Stolen Parcel. Need advice please.

[Mujja]

the seller can prove they have posted the item with attempted delivery plus Royal mails photo all logged on their system including the map.

By your logic the seller could drive to your address, take a photo of the item outside your door and leave with it. Then provide eBay with their location history as proof of delivery.

As you say yourself a delivery was "attempted" and not completed.

 

[Jono8]

Yeh, i never think a picture of a parcel on the doorstep should prove delivery UNLESS the recipient had specifically requested for it to be left there.

All it proves is that it was left outside the recipients house in an unsecure location.

Delivery proof for parcels should be a picture of it inside an open door/in the hands of the resident.

 

[gtl_racer]

As above, RM is shocking these days, I went post office yesterday and spent 40 mins in queue to be told they don't have my parcel(they did)..

I only buy on ebay using click&collect, and collect from local Argos..

 

[Drollic]

By your logic the seller could drive to your address, take a photo of the item outside your door and leave with it. Then provide eBay with their location history as proof of delivery.

As you say yourself a delivery was "attempted" and not completed.

My logic follows my experience of having sold thousands of items on the platform and regularly speaking to their agents both in text chat and on the phone relating to problems such as this.

A seller can't do what you suggest, as the item has a postal service selected. The third party delivery company acts as the impartial go between almost. Ebay see attempted as completed even though you may not agree. There are always very limited exceptions. It's out of the sellers control what national delivery companies do and how they choose to deliver. It doesn't matter what the buyer, seller, onlooker thinks, this is how they operate.

The other option I forgot to mention is checking exactly what postal service the seller selected for the advert. If this was special delivery and it wasn't used, the op can raise a case and challenge under miss selling an item. The op has paid for the appropriate service. I haven't experienced this exact case, but would expect ebay to side with the op/buyer. The seller wouldn't be covered.

 

[jaybee]

Seems to be the way these days, "delivered" translates to chucked on the floor in the vicinity of said home. But... if couriers didn't do that we'd all get a lot less parcels I think. They would take longer to do their rounds, and other neighbours would be bothered a lot more to sign and take parcels in. I've got "safe place" designated for Amazon but tbh it's not that safe. We are just lucky that our road doesn't get anyone walking by really.

 

[dod]

eBay will give you your money back.

They might but it's not guaranteed.
I bought a watch off ebay, it was allegedly delivered when I was out along with a signature from whoever accepted it. I lived on my own, was actually at a meeting in a hotel at the time, about 30 minutes away and had a receipt to show where I was at the time of delivery.

Ebay considered it delivered, the seller didn't care as there was a signature so they'd done their bit. Royal Mail also considered it completed and no amount of discussion would convince them that I couldn't physically have accepted the parcel.

As long as the boxes are ticked ebay don't give a stuff

 

[Malevolence]

Yeah. It seems that everything these days is aimed squarely at screwing the customer over.

 

[413x]

Ebay are very unlikely to side with you if you open a case for them to review, as the seller can prove they have posted the item with attempted delivery plus Royal mails photo all logged on their system including the map. The sellers obligation in ebays view is therefore completed. The seller doesn't have to refund, chase Royal mail nor contact you and has likely black listed you, although may still receive your messages depending on their selling preferences.

It's worth checking with any neighbours if you have any, as Royal mail are funny with safe place deliveries. They often don't take photos either when it's a safe place delivery.

If you want your money back, you're best off contacting your bank. The dispute will result in ebay taking the hit as the seller will be protected through proof of attempted delivery - what Royal mail do with their/your item is out of the sellers control.

The process will take a while, as the seller is allowed to challenge your dispute, but your bank will likely side with you regardless of what they state. It's irrelevant to the seller regardless as they will be covered by ebays seller protection policy.

The buyer will get their money back if they can prove the item didn't arrive. (ie stolen counts as this)

If they can't.. Yes it may be different if Royal mail says delivered and you can't prove it was stolen.

 

[413x]

I had this with amazon on Saturday. Managed to get a neighbour to pick it up as I was away. It's terrible. They should have delivered to a neighbour or taken it back to thier van.

Video doorbell cam has paid for itself twice over. It rained all night that night.

 

[.one.]

Ask eBay for a call back on the phone.

On a side note if your Sending an Item tracked and signed for means nothing to RM and is worthless all they care about is if the item was insured.
I sold an VR headset and made a mistake not insuring after many calls and talking about tracked & signed for option I said in that case even one of your delivery people could have stole the item ? he said yes and they do this time of year.

