Looking for advice on a situation

This is really a weird situation, and I'm not sure how to handle it so I thought I'd ask the community for advice. Back in early February I did a series of Ebay auctions. One of those auctions for a cel sold for its BiN price almost immediately and was promptly shipped out, tracking number sent, all done on my end.

Fast forward two and a half months to yesterday, and up pops the cel on my doorstep with a lovely yellow sticker proudly proclaiming "UNCLAIMED - return to sender". I've seen things sent back in the past, but never after such a length of time, and never for being unclaimed. I've attempted to contact the buyer, but no response so far. What is the protocol in this situation if the buyer cannot be reached? I find myself worried about the buyer. o_o Has anyone ever had this issue? Any advice would be appreciated.

I had that happen once. I held on to the cel for a while, and eventually the buyer reappeared/responded. The only hassle is usually the extra shipping charge.

So I'd say to I'd hold on to it for a while, and see if they get back with you about it in the next week or so. You might also double-check that they gave you their proper (full) address.

It was a US address that was complete, and I am holding it still in the same box. I took pictures of the box as well just in the case that the person goes to Ebay randomly like "Hey I didn't get this", but Ebay had the tracking so not really sure if they'd be able to do anything.

I think, more than anything, I'm just completely miffed that the payment cleared just fine for the item and that there has been ZERO communication from the buyer to warn me of this. I know if I ordered something off Ebay and it didn't arrive, I'd probably start contacting people after about 2-3 weeks. I can't imagine just letting something go for almost 3 months without being like "Hey, where's my cel?". That's why it really makes me wonder if something happened to the buyer. :(

Some people have a lot going on in their lives and can loose track of these things. We have been known to leave things go for a month or more on occasion, especially when it's hobby-related. Your buyer will likely contact you. It's probably best to hang onto the cel until then. :)