[Eric72]

I copied this from the thread on Blowout. I'm not saying the situation is precisely the same; however, I like the way this seller got the USPS involved in an effort to sort everything out.

Originally Posted by gglenn3278, member, Blowout Cards forums

OP, not sure if this will help in your case, but I had a situation where a fairly expensive ($105) item was "in transit" for a week or so with no updates to the tracking. The buyer sent me a nasty message and filed a claim (only time I heard from him throughout the process). I asked him to be patient, but no response. On the day he could escalate the ebay case, I went ahead and refunded him, and contacted my local postmaster. I had to wait several more days after that, but I filed an insurance claim for the $100 Priority Mail insurance.

A few days after I filed the insurance claim, the package was scanned delivered. I messaged the buyer and asked him to re-send the payment. Of course, he did not respond to my message. Now he had my item AND my money. I figured I was just SOL. A few days after that, I received a check in the mail from USPS for $112 for the $100 insurance, plus Medium Flat Rate Box postage.

After that, I got a follow up call from the postmaster, who had also been following the tracking, asking if the buyer paid me. I told him no, that USPS had paid the claim, and he told me that he was going to pursue charges on the buyer on his end. USPS takes stuff like that very seriously. I would contact your local postmaster and also file an insurance claim. After all, USPS either dropped the ball, or your buyer is dishonest. You are on the hook, but that doesn't mean that it is your fault!