eBay

rose-dee · ‎11-20-2015

Hello all,

I don't often sell to Europe (outside the U.K.), but I recently sold and shipped a somewhat expensive item (ca. $200) to Austria via Tracked Packet. It got there within an amazing 4 days, but the tracking has since been showing it stuck in Austrian customs for 5 full days now.

I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has sold and shipped recently to Austria on whether this is normal. I don't want to alarm my buyer by raising the subject with them directly, at least not yet. I'm sure my buyer (if they're checking the online tracking) can see the same thing, and for all I know this may be the usual expectation.

The other explanation, which I really don't want to contemplate at this juncture, is that the buyer is balking at paying the duty/taxes/VAT and has decided not to pick up his parcel.

I sell mostly to the U.S. and U.K., where Customs transit times are usually less than 2 days, so a 5-day customs delay seems unreasonable. Have other sellers experienced this in shipping to Austria in particular?

Thanks!

P.S. I should add that the shipment happened prior to the Paris attacks, so border closures, airport delays, etc. shouldn't have been an issue.

rose-dee · ‎11-23-2015

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
As an earlier poster suggested, the package might already be delivered without the tracking having been updated.

In these circumstances, with so much going on in Europe at the moment, and border services likely on high alert, I have my doubts. However I suppose I'll find out tomorrow when I contact the buyer.

zee-chan · ‎11-23-2015

@zee-chan wrote:

Now the third sale is from a buyer who left 2 negatives and 1 neutral out of 15 sales. Negatives for "not as described" and neutral for "slow shipment". I messaged the buyer asking if she'd be fine with the book taking 4-6 weeks to arrive, and if not I'll just refund her. Will see how this one goes. To be honest I'd rather cancel this one since the buyer sounds like a pain lol and the sale is only $16.

This buyer still didn't reply to my eBay message (I just sent a second one) regarding whether or not she'd be okay with the book taking 4-6 weeks to arrive. Let's say I decide to cancel the sale and send her a full refund, and she leaves me a negative feedback, would I be able to get eBay to remove the feedback because the buyer didn't communicate with me?

zee-chan · ‎11-24-2015

...this is bizarre. I decided to try e-mailing the buyer instead via her Paypal e-mail. The e-mail bounced back saying the "mailbox unavailable". It's a live.co.uk account. Now it makes me wonder if the refund would actually go through if I try to refund... I mean, if that e-mail box doesn't even exist, the buyer probably wouldn't have known that I refunded her unless she logins to Paypal again presumably to buy something else.

I'm not gonna go as far as phoning her (who knows if the number I got here is even real?) but... what should I do now? Just process the sale and ship it?? But I'm shipping it untracked so I have no protection over it. It's only $16 (I'm not adding $12 for tracking obviously) but if it's gonna be a waste of my time then I don't even want to bother.

atvds1210 · ‎11-24-2015

I sent a small packet by USPS to a repeat buyer in France. Sent on Nov. 9th, arrived a couple of days ago and have feedback, last tracking is from Nov. 11, and shows it in Jamacia, NY. If anything, USPS is better at tracking info than Canada Post, so it can happen. This was a smaller item, packets of watch stems, so maybe it just went into the regular mail in France with no further tracking updates. Though that would seem odd given what has happened.

pjcdn2005 · ‎11-24-2015

According to the following link, first class international delivery confirmation was suspended for France last year. If you sent it first class or in a priority flat rate or small flat rate box, that's probably why there is no scan.

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc2_022.htm

pjcdn2005 · ‎11-24-2015

If you cancel it's possible that you will get a seller cancelled transaction defect. The buyer doesn't have an obligation to communicate so it's unlikely that ebay would remove any bad feedback because of that. In ebay's mind, the buyer purchased and paid for the item so you are supposed to send it.

I'm not sure what I would do. I would probably just send it but write the buyer when it was mailed to let them know how long delivery might be. I realize that they aren't replying now so might not see that message but I'm not sure what else can be done other than cancelling.

