Delivered instead of shipped

[GoldenTanner]

As a small hobby spray tanner, people can purchase lotions and products on my website.

A customer I dont know placed a large order but I was out of stock on a product.

She lived three minutes away and I told her I would hand deliver them to her.

she advised me to leave them near the mailbox of her apartment complex.

She emailed me again and asked when I was coming I told her I was on my way and she replied great leave them in the mailbox area.

I put them in a nice gift bag, dropped them

off and emailed her I did so.

Two hours later she responds to the email asking saying I dropped them off asking if I had dropped them off yet.

i refowarded her the email saying I had.

THREE hours later she emails saying the products aren't there and a lot of mail gets stolen so someone must have stolen them. Because she had been checking since I told her I was on my way…..

Am I responsible for reimbursing her the $125 for products I hand delivered?

[JJ_]

Hello @GoldenTanner

This is a lamentable situation, porch pirates have significantly increased since the pandemic (with more and more people ordering online) So my best advice for the future is to ship items via carriers that are able to secure goods for you.

In situations like this where you just left the items and they were stolen then you technically are responsible for the goods. The reason for this is that the customer will potentially dispute the purchase as not delivered or shipped and it might cost you more in the long run. One thing I've seen other Sellers do is request a police report and file a claim with their insurance for stolen goods.

I know this might not be the answer you were expecting but I hope I was able to provide clarity on the situation.