eBay

teenytrinkets · ‎02-24-2021

I bought a small item that was supposed to be shipped First Class International, but the tracking number was domestic, and now shows as "delivered" to the zipcode 90051 in LA (I'm in BC).

I contacted the seller and she said it goes there first before it's forwarded to Canada (appears to be a processing centre for international mail). I asked the seller if there's tracking to Canada but have received no response.

I'm assuming it was sent "First Class International Flats" based on the delivery to the USPS postal centre. I'm not sure why the seller would enter a tracking number that wouldn't track all the way to Canada... unless it will eventually?

It has until March 9th to arrive. I'm assuming if I don't get it by then, I can still file an INR even though the tracking says "delivered" to 90051?

femmefan1946 · ‎02-24-2021

Sounds like the seller used eBay's new International Shipping Program which is a sort of freight forwarder.

This should not be a concern, since all shipping is a Seller Protection and you are covered by eBay's Money Back Guarantee, Paypal's Buyer Protection Program and any chargeback provisions the credit card you back your PP account with.

This is newish, and we posters (members like yourself) are still learning about it, since most of the advice we give is based on problems brought here. There haven't been enough problems to form opinions yet.

What date did eBay give you for delivery? March 9th?

Mark that on your calendar and if it hasn't arrived by then, come back here.

marnotom! · ‎02-24-2021

To prevail in an INR claim, the seller has to demonstrate that the item was delivered to the address (postal code, ZIP code) in the eBay transaction details page. If you were to file an INR, the seller wouldn't be able to provide that information if it turns out the "delivered" scan is in Los Angeles.

I don't generally follow the tracking of my items that closely now unless it's getting close to the last estimated date of delivery. It gets to me when it gets to me and tracking the tracking won't make any difference to that. I do get the impression that there are a lot of mail consolidation services available in the United States and they all have their quirks and differences. Some of them have tracking that "dead ends" at the US consolidation hub. Some items take really strange journeys, but they get to me eventually. I once ordered a smartphone case from a seller in the States that arrived with a franking mark from Sweden on it but it looked as though it was originally shipped from a country other than Sweden.

The only concern to me about your item is that I'm wondering if your seller may have used eBay's International Standard Delivery program to it. That service was the subject of complaints of very slow delivery a few months ago, but nothing about it has been posted to these discussion boards for a couple of months now.

If you're inputting the tracking code into the USPS website's tracker, it might give you more information on the mailing method used to get the item to LA. If the code starts with something like "EAUS" you may have to track it elsewhere.

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-24-2021

I'm not certain, but I think that IF ebay international standard delivery had been used, the tracking number that you woukd see from the beginning would start with ESUS rather than start with a domestic tracking number and then change to ESUS. Perhaps someone who has received a package through that system can tell us if that's true as I might have misunderstood how that works.

Perhaps they used a different type of international service? Did you ask them what they used....perhaps Encidia works like that??

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎02-24-2021

@teenytrinkets wrote:
I bought a small item that was supposed to be shipped First Class International, but the tracking number was domestic, and now shows as "delivered" to the zipcode 90051 in LA (I'm in BC).

I contacted the seller and she said it goes there first before it's forwarded to Canada (appears to be a processing centre for international mail). I asked the seller if there's tracking to Canada but have received no response.

I'm assuming it was sent "First Class International Flats" based on the delivery to the USPS postal centre. I'm not sure why the seller would enter a tracking number that wouldn't track all the way to Canada... unless it will eventually?

It has until March 9th to arrive. I'm assuming if I don't get it by then, I can still file an INR even though the tracking says "delivered" to 90051?

It sounds very likely this was one of those Standard International deliveries. My one and only one of these was from a seller on the east coast. It went USPS to the DHL warehouse near Dayton and got handed back off to USPS who forwarded it off to Canadapost where it got an Xpresspost label. If it's higher value it would most likely be handled with DHL with any customs needing to paid PRIOR to delivery. With DHL its part of their E-Commerce division and uses different tracking as per the other post. I believe for my little order it was 3 weeks start to finish. Yours may be slightly longer if it gets routed through the hub I mentioned.

-Lotz

PS. It took a bit of detective work for me to find the connected tracking numbers and the full scoop on how these are processed. So may the force and patience be with you!!

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-24-2021

@lotzofuniquegoodies

In your case when the seller sent the item to the DHL warehouse, did the original tracking number change from a regular domestic tracking number to a ESUS one or did it start out as a ESUS tracking number?