Is the email address on Paypal and ebay the same? If not, perhaps try the other email address.

zee-chan · ‎11-24-2015

...I have no idea why I only thought to check the Paypal e-mail and not the one in the eBay "item sold" e-mail. The e-mail is different. I just tried e-mailing that one and it went through. It's 9pm in UK now so hopefully the buyer sees this one and replies... in the e-mail I told her if I don't hear back in two days I'll assume she's okay with the postal delay and just ship.

Just thought of trying to google the buyer's name but there's too many of them with the same name lol... but, somehow I found the buyer's youtube account

ricarmic · ‎11-24-2015

I got a sale to France today.

I am just following my normal processes. (I may add an extra sentence to my form letter advising their package is on its way letting them know that it might be slower).

Aside from that:

-if they aren't paying attention to what is going on in their own country

-they don't realize that what is going on might impact the delivery time of their package

-if they get upset and leave any low DSR's

Then they'll just be one of the problem buyers we all encounter from time to time and I'll get DSR dinged right before I block them.

In my experience, it is better to avoid communication beyond extraordinary circumstances, it just welcomes other problems.

zee-chan · ‎11-24-2015

The main reason why I didn't follow my "normal" processes (the other UK sales I got last weekend were already shipped) is because this particular 18-year-old female buyer left neutrals and negatives for slow shipment. I suppose it's pretty silly that thanks to eBay's policies those negatives/defects can get on my nerve pretty easily. But yeah, I probably should've just shipped the book last weekend and keep my fingers crossed instead of wasting so much time on it now.

Now now, I'm not trying to stereotype young girls; I was once a young girl too lol. But I was one that didn't pay attention to everyday news, and judging from what I could see on my buyer's facebook page she probably didn't pay attention either (it's all about her hobby and boyfriend).

momcqueen · ‎11-24-2015

@ricarmic wrote:

.....In my experience, it is better to avoid communication beyond extraordinary circumstances, it just welcomes other problems.

I have to agree. When I first began to sell, I left each buyer a lovely, detailed message about their item and shipment. Few if any read them. Yet others gave me low marks for Communication when, if I had ignored them entirely and not initiated contact, I would have gotten the automatic five-stars default by ebay.

Anything I need to communicate now goes into the packing slip and is embedded into the Shipped Now message.... Or at least I think it is. Since I can't, you know, buy something from myself just to double-check the communication flow from ebay to see if and where it fails.

Like with the messages from Canada Post via Paypal Shipping. On the one hand, they're kind of good but, on the other, also a nuisance. Every ebay transaction though paypal and Canda Post unleashes an ONSLAUGHT of email messages that, even to me, is too much to read. On top of the many that come from ebay. Too many, many many too many.

ricarmic · ‎11-25-2015

Hi Zee! Certainly given the feedback history of the buyer, it does make sense to worry more and/or communicate differently, although I would still gravitate toward minimizing the amount of communication to just make a note that it might be slower given current circumstances and do everything else as normal.

Your buyer base and mine (stamp collectors) will probably be markedly different regarding things we sellers need to worry about.

Normally I don't check the buyer history unless it is something big (ie something that is a couple hundred dollars or more) and they have low feedback. I have enough things to worry about without looking for more!

Hopefully everything works out well!!!

zee-chan · ‎11-25-2015

Finally the buyer replied to the e-mail I sent yesterday and said she's happy to wait for it even if it'll take that long. Whew. Hopefully that means she won't be leaving me neutrals or negatives because she is aware it will be slow.

I'm gonna chip in $2 to ship her book with airmail instead of SAL (but I won't tell her that lol) and see if that helps with the speed at all. That means one less coffee for me but it has already been 5 days since she placed the order... well, sell and learn

My buyer base probably has more impulse buyers (I'm one of them) than your stamps base, and I'm sure 80% of my buyers are girls +/- 10 years my age lol. But I rarely get cancel requests... like maybe a couple a year.

pjcdn2005 · ‎11-25-2015

I'm glad that things worked out...so far. 🙂

pjcdn2005 · ‎11-25-2015

@rose-dee wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
As an earlier poster suggested, the package might already be delivered without the tracking having been updated.
In these circumstances, with so much going on in Europe at the moment, and border services likely on high alert, I have my doubts. However I suppose I'll find out tomorrow when I contact the buyer.

