Is this true, I found it on the .com board re forwarding companies?

[musicyouneed]

I absolutely LOVE freight forwarder transactions.  All you need do is get tracking that shows delivered to the Los Angeles address and you are DONE.  Buyer loses their MBG once an item is forwarded.  That means, no INR and no SNAD.  They can open a Paypal claim, but the INR would be closed with tracking.  They can open a Paypal claim for SNAD, but it is their responsibility to ship the item back to you with tracking.

[momcqueen]

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musicyouneed wrote (edited by mjwl2006 to add notations):

1. I absolutely LOVE freight forwarder transactions.  2. All you need do is get tracking that shows delivered to the Los Angeles address and you are DONE.  3. Buyer loses their MBG once an item is forwarded.  That means, no INR and no SNAD.  4. They can open a Paypal claim, but the INR would be closed with tracking.  5. They can open a Paypal claim for SNAD, but it is their responsibility to ship the item back to you with tracking.

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1. How do you know when an item is sold to a buyer using a freight forwarding service unless they tell you?

2. Los Angeles? Surely you mean wherever the mail-forwarding business is located.

3. I have never read this, can you cite the policy? You took the time to post this, best not to spread misinformation.

4. Of course an INR is closed with tracking that shows Delivered to the address the buyer asked it to be shipped to. Doesn't matter if it's a freight-forwarding business or Gramma's house. That has zero nothing to do with freight-forwarding. 

5. See answer four. Again, this is a Paypal rule for Buyer Protection. Nothing to do with anything else. 

[musicyouneed]

I got the information from here:

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/Handoff-from-shipping-company-to-shipping-company/m-p/...

I was just asking if this information was true.  I usually know that the item is going to a freight forwarding because of where the buyer is located.  I have a few buyers from China, Russia, South America that all use a freight forwarding company and have bought CD's from me.  

[momcqueen]

I've reviewed that thread. I don't see the part about MBG. What did I miss?

[momcqueen]

The facts are found here:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html

[momcqueen]

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[momcqueen]

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@musicyouneed wrote:

I got the information from here:

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/Handoff-from-shipping-company-to-shipping-company/m-p/...

I was just asking if this information was true.  I usually know that the item is going to a freight forwarding because of where the buyer is located.  I have a few buyers from China, Russia, South America that all use a freight forwarding company and have bought CD's from me.  

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That alternative address still isn't necessarily a freight forwarder. It could be Gramma's house where the buyer will be visiting in two weeks. I think as a seller it would be virtually impossible to prove the item was shipped elsewhere after originally delivered. 

[femmefan1946]

1. How do you know when an item is sold to a buyer using a freight forwarding service unless they tell you?

The seller would not, but often the buyer has an address overseas, but a ship-to address in a coastal state.

Educated guesses really.

3. I have never read this, can you cite the policy? You took the time to post this, best not to spread misinformation.

The INR is true.

But the seller is still responsible for items damaged in transit to the US address.

And is still responsible for Not As Described items that were not damaged in transit. like sending a sweater instead of a telephone.

5. See answer four. Again, this is a Paypal rule for Buyer Protection. Nothing to do with anything else. 

If the buyer opens an eBay NAD dispute, the seller only has to send the Return Shipping Label to the original freight forwarding address.

Which is useless of course.

And practically impossible for a seller who is not in the same country as the forwarder.

Paypal's rule is that the buyer pays for return shipping, which really works more easily for international trade.

In either case, one of the two parties in the Dispute is going to be unhappy about return shipping costs.

Still dealing with freight forwarding addresses is less of a problem than our paranoid colleagues to the south seem to think.

[momcqueen]

I totally agree that freight-forwarding is not to be feared. But, as a seller, I think you'd find it impossible to prove your buyer shipped something via freight-forwarding to another address so that the MBG wouldn't apply. eBay isn't going to hang the buyer out to dry. I bet the shipping address could be listed as Joe Blowsky c/o ABC Freight-R-US and the buyer could STILL claim their sister worked there and they picked it up from her themselves on a visit a week later. 

[musicyouneed]

Haven't you ever googled your buyers address before?  I sometimes do to make sure there isn't an apartment or suite missing.  When the buyer gives you an address of 8721 Santa Monica Blvd, and they are registered in China and you find out it belongs to a Mail Service Centre.  Now he may live or work in that mail service centre, who am I to say.   I assume they are having the mail forwarded, I don't care, as long as my tracking shows delivery to that address.  

[musicyouneed]

Sorry MJ I posted the link to the wrong thread.  No wonder it didn't make sense.

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/Is-it-safe-to-sell-to-shipping-forwarders/m-p/26691634

[momcqueen]

What I'm saying is that I'd be extremely supremely surprised if eBay EVER disallowed a MBG claim on the grounds a mail-forwarding service was used. I simply can't see it happening. Therefore, I doubt that section if Not Covered is really very relevant, practically-speaking.

[vintagenorth]

Actually, it's not hard to tell if the item is going to a freight forwarding address since the persons name will usually also include a identification/routing number in the ship to address given by PayPal. Plus, after a while you get used to the addresses of freight forwarders. As a seller I once actually won a case of INR when the item was sent to a freight forwarder. One is only responsible to ship to the address given by PayPal, anything after that is the buyers responsibility.

[momcqueen]

Good to know. You must have had tracking that said Delivered. Am I incorrect? If not? Please share. The word Delivered to the buyer's address is all that you need as a seller to win ANY INR regardless of whether it goes to a freight-forwarder or not. 

[vintagenorth]

Actually I dont think I had delivery confirmation but I called eBay myself before an INR was opened and luckily got a CS in the USA. When the INR was opened somehow it was closed in my favour because of the details I had given. It was quite some time ago, kind of hard to remember all the details now. I just remember feeling very lucky! Only reason I do remember is because I have only ever had to call eBay the one or maybe two times in past 10 years.

[momcqueen]

I see. In a case like that, I think there are mitigating factors behind the scenes to which the CSRs are aware but we are not. Happily, it worked in your favor. Glad to hear it.

[rose-dee]

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@musicyouneed wrote:

When the buyer gives you an address of 8721 Santa Monica Blvd, and they are registered in China and you find out it belongs to a Mail Service Centre.  Now he may live or work in that mail service centre, who am I to say.   I assume they are having the mail forwarded, I don't care, as long as my tracking shows delivery to that address.   

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That's some pricey real estate that place is sitting on, just off Sunset Boulevard.  Holy cats.  The freight forwarding business must be booming. 

[zee-chan]

As a buyer, I love using freight forwarding company. Domestic shipping in Japan is cheaper (usually under $5 comes with tracking). The seller doesn't have to figure out how to ship to a foreigner (more complicated than just dropping it off at post office) and can choose whatever domestic shipping they want and I'll pay up. I get my goods shipped in one parcel (my post office is 5-10 min drive) instead of ten to save money on postage and save time on retrieving the parcel. Win-win situation for both.

[zee-chan]

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@rose-dee wrote:

That's some pricey real estate that place is sitting on, just off Sunset Boulevard.  Holy cats.  The freight forwarding business must be booming. 

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It must be. The Japanese forwarder I use charges $12 flat rate to forward a parcel, including repackaging multiple packages (up to ten within 30 days) into one big one, and uses sturdy box, cushioning, etc. IMO $12 is pretty cheap to do all that. It's amazing and they still profit. And the international shipping they charge is exactly the same as what Japan Post website quotes. I wonder if they get a shipping volume discount...