Estimated delivery date

[wenedfarm]

I ordered some chemical aid for my chickens back in April 2018 from China. I never received the order but last week received a letter from Canada Customs that the product could not be imported into Canada. I have sent the seller "Chinbaileu" a couple of notes with a copy of the letter from customs. Their response is that I "should seek assistance for your countries court". Being that the order is so old I am unable to seek assistance from EBay as there system only allows selection from the last 60 days. I realize that it is only a loss of $60 but as a pensioner money is tight and I could sure use the little bit I have. Has anyone ever encountered this problem and how can I get through to EBay to let them know that the product should be listed as non-importable to Canada? Also if anyone can help me get my money back it would be a benefit.

[momcqueen · Accepted solution]

Don't despair. Your seller neglected to mention one very important thing and that is that you're covered by Paypal for 180 days and/or your credit card for just as long. 

Open an Item Not Received case via Paypal and follow the prompt carefully. I think you can safely almost-immediately escalate it since the seller obviously has no interest in being forthcoming with your refund.

[momcqueen]

Also, don't wait even one minute more before you open your paypal case. If you bought this in April, you're coming up on the 180-day deadline if you haven't already passed it. 

[reallynicestamps]

The PP Resolution Center is at the top of your PP account page under Tools.

File as Item Not Received.

Skip the suggestion that you contact the seller, you already did that.

Ask PP to step in and escalate to a Claim.

If the seller cannot prove delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

In future, it would be worthwhile to check to see if drugs and chemicals can be imported into Canada before ordering.

Some products which can be sold here can only be imported under strict conditions. So just because it's on the shelf at the Co-op is no reason to think you can import it.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Sellers should check to see if it is acceptable to ship certain questionable items to foreign countries. Not all do. As Really stated, best as a buyer to check first if your item is acceptable to Canadian Customs prior to committing to purchase. Information is available on the Canadapost website.

-CM

[momcqueen]

I've shared this link a dozen times but I never tire of it. The list of restricted and prohibited items by country. It's fascinating to me to see what's banned in some places.

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/pgIntDest-e.asp?letter=R%C2%A0

[marnotom!]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

Sellers should check to see if it is acceptable to ship certain questionable items to foreign countries. Not all do. As Really stated, best as a buyer to check first if your item is acceptable to Canadian Customs prior to committing to purchase. Information is available on the Canadapost website.

---

I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree somewhat with the first part of your statement, CM.  As there are just shy of 200 countries in the world, it would be unreasonable to expect sellers to have a working knowledge of the workings of each of these countries' customs bureaux.  The responsibility for finding out what's legal to bring into a country is the importer's, not the exporter's.  If I visited the United States and tried to bring something I bought from Sears into Canada, and I was told at the border that item was a no-no, that wouldn't be Sears' fault or responsibility.

That said, it certainly would be advisable for sellers to have a sense of whether the items they sell could be problematic to ship overseas, particularly items that could be used as or converted into weapons or simply imperil human life if used improperly.

As far as the buyer filing a PayPal claim goes, I'm wondering if this sale would be considered a violation of PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy (the service may not be used for activities that violate any law, statute, ordinance or regulation) and a claim against the seller denied as a result.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

That's why I included the second part of my statement. A buyer NEEDS to check before bidding on anything. But as a seller, if I have something that sells to a foreign country, if I am unsure, I check before shipping that it is okay and/or confirm if there are any special requirements for documentation or if it could be a problem item either before it leaves Canada or arrives at the other end, BEFORE sending it on its merry way. Best to err on the side of caution.  That said, it's extremely difficult for either a buyer or a seller to know ALL the legalities for every item out there. Has there been a recall? Is it a banned item? Is it something that is not supposed to be sent by mail? Does it require special packaging to be mailed? What can be perfectly okay in one country can be a totally different situation in the other. The list goes on. All we can do is try our best to make sure we follow the rules to the best of our ability. We can still be on the hook for a refund. It's all part of due diligence. After all, who knew lawn darts were going to be considered a dangerous item in the wrong hands and be banned off the planet?  

