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Heartbroken: USPS lost preloved Moline pearl earrings

fiona00004

fiona00004

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Messages
1,345
I am heartbroken and confused.
I purchased from @Asscherhalo_lover a few years ago without issue. This time it was a different experience.

This past May 19th, I purchased her lovely preloved Moline pearl earrings. It got lost in the USPS system.

Past messages I received from her informed me that she is waiting for USPS to contact her and then send her a package to claim the loss of the earrings. Last I heard from her was Aug 5th despite me asking her for an update in Aug27th.

To be proactive , I called USPS to find out what I can do... The agent informs me to claim the amount through my bank because USPS only deals with the sender.

On Aug. 27th, I asked her if she claimed the loss, to give me an update. But I feel ghosted.

Since things have been hanging for over 3 months, I messaged her via email and PayPal requesting a 50% refund. This way, she can claim loss through USPS and get more funds back, and I think this would be a fair settlement. Again, she has not replied.

Lessen learned: NEVER pay through PayPal F&F.

Am I missing something here? What would you do?
 
fiona00004 said:
I am heartbroken and confused.
I purchased from @Asscherhalo_lover a few years ago without issue. This time it was a different experience.

This past May 19th, I purchased her lovely preloved Moline pearl earrings. It got lost in the USPS system.

Past messages I received from her informed me that she is waiting for USPS to contact her and then send her a package to claim the loss of the earrings. Last I heard from her was Aug 5th despite me asking her for an update in Aug27th.

To be proactive , I called USPS to find out what I can do... The agent informs me to claim the amount through my bank because USPS only deals with the sender.

On Aug. 27th, I asked her if she claimed the loss, to give me an update. But I feel ghosted.

Since things have been hanging for over 3 months, I messaged her via email and PayPal requesting a 50% refund. This way, she can claim loss through USPS and get more funds back, and I think this would be a fair settlement. Again, she has not replied.

Lessen learned: NEVER pay through PayPal F&F.

Am I missing something here? What would you do?
Click to expand...

I’m so sorry Fiona.
I believe asscherhalolover will absolutely make this right for you

And yes. Please everyone. For both parties it’s best to use PayPal goods and services. Worth the extra 3%. For everyone’s protection
 
fiona00004 said:
I am heartbroken and confused.
I purchased from @Asscherhalo_lover a few years ago without issue. This time it was a different experience.

This past May 19th, I purchased her lovely preloved Moline pearl earrings. It got lost in the USPS system.

Past messages I received from her informed me that she is waiting for USPS to contact her and then send her a package to claim the loss of the earrings. Last I heard from her was Aug 5th despite me asking her for an update in Aug27th.

To be proactive , I called USPS to find out what I can do... The agent informs me to claim the amount through my bank because USPS only deals with the sender.

On Aug. 27th, I asked her if she claimed the loss, to give me an update. But I feel ghosted.

Since things have been hanging for over 3 months, I messaged her via email and PayPal requesting a 50% refund. This way, she can claim loss through USPS and get more funds back, and I think this would be a fair settlement. Again, she has not replied.

Lessen learned: NEVER pay through PayPal F&F.

Am I missing something here? What would you do?
Click to expand...

Ma'am, with all due respect, I EMAILED YOU THE RESPONSE FROM USPS TELLING ME I CAN FILE A CLAIM IN 30 DAYS FROM THE EMAIL THEY SENT AUGUST 19TH!!!!! ONCE AGAIN YOU ARE NOT EMAILING ME AND ARE USING A PUBLIC FORUM WHICH TOLD YOU NOT TO POST ABOUT THIS HERE TO SHAME ME! YOU'RE ALSO TRYING TO COMMIT FRAUD! You CHOSE not to fully insure the item! You CHOSE. I told you many many many times I will send you whatever I get refunded from USPS when they refund me! They have not YET as per the email I sent you. Please stop this nonsense.
 
Despite deciding not to insure shipping, a lost USPS is not my fault.