Any news on this package?

zee-chan · ‎11-25-2015

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I'm glad that things worked out...so far. 🙂

I would like to think that I'm at least doing most things correctly with my still 100% & straight 5.0 stars feedback (4.7 was the lowest average I ever got and I have kept my straight 5.0 for two years by now) I got a couple defects but at least buyers can't see that.

PS. My apologies to rose-dee for hijacking your thread.

zee-chan · ‎11-26-2015

Argh. I do like having brand new buyer who chose to buy from me for their first eBay purchase. But I just wish people would at least double check the spelling of their address before paying (it's probably a purchase done on a smartphone)...... *sighs* Got a new order today. The spelling on the street address (USA) looked funny so I googled it. Turned out the buyer PROBABLY spelled her street address wrong.

For example, it's something like 150 W Broadway St, but the buyer typed it as 150 wbroadw st. I hope this buyer responds by Friday cuz I'm going to SDM that day for groceries.

Time to send more eBay message and e-mail! This is not my week

rose-dee · ‎11-26-2015

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
@rose-dee wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
As an earlier poster suggested, the package might already be delivered without the tracking having been updated.
In these circumstances, with so much going on in Europe at the moment, and border services likely on high alert, I have my doubts. However I suppose I'll find out tomorrow when I contact the buyer.
Any news on this package?

Yes, the buyer replied to me yesterday that it still hasn't arrived, nor has he received any delivery card or any message from the postal authorities. He says he's going to check at his Post Office to see if they can give him any further information. Luckily he can see on the Austrian Post website exactly what I'm seeing, which is that nothing has changed since Nov. 15th.

I can only keep my fingers crossed at this point. It's been stuck in Austrian Customs for 11 days now. That just doesn't sound like good news. At least I know that the problem is not that the buyer is dragging his heels in picking it up or paying the VAT.

Fortunately, thank goodness, the buyer seems very pleasant and friendly, and I'm able to communicate with him directly in German, which helps. It will be interesting to say the least, to find out what the fate of this antique garment is. This is one item I really didn't want to go astray or be damaged. It's already somewhat fragile.

It won't be a happy day if I have to refund, which I feel I must if the buyer hasn't received it by the end of next week, since as I mentioned I didn't purchase the excess insurance over the $100 (Cdn) included with Tracked Packet. I'll have to refund about $300 Cdn, including the original shipping which I'd feel obliged to refund to the customer under these circumstances, and chances are I won't get the item back in saleable condition, if at all.

I'll be initiating a Canada Post investigation once the buyer gets back to me if he has no further information, and hopefully CP can at least find out what is causing the delay.

If there was any real lesson to learn here, I wouldn't mind the potential loss, but unfortunately it's just circumstances. Oh well.

ricarmic · ‎11-26-2015

Hi Rose, why do you think you have to refund by the end of next week?

Personally I would wait until the buyer tells you they want a refund, I certainly wouldn't initiate it before one has to, especially if the buyer is polite and helpful (In a recent example of mine a Saudi Arabian package first went to South Africa, it was very much delayed but the buyer was only to happy to wait.....thank goodness, that was a $800 box!)

I believe you won't get much out of CP as they'll just say it is stuck in Austrian customs which isn't them...

momcqueen · ‎11-26-2015

In fact, Canada Post won't initiate a trace until it's 45 days PAST delivery. Do not refund the buyer.

rose-dee · ‎11-27-2015

@mjwl2006 wrote:
In fact, Canada Post won't initiate a trace until it's 45 days PAST delivery. Do not refund the buyer.

I was able to submit a ticket to CP with all the details (presumably because the delivery has passed the 15-day outside window for tracked service to Europe). They indicate I should have a reply one way or the other within 10 days.

I'm going to keep my buyer in the loop in the meantime, in the hope he will hang on without demanding a refund. After all, he can see from the online information that the parcel is stuck literally just a few miles away from him.

This is getting ridiculous. It's now Day 12 stuck in Austrian Customs. I hope my buyer makes a big to-do with his Customs officials. Perhaps he can just get them to release it to him on the spot, as I believe he is purchasing it for a small museum. Credentials always help.