Bye eBay

[chicweb]

It's over.

Note to every seller: eBay decided that shipping smartphone from USA to Canada is dangerous. Yep.

A customer wanted a return for NAD. We accepted it because we made a mistake in the listing. Our fault.

We told the customer we would pay them the shipping, to just tell us the amount.

They said USPS won't ship it back because of a lithium battery in the phone (an iPhone). I told them they could send it by ground. They decided to open a case with eBay.

eBay said the item was dangerous to ship it back, so I have to refund AND lose the phone. Sooooo. Yup. Ebay is telling us that shipping a Smartphone from USA to Canada is dangerous. 

The fun fact is: I spoke to an agent an hour before explaining the situation. They told me I was doing everything correctly and to wait for the customer to ship it back. That they could use another courrier.

Still, they decided to go with the buyer.

So, I ended all my listing and going elsewhere, me and my 5k inventory. I was very motivated, adding 5 to 10 items per day.

But now, nope.

Have fun y'all.

[chicweb]

We accepted the return the same day it was requested.

Like I said. The customer could have chose any carrier he wanted. We would have paid. No matter what.

We just want the item back before a refund. Period. It's that simple.

[chicweb]

Unfortunately, the newest iPhone cannot be opened that easily. They don't even have simcards... Asking a customer to open it and remove the battery, etc... I'm not sure they would have done it.

They didn't even cared asking another carrier. They've been to USPS only and that's it. The fact that eBay didn't told them to use another carrier, like we did.. and decided to just refund them and make us pay for it is.... unbelievable.

I understand the customer side of this issue. Of course, and we told them we were willing to do anything to accomodate them, but we need the item back.

If it was an inexpensive item, we would have refunded without question. But it's not the case. 

[rocketscollectibles]

We accepted the return the same day it was requested.

Cases don't close randomly in buyer's favor and this fast when you accept return in-rules in-case, so something is missing. As said the cases turns into awaiting shipment status on the buyer side. Did you clicked on 'accept return' then 'can't provide label' or only told by words to return? Only 10 days between purchase and case closed. That's a delay looking like a case closed without resolution or a request to ebay to step in. After accepting return and selecting that you can't provide a label it even adds extra days to case to allow sellers to find a solution. Something is missing. 

[chicweb]

Just a note here that after discussing with ebay on Facebook, they told me they reversed the decision in my favor, the customer could have shipped it.

I'm waiting to see the change in the account, but at this point, I'm not thinking it will. As I told the person in chat, they could even have sent it back by FedEx (I provided a link to FedEx phone shipping, which explain they do it internationally too).

I have to wait 24 to 48 hours for this to show up, but as I said, I'm not counting on it, at this point. Lost all hope on ebay.... Let's see and wait and I will keep you updated. 

[chicweb]

Nothing is missing, that's the thing.

And yes, I chose "Cannot provide a label" since...  I cannot buy United States label. Thinking back, I would have bought a FedEx label and send it to them, since they can ship this kind of item internationally, as far as I know.

But I still told the customer that I would pay for it, any way they want, for any carrier. To just tell me the amount.

Maybe the problem was that we discussed about it in private message on ebay and not in the return page? After I accepted the return, the chat on the return was not available anymore.

But that's it. There's nothing more to this.

The customer had until the 10th to send it back. They decided to open a case before, because they couldn't ship with USPS and they not even tried anything else to ship it back.

[alacar-8]

But you are still leaving, right?

[brettjet38]

Nah, it was just a 24-hour rant sabbatical, and then the reality of the situation kicked back in...

I have been selling on here for over two decades and NEVER would I sell an old used electronic item on eBay, why, it's a minefield of potential problems.

Also, the fact that in general people do not read policies about exporting or importing items, and when one points out those facts one gets criticized as being mean, lol.

Social Media is full of that nonsense...

RULE ONE when SELLING ANYTHING read the rules of exports and returns for said items, it is just not worth the effort to list certain things...

This was a costly lesson for the Seller.

[marnotom!]

---

@chicweb wrote:

Thinking back, I would have bought a FedEx label and send it to them, since they can ship this kind of item internationally, as far as I know.

---

Can you purchase a US FedEx return label from FedEx Canada? Can Canadians purchase return labels from US FedEx?

[brettjet38]

https://www.fedex.com/en-ca/shipping-services/service-options/returns.html

It would seem you can...

