Bartertown.com

Recently had a deal that was not satisfactory and I want to get my money back and return said items. Anyone know if I write "Return to Sender" on the package (FR Priority w/ automated DC#) if the post office will accept it and track it back to the other trader?

Or am I stuck paying for return postage for a bad deal?

I believe if the package was opened, you cannot just mark return to sender. If you opened it, you have to pay postage.

Once you've opened the package, you've accepted it. If you wrote refused on it, and left it unopened, then as long as postage was paid for both ways, it'd have been returned to sender. [parcel post and media mail is postage for only 1 way. if it gets returned, the receiver has to pay to get it back.]

You accepted the package. It's yours. If you choose to send it pack, then YOU CHOOSE TO SEND IT BACK. That means you pay postage.

Also holds true with a letter. If you open it, it's yours. If you refuse it, just write refused on it and drop it in the mail. 'Junk' mail will be thrown away, unless the sender has agreed to pay for it's return or to get an address notification.

kturock:
Hypothetically, though, if he hadn't opened it, would the DC# track it back to the original shipper?

Also, @ all
Regarding returning items after you open the box:
"Can't" and "shouldn't" are different. I know people who have received *crap* from senders retaped the box (they opened from the bottom) and took it to the post office and returned it as if it was unopened.
It's illegal, and I definitely DO NOT CONDONE THE PRACTICE, but it's been done before.

Eric

MagickalMemories wrote:kturock:
Hypothetically, though, if he hadn't opened it, would the DC# track it back to the original shipper?
Eric

Yes. It'd be scanned refused, and then the shipping process would start all over.

MagickalMemories wrote: Also, @ all
Regarding returning items after you open the box:
"Can't" and "shouldn't" are different. I know people who have received *crap* from senders retaped the box (they opened from the bottom) and took it to the post office and returned it as if it was unopened.
It's illegal, and I definitely DO NOT CONDONE THE PRACTICE, but it's been done before.

Eric

Yes, if it's caught, it'll be sent back to you, and it'll be marked 'returned for postage' and say you must use a new mailing box.

kturock wrote:Once you've opened the package, you've accepted it. If you wrote refused on it, and left it unopened, then as long as postage was paid for both ways, it'd have been returned to sender. [parcel post and media mail is postage for only 1 way. if it gets returned, the receiver has to pay to get it back.]

You accepted the package. It's yours. If you choose to send it pack, then YOU CHOOSE TO SEND IT BACK. That means you pay postage.
.

Damn, so can I file a BTR if the trader doesn't pay me for return postage? I don't want to be out $6+ because he misrepresented the items.

I'd say no. If he sent everything and you changed your mine, you're backing out. You'd still have to pay postage if you were mailing him something. If you bought it/them, wll, that's another discussion. Most online sales don't cover return postage either.
If the trade wasn't what you expected, then you might be able to file a BTR.
If you send it back, and he didn't agree before hand to payback the postage, then no BTR.

Well, items were misrepresented and half the figures were unusable. However, I didn't ask him to pay for return postage since I thought I could just mark it return to sender.

Looks like I'm out $6. At least this cemented my policy of not sending any money to traders with less than 100 refs.

ancientsociety wrote:

kturock wrote:Once you've opened the package, you've accepted it. If you wrote refused on it, and left it unopened, then as long as postage was paid for both ways, it'd have been returned to sender. [parcel post and media mail is postage for only 1 way. if it gets returned, the receiver has to pay to get it back.]

You accepted the package. It's yours. If you choose to send it pack, then YOU CHOOSE TO SEND IT BACK. That means you pay postage.
.

Damn, so can I file a BTR if the trader doesn't pay me for return postage? I don't want to be out $6+ because he misrepresented the items.

It really depends on the details. If the items were not as described, then possibly.
if you've already sent then, after sending, are demanding a refund of shipping... that's a bit questionable. For me, if you expect return shipping to be paid, it should be mentioned prior to shipping and agreed upon by the other party, first.
If they refuse to cover return shipping, THEN you can start contemplating a negative.
That's my opinion, having not seen all of the details, mind you.


Eric