Businesswoman stunned after 'lost' parcels turned up at auction house

A businesswoman was left stunned after she discovered a number of her parcels were being sold by an auctioneer after allegedly going missing with her courier.

Hayley Hanigan, who runs stroller rental company TinyExplorers, could not believe her eyes when she saw her products were being sold online at a fraction of the price.

Large adhesive labels are attached to the parcels stating 'if lost please call', as well as a QR code which redirects the finder to the TinyExplorers website, she said. 

The mother-of-four used the courier Evri for returned parcels during the summer, but switched to DPD after she claimed she was losing 'a crazy amount of items'. 

A few weeks ago, Ms Hanigan was contacted by one of her customers who informed her that one of her Babyzen Yo-Yo strollers had been listed on Vinted.

Ms Hanigan reached out to the seller who allegedly told her that she had bought the stroller — worth around £450 — from a local man for just £20. 

When Ms Hanigan reached out to him, she was then told the stroller had allegedly been bought as part of a bundle from online auction house John Pye Auctions. 

There is no suggestion that Evri has sold the items to the Auction House or knew they had gone there. 

Evri has said it has been in touch with Hayley regarding a goodwill gesture and that she has been sent claims forms for all the items. 

'My whole team then started digging around on this site and we found more of our products there,' Ms Hanigan said. 

She added: 'It's crazy, you can quite clearly see on the label to return to sender, it says it in black and white. 

'We were losing so many of them (parcels) at one point, so we decided, okay, let's put this sticker on them that says if lost, please call this number. It goes then to our website and it's even got a QR code on it that if you scan, it automatically sends an email to our company saying, 'this item has been located'.

TinyExplorers, which launched three years ago, loans baby equipment to families going on holiday in the UK or abroad. 

Parents can hire cots, car seats and prams for a month or more, saving them the hassle of packing too many personal items or buying extra.

At the end of the rental period, the baby equipment is returned to TinyExplorers via their courier.

'It's a huge loss to us and the biggest issue to us as a business is losing things in the post,' Ms Hanigan explained. 

'You wouldn't believe the percentage of items that just don't come back.

'We've tried to circumvent it, we have learned along the way. But ultimately, if something doesn't make it to us by the next day, we know we're never going to get that back and we've never been reunited with anything that has been lost. 

'It's a lot of items and they're all out there somewhere.'

Alan Rodgers, Partner and legal expert at Thompsons Scotland: 'If your parcel goes missing, you still retain ownership rights over the item. 

'Legally, the goods have not been lawfully transferred to anyone else, so you can take action. 

'The first step is to contact the courier or retailer to report the missing parcel and request a refund or replacement. If the item appears on an auction site, you should report it to the platform immediately, providing proof of ownership. 

'You might also report the matter to the police, as selling stolen property is illegal. The buyer of the item must return it, and the consumer may pursue legal action to reclaim their property.'

A spokesperson for John Pye Auctions said: 'John Pye Auctions sells over 25 million items annually and holds contracts with several major delivery companies to manage goods that may have been lost, damaged, or are the subject of completed insurance claims.

'If we are notified before the hammer falls that there is a dispute regarding the ownership of any asset, we will promptly remove the asset from auction and allow time for the sender to initiate a dialogue with the courier company. 

'In many instances, the courier company has already settled the insurance claim, at which point the ownership of the asset transfers to insurers.'

An Evri spokesperson said: 'Our ambition is that every customer's experience with Evri is a positive one, and 99% of parcels sent with us arrive on time.

'We were concerned to hear about Hayley's situation and have investigated fully with the information provided. It has been confirmed by the auction house that they have not received any items of this make from Evri this year.

'To mitigate any risk of loss of income or possessions, we communicate clearly at point of sending about the option to select cover that matches the value of the item being sent. Hayley did not opt to take this additional cover, but we would like to support her in taking forward her claims.'