 

Strengthen Loyalty With FedEx® Returns

Ninety-five percent of online shoppers in the U.S would shop again
with a retailer that provided a satisfactory return experience.*
 

• View Return Label Options
• Create A Return Label

Provide your customers with convenient return label options and an extensive network of drop-off locations.

FedEx return shipping solutions are reliable, simple to use, provide convenience and fast turnaround times — all competitive advantages for your business. Browse our selection of return label options below, or get started creating a return label with our step-by-step instructions:

[mrdutch1001]

it is not the phone that is the problem...it is the battery and any sellers listing/selling any electronics/any items that require lithium batteries should know the rules and policies pertaining to lithium batteries and/or as to what can and cannot be shipped across borders...it is the seller's responsibility to be in the know...

Know what you sell

Sell what you know

This is not an eBay problem, this is not a USPS problem, this is a problem of a seller not knowing what can and cannot be shipped across borders...

[chicweb]

Not sure yet. Since it seem ebay is trying to fix this, that gives me some hope.

We wanted to be exclusive on ebay but we are now developing our own website. We are connecting it to ebay, right now to automate some stuffs, etc. We will see how it goes.

Still waiting to see the fix in our account.

One thing for sure, no more electronics outside of Canada. Lithium or not. Lesson learned.

[chicweb]

Kind of. But the answer of the eBay representative on Facebook for Business gave me some hope.

I'm not sure it will be officially fixed, even if she told me the case was reversed on my side... That just tell me that even internally, they are not agreeing on this...

Was it a rant? Yes. Did it hurted my trust on eBay? Big time. We wanted to sell exclusively here, since I'm a member since 2002, I always liked it as a buyer. But now, we are seeking other channels.

We even advertised our ebay shop with paid ads, but we will direct people to our own website when it's done.

Oh well... Learning a lot, I guess. 😉

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@rocketscollectibles wrote:

Unfortunately that's a case lost because of a lack of knowledge. Don't blame ebay. 

Not sure about other carriers but buyer did not lie.

USPS internationally restricted items: 

Prohibited Lithium Battery Shipments

• Lithium batteries packed with, but not installed in, equipment
• Lithium batteries sent separately from equipment
• Damaged or recalled batteries
• All pre-owned, damaged, or defective electronic devices containing or packaged with lithium batteries

What's your expectation here if he can't ship back tho. Have the buyer pay for an item not as described that you even admit being your fault, and you keep their money? 

From date of sale nov 26th and case closed dec 6th. I suspect you did not accept return in the case in rules too. A return accepted in the case would have switched to status awaiting shipment on buyer's side. A case closed this fast looks like it was closed for being a case closed without resolution. 

---

@rocketscollectibles 

FWIW here is the amazon policy on the subject.

Amazon provides specific product packaging instructions for FBA sellers when shipping dry batteries. Some lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion polymer batteries, and lithium metal batteries are included in this category. Therefore, these products should abide by Amazon's product packaging policies for dry batteries.Mar 16, 2020

Medium lithium cells/batteries may be shipped by ground as lightly regulated, provided they have the appropriate lithium ion or lithium metal mark (as shown above) and display the following marking: “LITHIUM BATTERIES—FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD AIRCRAFT AND VESSEL.”

Unsure what their (Amazon) policy is for returns of these types of items. With eBay, a larger shipper "could" potenially be properly trained if it was worth the investment. Returns are a whole other can of worms because for  Joe & Judy public it's not something that can be done as 1 of. In the early days and going forward anyone handling Transport of Dangerous Goods had/has to be properly trained/certified. That included shippers, drivers, dockhands and the like. Now with business to individual the whole shooting match has become much more complicated. Doing anything wrong back then (80ies) was ground for dismissal. At the time the course (2 4 hr sessions for shippers/receivers was 150.00. Now it can be taken online for 24.95 (3 Hours) . Plus you need the proper packaging material/labels.

-Lotz

Current fines as per Transport Canada

What are the fines for TDG violations?

Penalties

• A fine of up to $50,000 for a first offence,
• Fines of up to $100,000 for subsequent offences,
• Up to 2 years of imprisonment for indictable offences.

[pjcdn2005]

Another option might have been buying a UPS ground label through Pirateship.  I haven't tried it but apparently Canadadians can buy US labels through them,