 

[Blackbadger]

Part of the problem is the design of our properties. Generally we have a letterbox on the front door, however no design consideration was made for parcels. Things were built and designed in the days when parcels were a rarity (ignore current new builds as they are mostly terrible disposable junk). So in some way, we as the receiver are to blame if we don't provide an easy way for deliveries to be made securely. Parcel delivery box's do exist of various shapes and sizes, however retrofitting isn't fun, nor does one size fit all.

 

[Drollic]

The buyer will get their money back if they can prove the item didn't arrive. (ie stolen counts as this)

If they can't.. Yes it may be different if Royal mail says delivered and you can't prove it was stolen.

How would you go about proving it hasn't arrived? This still isn't the sellers problem I should add, and they will be covered through policy. In quite a number of cases I've had with very similar issues, I've not once had a case go in the buyers favour as they can't prove it wasn't delivered/attempted. This includes accounts setup purely to leave negative feedback and try and scam sellers for a free product.

When it's a buyers word against the delivery company, the buyer has very little chance in my opinion.

 

[413x]

How would you go about proving it hasn't arrived? In quite a number of cases I've had with very similar issues, I've not once had a case go in the buyers favour as they can't prove it wasn't delivered/attempted. This includes accounts setup purely to leave negative feedback and try and scam sellers for a free product I should add.

When it's a buyers word against the delivery company, the buyer has very little chance in my opinion.

Like my doorbell cam footage.
If that wasn't acceptable I don't know what is.

I've never had an issue go to claim. So I'm not sure what would/wouldn't class as delivered.

 

[413x]

From looking. It appears you are right.
If the courier marks delivered (especially with a pic) it's the buyers problem.

Interesting. Didn't know that.

 

[Drollic]

Like my doorbell cam footage.
If that wasn't acceptable I don't know what is.

I've never had an issue go to claim. So I'm not sure what would/wouldn't class as delivered.

If it's dumped on your doorstep and then stolen and you can prove it with video footage together with proving the footage is your own at the said delivery address then both the buyer and seller would be covered. Again, there are always exceptions that are rare as some of the people reviewing the cases are clueless, even disagreeing with their own colleagues on what should/shouldn't happen.

 

[413x]

If it's dumped on your doorstep and then stolen and you can prove it with video footage together with proving the footage is your own at the said delivery address then both the buyer and seller would be covered. Again, there are always exceptions that are rare as some of the people reviewing the cases are clueless, even disagreeing with their own colleagues on what should/shouldn't happen.

You'd hope so. Especially if you also catch the theft.
I mean i was half tempted to tell amazon it had been stolen. But I didn't. I did tell them it was terrible as it was perishable and left out in the rain

 

[Uther]

Part of the problem is the design of our properties. Generally we have a letterbox on the front door, however no design consideration was made for parcels. Things were built and designed in the days when parcels were a rarity (ignore current new builds as they are mostly terrible disposable junk). So in some way, we as the receiver are to blame if we don't provide an easy way for deliveries to be made securely. Parcel delivery box's do exist of various shapes and sizes, however retrofitting isn't fun, nor does one size fit all.

We have a covered bin store next to the front door which is perfect for parcels, most drivers put it in there, out of the rain and out of sight, but lately more and more of them have just been throwing the delivery at the front door and running off, usually not even knocking.
I remember during covid posties where signing for delivery themselves, not sure if that is still a thing. So much of this stuff relys on trust, and people not being dishonest scumbags.

 

[Lethagized]

Thank you so much for all the replies. They've been ever so helpful in finding out how ebay and rm work and i find it all **** poor. Ebay have closed the case and refused my refund. It's really put me off ebay and rm and I'll be ordering one of those cam doorbells off amazon, how are amazon with issues like this? I know they use a password system which seems pretty foolproof and ebay should implement it, no password, no parcel where only the buyer knows the password.

I'm beginning to think it was the parcelman who nicked it, I mean, why wouldn't you at least ring the sodding bell unless you've got some ulterior motive going on, and as someone said, it's that time of year when expensive goodies are floating about the place = peak nicking time.

I was angry at the seller to begin with, but I think even if they sent it signed for, a dodgy postman could easily scribble something as a sig and take it for themselves, is anything guaranteed anymore these days. I just feel everything is turning to ****, must be my age I guess lol.

Asking my bank is an interesting suggestion. I had no idea they could intervene in something like this, but if they did reverse the payment, wouldn't ebay be chasing me for the money then? And closing my account or debiting my bank again?

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Can you file a complaint directly from the website?

Also ring local police, report a theft, ask for a crime number.
report crime number to ebay

 

[Malevolence]

If it's 100% been stolen then report it to the police too.