eBay

chris_sniper · ‎05-03-2005

about two months ago i made a sale to a customer in the US.. the total was about $600 for two parcels. now everything went great with the payment (via creditcard / paypal) then about 3 weeks later i get a UPS guy at my door with both parecls returned to me.. they were re packaged in dif boxes dif labels. and they want $244 cad for customs and taxes. so not having heard anything from the buyer what so ever even after several emails ... i simply returned the packages to sender. a week later they came back. i emailed the customer again, no response. and now again today they have come back for the 3rd time. and you can imagine what the charges are upto by now. i have also recieved two bills in the mail today from UPS saying i owe them several hundred dollars.
Now what should i do?? do i have to do anything at all?

shoplineca · ‎05-03-2005

I was going to tell you that you didnt have any problems however I just looked at your listings and you have a fairly open-ended return policy which is what is getting you into trouble right now.

I realize you expected Buyers to email you with any problems to try and sort them out before they shipped something back but your terms do not state that exactly, as such, it appears that someone wanting to return something simply has to send it back to you within 5-days.

You havent stated type of shipping (UPS, CP, USPS FEDEX etc.) for returns, nor how to mark the package such that it indicates it is a manufacturers return and not goods being sold, nor whether it should be sent overnight, ground parcel post etc.

There is nothing about having to insure the item for the return trip back to you either, in the event of loss or damage.

If you get in touch with UPS and tell them that the items are returned goods and not subject to any taxes, duties or brokerage charges, they will argue that it is subject to brokerage charges as they had to clear the item and that is the majority of what they are trying to collect from you.

Your best bet is to inform UPS that the items are not an authorized return and they should mark on the box "Goods Not Authorized for Return, Return to US Sender" and send them back across the border to your US customer.

... and then just wait until you hear from the customer or PayPal.

Malcolm

auctiondropnship · ‎05-03-2005

You can tell UPS you have declined the parcels and they can go back too the shipper .
The shipper (HIM) is on the hook for the cost
Todd

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ospreylinks · ‎05-04-2005

I had a situation a year ago... a little different but still somewhat the same.

I bought a pair of goalie pads from a guy in the US. He had two pair for sale.

I win, I pay, he ships. The wrong pads arrive. Then a day later the correct pads arrive. Turns out he took them to MBE and they shipped both pair to me in error.

I contact the seller, tell him I have both pair in error. He gives me the rightful owners address in California and asks if I would ship them direct to him and have the charge directed to MBE account (authorized by the agent at MBE).

UPS comes, picks up the pads, then several weeks later, I get a bill from UPS for the shipping of the pads from us in Ontario to California. Turns out you can't ship to a US address and have charges directed to a third party also in the US. Damn......

The vendor gives me some grief, saying it isn't his problem it was MBE's fault they shipped them to the wrong address and I should be attempting to collect from them. I finally convince him that I was just trying to be a good guy by shipping direct to the proper purchaser on his behalf and I should have just sent them back to him and let him sort it out.....

It did take forever, but finally MBE was able to convince UPS that they had made a mistake, and the charge was reversed to them.... but it was nerve wracking at the outset as the bill was in excess of a couple of hundred dollars.....(by the time all of the charges, fees, duties, late charges, etc were added).

Good luck on your issue...

Jeff

chris_sniper · ‎05-04-2005

Thanx for all the advice and similar stories.. its good to know im not alone 🙂
i guess im going to have to go through all of my listings and change my return/exchange policy to better protect myself in future sales.