It finally happened, a lost order...

[Former_Member]

After all my time on Etsy, one of my orders finally got lost. I'm concerned because the tracking number says it was delivered last month on the 27th, but the buyer lives in a multi unit apartment. They had asked around to no avail.

So how do you guys deal with this? I'm planning on calling the post office but have some concerns since it was allegedly delivered so long ago and I didn't get insurance on it. Any insight would be really appreciated!

[Former_Member]

Hello, Jasmine,

That happening is one if my greatest fears. That is also why I buy insurance.

I did not look at your policies to see if you have covered it there, but please beware that there are people out there that claim nondelivery to get a refund. I am not sawing that is what happened, but something unusual did.

If you go to the USPS website, there is a toll free number to call to confirm the delivery etc, which may help. If the package is showing delivered, you did your part and that could end it for you. After you shipped it, it was out of your hands and you have confirmation of the delivery.

If you believe that the buyer did not receive it and want to either send it again, please at least get the insurance and or a signed confirmation of delivery. If making a refund to the buyer is a better option, you could do that.

I am just wondering why it took so long to find out that the package was not received....why so long to notify you? I find that most suspicious.

I wish you the best of luck!

Cocokate

[Former_Member]

That has happened to me. I decided to start insuring my packages if the item is rare, over $10.00, and if it's going to an apartment and even internationally. The cost is minimal to say the least but it took time, moey and effort to make and send. For $10.00 the insurance cost about $1.35, I think. Worth it. And I also add that fee in with my shipping cost because I insure almost everyting.

[Former_Member]

I'm not suspicious of the time it took for them to report it to you; I require my customers to wait a certain period of time for an item to be delivered before contacting me about it. They were likely waiting to see if it showed up before bothering you about it.

Do you have something in your policies that will deal with this? If you don't, there's no better time than now to get something in stone for when it happens again (and it will!). Make sure you account for international, as well; since overseas packages can't be tracked by USPS, there isn't a way to prove that an item was lost so you need to be able to cover your tush in that respect, too. I've had one go missing in Saudi Arabia and couldn't prove whether it really had gone missing or not. I talked to a friend who lives in the middle east (an American ex-pat) and she said it's possible customs kept the item I sent because it had American flags on it and they love that stuff over there! I ended up sending a second item, which I believe eventually showed up. I might be mixing this story up with another nondelivery situation I had, though, where an item went missing in Russia. The latter eventually showed up, just much much later than planned.

Be in close communication with your customer, too. That'll show that you care whether they get the package or not and may lead to repeat business because they know they can trust you.

You might even want to look at how big companies deal with something like this.

[SweetAngelVintage]

Hello....wondering if anyone has heard of negativity in buying insurance....I was at the post office one day and two people were stating their views that they had an item lost and tried to track it with insurance...get reimbursed..

They couldn't stress enough how it is Not worth it, because to file a claim for insurance purposes is just out of orbit of what should be involved..they said it takes Forever to get the paperwork filed etc....

I am thinking this can't always be the case, but can someone tell me if they agree or disagree with this scenario??

[Former_Member]

Heidi, that's what I've heard, too, which is why I don't personally bother with insurance. I've heard that it takes a LONG time to get through the process.

[ElisaAlvarado]

That item was probably delivered to the wrong person hence it was marked "delivered" and that person probably decided to keep it. Call the post office in the area ASAP and have them ask around. A neighbor might have it at their apartment and be willing to hand it over. If they don't say anything and keep it, you are just out of luck. I would offer a full refund of the item including shipping or offer to remake and resend. If you resend be sure to get "signature confirmation" so that the recipient has to sign for their package.

[kijsa]

I have had this happen twice this year. According to tracking, I had one verse board sit in Des Moines for over a month (that was to be delivered in texas!) and never was delivered. I had another with no tracking information updated or reported on the site arrive a month later to the customer. I opened a case through USPS on the Des Moines one and never heard back.
Considering that I shipped over 800 packages through USPS in the past year, i guess that isn't terrible.
I opt out if insurance for two reasons...1).most items can be remade and shipped out if I absolutely had to (I replaced both items in these cases and had pleased customers) , 2) I would have paid over $1000.00 in insurance in one year to replace $80 worth of product, & 3) I didn't want to hassle dealing with the post office!! I use them because they aren't far the most reasonable for my products, but they still are the post office :)

[WaterStreetDesign]

It happened to me recently and I felt so badly since the order was for a very special occasion. I'm trying to keep cost down so I don't track or use insurance...If it happens again, I may! I immediately re-sent the order plus a free item...not sure if that's the right business thing to do, but it made me feel better!

[kijsa]

That auto correct!! I meant to say the post office IS the most reasonable :)

Btw- both losses happened after the postal price increase in January, so I wonder if their new tracking/pricing/operations affected them? I don't mean to sound flippant about dealing with the post office- I just never seem to have success in getting info & answers when there is trouble, so I have found it to be time wasted. I still have to applaud them for delivering almost every item reasonably and quickly!

[MyDistinctDesigns]

Kim-WaterStreetDesign
If you print your labels thru etsy it comes with tracking and the cost is significantly lower than going to the PO.

[TheFamilyJewelsWI]

This happened to me recently as well. I reshipped the item with confirmation. The customer gave me positive feedback, so was worth the price to me. Luckily, it was a pair of earrings and I wasn't out too much. On any items of great value, I will always pay for confirmation. It is about 85 cents.

[PiecesofMeCardsnMore]

Kim Crumrine from WaterStreetDesign says
I'm trying to keep cost down so I don't track or use insurance

____________________________________________

If you print your labels through Paypal or Etsy shipping fees are less and tracking/delivery confirmation is automatically included for no charge.

Edited: *Oops, I just noticed that Sherry posted the same thing before me!

[Former_Member]

What is good wording to have in one's policy that explains what will happen should a package not show up?

[BrushStrokeOrnaments]

I have dealth with several lost packages over the years. We (buyer and I) try to figure out where it might be, checking with the post office, etc. Once a package even ended up in a neighbor's bushes! If a package is truely lost (and one or two have likely been stolen), I remake the items and ship with no cost to the buyer.

I ship MANY packages/year. My items are relatively low cost ($18-$20 each) and can easily be remade, if necessary. So, while I do use USPS priority shipping for within-US shipping, I do not further insure or track packages. I do now require insurance on special orders over $100.

[kijsa]

Just a note- the post office offers FREE tracking on all priority and standard (formerly parcel post) shipping now with their January rate change. That is free whether you print shipping labels from etsy, USPS, PayPal or go to the post office in person.