Ebay - Sold items have gone missing

mufc802 · 1 Oct 2015 at 18:52

I don't use Ebay very often so I could do with a bit of advice please.

I sold a bundle of computer hardware a few days ago, and took the parcel to the post office to be delivered. They sent it using Express 48 (Parcelforce) and I was given a receipt and on the receipt it says £100 compensation. I have a tracking number, and there is a signature which was from the buyers neighbor as the proof of delivery.

The buyer sent me a message on Ebay today saying that their neighbor received the parcel last night who told him the box was open and missing 3 of the 4 items inside. This makes me wonder why the neighbor signed for a box that was already open?

So I'm wondering what do you think has happened here, and is there a chance I can get the £100 compensation for this?

Ilikeitblackplease · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:13

mufc802 said:
I don't use Ebay very often so I could do with a bit of advice please.

I sold a bundle of computer hardware a few days ago, and took the parcel to the post office to be delivered. They sent it using Express 48 (Parcelforce) and I was given a receipt and on the receipt it says £100 compensation. I have a tracking number, and there is a signature which was from the buyers neighbor as the proof of delivery.

The buyer sent me a message on Ebay today saying that their neighbor received the parcel last night who told him the box was open and missing 3 of the 4 items inside. This makes me wonder why the neighbor signed for a box that was already open?

So I'm wondering what do you think has happened here, and is there a chance I can get the £100 compensation for this?

ask for neighbors address then contact police telling them it was stolen and as them to visit the neighbor for his statement then contact parcel force and get the compensation.

mufc802 · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:21

Parcelforce have directed me to https://claims.parcelforce.com. I've submitted a claim, just hope its successful.

matdom said:
ask for neighbors address then contact police telling them it was stolen and as them to visit the neighbor for his statement then contact parcel force and get the compensation.

Are you sure I need to contact the police about this? :eek:

OhEsEcks · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:22

mufc802 said:
Are you sure I need to contact the police about this?

Items were stolen. It's theft. It's police time.

Ilikeitblackplease · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:23

mufc802 said:
Parcelforce have directed me to https://claims.parcelforce.com. I've submitted a claim, just hope its successful.

Are you sure I need to contact the police about this?

I would, and gets lots off your back and makes sure its not a lie, does not cost you anything. yes because you want to prove to ebay you had to refund it and they will have to refund any free.

Cyanide · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:26

OhEsEcks said:
Items were stolen. It's theft. It's police time.

This.

I once sold a camera on ebay to have the buyer open a claim against me and tell me it'd turned up opened with no camera in the box. I told him to contact the police and give me the crime number - heard nothing back from him after that and ebay closed the case in my favour.

mufc802 · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:27

Thanks guys I will do that. Not using Ebay again though.

OhEsEcks · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:28

Cyanide said:
This.

I once sold a camera on ebay to have the buyer open a claim against me and tell me it'd turned up opened with no camera in the box. I told him to contact the police and give me the crime number - heard nothing back from him after that and ebay closed the case in my favour.

Exactly. Sounds like people trying it on for free stuff. Involve the police and suddenly it is found, or you hear nothing back, or they try and ride it out and get found out. If it's genuinely been stolen, they will have no problem helping you out.

Participant · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:29

Seems like the only way out of this is to video the entire process of packing the goods up and shipping it at the post office, being sure to capture the tracking reference etc.

Scam artists everywhere.

mufc802 · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:35

Participant said:
Seems like the only way out of this is to video the entire process of packing the goods up and shipping it at the post office, being sure to capture the tracking reference etc.

Scam artists everywhere.

Well I do have the weight of the parcel on the receipt and the parcel that was received was clearly a different weight.

Lopéz · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:37

OhEsEcks said:
Items were stolen. It's theft. It's police time.

Who says anything was stolen?

spoffle · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:39

mufc802 said:
Thanks guys I will do that. Not using Ebay again though.

It's time to go in to your PayPal account, transfer any money in there out to your bank and then remove your card details from the PayPal account.

Also make sure to check your bank account to see if there's a PayPal Direct Debit set up. If there is, cancel it.

spoffle · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:39

Lopéz said:
Who says anything was stolen?

The person the OP sold the items to.

OhEsEcks · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:40

Lopéz said:
Who says anything was stolen?

The box was open and "missing 3 of the 4 items inside". Opening someone else's mail without a valid excuse is an offence. "Theft is the taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it."

What would you call it?

spoffle · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:42

OhEsEcks said:
The box was open and "missing 3 of the 4 items inside". Opening someone else's mail without a valid excuse is an offence. "Theft is the taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it."

What would you call it?

I think he's alluding to the possibility that the buyer is lying.

But even if the buyer is lying, they've still claimed that a theft has taken place, so the action is still appropriate regardless of whether there actually has been a theft or not.

Lopéz · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:43

spoffle said:
The person the OP sold the items to.

OhEsEcks said:
The box was open and "missing 3 of the 4 items inside". Opening someone else's mail without a valid excuse is an offence. "Theft is the taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it."

What would you call it?

Right.... so again, where is there any proof that anything has been stolen? Missing is not necessarily stolen.

Also, parcels moving through an unregulated courier network such as ParcelForce are not "mail", but that's a seperate topic.

Dis86 · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:44

Lopéz said:
Right.... so again, where is there any proof that anything has been stolen? Missing is not necessarily stolen.

Also, parcels moving through an unregulated courier network such as ParcelForce are not "mail", but that's a seperate topic.

Isn't it maybe for the police to determine if it's theft?

Lopéz · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:48

Dis86 said:
Isn't it maybe for the police to determine if it's theft?

Apparently not, some of the posters in this thread have appointed themselves judge, jury and executioner with a small amount of conjecture and literally no evidence at all

spoffle · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:51

Lopéz said:
Right.... so again, where is there any proof that anything has been stolen? Missing is not necessarily stolen.

Also, parcels moving through an unregulated courier network such as ParcelForce are not "mail", but that's a seperate topic.

You didn't ask for proof, you just asked who said it's been stolen.

That is also a separate topic.

cainer · 1 Oct 2015 at 19:51

mufc802 said:
The buyer sent me a message on Ebay today saying that their neighbor received the parcel last night who told him the box was open and missing 3 of the 4 items inside

so his neighbour knew 3/4 items were missing, hmm, yet signed for the open box? then sifted through it? hmm

Ebay - Sold items have gone missing

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