eBay problem: Wrong address(Undeliverable address) so the package got sent back to me

[wanhaikal]

Sold my stuff on ebay. Sent it out, but the buyer gave me wrong address (undeliverable address), so the package got sent back to me. I messaged the buyer to tell him it was the wrong address & no response.

1. Do i get to keep the money AND the item?
2. If they don't reply in a certain amount of time do i keep everything?
3. If they request it be shipped again, do i have to pay for shipping again?

[passingclouds]

1. No. You would be legally obligated to refund the amount they paid. You may be able to keep what you spent on shipping. Regardless, I would contact them several more times for 14 days from the day you first shipped to see if they still want the item. If you keep the money and do not take reasonable steps to return it, you can be criminally prosecuted.

2. No. Legally in the United States, after a certain period of reasonable time, you need to turn the money over to your State Treasurer's Office. At this time you certainly can keep the shipping part. The Treasurer's office has an Unclaimed Property division that attempts to return this money to the owner. Again, if you don't turn the money over, they can come back years from now and you can be charged with theft.

3. No. Unless they gave you the right address and you pooched it on the package. This one is tricky, as they could use you making them pay shipping twice as a reason to ding your Ebay rating. For a small package ($5), I'd would eat the shipping, even if I lost money.

Also check into Ebay's Buyer Protection Program. For an item that qualifies for this program, you can probably get your listing fee refunded when you relist the item.