-CM

As a by the way, when re-using boxes a requirement is that you never use boxes that transported hazardous goods previously. Any label must be removed or obliterated so it can not be confused as the item being hazardous. Along with any old barcodes and address labels. I have received packages a few times where these rules were not followed by a shipper and it was lucky they ever arrived.

When in doubt covers or using a black marker crosses out all barcodes and old address. AND especially any logo or stickers that might indicate HAZMAT, if it no longer holds anything potentially dangerous. You don't want your package to be shuffled off to one side to be inspected or delayed because of that.

https://bizfluent.com/how-7508077-reusing-boxes-shipping.html

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Should have been:
When in doubt, cover or use a black marker crossing out all barcodes and old address labels.

-CM

[reallynicestamps]

I'v been thinking about my earlier answer and I disagree with myself*.

Because it is the importer's responsibility and not the exporter's to know what she can bring in, I suspect that the OP is out of luck.

Worth trying, but unlikely to succeed, since the holdup was Customs and not slow delivery.

It's worth trying because eBay or Paypal may do a courtesy refund that doesn't affect the seller.

But the error is squarely with the OP as importer.

* By a vote of four to three.

[marnotom!]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

That's why I included the second part of my statement. A buyer NEEDS to check before bidding on anything. But as a seller, if I have something that sells to a foreign country, if I am unsure, I check before shipping that it is okay and/or confirm if there are any special requirements for documentation or if it could be a problem item either before it leaves Canada or arrives at the other end, BEFORE sending it on its merry way. Best to err on the side of caution.  That said, it's extremely difficult for either a buyer or a seller to know ALL the legalities for every item out there. Has there been a recall? Is it a banned item? Is it something that is not supposed to be sent by mail? Does it require special packaging to be mailed? What can be perfectly okay in one country can be a totally different situation in the other. The list goes on. All we can do is try our best to make sure we follow the rules to the best of our ability.

---

I think we're of similar minds of this, CM.  It's just that you seem to be placing more responsibility on the seller's shoulders than I am.  If you're able to check on the import requirements for the destination countries of all the sales you make, more power to you, but I don't think all sellers have this luxury of time or circumstance.  It's likely easier if a seller sells mostly one type or a few types of items and the seller can start committing this sort of information to memory or to a WordPad file, though.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

The way I look at it, anything I can do to reduce the chance of an item not arriving decreases the chance of a buyer asking/demanding a refund, even if it was their fault. That way I know I didn't take any shortcuts and did my part 100 %. Part of my past jobs included doing customs paperwork for assorted items required by specific dates. So I still process with that thinking going forward.

-CM

This is the Link attached to every item. Nowhere is customs mentioned as a possible cause for delays on international orders for the customer's benefit. Maybe that tidbit of info needs to be updated. This mentality, oh it's not here when eBay says it should be and not questioning any other possibilities isn't correct.

Estimated delivery date

The estimated delivery date is based on the seller's handling time, the shipping service selected, and when the seller receives cleared payment. In certain cases, the estimated delivery date will vary. By knowing the estimated delivery date, you can determine how long it will take to receive your item.

Handling time

Sellers are required to specify how long they will take to package and ship the item after receiving cleared payment. Sellers may select a handling time between same business day and 30 business days.

Shipping services

Some shipping services provide an estimate for the number of days that it will take the carrier to deliver the item to the buyer. This transit time does not include the seller's handling time. Transit time includes normal weekdays. Often(?) Saturdays, Sundays, and major holidays are not included in transit time estimates.

Cleared payment

A payment is considered "cleared" after your payment has been deposited into the seller's account. If you pay using PayPal, the payment may clear immediately. However if you pay by cheque, money order, or eCheque, your payment may take several days to clear.