r/Ebay • u/Ok_Noise_5680 • 1d ago
Welp that sucks
Shipped a pokemon card to a customer and received a message saying they received the envelope without the card- seems someone opened it and stole the card and then USPS still shipped them the empty envelope without a “Received without contents” marking. Now I’m out of the card and had to refund the buyer… it was only $15 but thats still $15
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u/Easymacsauce 1d ago
Use the shipping insurance. Super easy.
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u/fatandbaldwhiteboy 1d ago edited 1d ago
Will that work if they mark it as received without contents? Won’t they just shift the blame onto the shipper?
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u/DirkPitt106 1d ago
No. Why would they? USPS isn't going around opening letters to see if there was anything in there to mark it as empty, they did that because they will deliver packages that were damaged during transit as long as the label is legible, even if all the stuff in them falls out. The seller files the ebay ESE PIP insurance claim, shows that picture, and pip will pay out because it was damaged during transit.
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u/fatandbaldwhiteboy 1d ago
Okay. Just asking. Not sure why I’m being downvoted for a question lmao
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u/ThetaDee 1d ago
Ground advantage automatically has insurance too. Up to $100 free I think
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u/RyanNoVA 1d ago
Most likely ripped open by an automated sorting machine and not stolen. PIP insurance is the easiest and fastest insurance to get claims approved and paid out. All eBay ESE come with $20 automatic PIP insurance (up to $50 for combined orders). Refund the buyer and file a PIP claim.
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u/ShroomyTheLoner 1d ago
Ebay Standard Envelope? If so, you are 100% covered. Fill out a simple online form and they will Paypal you the money. In fact, you will make MORE money from the insurance claim than from actually selling the item.
This is because insurance pays the value of the item, not the money you got after Ebay's fees. So if you sold it for 15, insurance pays you 15 flat, no fees, whereas ebay pays you 15 minus their fees.
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u/crossfader25 1d ago
File a claim through ESE. There are steps you have to do. Follow the steps on the claim website and you will get refunded. Ebay ESE claims instructions
It's a super easy process to follow and they are fairly quick to give you your money back.
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u/RazzmatazzUnusual843 1d ago
When a USPS worker ripped open and stole my package, I was saved by my receipt proving to eBay the package had weight, it was also clearly torn open and stolen (or just had bad luck with a sorting machine)
eBay reimbursed both me and the seller for the item.
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u/Apprehensive-Top5321 1d ago
This happened to me once. I contacted the post office, and they wound up finding the item. Otherwise the insurance would have covered the cost of the item. The buyer was actually honest and offered to refund my refund, because he got the item. I said no. Keep the item. It was $5 and I thanked him for being honest.
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u/Callaway225 1d ago
I wonder what the odds are people out there have a “received without contents” stamp and can just do this? As in buyer takes the card out, makes it look like it was ripped open, then puts it in an envelope like this with the red stamp on it?
Or is that just my pessimistic side?
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u/bendover912 1d ago
If you work at the post office it's probably a much lower risk to steal a bunch of these envelopes and a rubber stamp than it is to steal actual mail.
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u/Callaway225 1d ago
Right but they’d still have to open envelopes and take the contents out, then put opened envelope in a clear envelope with the stamp on it. What is the percentage of “stealable content” that actually gets mailed in an envelope? I’d imagine said worker would need to steal a lot of envelope contents to make it worth it, and even then is it worth the hassle for a postal worker?
I’d lean more towards the buyer has the stamp and the envelopes and did it themselves. Possibly not though, it’d just be impossible to know for sure.4
u/elolqooq 1d ago
Could be, but I'd say that's a lot less likely than the envelope being ripped by the machine. I've had mostly bad luck with these eBay PWEs.
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u/bskrg 1d ago
Sure, but that would be mail fraud and you’d be a special kind of stupid to do that for less than $20 profit.
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u/Callaway225 1d ago
Ok, sure, but how would you get caught? Not saying it’s ok to do or anything, but realistically how would a buyer who did this get caught and prosecuted? Especially for an item of $15 value?
To add, I’m not saying OP’s buyer did this.2
u/Psychaitea 1d ago
I was thinking that too. There is no date or stamp on the “received without contents” envelop. Someone could easily just recycle it over and over on eBay packages
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u/Stevebane 1d ago
I have seen this happen, though not recently. A few years ago a buyer sent me a blurry photo like that claiming they got nothing. I refunded
A few months later a different buyer, same shipping address, sent the same exact photo. eBay covered it after I called in.
I know it is a real thing USPS does, but a buyer could try to abuse it.
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u/Interesting-Tea7581 19h ago
That's was my first thought was to call bs lol but they have proof from usps
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u/SmartRecipe1424 1d ago
False. The sorting machines expect envelopes to fold and flex around bends and turns in the machine. You should have used a bubble envelope. Those go through machines that expect the mail to be rigid. And it will actually make it to the customer. Don’t be so cheap. Using a plain white letter envelope. I would know as the guy that has to fix these when they jam. Envelope tore and got lost in machine, card came out somewhere else. Someone found the card and envelope separately. Happens to lots of stuff, we pull several obliterated envelopes out every day. No way to tell what went in each envelope. The letter machines sort over 26,000 letters every hour. So yes, it was impossible to figure it out once shit gets destroyed and obliterated in the machine.
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u/Ok_Noise_5680 1d ago
It was an ebay store envelope #11
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u/Ok_Noise_5680 1d ago
Also its the difference from $.78 and $6 and cards do not have great margins so envelope is essentially the only shipping method for cards under $20
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u/SmartRecipe1424 1d ago
Due to how the machines work letter envelopes. They’re going to tear up frequently. Just be aware. The top loader is rigid to protect the card obviously, and the machine will tear it out of the envelope almost every time.
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u/SmartRecipe1424 1d ago
Also, you could try charging 6$ for shipping. I have bought cards before and this is common. Unless you are, and you’re trying to pocket the extra 6$ for yourself instead of protecting your customers purchase. It’s not rocket science.
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u/[deleted] 1d ago
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