Advice on possibly lost package (Solved)

Hi all. I need some advice on to how to proceed, especially from those of you living in the USA.

Had a watch purchased on eBay about 10 days ago by a buyer from the US. Shipped it via registered airmail with tracking and signature on delivery. Even though it has to go over the Atlantic, these don't usually take more than 10 days. By the 7th day it was delivered, with tracking updating as "Delivered to front desk/reception/mail room". However, the buyer claims that he hasn't actually received the watch, that he has no front desk, reception or mail room, and that he's been home all day on the date of delivery.

I've shipped hundreds of packages all over, with maybe 70% of them in the US. No lost package, miss-delivery or any problem at all. The name and address of the receiver are correct, since I have the original receipt from the postal office. It doesn't make sense for it to have been delivered to some random place, taken the signature of some random person, and calling it a day. I get it that sh*t happens, but I can't simply register it.

While there's a chance that the buyer is trying to abuse the system - but pressuring me first and eBay later - to maybe get a watch for free, but I don't want to go that route. He seems like a very decent person from the talks I've had, and in the end of the day, that is impossible for me to verify.

So, in short, from your experience, what is the chance that a package with signature on delivery gets miss-delivered? Is there any way to get more information from USPS on the proof of delivery? Getting to see the address it was delivered and signature would at least shine some light to the whole ordeal. Anything else you'd advice we (both me and the buyer) do to investigate further?

Thanks for taking the time to read.

I'm sorry, but let me make sure that I understand this.

You were the owner of the watch and you put it up on eBay? The seller purchased it? You shipped it? Correct all of this so far? If so:

Where did you ship it out for the watch (where from your area)?
Then the watch was shipped to the buyer in the USA, correct?
Now, did you say that the shipping was via USPS? If so, what method from USPS and did you insure for it?

Did you do a google search on the address you shipped to? Is it a house or an condo/apartment building? You might be able to create a USPS account and see if that will provide more detailed delivery information https://reg.usps.com/register

@gbesq You are correct. It's my watch, which I shipped from Tirana (Albania) to the buyer somewhere in the NY area. I dropped the package in the Albanian Post, which in turn hands it over to USPS once it reaches US soil or however their agreement is. That's how any international package is handled I guess, by the local postal service.

@fiberguy I checked and it looks like an apartment building. Signing in to USPS doesn't provide any more information, probably because it's an international package.

There have been issues, especially in the NYC area, of packages being dropped off in apartment lobbies and then packages disappearing. Lobbies are being overrun by parcels from Amazon and other online retailers. It seems the address is an apartment building, but the buyer indicates otherwise. You should followup with the buyer as to what his living situation actually is, how does he get his mail. Delivered to his door, a box in a lobby, or something else. Good luck.

I was just about to say the same thing that Evitzee noted. Get as much information from the buyer about how he gets his mail, especially those from packages. I doubt that you're going to get much assistance from the USPS since the package was shipped initially from Albania. I assume that the package went through the US Customs before it was cleared and then sent it to the USPS?

I understand that packages "disappear", but shouldn't that be the case for Amazon/UPS packages? One that requires signature on delivery, in theory shouldn't be left alone in a lobby or wherever. That weirds me out.

Yes, it should clear customs before going through the distribution centers. What's interesting is that USPS does pick up the tracking code almost immediately when I post it; that's not the case for any of the EU or Asian postal services. A partial screenshot below.

And ALWAYS, ALWAYS ship with insurance and make sure that you know the insurance limits from your shipper.

@ErichKeane that's crazy. Will definitely keep that in mind.

@gbesq Fair point. I took a bit of a gamble on this one, since from a certain value I use DHL. It's a lot faster and does have insurance. Paying for the lesson I guess.

@rendo Redacted the recipient's zip code, but the rest is untouched. I think he already filed a missing mail claim, and from what he told me, has spoken to USPS support several times with no real help.

@Dan S you're probably right. However, I'd hate the drama. He also has the right to leave a negative feedback, which would completely sink my rating.

Case solved. His neighbor found the package in their mailbox and returned it to him. Happy and relieved it worked out, as hope was getting really thin.

Thank you all for the support.

All's well that ends well.

Been there. If you bring this up to your postal carrier, be kind.