Since I cannot file a claim myself, it's up to the sender to do do.

Since the last I heard from the seller was August 5th, I just want to settle without having write emails, not get answers to my questions and then having to find other creative means to get attention from the seller.

I asked the seller on Aug27th if she filed a claim or if she received the claim package she was waiting for but again last I heard from her was Aug 5th.

This is the reason for writing about my experience on this forum.

If I received answers to questions, I can be reassured that the seller is being supportive of this loss. However, I am being reminded multiple times that I chose uninsured shipping which is true. But being insured or not, the package was still lost so someone needs to be proactive about it. Unfortunately, as per USPS, there's nothing I can do about it as the buyer so I rely on the seller.

You can reply by email @Asscherhalo_lover , it was always the preferred option.

Again, I tried EVERYTHING to settle this.

Should I just give up?
 
@Asscherhalo_lover
I haven't heard from you since August 5th. I was not informed if they actually emailed you Aug 19th.
 
fiona00004 said:
Despite deciding not to insure shipping, a lost USPS is not my fault.

Since I cannot file a claim myself, it's up to the sender to do do.

Since the last I heard from the seller was August 5th, I just want to settle without having write emails, not get answers to my questions and then having to find other creative means to get attention from the seller.

I asked the seller on Aug27th if she filed a claim or if she received the claim package she was waiting for but again last I heard from her was Aug 5th.

This is the reason for writing about my experience on this forum.

If I received answers to questions, I can be reassured that the seller is being supportive of this loss. However, I am being reminded multiple times that I chose uninsured shipping which is true. But being insured or not, the package was still lost so someone needs to be proactive about it. Unfortunately, as per USPS, there's nothing I can do about it as the buyer so I rely on the seller.

You can reply by email @Asscherhalo_lover , it was always the preferred option.

Again, I tried EVERYTHING to settle this.

Should I just give up?
Click to expand...

I did NOT get any emails from you! All I GOT was you trying to claim someone FRAUDULENTLY used your paypal account to make a purchase! You claimed FRAUD. THEN as that is pending you did NOT send me a message, you sent a request for half of the money! Why on earth would I send you anything when I have NOT been refunded anything from USPS yet AND there's a pending FRAUD claim in paypal? No WAY. You did NOT send a "message", you filed a fraud claim and THEN sent a payment request. I am NOT a business, I am a PERSON. I will send you what USPS sends me WHEN they send it.
 
@Asscherhalo_lover
Also, yes, I DID email you: on Tuesday, August 27th.

I cannot shame you with facts.
 
fiona00004 said:
@Asscherhalo_lover
Also, yes, I DID email you: on Tuesday, August 27th.

I cannot shame you with facts.
Click to expand...

I didn't get it, nothing. Went back and checked ALL folders. You sure could have used the messenger in paypal as you've done before. ANYWAY, since you've filed a FRAUD claim, we'll see how that plays out.
 
@Asscherhalo_lover
This is getting nowhere.

I sent you a screenshot by email of my Aug 27th. communication.

I am providing dates to be factual.

I spoke with PayPal by phone to clarify everything the day I requested 50%. I wrote you an additional email August 30th to explain.

I called USPS. I called PayPal. I am trying to actively figure things out.
 
Asscherhalo_lover said:
I didn't get it, nothing. Went back and checked ALL folders. You sure could have used the messenger in paypal as you've done before. ANYWAY, since you've filed a FRAUD claim, we'll see how that plays out.
Click to expand...

I just emailed you screenshots of the Aug 31 email I sent.
 
AS YOU CAN SEE I CAN PUT IN THE CLAIM SEPTEMBER 18. I'll "email" it to you.
 
Asscherhalo_lover said:
I didn't get it, nothing. Went back and checked ALL folders. You sure could have used the messenger in paypal as you've done before. ANYWAY, since you've filed a FRAUD claim, we'll see how that plays out.
Click to expand...

