Hi all. As I said, I bought a coin and received an empty envelope. It didn't look like it had been opened. It was still sealed perfectly, but there was nothing in it. There was, however, a coin shaped indent in the middle of the envelope, indicating that there was once a coin in there. It actually looked like they'd sent the coin just loose in the envelope. Do you think I can complain, on the grounds that anyone knows you don't just send a coin loose in a freaking envelope? Everyone else who's sent me coins has made some effort to disguise the package. It must have been steamed open, there is no damage to the sodding thing at all. This was ebay, but from a reputable seller. Opinion would be appreciated! Thanks.
Discuss this with the seller first. If you get no joy, open a dispute via ebay. You didn't get the coin you paid for.
If you paid via Paypal you are covered by buyer protection. This means the onus is on the seller to send the coin to you safely. You will need to open a dispute and after about 3 weeks you will get your payment refunded.
That is strange , does the seller have high pos feedback with a long history? it almost sounds like someone took the coin along the way. This is a really scary scenario because on the other side of it (not you) but someone could just say they never received the coin and get the money back and the coin. I hope it was not a very expensive coin and I hope it works out for you.
I was actually duped in a very similar situation of $1700 by a belgian ebay seller. I got no assistance from the seller who claimed to have posted the item and had the postal receipt to prove it. When i took it up with Paypal, they investigated and sided with the seller who had sold quite a few items through Paypal. My only saving grace was that I paid Paypal through my credit card and Mastercard also investigated. Fortunately for me they accepted my side and refunded my money. Try it in that order but be aware of the time restrictions to instigate the investigation and document everything including your conversations with the seller. You may need to put in a police report which will only be of assistance if the transaction was within your country. If it was an international transaction then it won't mean anything other than you can be in trouble for making a false claim if you get caught doing so. I guess that was the backup that Mastercard wanted in my situation. It may not be applicable in this situation but the lesson i learnt was that if you are paying via Paypal give yourself that extra layer of protection by paying via your credit card. Also for larger purchase restrict it to your own country so you also have the possibility of the police getting involved otherwise you have no fallback option - you can't even go there and knock on their door to sort it out. Hopefully you will get it sorted. Best of luck.
I had 2 "empty" parcels that I sent to the US last year during dragon fever last year. Am 100% sure the 1oz Dragon was in each one when I sent them (11 in total @ $140 each). eBay/PayPal backed the buyer in both cases. I would have been spewing but my profit margin was almost 300% so I took it on the chin. Thankfully they were Ag not Au!!
I remember reading your post about the lost coins Naphthalene Man, I'm glad it worked out for you. I also use my cc for eBay (via PayPal), PayPal account doesn't earn any interest & account has been frozen once or twice for silly reasons which upset me.
It came to a fairly trouble-free conclusion. I told them it didn't look like it had been opened, and they apologised and said they would refund me, as they couldn't guarantee the package had ever had anything in it. They'd done a lot of mailing that day and said it was possible they may have missed one. I have, however, seen a few ebay sellers who say they aren't responsible for things getting lost in the post, basically offering no redress at all, unless you choose registered. I don't know how the consumer is supposed to tell whether it's been lost in the post or the vendor has just stolen your money.
Glad you contacted the seller first. Most sellers I have come across on ebay want to make sure you are happy, which keeps their ratings intact.
If you aren't happy with an ebay sellers terms then dont deal with them. If you are too tight to pay for registered post dont complain if your goods go missing. Same as driving without car insurance...you have a prang and you wear it.
Yes, I drive without insurance all the time. Too tight to pay for that either. The comment was more about whether they can get away with not guaranteeing you will get what you paid for. Obviously registered is best and I pay for that usually, but this seller offered free postage. It didn't say whether it was registered and I should have checked. It's just some people believe I should get a refund if I didn't get my purchase, as it's the sellers responsibility to see that I get it. If I choose regular post, that's not a free pass for a vendor to keep my money and blame Australia post. Unrelated vent: I had a buyer keep my kooks after I refunded them, because they apparently got lost in the post, even while registered. (I figured I was covered by the registered post insurance). When the buyer contacted me to say they had finally arrived, that's all they said. No mention of giving me my money back and they didn't respond to any further enquiries about it. Put me off selling on the 'bay for ages.
Sellers offer free postage could be part of selling strategy on ebay. Instead of blaming the Post for missing items, it should be their responsibility to make sure items delivered properly. Although stated otherwise, it does not mean that sellers free of responsibility since they risk their reputation. One of my buyers complained for not receiving coins that I have sent using standard post a month earlier. I refunded his money, and lost my coins. Sometimes it is spooky to sit at the outside of a black box, and the only thing we could rely on is buyer's honesty.
Cross border transaction of silver coins is at the mercy of local Post Office/ local Custom. There are some local criminals stealing silver coins, and can get away with it. I bought from a Polish seller on Ebay for two silver coins, looks like he shipped both coins in one bubble envelop, but looks like a bad guy from his local Polish post office or Custom cut open the envelop, took out the coin worth more, and left the one worth less and an empty wrapper, then put the small original envelop into a bigger bubble envelop, then stuck a custom declaration form, sent it to me. So I got only one coin. I filed complain with Ebay, want the refund for ONLY the coin I did not get. But the Seller asking me to ship the other coin back, then gave me the refund, and Ebay wants me sending it by Registered mail. So I would end up paying for close to $20 for Nothing if I do that. I then filed a dispute with my credit card bank, and finally got the money back for that coin I did not receive. After that, I seldom buy anything from any Eastern European sellers. Western European countries usually better. I ordered from German and Italian sellers, all turns out ok.
