eBay bargains and courier compensation

eBay bargains and courier compensation

Author
Discussion

GasEngineer

Original Poster:

1,427 posts

76 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
You win an auction and get something for an absolute bargain - let's say a £200 value item for £20.

The item goes missing in the post. Can you claim for the actual value* or only the price you won the auction for?

  • proven by the price of exactly the same item elsewhere.

Fast and Spurious

1,802 posts

102 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
The key word here is compensation. Compensation covers your loss, in this case £20.

RedWhiteMonkey

7,811 posts

196 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
GasEngineer said:
You win an auction and get something for an absolute bargain - let's say a £200 value item for £20.

The item goes missing in the post. Can you claim for the actual value* or only the price you won the auction for?

  • proven by the price of exactly the same item elsewhere.
Are you asking if it is ok to commit fraud and make a claim for more than you actually paid for something? Only you can answer that one.

essayer

10,157 posts

208 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
It’s worth £20, not £200

Evolved

3,892 posts

201 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
GasEngineer said:
You win an auction and get something for an absolute bargain - let's say a £200 value item for £20.

The item goes missing in the post. Can you claim for the actual value* or only the price you won the auction for?

  • proven by the price of exactly the same item elsewhere.
It’s a moot point as the onus is on the seller. EBay will simply refund you and the seller opens his case with RM.

For info. What you’re asking is fraud. Regardless, the total cost has to be declared or a default amount is covered depending on the service bought. Good luck trying to get any money back from them though. Hateful organisation.

GasEngineer

Original Poster:

1,427 posts

76 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
Why could the claim not be for the actual value rather than the bargain price the buyer paid.

The buyer loses out on the bargain find if not.


GasEngineer

Original Poster:

1,427 posts

76 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
essayer said:
It’s worth £20, not £200
You could say it's worth £200 but the buyer only paid £20.

RedWhiteMonkey

7,811 posts

196 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
GasEngineer said:
You could say it's worth £200 but the buyer only paid £20.
In terms of compensation you can't, unless you are committing fraud. Regardless of that, if you make the claim through eBay (not sure how else you would do it) they will only let you claim the winning costs you paid.

BertBert

20,296 posts

225 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
It's worth what it is worth. We have debated this here in the past. At the literally point of purchase it was worth £20 which is the loss.
What happens over time? If it's an appreciating thing like a car - all that "overs" nonsense that goes on. Those cars are definitely worth more when they are driven out of the showroom.

At some point if that car was lost/stolen the loss of the owner is what they could have sold it for - the market value.

Hol

9,039 posts

214 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
Ironically, if someone sent you a gift worth £200 which was confirmed as lost by the courier, they could claim for it.


MustangGT

13,081 posts

294 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
Would it not be the seller to make the claim, if they arranged the post/courier?

808 Estate

2,386 posts

105 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
If the seller has the original £200 receipt, they could claim that value.
Then refund you the £20 you paid.

Richard-390a0

2,859 posts

105 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
IIRC you can only claim a maximum of £20 via R.M unless Special Delivery or additional insurance purchased.

2020vision

473 posts

10 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
GasEngineer said:
Why could the claim not be for the actual value rather than the bargain price the buyer paid.

The buyer loses out on the bargain find if not.
You could always lobby the labour government to set up a “Lost Bargains Compensation Board” with sufficient funds to compensate the self-interested delusional among us.

Speak to Starmer and Rayner. One has a unique take on justice, the other a unique take on….well, taking.

2020vision

473 posts

10 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
GasEngineer said:
You win an auction and get something for an absolute bargain - let's say a £200 value item for £20.

The item goes missing in the post. Can you claim for the actual value* or only the price you won the auction for?

  • proven by the price of exactly the same item elsewhere.
I have a couple of £20k watches I can sell you for £20. Now who can we claim off when they get lost on their way to you? Split the profit.

You could clean up better than Mr Musk!

BertBert

20,296 posts

225 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
2020vision said:
I have a couple of £20k watches I can sell you for £20. Now who can we claim off when they get lost on their way to you? Split the profit.

You could clean up better than Mr Musk!
I'm wondering why you post so much nonsense that has no relevance to the topic under debate.

119

11,450 posts

50 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
BertBert said:
2020vision said:
I have a couple of £20k watches I can sell you for £20. Now who can we claim off when they get lost on their way to you? Split the profit.

You could clean up better than Mr Musk!
I'm wondering why you post so much nonsense that has no relevance to the topic under debate.
Pretty much the same for the OP tbh.

WPA

11,841 posts

128 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
Worth remembering that if claiming from Royal Mail that you have to supply all details of the auction including the receipt showing price paid.

If you don't supply they will throw the claim out.

Just done a claim a few weeks ago.

5lab

1,740 posts

210 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
I don't think claiming £200 is necessarily fraud.

Lets say I buy the item for £20 as a gift for a friend, wrap it in wrapping paper and send it on, it gets lost at this point, what can I claim? what happens if its a year later? reversing it, if I bought a ps4 and a copy of FIFA in 2014 for £450, and I post it tomorrow, can I claim £450 if its lost?

IMO the amount you can claim is the value of the item. If you only paid £20 proving the value of the item is £200 is extremely difficult, but may be possible.

Jamescrs

5,258 posts

79 months

Thursday 7th November 2024
quotequote all
It’s not going to happen for a couple of reasons.

The delivery contract is between seller who posts the item and courier. I used to sell a lot on eBay and every time you post the courier asks for value of item, I always used purchase price.

On the very rare occasion and item was lost they asked for the sale details as proof of value so I would send them a screenshot or item number, that’s how they value the item for compensation to the poster, not the recipient.

The recipient gets their refund of the purchase price from the seller.