I spoke to PayPal. I asked them to remove the fraud. To dispute a transaction, there's only 3 choices of topics, NONE of which applied to our situation. I called them to fix it. The only thing they said they can do was send a customary PayPal email message to reply to me.
 
Asscherhalo_lover said:
AS YOU CAN SEE I CAN PUT IN THE CLAIM SEPTEMBER 18. I'll "email" it to you.
Click to expand...

You could have told me that filed a claim or responded toy email from Aug. 27th.

Here's screenshots of my previous emails
 

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Lesson for buyers:

1) do not use PayPal F&F. EVER.

2) use insured shipping (that won't prevent a lost package though. And this saga might have happened anyway if it's only the seller who can file a claim. I don't know)

3) some may feel like shipping across border was the problem. There's no proof it even reached the border. Tracking got stuck 3 days after shipping.

Lesson for sellers:

1) Please do not accept PayPal F&F
2) keep buyer informed / regular communication
3) If problems arise, please find a way to settle that both parties agree is fair.
 
I'm still waiting for you to reply to my EMAIL.
 
Lesson to all, use consignment only, this BS is NOT worth it. Especially as many of us price low in a community sense. Never again.
 
People are allowed to post their actual experiences, without personal attacks, on this forum.

We do not get in the middle of transactions or threads unless they break the forum policies. Which is one reason why we require transactions to occur on outside platforms and do not allow personal information to be posted directly. We're not in a position to judge what has happened, please contact the platform where this transaction occurred.

We put up a thread reminding people about some best practices to help avoid these difficult situations: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/reminder-best-practices-for-selling-buying.284367/
 
Yikes.

@fiona00004 I can say from personal experience that USPS is not quick to be helpful when you make a claim. Asscher isn’t trying to deceive you when she says there’s a 30-day waiting period, and in all likelihood even once that waiting period is up - communications will be slow. Not sure if that’s part of your concern here - just want to highlighting it.

I was struggling to understand why you’d be satisfied with a 50% refund… The part about choosing to not insure, well, that’s a pretty critical piece of info to leave out. Why did you make that decision? I’m afraid if Asscher didn’t declare a value and pay extra - the most she’ll get back is shipping plus default insurance on priority if priority was used (which I believe they bumped from $100 to $200 this year but don’t quote me on that).

Again - that’s the most she’ll get back. There is no path to getting the full value of the shipment back if full value wasn’t declared at time of shipping.

My personal opinion is that in a private sale, when a buyer insists on no declared value, it’s the buyer’s risk to take in entirety. Mitigating that risk is precisely what shipping insurance is for. I like to send a email stating that explicitly before I ship out - for my own protection. That’s my opinion though; I won’t try to tell you what yours should be.

The good news is that USPS rarely actually completely loses a package. There’s a very good chance it’ll show up at your doorstep randomly in a couple of months, with no warning and no explanation. USPS seems to be different from FedEx and UPS in that regard - when the private shippers lose a parcel I’ve never had it reappear.
 
Last edited:
yssie said:
Yikes.

@fiona00004 I can say from personal experience that USPS is not quick to be helpful when you make a claim. Asscher isn’t trying to deceive you when she says there’s a 30-day waiting period, and in all likelihood even once that waiting period is up - communications will be slow. Not sure if that’s part of your concern here - just want to highlighting it.

I was struggling to understand why you’d be satisfied with a 50% refund… The part about choosing to not insure, well, that’s a pretty critical piece of info to leave out. Why did you make that decision? I’m afraid if Asscher didn’t declare a value and pay extra - the most she’ll get back is shipping plus default insurance on priority if priority was used (which I believe they bumped from $100 to $200 this year but don’t quote me on that).

Again - that’s the most she’ll get back. There is no path to getting the full value of the shipment back if full value wasn’t declared at time of shipping.

