Buyer and Seller Responsibilities Regarding Shipping

[enbcfsobe]

ugh, cmd that is awful! i know i have referenced old posts there for various reasons. that is so frustrating! maybe i need to download all my photos from there to make sure they aren't lost, as some are probably originally from old hard drives long since gone.

 

[JerseyPearl]

Sadly, that only works here.

It works there too...when you log in click on the "my pages" tab, then click on image control panel. It should contain all uploaded images.

 

[cmd2014]

Oh hey! I didn't know that existed! You're right...all of my pictures are there - what a relief!!! (I'm not sure all of them are still on my phone).

ETA: Thank you! I was so excited I forgot to say that!

 

[JerseyPearl]

You're welcome! I found it only through panic attack, myself.

 

[Jacques]

Hello fellow PGers - I kept silent during the development of this thread as part of me didn't want to get too involved in a live debate here about the situation with the lost package. I am grateful for all of your comments and have learned a lot from everyone's perpective on this issue. As you know, in the end, Khanzy was refunded her money and it feels wonderful to have this situation resolved. But to tell you the truth, this whole affair has been a real eye opener for me! I guess that when I started this business, I was unaware that it was the seller's responsibility to replace or refund for lost goods, once they had shipped. I had somehow assumed that since the buyer had paid for shipping, that this was their chosen shipping service, and that if things went awry, then they should take it up with the courier that they had paid to deliver the goods. This is the first time since the beginning of Pearl House that a package has gone missing completely. Once or twice before they had gotten confused and the packages had been routed to the wrong address, or delayed. But in the end, after several weeks, things had always worked themselves out, with the package reappearing. Well in this case, as you know, it never appeared, and a claim was opened with Paypal. They ended up ruling in my favor. But overwhelmingly, the feedback that I saw on this forum was that it was my responsibility to refund Khanzy after it was clear that the package was never going to appear. It's thanks to your comments on this thread that I now understand that this was the correct thing to do. I honestly had no idea. Pearl House is a somewhat new venture for me - less than a year - and I've learned so much since I opened shop. I do believe that I have many more happy customers than unhappy ones, but as someone said above, it's when things don't go well that a vendor shows their true colors. We all learn from our mistakes and this incident has taught me a lot. I didn’t see the other thread on PS that got deleted, but if anyone here would like to message me privately about their purchasing experience with me, please do so as it will only help me improve my service in the long run. I’m really glad that I chose to be a part of this forum as I keep learning so much here. Take care and thank you!

 

[Marianne]

Thank you for your thoughtful post, Jacque. We are never too old to learn.

 

[pearlescence]

Hi Jacques. Good post. Willingness to learn is always the key.
It's all a matter of contract law. In the first place the buyer cannot take anything up with the seller as (usually) it is the seller who has paid the shipper and has a contract with them. The buyer is just someone who receives the package which the shipper has contracted with the seller to deliver there. The second contract is between the buyer and the seller. If the seller receives the money (called consideration in law) but does not supply the goods to the buyer, then the contract is not fulfilled. Any more than if you went into a shop, paid for something and the shopkeeper then didn't hand it over to you.
I have clear rules on how things are shipped and they are on the website. If someone wants something different it steps outside my usual contractual terms and they have to put in writing that they want a different shipper and it is at their risk. I send everything over £50 by courier - that is for my peace of mind, not anyone else's. Even lower value stuff can go courier if it is the last of something or a one off. Again, my peace of mind. Or I will split a consignment into two or three packages to cut the risk of something getting lost in ordinary mail.
Shipping is the hardest part of online.

 

[Katbran]

Thanks for that information Wendy ! And I'm glad you posted Jac...I too had no idea that the responsibility was on the seller. ( kicking myself over the $200 in stones that never arrived two years ago and I let it go after the seller didn't offer anything) Fortunately I've never had a lost package..but it certainly made me have a look around for a courier service like Wendy uses. It actually only cost 10$ more than for me to post and track a small box. Given that you ship fairly expensive lots around - you should search out the international courier services and see what they charge..it's cheaper here than Fed ex etc by a lot.

I also think that you try very hard to give people what they want and sometimes it's best not to jump through too many hoops . I've learned to be very firm now about what I will and won't do.

I've loved all your pearls..and will probably reorder some shortly Best of luck

 

[JerseyPearl]

We are human, we make mistakes, and we forgive...this entire thread has been a wonderful lesson to us all, and while I do hope those pearls show up eventually, you will never go wrong doing the right thing. And as Katbran said so well...I've loved all your pearls, too!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

Thank you for posting, Jacques.

 

[amti]

So glad you posted your point Jac! This is a learning experience for me too. I think our love for pearls and the need to learn more is why we're all here. I'm grateful for all the help I receive here as well.

 

[KellyOx]

the only way to be 100 percent safe using USPS is to pay the $25 2-3 day guaranteed shipping with insurance and require a signature it protects both buyer and seller. If in any case the USPS does not either deliver it by the date guaranteed on the buyer will get there money back for shipping and can be either done by filing with USPS or seller can refund and they can file with USPS but 90 percent of the time you do get a refund and then god forbid if they loose or damage you package USPS has to pay the 100 dollar up to insurance but you have to show what the value of the item is. I learned the hard way through lost packages that regular shipping and even priority shipping is really not covered and is more of a hassle dealing with usps only way to go is priority express for 2-3 day over night with signature in my opinion

 

[Old School]

Does the seller have a Facebook Page? I would also share your experience on Paypal's Facebook Page. Also send them both a message via Facebook. Sometimes that will get you help. As for USPS? I would contact your Congressperson. Sometimes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! Good luck!

 

[MotherOfPearlTrumpet]

I was on the "buyer" end of a fiasco from EBay/PayPal. My over $500 purchase was shipped USPS (no signature, just tracking). The tracking said it was "placed in mailbox" but the package was never there. Because packages are scanned by the main post office it showed "delivered." I later learned that packages with tracking are scanned at the post office when received NOT by the carrier before they put it in your box. That's why sometimes with USPS, the package will show "delivered" but will actually show up in your mailbox 2-3 days later. So what that means is USPS, PayPal, and THE SELLER are "OFF THE HOOK" for packages that never make it from the post office to the truck to your mailbox, because they will show "delivered" on the tracking history. My 2 package tracking numbers showed "delivered." That indication lets USPS/EBay/Paypal know that the buyer is responsible. Any theft or mis-delivery (yes there is an exact same number house one street over from my address and we often get each other's mail) from my Locked-mailbox is MY RESPONSIBILITY. Mailboxes in our neighborhood have also been broken into according to our neighborhood paper. Because this happened to me twice, (whether mis-delivered (neighbor said no), lost, or stolen); I don't ship anything valuable to my house any more. I have everything shipped to work. It is so frustrating but the loss of over $1,000 worth of items was enough to let me know USPS is not a safe mode of delivery to my home. The problem is with my post office, delivery carriers and perhaps criminals, because everything I have shipped to work via USPS makes it fine.
This whole tracking reality was an eye opener, especially as it relates to this thread.