Like the Subject says I ordered a coin from a dealer I have had past success with. To make a very long story short USPS showed on the Tracking "Delivered" However the package was signed for by a random Person and the signature was not recognizable. I spent weeks on the phone with USPS but I feel the seller should have been working with USPS to sort this out. After spending weeks dealing with USPS there was no coin in sight. According to USPS it was delivered to the wrong address and signed for by the wrong person. The employee who made the mistake was let go from USPS. I believe it is possible the USPS employee stole my coin. However the seller only had $200 in insurance and I paid $280 for the coin. Instead of trying to get the insurance money from USPS the seller put it on me. He said it is too much trouble and I do not know how to submit the insurance claim. Weeks passed and nothing happened. Now that the seller has not gotten his $200 back to refund me at least some of my money he is say he wants to refund me $140. There is more to this story but I really want to ask you guys what you think is fair or right? IMO the seller is responsible for getting the USPS insurance money than crediting me with at least some refund. The seller got the $280 from me and lost nothing on the deal so far. For all I know the seller got a refund of $200 on the insurance as well. Should I accept the $140 and let it go. My time is more valuable than screwing around with $100-$200 but it is the point I am not happy with. What are your thoughts guys? If this does not turn in my favor and I feel I got screwed I will not hesitate to warn you guys of the seller I am dealing with. It is the same seller trying to mark up "Error" Pandas and BS like that. Silverbulldog
Generally speaking I'd say the seller is responsible to deliver the coin or fully refund your money. Who is the seller?
It depends on the terms of the trade, most people on here sell with the "cost/risk" of postage falling on the buyer. Like me i always offer f2f or if YOU want I can post at your cost with YOU assuming the risk of postage, otherwise thanks but no thanks don't buy off me. But as a seller atleast handle the insurance side of things if it ever comes to that. And yes I assume risk when buying but that's why I keep private trades small. * All YOU's are not directed at you Catseye
To me the seller did their job but should give you all money he was given for insurance. If USPS recognizes their employee was at fault they should be the ones responsible for giving you your money back. JMO.
You should get the full refund, how you pay? If visa/MasterCard you should be insured in the uk think you are with an amount over 100, or if ebay buyer protection. Why does he think he deserves any of the insurance money
Like others stated, it depends on the terms. If the terms were insured, the seller should pay you the $280 or replace the coin. If you chose the amount of insurance, then $200 is fair. Based upon what the dealer has done so far, you should out the person. The seller bought the insurance, so the seller should fill out the claim form. If he/she will pay you the $200, you might offer to fill out the form for the seller.
Sorry to hear that silverbulldog , I had something very similar happen but I think about a $1400 package from memory, it was delivered and signed for to an address in a city about 4 hours away with no resemblance to my name or address , after calling the main USPS numbers and spending hours on hold only to be told there was nothing they could do but gave me another number which no one would ever answer, I finally called the main post office at the zip code which it was delivered , I gave them the name of who signed for it and she said it was one of their EMS drivers and said it was normal for them to sign for it. This sounds very odd to me and anyone at my post office that it is normal for an ems driver to sign for an express mail package! I was very luck in that the dealer I bought the coins from we have a very long business relationship and they refunded me the full amount immediately, I still fought with USPS for weeks spending hours on the phone (mostly on hold) trying to help my friend who had already refunded me get something back . All i know is I never did get to the bottom of it and I came damn near filing criminal charges with the DA which I probably should have done but it was just such a time consuming headache. I was told even with insurance it can take up to 180 days to conclude an insurance claim the USPS is run horribly when there is a problem it is no suprise they lose xxx million dollars every year , typical government bureaucracy, just wait and see how they run the healthcare system... So my 2 cents , the dealer should give you a total refund unless they made it clear in the beginning that you were to assume the risk, I have been on the other side as well and it sucks but you have to do the right thing!
Thanks Silverstar you input is invaluable. I sincerely appreciate a helpful post. I did end up losing $280 because I decided if the seller wants to keep my money he can. I am not getting into a pissing match with a skunk and my time is more valuable than worrying about a couple hundred bucks. If the seller is not willing to do the right thing than he needs the money more than I do. I moved on and bought another 2000 raw and sent it to NGC....it came back MS69! Silverbulldog
Damn, the postal service is like putting your full faith and confidence in the govt issued fiat...only a matter of time. Totally blows. Knock on wood, nothing has happened on my end yet, both from a shipping and receiving point of view.
I know from your contributions to the forum you are active in numismatics and like you I buy Chinese coins and metals. I am always concerned about getting ripped off due to the nature of the business but losing your ass on shipping is not fun. Pay attention to how your sellers ship and what policies they stand by. Silverbulldog
Seller is in the US... I am trying to decide if I should give out the name...the person is not all bad but just doesn't understand good Bussiness practice or is immature in business.
Usually, for items above $200, ebay requires the seller to use Delivery confirmation with Signature. And USPS rule is the package has to be signed by a person in the same address. Otherwise, they should bring the package back, and only leave the recipient a notice. Although sometimes, there are some irresponsible post workers I guess, who do not do what they are supposed to do. My personal experience with my local USPS, is that I usually had to go to my local postal office, signed the package myself.