How to Avoid Lost and Stolen Packages Slashing Your eBay Profits

Every year end a massive number of regular customers on eBay choose to buy on the high street instead, usually because they fear their orders may be lost or stolen in transit or they’ll arrive too late for giving as gifts or to use in the Christmas festivities.

Misplaced orders, goods lost or stolen in transit - I’ve had them all over the years, not just as a seller but as a buyer too.  And, personally, I would never consider buying time-sensitive products online. 

I’ll explain why with an entirely personal tale that’s shared by many other buyers and sellers.  A computer I bought from Amazon a few weeks ago has not turned up, but the firm delivering the computer says it has.  At their site the transporting company says a delivery was attempted at 9.15am Saturday just gone, at the same time I was sitting in the front room, close to the front door, running my eBay business.  Hand on heart: no delivery was attempted. 

So I contacted the delivery firm via their web chat link and that’s where things took on a whole new perspective when, during about fifteen minutes of scribbled messages passing to and fro, the representative continued repeating the same message in various different formats, something to the effect that queries about goods in transit have nothing to do with the delivery company and all questions must be made to the retailer.  During that short conversation the representative even told me the package had been delivered within the last few minutes - another big lie.

In short, the package never arrived and when I phoned Amazon they sent a replacement computer without asking me questions or researching the matter themselves.  That’s either because Amazon is a caring company with a great reputation for customer service - which is true - or maybe it’s because the delivery company concerned has a massive spate of nasty reviews from customers relating the exact same misery I have just endured.  Those reviews are at TrustPilot.com. 

I won’t give the name of the delivery company other than to say it isn’t Royal Mail or Parcelforce, but I would ask you to check whatever delivery company you are using to process your eBay orders. 

Go to TrustPilot.com and key your delivery company’s name into the search box and you will find some really professional delivery companies and one very big name firm with a horrendous history of lost items and incorrect and downright untrue messages given to clients - buyers and sellers alike! 

If that company is delivering your orders I recommend you stop using them right away.  I also advise you to constantly check any other delivery company’s reputation to locate problems that could be forcing you to refund buyers whose goods don’t arrive and which lead to you receiving negative feedback and low detailed seller ratings.