Lost package

[hipposdream]

I have received a question from a customer whose package did not arrived yet. I shipped it on 06/08 from Belgium to the UK so normally it must be there. In Belgium you do not get a tracking number so difficult to tell what has happened.
I replied that I would investigate but if the package is lost, I would give a refund.
Of course it is always difficult to know if a package did arrive or not?
What do you do when you got a mail concerning a lost package?

[hipposdream]

Anybody ?

[Beaderbeads]

When I had a pkg lost in mail to Spain from USA. I went to my post office & they helped me track it to customs by the Custom's Declarations number. The number that's on the customs form. Found the pkg in Spain at customs. My customer had to wait 6-7 wks before the custom's would release. All I was sending was beads. So it takes time.
I would assume you still have to fill out a customs form, right?

[hipposdream]

No there is no customs form between Belgium and the UK becuase they are both located in the European Union.
Hope the package is not lost....

[Beaderbeads]

I don't know then. I would still go to your post office & ask them, If you can.
Hope it comes up soon.

[WendyHodgsonMudPups]

I had this happen. I replied saying I would refund their money if it didn't arrive and to please stay in touch. I wanted to give the buyer confidence that i would refund but I also wanted to give the parcel some more time to arrive (because once i refund the money, if the package does arrive I will have no way or knowing or getting paid). We chatted back and forth a few times, stayed in touch and actually became friends. In the end, six weeks went by and I was convinced she hadn't received it and happily refunded her full cost. Just a cost of doing business I figure.

[hipposdream]

Thanks Wendy , I gues I will have the same approach....

[Former_Member]

I would not be super worried yet.
Recently I ordered something from Canada to myself to Finland and it took 7 weeks for the package to get here, never had anything coming from overseas before in more than 3 weeks (and I've ordered a lot of stuff for the last 5 years or so)... I did approach the seller when I first got a bit worried, she was lucky that there was an insurance included and the postal service would have issued the refund, but they also said they don't start investigating until 8 weeks has passed.
Packages within the EU should of course come much faster, but if you count the business days it's not in my opinion a veeery long time yet, even if the estimated time has passed... Estimated time for economy mail in Finland to EU countries is usually 5-10 business days (for some countries a little longer) so basically your package would top the Finnish times with only a couple of days... I would probably give it at least one more week time (and maybe ask what opinion they have on the post office about the estimated times)...

Hopefully it wasn't anything too valuable in case it actually gets lost!

[BOYISHCHARMandCO]

I had this happen recently and immediately my "suspicion radar" went on. I quickly sent the customer a convo with a photo copy of the post office receipt that showed the date and zip code as proof that it had been sent. Then I gave the customer two options, refund or send another apron set. Of course I explained we were a family run business, blah blah blah. She requested the item so I made a new set and sent it to her (whining all the way to post office).

SEVERAL weeks later the mysterious missing package arrived at my home. It turned out I had put the wrong street number on the package so obviously it sat in someone's home for a while before they returned it to sender. The customer and I both wondered why in the world the neighbor didn't just walk it two doors down to her??? Anyhoo, I changed my policies and it is now the customer’s responsibility to pay for insurance/tracking if they want a guaranteed shipment.

[rusticcraftdesign]

Averylee....if the receiver does not actually receive their package---and really wanted to push the issue, they could file a claim with paypal or dispute the charges with their credit card company...and in both instances i would bet that you would lose the case.

I would recommend springing for the insurance tracking yourself...because you are the one that will be losing anyways! Perhaps factor in that cost to the shipping price?

[hipposdream]

Customer now left positive feedback but without any comment so I mailed her to ask if the package arrived now... but no answer ( yet)
Strange....

[WendyHodgsonMudPups]

Wendy, you would not believe it - just got an email from the buyer saying - "guess what turned up in my letterbox today?" Three months later! and that was within Australia!

so don't give up hope (my buyer is kind enough to now transfer my payment back to me through paypal - thank you!).

[hipposdream]

Wauw.... you have had a really nice and honest buyer !

[WendyHodgsonMudPups]

I know! We had built up a bit of a friendship over the whole thing so I'm sure that helped - but also I think most people are honest, it's the 20% who aren't that give us all a bad name - and a bad time.

[Former_Member]

Wow! So great for both of you!

[Former_Member]

Wendy, I would wait a bit longer. Most my sales went to the States, but also one to Italy and it took 4 working days. I know within EU it shouldn't take more than 10 working days, but you never know. It might show up. If it doesn't you'll have to refund.

[JulieEllisDesigns]

I had a "lost" package returned to me because I had not put enough postage on it. It tooks weeks and weeks though and I had already mailed a replacement to the customer. I was suspicious at first, but then the package turned up and it was my fault! So, give it some time yet!

[CarambasVintage]

Hi,

Sometimes it is better to just give a refund, particularly if you do not have track and trace and have no way of knowing where the package was.

Some time ago a customer whose package was, according to USPS, at the NY sorting facility, filed a case against my shop just 20 days after I shipped the package. I had no option but to refund her, even when the package was probably just delayed.

As a seller you have very little protection. I would offer her to send a new item or refund her and forget about it.

[Inugurumi]

I read somebody saying packages are still delayed in UK because of the Olympic. I guess they still haven't caught up yet. I don't know how packages between EU countries are processed but this could be one of the reasons.

[stitchntheattic]

I had a package that was lost in the mail last week. I gave my customer the option of a refund or to pick another item, which she did. When checking the tracking number I found that it never left my post office. They have been looking, but so far, nothing. My customer in the meantime ordered two other items in my shop. I was so afraid of the package getting lost that I insured it. Did not want anything to happen again. I will not be able to afford insurance unless I charge for it. How many of you insure your package?

[Former_Member]

When you ship from Finland a limited insurance is automatically included in heavy (over 2 kg) or big packages. On smaller ones you have to separately take insurance or registered shipping. I offer registered shipping only for a few more valuable items (like some jewelry), but most of my items I ship with standard economy mail - no insurance or anything included. I don't want to have too high shipping prices unless the item actually is more valuable...
I don't see any point in paying for the insurance myself separately, in the end most packages do find their way to the buyer, so it would just feel like a waste of money - I think I would be paying more on insurances than I would have to pay refunds (or at least I hope so!).