply 1 year ago

7 comments

heavenwelkin

·1 year ago

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@mlg_store wrote:
Hello everyone,
from the seller’s point of view, if something that was shipped gets stolen, lost, or damaged, how do you handle it, or how is it handled by eBay?

The seller personally takes on the risk of this eventuality, since getting a refund from the shipping broker is not always a given.

From a strictly legal standpoint, the courier is responsible in these cases, but do you actually have experiences like this where the courier really pays for the damage caused?

From a legal standpoint, besides the courier there is also the shipping broker involved, so things are not that simple in these cases.
The seller takes the risk of using the broker (reseller of shipping services) because it has the advantage of very competitive shipping rates compared to a direct courier.
Then the broker offers the advantage of choosing more couriers, with the possibility of covering remote areas or islands without surcharges.

Obviously I’m referring to shipments integrated into the eBay platform.

For example, I read eBay’s pages on how to pack parcels so they comply and so you can get a possible refund, but according to this guide the packing materials we should put in the parcel to preserve the goods should be just about everything, and of course that represents a pretty significant cost that would affect the profit on a single sale.

That said, the bureaucracy behind compensation for a damaged item is so complex and lengthy and has to involve the buyer, who must provide photos of the packaging and labels and photos of the items, fill out declarations, that it is difficult to complete the whole bureaucratic process by scrupulously following all the steps, so the BEST thing to do is to INVEST in very sturdy packaging, carefully packing the items so as to preserve them even if the courier throws your parcel or stacks other heavy parcels on top of it.

In future listings I will specify that responsibility lies with the courier and that if the buyer wants peace of mind, they can also add parcel insurance by paying a few euros more, in order to be as transparent and clear as possible, because it is true that we sell the goods but it is also true that we are not responsible for how deliveries turn out.

You can write your sales rules in the listing, but if the buyer does not accept them you cannot enforce them, because the rules that apply if there is no agreement between the parties are eBay’s rules.

I look forward to some feedback from you, thanks in advance

INVEST in honest and detailed descriptions, if there are any defects mention them, take clear and accurate photos, then make the effort to use sturdy packaging that is properly sized to the item you need to ship.
And your life will be easier when it comes to sales.
Then unexpected things can always happen, but you have to factor them in; sales can’t always go through successfully.

marioelegio

·1 year ago

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From a regulatory point of view, the responsibility lies with the courier. The problem, however, is that only the person who signed the contract with the courier can request a refund.

So you will be forced to refund the buyer and then you can try to recover the money from the courier.

Anything you write in the listing will be considered an unfair term and therefore of no value whatsoever. Any insurance is only for your own benefit.

The buyer’s interest is to choose the cheapest shipping option among those you offer, since you will have to refund them anyway.

mario

secretuniversesrls

·1 year ago

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We are having an influx of customers who sign up on the same day as the purchase, all from Southern Italy. The problem is that two of them clearly stole the order, since Poste Italiane does not scan Posta1 and it never shows as delivered. For this reason we are paying more (4.27 VAT excluded instead of 2.90) by shipping with BRT to customers who sign up on the same day, so that we don’t get taken for a ride. If the shipment were lost/stolen, we could request a refund from packlink (very slow to return the money).

cizeta1964

·1 year ago

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since poste italiane doesn't scan posta1 and it never shows as delivered.

And you, knowing that, why do you keep using it anyway?

orangefisherman

·1 year ago

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Hi CIZETA, I've been using it for low-value things for years ..... honestly I've NEVER had a problem. When they deliver it, they always scan it.... for me it's a good method (I repeat, for small values).

cizeta1964

·1 year ago

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Hi Alex, I agree with you, but in my opinion a professional seller can't run their business based only on this shipping method; the risk is high, and if the "buyers" steal too... Better to set up a Plan B, or else not complain and let it go 😅

heavenwelkin

·1 year ago

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@orangefisherman wrote:
Hi CIZETA, for low-value items I’ve used it for years ..... to be honest I’ve NEVER had a problem. When they deliver it, they always scan it.... for me it’s a good method (I repeat, for low values).

Hi alexbeka

A “professional” seller, in my opinion, an intermediary/broker/shipping reseller shouldn’t even consider it.

Whether it’s packlink or any other broker, because in case of problems the broker will always try to tilt the playing field in its own favor, creating bottlenecks or, worse, adding clauses that provide no form of compensation in certain circumstances.

Many professionals are used to shipping items without adequate packaging or worse, putting the product in a simple plastic bag.

Any broker, in the event of a claim for a damaged item, would reject the case, maybe after wasting a week in bureaucratic paperwork, once it came to the inspection of proper packaging and packaging material.

Obviously, to have a direct relationship with carrier xyz you need at least 500/1000 monthly shipments in order to have a customized contract and shipping rates competitive with those a shipping broker could offer.

Then you also need to work out a plan to assess the maximum thresholds to entrust to a broker rather than a direct carrier.

If I had to ship a computer worth 2000 euros, I would personally go directly with ups or DHL, maybe paying those 30 euros for shipping plus insurance rather than the 7 euros plus insurance that the broker offers me.

This is because in case of damage you would have a direct relationship with ups or dhl without the addition of clauses and regulations inserted by whichever broker is involved.