Hundreds of 'lost' parcels auctioned on eBay, Royal Mail responds

An anonymous seller has reportedly been auctioning off undelivered parcels in perfect condition, covering items ranging from electronics to jewellery, with the highest price paid for the parcels being £140.

The ads also show pictures of packages, some of which show names and addresses blacked out or torn off, but others still show labels with personal information, with some of the packages claiming that customer information will only be removed "when possible."

Some people believe that the invoice is likely to still be in the package, which contains personal information. Therefore, many consumers who are keen on online shopping are worried that their personal information will appear on the receipt or printout in the package, which has also triggered public condemnation of companies such as Hermes and Royal Mail: "Sellers, Hermes and companies such as Royal Mail should ensure that these details are removed from the package before they are handed over to any third party."

On April 7, foreign media reported the response of the Royal Mail and Hermes to the matter. According to the Royal Mail, these packages have never been listed directly on eBay by the Royal Mail itself, but by third parties hired by certain retailers. They do not want to deal with the return of packages that customers no longer want, so they will put them on eBay for sale, especially abroad, because when customers refuse to accept the delivery, the management costs of sending the package back to the sender can be very high.

"As a result, certain overseas retailers sometimes arrange for a third-party service provider in the UK to manage their returns. These retailers will then mark these third-party companies as the returns address on any packaging. Once the third-party company receives the goods, they sometimes choose to sell these items through auctions on online marketplaces." A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "Where we are aware of items being sold in this way, we require these companies to remove any customer details from their websites and not to mention Royal Mail in accordance with our terms and conditions."

Hermès responded similarly, saying it had no say over where returned packages went, and that some overseas retailers had customs clearance offices in the UK, where Hermès also collected and returned items, which were then listed on eBay by third parties. Couriers are legally prohibited from opening packages and destroying personal data.

eBay has said that listings containing packages with mystery contents are prohibited regardless, under their "Opportunistic Listings" policy. All sellers must identify the exact contents of the package in the description.

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