Classified deal goes wrong. What do you do if you were me?

[Coffindaffer]

I'll try to keep this short and to the point, but I really do not know how to handle this situation.

I've been buying and selling stuff on here for awhile and on Archery talk for almost 10 years. Predominantly bows and archery equipment

ZERO issues. I have literally never had a problem.




The other day I was selling a lot with 2 bow stabilizers and a back bar mount for a couple hundred bucks. Pretty fair price for the set. JoeBlow buys it from me. Pays fast. I ship it out by the next day. Same old routine with classified sales.



Heres where the trouble starts. almost 2 weeks after I shipped it, this guy reaches out to me. Sends me a picture of the envelope and one stabilizer and says "I only got one, I'm missing the other one and the back bar".

How is that possible? I personally packaged that envelope(with all 3 pieces obviously), taped it, and handed it to the person at USPS.

The part that bothers me is he tried to say I never sent him tracking(I did, and screenshot that and forwarded back to him) and then continues to say this was originally delivered to the wrong address and that's why he opened it so late, almost a week after it was delivered. I went back and checked the tracking. It says it was delivered on time, a week earlier, in his mailbox



This guy is asking for a refund and saying he'll send my one stabilizer back.


I dont know if he's trying to dupe me or what, but even if he's not, I dont know how to handle this.


What would you do?


**this is from a deal on Archerytalk. I didn't want the member to see it and get involved. I'm not trying to talk smack, I'm legitimately looking for opinions on the matter.

 

[Doc Holliday]

What kind of track record does the member have on AT? Does he seem like a stand up guy or is he new/unknown?

I would do some google and linkedin searches on the guy as well since you have his name and address, and see what else you can find to ascertain good reputation/trustworthiness

 

[Coffindaffer]

member for 15 years, but less than 25 replies/messages in that time.

only one review as a buyer/seller from classifieds

 

[MtnMuley]

I've bought and sold a lot of stuff on here and have had only 1 issue. Bought a OnX chip and when I received the envelope, there was only a piece of cardboard folded inside. It definitely didn't slip out after I opened the envelope. It took several messages and even a phone call to the guy to end up getting the $60 back. I wasn't concerned with the $60, but the fact of the matter that I received an empty sleave of cardboard in the envelope pissed me off and he said it had to be on my end where it was lost.

Was there any damage in the packaging? I know I've received some pretty ratty packaging these days. Mostly via USPS. Even had a couple packages tore open and contents inside rummaged through. Both happened to be unprimed brass with no label saying it'd had been opened by USPS.

 

[Coffindaffer]

I've bought and sold a lot of stuff on here and have had only 1 issue. Bought a OnX chip and when I received the envelope, there was only a piece of cardboard folded inside. It definitely didn't slip out after I opened the envelope. It took several messages and even a phone call to the guy to end up getting the $60 back. I wasn't concerned with the $60, but the fact of the matter that I received an empty sleave of cardboard in the envelope pissed me off and he said it had to be on my end where it was lost.

Was there any damage in the packaging? I know I've received some pretty ratty packaging these days. Mostly via USPS. Even had a couple packages tore open and contents inside rummaged through. Both happened to be unprimed brass with no label saying it'd had been opened by USPS.

That is the one thing I will say in his defense is the package did look ratty in the picture he sent.

How does a USPS worker spill half the contents of a package and not know it though?

If that did happen, what do I do? I'm sure USPS won't do crap. How can I prove to them what was in the package they lost?



If this guy is being honest, I feel terrible, but I'm also going to be a little upset If I'm out of almost $250 and out of items I shipped originally.

 

[sndmn11]

How did he pay?

Did you insure the package?

 

[MtnMuley]

As sbdmn11 just asked, was it insured? That's your only option with USPS.

 

[Coffindaffer]

How did he pay?

Paypal G&S. I'm SoL in that department. If he opens a case, they'll force the refund I'm sure.

The whole situation sucks. Deep down, I want to believe this guy is being truthful. I just dont trust anyone these days, and I'm on the cusp of being crapped out of well over $200. Not life changing money, but enough for it to be annoying




I did not buy additional insurance, because theres no way to "break" a stabilizer. The concept of the contents of the package being completely lost have never even crossed my mind

 

[sndmn11]

I'd file a USPS claim today, have him send the item back and refund the money, or have him keep the item and refund the value of what was lost by USPS.

 

[Billy Goat]

So you put 2 stabilizers and a v-bar mount in an envelope?


Hopefully it was a really heavy one. Personally I wrap that stuff up in bubble wrap, then put in a box. Just trying to put something shaped like that in any kind of flat envelope is asking for problems to me.

Look at pictures of the package more, see if it looks like it could have been damaged to the point of things falling out.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

Definitely file a usps claim now. They lose half the contents of a package routinely. Going forward, always insure for as much or more than the agreed upon price.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Not sure what you’re asking. Are you questioning whether he got the package and took out 2 stabilizers, then told you they were missing or are you questioning whether you’re on the hook for a lost/damaged package? It does suck that you heard about it a week later.