Also...when it arrived at DHL...did it say 'delivered' and/or did it specify that it was being processed there to be forwarded or something like that?

reallynicestamps · ‎02-24-2021

@lotzofuniquegoodies

If it's higher value it would most likely be handled with DHL with any customs needing to paid PRIOR to delivery.

Do you mean that DHL does not charge the buyer the import fees on the doorstep? Because it's not clear to me how they would do that.
GSP can do it because they are tied into the eBay purchasing system.
And Freight Forwarders can do it, because they charge their customer after they receive the item but before they send it overseas.

In both cases these is a contract in place when the purchase is made.

DHL comes in after the purchase and are not tied to any contract that I can think of. How does it work?

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎02-24-2021

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies

In your case when the seller sent the item to the DHL warehouse, did the original tracking number change from a regular domestic tracking number to a ESUS one or did it start out as a ESUS tracking number?
Also...when it arrived at DHL...did it say 'delivered' and/or did it specify that it was being processed there to be forwarded or something like that?

The shipment started out USPS and got transferred to DHL ecommerce. After I was able to figure out it was in the DHL system I contacted them and then found out about the other division. Totally separate entity. They were not able to confirm if there were processing/duties/taxes on the shipment. I was told to wait and see. That is why it is most important that there is a valid phone number/email address in case they need to contact. I followed the tracking to Canada and it confirmed there was the xpresspost tracking attached. Was under 20 bucks US so no customs applied. One of the perks of when things are delivered through CP directly. I checked my eBay transactions for last year. Tracking is purged in eBay. Available but too old in PayPal to view original tracking.

ecommerce tracking

https://ecommerceportal.dhl.com/track/

-Lotz

@teenytrinkets

Disclaimer: I can neither confirm or deny with this service who the parcel gets handed off to. In my situation it happened to be DHL.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎02-24-2021

@reallynicestamps wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies
If it's higher value it would most likely be handled with DHL with any customs needing to paid PRIOR to delivery.

Do you mean that DHL does not charge the buyer the import fees on the doorstep? Because it's not clear to me how they would do that.
GSP can do it because they are tied into the eBay purchasing system.
And Freight Forwarders can do it, because they charge their customer after they receive the item but before they send it overseas.
In both cases these is a contract in place when the purchase is made.

DHL comes in after the purchase and are not tied to any contract that I can think of. How does it work?

The reason you pay prior to delivery vs at the door is a Covid thing. Believe all couriers are using this practise to avoid contact. If it's paid they can leave at the door at their descretion and also not have to worry if someone was home. Same thing happens if there are taxes owing with CP. They would leave a card in your community mailbox and you have to pick up the next day with Gov. ID and pay then. For business customers who get alot of International deliveries they would have their own broker for courier shipments and the business would be billed during processing monthly. This is why accurate contact info is kinda important.

-Lotz

femmefan1946 · ‎02-24-2021

Do you get a phone call/email telling you they have the package and asking you to pay the import fees? And when you do, they deliver?
Okay. That sounds reasonable. It's part of the customs brokerage and basically happens when the shipment is in Canada.

Mind you, I can see how many buyers would not include the email/phone/contact info due to a well-founded paranoia about giving out financial/contact information online.

This may explain some of the problems we have seen reported with this new shipping format.

Perhaps the seller's form should be amended so that it doesn't work if there is no appropriate contact information for the buyer filled in.

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-25-2021

eBay standard international delivery packages should also be able to be tracked through easyship.

https://parcelsapp.com/en/carriers/easyship

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎02-25-2021

@femmefan1946

Will DHL deliver without signature?

Couriers like Purolator, UPS, Canpar and DHL still permit a signature required shipment. However, to keep the driver and recipient safe, the driver will write the recipient's name on their handheld device. Couriers like FedEx have temporarily suspended the signature required option. Jan. 25, 2021

How do I pay my duty and taxes online?

Track your package. As soon as you receive your tracking number from the merchant, go to the Track tool or download the mobile app. ... Request email notifications for the Track tool or push notifications for the app. ... Pay with a credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. ... Proof of payment. Unfortunately they do not accept Ayden or PayPal for payment. Sorry!!

This is why I never recommend using a generic email address or phone number. In settings I have phone number required. Email would be most likely the first method of contact. If all your i's are dotted and t's are crossed it just reduces the possibilities of delays. Fedex drivers routine look for this information before putting customs documents in the pouch at time of pickup.

-Lotz