Need advice about an Etsy transaction

[Orrex]

Received payment for the item plus shipping & shipped the item the next day via USPS, complete with delivery confirmation. We provided the tracking # to the recipient.

I tracked the item and saw that a delivery attempt was made and a note was left, with the item being brought back to the post office for pickup.

That was 17 days ago. The notification at the time stated that the item would be returned to sender after 15 days. Presumably it is now en route back to us.

What's our obligation here? Assuming that no catastrophic event has occurred, I would imagine that an Etsy transaction is treated as a contract.

I'll say this, though: I'm sure as hell not sending it again without being re-reimbursed for shipping.


Any suggestions? Has this happened to anyone else?

[madinmaryland]

1. You won an ESPY??

:wtf:

[kentauros]

2. I've never sent sale items, and never had a return for the rest.

I'd agree about getting reimbursed for re-shipping. Maybe even get an guarantee in writing that the buyer is going to be available for receiving it this time. If not, well, it's their money and they obviously didn't want it that bad to begin with...

[struggle4progress]

3. Dunno. If I were in your shoes, I'd hold off until the item was actually returned to me

or until the customer complained of non-delivery. I'd save copies of all docs

If the customer complains but the item never returns to you, contact USPS and try to collect any insurance on it. I'd figure I should have insured it for enough to cover price + shipping, so I'd either ship another with a polite apology for the loss-in-shipping or offer the customer a full refund

If the item returns, I'd try to contact the customer and explain the situation: I shipped, but customer never claimed package, so I'm out shipping cost: if customer wants to repay shipping, I'll reship; otherwise I'll refund price but not shipping, and in that case I'd probably also mail the customer a very polite letter with the refund, summarizing the situation

[Orrex]

8. We offer postal insurance as an option but not by default

Delivery confirmation is included in the basic shipping cost that we quote to buyers.

I like your suggestion about mailing a refund. If it comes to it, that's likely how I'll do it.

[KurtNYC]

4. haven't sold on Etsy yet but lots of eBay

If the item comes back youshould reach out to the buyer by phone. email or even postcard. Confirm their address. if it is their error on the first shipping then send a PayPal invoice for 2nd shipping. If it is your error then apologize and send it ASAP to the address they confirm.

[Orrex]

6. Good advice--thanks.

I should have mentioned that we've attempted to contact the buyer with no result.

If/When the item returns to us, we'll attempt contact again--from square one basically.

[Duer 157099]

5. I don't have any advice, but do have a question

Did the buyer know that they would have to be home to receive the item? For some people, they simply are not at home during normal delivery hours and may also not be able to go to the post office to sign for it.

[Orrex]

7. Great question, and honestly I don't know

I should have mentioned in the OP that we've contacted the seller after we shipped it, warning that the item was at the PO and would be returned to us on the 30th. No response.

I'll contact the buyer again after the item is returned to us & hope for the best.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. On the delivery attempt notices I have gotten from USPS, there are different

options to have a package redelivered. You can specify a new address or instruct them to leave the package in a specific location at your address. You receive two notices that advise you of the date the package will be returned if they are not able to deliver the package.

[Orrex]

10. USPS.com had a pretty good record of what happened with the package

The delivery attempt was on 12/15, and a notice was left on the door stating that it would be returned to sender in 15 days.

We gave the buyer the tracking number on the day that we shipped it, and we followed up after the delivery attempt. We were unable to make contact.

I expect that the package will arrive in my mailbox in the next few days, at which point I suppose I'll try to contact the buyer again.

We'll see!

[csziggy]

11. I'd contact the buyer after the package is returned

Maybe they were out of town for the holidays and planned to be back in time to get the package from the USPS. Maybe they got delayed because of the weather. Maybe they had no way to check email on the road. Plenty of possibilities.

After the package arrives back, contact the buyer and offer either a refund or re-shipping for an additional fee. I'd probably refund the actual purchase price even if I did not hear back from the buyer, but keep the shipping costs. That way if something has happened that kept the buyer from following up, the buyer can have no complaint about the deal.

I haven't sold on Etsy but for a while I sold quite a bit on Ebay and this is how I would approach the situation.

[Orrex]

14. That sounds like a good plan

Can I hit them up for a huge restocking fee? That's how the big-ticket retailers to it, after all!

[csziggy]

17. Only if you've given them prior notice of a restocking fee

At least that is how it is in most states. I caught one local merchant on that - I special ordered a specific brand and model. He got a cheaper brand and model that did not work, then tried to charge me a restocking fee when I returned it. Florida law requires that notice of those fees must be posted and he had no notice of any restocking fees. I had to threaten to call the state revenue guys on him before he would give me all my money back.

If you look, the big-ticket retailers all put some notice on their receipts or someone near the cash registers.

[blogslut]

12. Have you tried contacting the buyer through the Etsy system?

Go to "Your Etsy" > "Orders" > click their user name and you get a little selection box where you can choose to "Contact" them.

[Orrex]

13. Yeah, we've tried to contact them that way.

I mean, we haven't badgered them, but we've attempted contact at least three separate times to no avail.

Thanks for the tip, though.

[KurtNYC]

15. other than this hassle, how do you like Etsy?

[Orrex]

16. Actually, quite a lot. This is our first dubious transaction, and it might still turn out fine!

I have a few very minor qualms about Etsy, such as why a handful of truly mediocre sellers seem to show up on the front page again and again.

It's also frustrating to see people in the Alchemy section asking for large painted portraits (for instance) for $40 or so.

But that's about it. Otherwise our experience has been quite positive, even if we haven't quite cracked the million-dollar mark just yet...

[Kali]

18. maybe they died

call the cops for a welfare check