I’ve had 2 bad shipping experiences on here. One lost package and one damaged package where some of the stuff fell out. I promptly refunded the buyer for the missing package and refunded the other buyer for the missing components. It’s not even a question. If the seller doesn’t want to take that responsibility then don’t sell I’m the classifieds.

Whenever I see a seller say “insurance is extra” I always wonder what they’re thinking. If the buyer doesn’t get the item in the described condition then that’s the seller responsibility.

 

[Scottyboy]

If you shipped usps, the weight of the package should/will be on the label and or receipt, so this could potentially “prove” the contents were what you stay given the weight . But proving what was actually inside might be difficult

 

[Coffindaffer]

Not sure what you’re asking. Are you questioning whether he got the package and took out 2 stabilizers, then told you they were missing or are you questioning whether you’re on the hook for a lost/damaged package? It does suck that you heard about it a week later.

I’ve had 2 bad shipping experiences on here. One lost package and one damaged package where some of the stuff fell out. I promptly refunded the buyer for the missing package and refunded the other buyer for the missing components. It’s not even a question. If the seller doesn’t want to take that responsibility then don’t sell I’m the classifieds.

Whenever I see a seller say “insurance is extra” I always wonder what they’re thinking. If the buyer doesn’t get the item in the described condition then that’s the seller responsibility.

Thats exactly what I'm asking. I've never checked feedback on buyers in the past, but this guy has next to none and no interaction with the community. Who's to say he's not full of it and just trying to scam me out of his payment?

It absolutely sucks to hear about it weeks after the package delivered and doesn't add anything to the credibility of the situation.

I understand where you're coming from in saying the seller is always responsible. Again, it was historically never an issue. This is my first problem ever after probably a hundred or so clean transactions(both buying and selling).


I'm not trying to act like I'm not liable here. I'm just wanting peoples opinions before I cut my losses and refund the guy over $200.

 

[Coffindaffer]

If you shipped usps, the weight of the package should/will be on the label and or receipt, so this could potentially “prove” the contents were what you stay given the weight . But proving what was actually inside might be difficult

Thats a very good point

 

[CoStick]

If you shipped usps, the weight of the package should/will be on the label and or receipt, so this could potentially “prove” the contents were what you stay given the weight . But proving what was actually inside might be difficult

Doesn really matter if the contents fell out along the way. Better to check the receipt for how much it was insured for, that is the important part for the seller.

 

[hunt1up]

I've probably done 500 online sales and they've been largely trouble free, but stuff does happen. Since he paid with G&S he purchase is protected anyway. If he files a claim you're likely going to lose the money no matter what. I'd probably get back the one item you can, file a USPS claim(good luck with that), refund him, and then resell the remaining item to reduce a little of the sting.

I usually overpack anything I ship. If I have doubt in the packaging holding up I find another way. Delivery drivers and processing center employees are in a hurry and don't care what's in a package.

 

[KyleR1985]

Insurance at usps only covers lost and stolen. Not if it’s damaged due to your packaging.

You’re shipping heavy metal objects in a cheap envelope instead of paying extra for boxes and padding. Why doesn’t really matter. A stabilizer turning into a torpedo out of an envelope is not surprising.

You made a choice to deal with a fella who has no feedback to go on. Not saying you shouldn’t have, but the risks are baked in.

G&S completely flip the leverage in favor of the buyer. That fact should change your actions and expectations.

My final though: Buying and selling used crap on the internet with strangers should come with an expectation that 1/10 deals might go south. Don’t play with strangers if you’re not prepared to deal with it.

 

[Brooks]

I was in a bulk mail delivery center once where big semi trucks would come in to deliver their load of packages. The trailers were loaded top to bottom,all the packages were on the floor, no pallets. Employees were loading all the packages onto a conveyer and believe me nothing was handled gently. Everything was thrown onto the belt even if it said “fragile“. I saw a lot of packages getting busted open and away they went. Those guys were in a big hot warehouse inside the trailer with 10’s of thousands of packages….no special treatment for any package !

 

[KyleR1985]

I was in a bulk mail delivery center once where big semi trucks would come in to deliver their load of packages. The trailers were loaded top to bottom,all the packages were on the floor, no pallets. Employees were loading all the packages onto a conveyer and believe me nothing was handled gently. Everything was thrown onto the belt even if it said “fragile“. I saw a lot of packages getting busted open and away they went. Those guys were in a big hot warehouse inside the trailer with 10’s of thousands of packages….no special treatment for any package !

Any time someone complains about the cost of shipping I think about this. The price we pay to have an army of people and a diesel truck and jet fuel airplane deliver our ridiculous stupid special package across the country in 3 days is absurd. Whether it’s 15.00 or 500.00. It’s still a bargain.

And to expect excellence from a person in a job/compensation/environment that doesn’t demand it, says a lot more about us than it does them.

The externalities of modern civil society…