eBay

redqube · ‎11-27-2016

I'm not new to ebay but I'm not sure what to do. I bought a used item from the USA through the Global Shipping program. I received it today and one of the parts is broken rendering the item semi useless unless I repair the item myself (might be possible but not easy) or replace the item. Should I just return it for a refund or can I suggest to the seller a compromise/partial refund so I can replace the broken part with said refund ? The part itself is worth about half the total purchase price. So far I have only contacted the seller to mention the issue and sent a photo. I'd rather not deal with the hassle of repacking and returning the whole thing but perhaps it's the only option.

On a side note, I'm not surprised that one of the parts broke. The packing was not what I would consider adequate for an electronic device.

Item number is : 15231257326

Thank you.

afantiques · ‎12-01-2016

I surmise it is likely the box exceeded a dimensional limit on a less-expensive international tracked service and was altered to meet it for the second leg of its journey.

All the packages travel together internationally so the only size limit is the general GSP size limit.

redqube · ‎12-01-2016

If only everybody took care in packaging fragile items like that ! That might be overdone actually but at least the chances are in the buyer/seller side that the item will arrive safely. I always over pack my stuff so I know when I get something that's just been stacked higgledy piggledy inside a box with bubble wrapping placed randomly here and there. In any case, there was a GSP sticker on the box but no mention of opening.

redqube · ‎12-02-2016

I have escalated the claim this morning since the buyer has not responded and after only a few hours, I had a message in my email account from paypal saying my purchase had been refunded including a refund from Pitney Bowes for shipping. Strangely, no message here on ebay where the case seems to still be opened for review.

marnotom! · ‎12-02-2016

@redqube wrote:

I have escalated the claim this morning since the buyer has not responded and after only a few hours, I had a message in my email account from paypal saying my purchase had been refunded including a refund from Pitney Bowes for shipping. Strangely, no message here on ebay where the case seems to still be opened for review.

I've been under the impression for a while that PayPal's IT structure is more able to deal with a GSP damage claim than eBay's, whose IT now seems to be held together with paper clips and bubble gum.

Now that PayPal is considered a separate entity from eBay, there may have been changes made to PayPal's IT that mean that it doesn't communicate instantaneously with eBay when it comes to claims.

Having said that, neither system is probably perfectly on line with Pitney Bowes. You may find this exchange from the PayPal community forums to be of interest, even if it does date back a couple of years. Be prepared for a bit more weirdness to happen.

https://www.paypal-community.com/t5/About-Buying/GSP-Shipping-Damage-Dispute-Issues/td-p/899037

By the way, your seller may not have responded because there's no need for your seller to respond. Your claim is against Pitney Bowes, not your seller.

redqube · ‎12-02-2016

You wrote "By the way, your seller may not have responded because there's no need for your seller to respond. Your claim is against Pitney Bowes, not your seller."

I have to disagree to some extent. Surely the seller has some level of responsibility towards the buyer and vice versa.

When I sell something online and it happens quite often, I'm not satisfied until the buyer has the item in its hands and is happy with his/her purchase. Maybe it's just me.

momcqueen · ‎12-02-2016

I agree with you. It is the responsibility of the seller to offer reassurance to a buyer if and when something goes awry with the order, no matter who is at fault. In this case, he should have, in my opinion, at the very least said something like, 'I'm sorry to hear that. You must make this claim against Pitney Bowes. Please let me know how I may assist you in doing that.'

If the parcel instead had been run over by the mail truck, it would be the seller who opened the claim against Canada Post. A seller is bound by duty to keep those lines of communication open. Even if the problem was not one of his own creation.

marnotom! · ‎12-02-2016

I don't disagree that in terms of etiquette and just general decency some communication of the seller would be welcomed.

However, strictly in terms of how a damage claim for a GSP item works, there is technically no need for the seller to respond as the outcome of the claim does not hinge on the seller's actions or lack thereof.

Given that this seller has been pretty much inactive for at least a year prior to this sale, I wouldn't be surprised if he was pretty baffled by the whole process. This may have been another instance of a seller not realizing that they were using the GSP.

00nevermind00 · ‎12-03-2016

@marnotom! wrote:
I don't disagree that in terms of etiquette and just general decency some communication of the seller would be welcomed.

However, strictly in terms of how a damage claim for a GSP item works, there is technically no need for the seller to respond as the outcome of the claim does not hinge on the seller's actions or lack thereof.

