I sold a Darth Revan minifigure on ebay and dropped off the item on May 5th (Sold May 4th). Tracking information is still stuck at electronic shipping info received with no further update. Today, the buyer opened an item not received case. I responded and told the buyer that I will contact USPS. USPS said to just wait. If it doesn't show up in a couple of days, there is nothing I can do without insurance. 

Has anyone experienced similar situation? I am planning on messaging the buyer and ask him to wait until May 15th (last day before buyer can escalate the claim), and if the item does not show, I will either refund the money or ship another Darth Revan minifigure. 

This is my first LEGO ebay selling experience, so any help or advice is appreciated.

Unless tracking shows delivered, I'm afraid your only options are either refund or send another Revan. I would refund on the odd chance that the buyer did receive the item and is pulling a fast one. Make sure to check the tracking # on the USPS website directly, eBay always has a lag.

I have had this happen a few times, but it seems once I call the USPS and have them put in a request to locate, they always seem to find it and tracking starts again within a day or two. I think you have to wait 5 days before you can request a trace, but it is past that so if you didn't I would. I would agree that you should refund instead of shipping another.

Whenever I have the time and the line is short, or non-existent, I ask for a receipt when dropping off at USPS.  It only takes a moment -- they scan the barcode right there, and hand you a receipt with the tracking info on it.  Tracking always shows up for me for these within a few hours, where-as those that I drop off without the receipt sometimes don't show tracking for up to 2 days...

I typically have a similar experience to Loren - if you go to usps.com and load in the tracking number, and then ask for email updates, they'll send them to you if the package ends up getting scanned.

 

There's no harm in asking the buyer to wait and letting him know you'll be refunding or replacing if it doesn't show up in the system by a certain date, and the day before he can escalate is a good choice.

 

USPS almost always ends up finding them eventually (unless the package was attacked and eaten by postal machinery) and once you've refunded or replaced the item for the buyer, you can also send them a polite request that if the package shows up in future, you'd appreciate if they'd either pay you at that time, or mark the package "refused" so that it will come back to you. Most buyers are honest, so you have a good shot at not being permanently out the money and item.

Thank you guys for the help. I called and requested to locate the item. Now magically item was scanned at my local sort facility 7 days after I dropped it off. In the future, I will get the receipt.