What Happens When a Buyer Rejects an Item Because of Added Duty etc.
Summary: sylviebee inquired about the current policy when a buyer refuses a package due to tariffs, duty, or taxes, questioning if a refund is now possible, contrary to past practices. sapphyres-designer-jewellery explained difficulties arising from such refusals, including incidents where packages appear 'lost' in tracking, prompting refunds. They emphasized that sellers may be responsible for tariffs if buyers refuse to pay, providing an example of someone avoiding US shipments due to high tariffs. They clarified that while refunds shouldn't be owed for refusals, proving a refusal is challenging if tracking data is incomplete or inaccurate.
Not that long ago the procedure when a buyer refused a package because of added tariffs, duty, or taxes was that the item would be returned to the seller but the buyer did not receive a refund.
However, recently I have been reading posts here which state that if a buyer refuses a package because they are required to pay tariffs, duty, and or taxes upon arrival that the item will be returned to the seller and the buyer will get a full refund.
Has the process changed from what it was in the past?
john_koenig99
·1 week agoI haven't read such posts. Did you find them in the US community @.com?
sylviebee
OP1 week agoNo, it's been posted here several times that buyers do not have to accept packages and will get an eBay refund. It's no longer an issue if shipping CPO to the States but it is if shipping via courier and also for packages shipped to locations other than the US. Has the process changed?
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·1 week agoThey are not supposed to be able to get a refund if they refuse a package (and it shows that on tracking). I sent one to Belgium that went "silent" in tracking after arriving at customs, but checking a different site I saw that he refused it. That didn't show up on the eBay tracking and eBay told me I had to refund the buyer because the package appeared to be "lost".
sylviebee
OP1 week agoThat sounds like something that doesn't normally occur and maybe just a fluke. You must have been able to collect insurance since the package was "lost". Were you able to collect?
I think I saw one of your posts that said couriers will charge the shipper import fees if a buyer refuses a package. (Was that you?) If that happens does the buyer get a refund, or do you know anything about that? Also, why would anyone pay a random charge like that unless you really want the item back?
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·1 week agoI ship with Stallion, they charge for insurance, I didn't pay for insurance so I couldn't collect even if I wanted to. They also don't pay out on "lost" packages that are refused at customs. Stallion knew what was going on with the package, but it didn't update on eBay's tracking system so from eBay's perspective the package was "lost", and I owed a refund.
I know someone with a customs broker who was going to be using UPS to ship expensive stuff to the US. The broker warned them that once the package is in the US and on it's way to the buyer, tariffs are owed, even if that package as abandoned or returned to Canada. (They didn't specific if UPS fronts the tariff, I think they do, and collect from the buyer, or seller if the buyer refuses to pay, but I don't have good authority on that detail). This person decided to not ship to the US because of the 50% tariff on Canadian items and with their average order being $10,000, they didn't want to go broke with buyers who refuse to pay (and go to their credit card to do a chargeback because they didn't receive their order).
C.
sylviebee
OP1 week agoJust out of curiosity: You say that Stallion charges for insurance but doesn't actually pay it out for valid claims. Did you ever get the package back?
I appreciate your example about your friend who decided not to ship to the US. Makes sense. But not sure how well it applies to eBay items. :-) If a buyer refuses to pay courier fees when an item is delivered (or attempted to be delivered), what actually happens to that package and does the buyer receive a refund via eBay? In the past items were returned to the seller and the buyer did not receive a refund, but maybe that is no longer the case.
Years ago when duty was incorrectly charged for an item buyers had the option of filing for a refund. I did so numerous times and always received my refund. I don't think we can do that any longer, but I'll bet couriers can. Also wouldn't surprise me at all if they get a refund when duty is paid before delivery and then also charge shippers if a buyer refuses to pay. It would be helpful to know how eBay deals with those situations, especially when overseas items are involved.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·1 week agoStallion's insurance is optional, I don't purchase it very often unless I have something that will be really bad to get lost. They don't pay it out on undeliverable packages because the buyer refused them, they do pay it out if the package actually got lost. In my case the package wasn't lost, it was refused, I did not get the package back because there is no return service on international packages (which go with NL post). They are returned to a hub in the Netherlands and then destroyed.
The point of mentioning my friend who doesn't ship to the US is to say that the seller is responsible for tariffs when buyers don't pay. I believe that was one of your questions. I used that example to illustrate where my data came from on that.
Technically if a buyer refuses a package, no refund is owed, but if the tracking doesn't show that that's what actually happened, it's not so easy to prove it was refused and not just "lost" in transit.