My personal opinion is that in a private sale, when a buyer insists on no declared value, it’s the buyer’s risk to take in entirety. Mitigating that risk is precisely what shipping insurance is for. I like to send a email stating that explicitly before I ship out - for my own protection. That’s my opinion though; I won’t try to tell you what yours should be.

The good news is that USPS rarely actually completely loses a package. There’s a very good chance it’ll show up at your doorstep randomly in a couple of months, with no warning and no explanation. USPS seems to be different from FedEx and UPS in that regard - when the private shippers lose a parcel I’ve never had it reappear.
Click to expand...

I understand that USPS processes can be long.

What I struggled with was lack of communication. It's possible that somehow messages were not getting through...so whenever I sent a question to ask for an update, I felt ghosted. But I always used the same method of communication and only sometimes. I got a spontaneous email back so that is why I ne et questioned if my messages were going through.

If open communication is absent, I am left to assume many things and misunderstandings will happen.

For example, a claim was sent Aug. 19th pending review. I was not informed of that at all. Being left in the dark is not fun.

I accept responsibility for using PayPal F&F, I accept responsibility for not choosing insured shipping.
 
fiona00004 said:
I understand that USPS processes can be long.

What I struggled with was lack of communication. It's possible that somehow messages were not getting through...so whenever I sent a question to ask for an update, I felt ghosted. But I always used the same method of communication and only sometimes. I got a spontaneous email back so that is why I ne et questioned if my messages were going through.

If open communication is absent, I am left to assume many things and misunderstandings will happen.

For example, a claim was sent Aug. 19th pending review. I was not informed of that at all. Being left in the dark is not fun.

I accept responsibility for using PayPal F&F, I accept responsibility for not choosing insured shipping.
Click to expand...

I’m new to posting here, but if you pick uninsured shipping, doesn’t that mean you can’t get a refund if the package gets lost? So if you don’t choose insurance, you’re okay with losing the package, right?

I sell a lot on eBay, and I would never send an expensive item without insurance, even if the buyer says it’s okay. If the seller didn’t get insurance and you didn’t pay for insured shipping, you’re out of luck.
 
Communication is so important. I’m not following the specifics of this situation TBH - sounds like some comms are getting through and some aren’t. I hope posting here helps both sides iron out where the comms are getting lost!

It’s a difficult situation. I’m sorry this happened and I hope it gets resolved quickly!
 
Blingluvr3425 said:
I’m new to posting here, but if you pick uninsured shipping, doesn’t that mean you can’t get a refund if the package gets lost? So if you don’t choose insurance, you’re okay with losing the package, right?

I sell a lot on eBay, and I would never send an expensive item without insurance, even if the buyer says it’s okay. If the seller didn’t get insurance and you didn’t pay for insured shipping, you’re out of luck.
Click to expand...

I understand what you mean. The seller is a private person, not a business so it was my responsibility to choose insured shipping.

However, the package got lost in the USPS system soon after it was shipped out so I think USPS should be held responsible somehow. It's not like it got delivered and stolen off my front door or anything.
 
yssie said:
Communication is so important. I’m not following the specifics of this situation TBH - sounds like some comms are getting through and some aren’t. I hope posting here helps both sides iron out where the comms are getting lost!

It’s a difficult situation. I’m sorry this happened and I hope it gets resolved quickly!
Click to expand...

Indeed a challenge and I learning experience.

I believe in acting in good faith though and I am the type of person who makes things happen cuz waiting around will only result in less than favorable results. It's posible that my persistent approach isn't everyone's preferred way of dealing with things.
 
USPS will not refund anything if the sender didn't purchase insurance, unless the package was sent through a method that includes insurance (e.g. for domestic mail, Priority comes with a certain amount of insurance.)

As far as lost packages, I once received an item shipped in a small bubble mailer 22 months late. Yup, almost 2 years. It just showed up. No idea where it was all that time. The seller had refunded me, so I repaid them. Odd. But there is hope....
 
I am wholly confident that asscher is also acting in good faith.
 
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