eBay

momcqueen · ‎12-03-2016

As a head's up. This has happened to me twice now with Tracked postage service to Italy. The first time I would consider an anomaly, the second less so. There is some disconnect between the translation of certain events on Poste Italiane and how that information is conveyed to Canada Post.

The day before the item is delivered, tracking on Canada Post says it has been rejected by the recipient and will be returned to sender. The first time I saw this, I had kittens. And then it was delivered the next day. So this time when presented with that same message, I reserved judgement until a little more time had passed.

The interesting thing is that when I moved to Poste Italiane to check tracking on that site in native Italian, there was no notation about being Returned to Sender at all, the same line read nothing more nefarious than, "In working with the Postal Operations Centre".

So.... if you see

Item refused by recipient. Item being returned to sender.

on your Canada Post Tracked Packet or Xpresspost shipment to Italy, don't despair. It's probably still fine. Worry only if you see it actually on its way back.

momcqueen · ‎12-03-2016

maximus7001 · ‎12-03-2016

We had to stop shipping there alltogether. Never had a sucessful delivery to Italy, they either get refused and sent back or just vanish then Canada post refuses the claim.

momcqueen · ‎12-03-2016

Intersting, I've never lost an item to Italy, traced or otherwise. Untraced packages (when I offered small packets) to England, Australia and France 'disappeared' along the way but not Italy. I did get one bumped back due to refusal of import taxes. I've not found it to be problematic at all, there's just this weird thing with the line that says it's been rejected but it isn't.

i.am.vivian · ‎12-03-2016

Is there any chance that it is a poor translation? Like if the Italian version meant "a card was left on door knob, item now back at post office for pick up" ? But that by the time the CP site translates it, it sounds like an outright refusal, not a pick up later. ?

And then when the buyer goes next day to get it, is shows "Delivered"

momcqueen · ‎12-03-2016

My assumption is that it has something to do with that but the same line on the Italian postal site says only: In working with the Postal Operations Centre which is extremely non-specific. It is clearly some kind of miscommunication at play but I don't know that it's a translation miscommunication. I suspect their code for that line relates to an incompatible code on the CPC side.

I thought it wise to warn other sellers in case they contact their buyers asking, 'What is your problem?' based on the rejected message when, in reality, it still hasn't been delivered.

I do a fair bit of international tracked shipping and no other country sees this happen.

i.am.vivian · ‎12-03-2016

@mjwl2006 wrote:
the Italian postal site says only: In working with the Postal Operations Centre

Oh well that's not at all what Canada Post says, is it. lol! Imagine, scaring unsuspecting sellers like that.

In real Italian, not the googled English, it probably makes perfect sense to them who reads it.

@mjwl2006 wrote:

I thought it wise to warn other sellers in case they contact their buyers asking, 'What is your problem?' based on the rejected message when, in reality, it still hasn't been delivered.

Good thing!

ricarmic · ‎12-03-2016

I've seen similar weird translations I believe from Russia too......

momcqueen · ‎12-03-2016

Ah, I see. I've never shipped to Russia so I've no basis for that comparison. Someone must have been asleep at the wheel when they were correlating codes between postal sites. I can see how this could happen.

momcqueen · ‎12-03-2016

@i.am.vivian wrote:
@mjwl2006 wrote:
the Italian postal site says only: In working with the Postal Operations Centre
Oh well that's not at all what Canada Post says, is it. lol! Imagine, scaring unsuspecting sellers like that.

In real Italian, not the googled English, it probably makes perfect sense to them who reads it.

@mjwl2006 wrote:

I thought it wise to warn other sellers in case they contact their buyers asking, 'What is your problem?' based on the rejected message when, in reality, it still hasn't been delivered.

Good thing!

Yes, in the wrong mood on the wrong day, I could all too easily imagine myself asking an indelicate question of a buyer based on what information CPC is providing with that which has nothing to do with the actual status of the item in transit!

silverpinups · ‎12-03-2016

Italy and Russia are on my Shipping "no-no" list.... it's just not worth the trouble.

momcqueen · ‎12-04-2016

I've actually had way more 'trouble' shipping to UK (England and Ireland) because those are the folks who tend to lose their orders... probably after being dinged for their unexpected import fees.

With the exception of one new Italian buyer who refused his import fees and kicked back his order to me, I've had no trouble with Italian orders at all.

The trouble with this seems to lie in a miscorrelation between codes on Poste Italiane and Canada Post Corporation.

Or at least that's how I see it.

I don't do a ton of business with Italy but I do certainly appreciate each order.

I ship everywhere now that Tracked Packet is offered and, let me tell you, I sleep way easier at night. My risk tolerance is not the same as others. I equate untraced shipments to leaving the store with customers in it and hoping their voluntarily pay on the way out with the stuff they chose.

silverpinups · ‎12-04-2016

With the exception of one new Italian buyer who refused his import fees and kicked back his order to me, I've had no trouble with Italian orders at all.

What did you do if you received the order back from Italy.... how does translate in terms of a refund? no refund?

You honoured your part as the seller and shipped out the order only to have it returned because of a refusal to pay import fees by the buyer.

momcqueen · ‎12-04-2016

Since the buyer was very new to eBay, and there was no tracking on it, only the sticker that said it was refused, I gave them a refund (minus postage) on return like I would do with a Remorse return. I'd have lost any INR filed because it was untraced so there was no point in playing coy with the system. PayPal and/or eBay wouldn't have accepted a photo of a sticker as Proof of Refusal. They need it online.