Ebay Seller Question

I too have received an empty box from a recent purchase made on FeeBay. It happens. Here's some good info on how the claims process works with FeeBay:

I bought three Quarter Eagles from the same seller from three separate Buy-It-Now auctions. I paid for the items promptly and I received a small Flat Rate box a few days later. I opened the box and there was nothing but foam blocks inside. I sent the seller a message through FeeBay and he called me shortly after receiving the message. We talked for a while and it wasn't until he asked me about the condition of the box that I noticed there was a very well concealed cut on the box that was taped shut. He told me not to worry because he purchased insurance through FeeBay and he was sure they'd cover the loss. He ranted about the USPS being underpaid and understaffed and that he wouldn't be surprised if some disgruntled employee stole the coins. He asked me to wait for the insurance process to go through before filing a claim through FeeBay. I was a little suspicious about that request, but he seemed like a good guy and FeeBay wouldn't let me file a claim until a few days after the expected delivery date anyway.

(That's just the first of many oddities of their claims process - I had an empty box in hand and I had spoken with the seller, yet they still required that I wait 72 hours after the expected delivery date before they would allow me to open "Item not received" claims. How stupid is that?)

So, the day rolls around that I can file the claims and the only thing I'd heard about the insurance claim was a message that asked me to verify the claim. I read in the FeeBay insurance terms and conditions that it won't cover coins, so I filed three "Item not received" cases and a whole nine minutes after filing the claims a "final decision" was made in favor of the seller. All they did was use the tracking number to verify that the package arrived, despite the fact that I wrote in the claim that I received an empty box. So, I called customer support and she informed me that for item not received cases that they do rely soley on the delivery/signature confirmation. She advised me to open an "Item not as described" case for each coin, so I did.

The initial decisions were in favor of the seller, so I filed appeals. For some strange reason, the claims were processed a few hours apart and one of them was date/time stamped on one day, and the other two on the following day. In order to meet all of their conditions, I had to file a police report for the missing coins. It took me a few trips to the PD before they had someone that could take the report, and then it took a few trips before the report was ready for pickup. My fax missed FeeBay's 7 day deadline on one of the coins, but made it on the other two. A full month after this disaster began, they finally decided in my favor and issued refunds for the two coins that met their deadline, but they refused to re-open the case on the other one. I filed a chargeback for the remaining amount through my credit card and I received a refund.

In the end, I think I invested about 20 hours of my time fighting to get refunds on these coins. I don't know if the seller actually shipped the coins or not, but he said he had a witness present when he packaged and shipped the coins. I don't know if he ever identified the witness to FeeBay or the police, or if that witness ever made a statement to verify his claims. I do think that FeeBay actually stepped up and provided the refund without penalizing the seller, because the seller followed all of their rules, but they sure didn't make it easy on either of us.

One thing that aggravates me to no end is that FeeBay will sell you insurance on something that they know it will not cover. If the item is listed in Coins and Paper Money, Coins: US, Gold, $2.50 Quarter Eagle and has Strike Type, Mint Location, Composition, Circulated/Uncirculated, Country and Year filled out, then they should know it's a coin and won't be covered. If the seller chooses to purchase insurance, FeeBay should provide a message that says something like "It looks like you're listing an item that will not be covered by our insurance. We recommend you read the terms and conditions of our insurance to confirm coverage before proceeding."

It's hard to say what you should do in your situation because the value of two silver rounds is relatively small compared to three Quarter Eagles, but I do think it's a good thing to require him to at least file a claim so that FeeBay has a record of his activity. You can express your willingness to refund his money, but that you want him to file a claim to formally document the incident with FeeBay. I don't think that's too much to ask for. If you simply offer a refund and move on, then if he is scamming you, FeeBay won't be able to tell that he's been scamming people in the past should he try to scam another seller. Unless they look close enough to see refund activity, which after my experience with them, I think they do as little as possible when processing claims.

It's also a good thing to file a police report so that his local PD is aware of the activity too, but that might be asking a little much for something that probably sold for $60-75. If I was in your position, I would probably wait for his feedback, then I'd file a police report on your end and ask that your PD forward the report to his local PD. That way at least they're aware of his activity. If it's the first incident of it's kind, then he probably has nothing to worry about. But if he's a repeat offender, maybe they'll get involved and put a stop to it.

Hope this info helps and good luck!

 

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To ebay sellers out there, and note to self as I start selling this year, this has been my experience as a buyer to-date: Padded envelope, wrappped entirely with clear packing tape - never had a problem. Regular envelope or padded but not completely wrapped in tape - I've had a few problems. While nothing will completely protect, I really think leaving no untaped surface is a big deterrent.

 

Good info - thanks!

 

I know some sellers of high end numismatic material have gone to sending stuff in medium sized boxes so that the heavy insurance on a small padded envelope is not a key to what could be in it. Northeast Coins has been sending high dollar materiel out in boxes and including one of their slab boxes for some free advertising.

I really think padded envelopes are becoming a big target - might as well just put a big "steal me" on them.

 

That link also states the USPS will pay out-

"Fair market value of stamps and coins of philatelic or numismatic value, as determined by a recognized stamp or coin dealer or current coin and stamp collectors newsletters and trade papers."

I had assumed your two ounces of silver were two ASEs or something similar. If so, then they are also considered to have numismatic value and the USPS will pay their published numismatic value, which is essentially the same as their bullion value.

Depending upon who you deal with at the USPS, you will have to have various levels of diligence to see your claim through to completion. If you get people who have done this before and understand numismatics a little bit then it can be quite smooth, but other times one has to explain certain aspects of the hobby-industry to the USPS workers.