eBay

sylviebee · ‎12-02-2015

I recently had to return an item to a seller valued at about $400.

The seller was difficult and I had to escalate the case and won.

Ebay sent me a FedEx label for the return. Since CPO labels can't be printed from the US they are now sending our FedEx labels.

I knew from the start that this wouldn't go well, and sure enough, it grew into a complicated process but the item was shipped back as per eBay requirements.

I just got a call from Fedex telling me that the seller was refusing to pay the $65 brokerage fees. ( I don't blame her and this was 100% predictable.)

I learned that when using couriers to ship to the States buyers are required to pay brokerage fees even when no import fees are owed.

I was given a choice to pay $65 or have the item returned to me and it's on the way back now.

I'm about to call eBay but before I start dealing with CS I'm posting here to get an idea of what comes next.

Has anyone ever had a similar experience?

sylviebee · ‎12-02-2015

From start to finish nothing about this makes sense to me.

Who paid for that expensive Fedex label in the first place? I don't have the sense that it was the seller, but since she forced me to escalate the case then surely eBay wouldn't have paid for it.

As a seller this is worrisome and I would hate for eBay to step in and settle a dispute for me and force me to pay courier fees for returns.

PJ: Even if the seller isn't covered by seller protection I still don't have my refund.

sylviebee · ‎12-02-2015

PJ, It wasn't an actual custom's charge.

It was a brokerage fee.

I spend a long time trying to make sense of it when the Fedex worker was telling me to expect thinking he must be wrong, but sure enough, everything he said panned out.

Message on tracking:

Returning package to shipper MISSISSAUGA, ON
Unable to deliver shipment - Returning to shipper

femmefan1946 · ‎12-02-2015

Ebay sent me a FedEx label for the return. Since CPO labels can't be printed from the US they are now sending our FedEx labels.

Well, that's an interesting new policy.

Wonder if it will also be used for Chinese ~~scammers~~ sellers.

Since eBay and Paypal have access to the seller's account, I would guess the FedEx payment would be added to the seller's monthly invoice.

Who's getting popcorn from the concession stand? Mine's double butter.

sylviebee · ‎12-02-2015

@femmefan1946 wrote:
Ebay sent me a FedEx label for the return. Since CPO labels can't be printed from the US they are now sending our FedEx labels.

Well, that's an interesting new policy.
Wonder if it will also be used for Chinese ~~scammers~~ sellers.

Since eBay and Paypal have access to the seller's account, I would guess the FedEx payment would be added to the seller's monthly invoice.

Who's getting popcorn from the concession stand? Mine's double butter.

I'd be very curious to hear how they are dealing with Canadian sellers and returns.

I've had a few returns but I've always been quick to let the buyer know I'd pay for return shipping and then I just sent cash once the item arrived.

Are there any Canadians who have cases escalated to the point where eBay stepped in and bought a return label?

sylviebee · ‎12-02-2015

When contacting CS I've always used the American phone number as I only list on .com.

Is it possible to call CS in Canada and/or does it matter?

After my last experience I'm left with a feeling that there's a bias and now I'd prefer to deal with my own.

mr.elmwood · ‎12-02-2015

There is no Canadian CS. There is an office in Toronto with about seven people and a water cooler. Even the stapler got let go due to going paperless.

They are grossly over-worked.

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amcdc79 · ‎12-02-2015

I avoid any seller who uses a courier or the GSP to send anything I buy from the States. I learned my lesson a few years ago when I got dinged the brokerage fee when the item arrived. The FedEx rep told me that to avoid the fee, all you had to do is sign up for an account, which was free to do. Not sure if this is the case now though.

dutchman48 · ‎12-02-2015

Yes I have. Seller refused to do anything, I escalated. won and Ebay sent me a return UPS label from the US. Catch was I had to drive it accross the border as could not be shipped from here.

I have posted some of this stuff on the chat today but not sure if Raphael is totally familiar with any of this.

On the .com boards and chats, buyers were told to get a return label from the seller if possible. If the seller does not supply one, Ebay will supply a return label except international. Then the buyer would have to pay return shipping and get money back fro seller or Ebay.

Problem is return shipping is always an atrocious cost due to tracking requirement which seems to be a huge stumbling block with sellers and Ebay. EBay has also said at times return shipping should not be more expensive than original shipping.

This whole mess needs to be sorted out and defined very explicitly or no one will ship international due to costs of returns.

dutchman48 · ‎12-02-2015

If you purchase from the US, you have to deal with return policy from the .com.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-03-2015

@dutchman48 wrote:
Yes I have. Seller refused to do anything, I escalated. won and Ebay sent me a return UPS label from the US. Catch was I had to drive it accross the border as could not be shipped from here.

I have posted some of this stuff on the chat today but not sure if Raphael is totally familiar with any of this.

On the .com boards and chats, buyers were told to get a return label from the seller if possible. If the seller does not supply one, Ebay will supply a return label except international. Then the buyer would have to pay return shipping and get money back fro seller or Ebay.

Problem is return shipping is always an atrocious cost due to tracking requirement which seems to be a huge stumbling block with sellers and Ebay. EBay has also said at times return shipping should not be more expensive than original shipping.

This whole mess needs to be sorted out and defined very explicitly or no one will ship international due to costs of returns.

That's the first I've heard of ebay itself paying for or sending an international label. Based on a few posts that I've read about, if a buyer escalates a request return for a not as described case and the seller refuses to pay for return postage, the seller loses the case and has to refund without getting the item back.

Are you sure it was ebay that sent you the label? I wonder if the seller did that once they lost the case because they knew if they didn't send a label, they wouldn't get the item returned.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-03-2015

@dutchman48 wrote:
If you purchase from the US, you have to deal with return policy from the .com.

You have to deal with the site that you were signed into at the time of purchase. It has nothing to do with where the seller is located or which site they listed on. But in this case, the MBG is the same in the U.S. and Canada but as you know, they haven't worked out a logical way to account for return shipping when seller and buyer are in two different countries.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-03-2015

@sylviebee wrote:
PJ, It wasn't an actual custom's charge.

It was a brokerage fee.

I spend a long time trying to make sense of it when the Fedex worker was telling me to expect thinking he must be wrong, but sure enough, everything he said panned out.

Message on tracking:

Returning package to shipper MISSISSAUGA, ON
Unable to deliver shipment - Returning to shipper

A brokerage charge is part of a customs charge.

I've never used a courier for a return but I do find it odd that they would charge for brokerage in that situation.

How do you know that the buyer refused to pay a brokerage fee? The tracking you are showing doesn't say that...do you have it somewhere in writing to show to ebay? If you can show them that it was refused you should get your refund.

sylviebee · ‎12-03-2015

Since no import charges were due, charging a brokerage fee is hard to digest. The label states that it's an International Return in bold black lettering so that's $65 for glancing at the package and tossing it back on the conveyer; Two seconds of work.

(My Pet Peeve: Tacking on fees no one has actually agreed to pay and which make no sense.)

""How do you know that the buyer refused to pay a brokerage fee? The tracking you are showing doesn't say that...do you have it somewhere in writing to show to ebay? If you can show them that it was refused you should get your refund."""

I posted here right after Fedex called me (first post).

They were conveying a message from the seller to me and it was surprisingly detailed.

Fedex even told me that seller's instructions to me were to ship it back to her the same way I received it.

That will be on file at Fedex.

You're right. I might get a refund.

It's on the truck out for delivery and I should have it shortly.