Given that this seller has been pretty much inactive for at least a year prior to this sale, I wouldn't be surprised if he was pretty baffled by the whole process. This may have been another instance of a seller not realizing that they were using the GSP.

I agree with all of this.

Any seller who ignores or brushes off a buyer deserves a one-star rating for communication.

That said, the claims process for GSP items is very, very confusing for both buyers and sellers. A seller who is contacted about a problem with a GSP item may well want to refund in order to avoid a defect, in which case the buyer will be out the part of his/her payment that went to Pitney Bowes (international portion of the shipping charges, plus "import charges"). And that's when the fun really starts.

The buyer needs to open a case. Then and only then, he/she can (but does not have to) contact the seller to let the seller know what is happening and why, making it clear that the seller should do nothing. The buyer should let the seller know that although he/she will be keeping the money from the sale, his/her funds will be frozen for a few days before being released. This is how the GSP operates, although no one knows why.

redqube · ‎12-05-2016

"However, strictly in terms of how a damage claim for a GSP item works, there is technically no need for the seller to respond as the outcome of the claim does not hinge on the seller's actions or lack thereof."

That opens up a can of worms IMHO. It's clear to me that the seller could have made a better effort in packing the item (cleaning the item as well but that's another story). If packing would have been done decently, there is a good chance that the item would have arrived intact. The way I see the GSP now is that it can de-responsibilize the seller as far as doing a decent packing job. As soon as something bad happens he/she can claim its the GSP's responsibility even if the GSP has not opened the box. It's possible that it's been opened and repacked by someone at the GSP headquarters but I've seen no evidence of that on the box.

Also, it is clear that the seller had no clue that the item was to be shipped using the GSP. He was going to send it directly to my address and he didn't understand why ebay was asking him to send it in Kentucky. When I bought the item the listing mentioned it would be sent international priority.

marnotom! · ‎12-05-2016

@redqube wrote:

That opens up a can of worms IMHO. It's clear to me that the seller could have made a better effort in packing the item (cleaning the item as well but that's another story). If packing would have been done decently, there is a good chance that the item would have arrived intact. The way I see the GSP now is that it can de-responsibilize the seller as far as doing a decent packing job. As soon as something bad happens he/she can claim its the GSP's responsibility even if the GSP has not opened the box. It's possible that it's been opened and repacked by someone at the GSP headquarters but I've seen no evidence of that on the box.

Various posts on the GSP have led me to conclude that the Global Shipping Center does not, as a rule, forward packages where the contents are found to be obviously damaged.

@redqube wrote:

Also, it is clear that the seller had no clue that the item was to be shipped using the GSP. He was going to send it directly to my address and he didn't understand why ebay was asking him to send it in Kentucky. When I bought the item the listing mentioned it would be sent international priority.

That's interesting that he was willing to ship the metal detector to Canada. The GSP should be only automatically applied to listings where the seller hasn't specified shipping rates to Canada.

All GSP items are sent "international priority", by the way. It's Pitney Bowes' vague, catch-all name for its network of contracted freight forwarders and domestic carriers.

leaky-bucket-labs · ‎03-08-2018

@afantiqueswrote:
With a GSP item claim citing damage in transit there is no need to return anything, you can keep the defective item and get a 100% refund, so you should come out a little ahead.

Do not expect the seller to do anything, there is nothing they can or should do. The GSP policy with damaged items is to simply pay up. No one checks, and nothing is returned.

I hope this is true because I am dealing with this situation as we speak.

afantiques · ‎03-08-2018

As far as I know nothing has changed.

leaky-bucket-labs · ‎03-12-2018

Verified good info, thank you, afantiques

On a side-note, I left the seller positive feedback but it was removed?

momcqueen · ‎03-12-2018

Your feedback was removed because GSP accepted responsibility; therefore the seller cannot be blamed. Or thanked.

vintagetonow2134 · ‎03-12-2018

what? they open the packages?

femmefan1946 · ‎03-13-2018

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2016

The problem with zombie threads is that the information and advice in them is often out of date and inaccurate.

they open the packages?

YES.

GSP is a forwarding service.

If the seller did not adequately describe the item for export, then the minimum wage clerks on the production line may open the package to confirm what is inside.

And then they do a rush job of repacking.

All too often poorly.

There is a GSP notice attached if the purchase has been repacked.

NO.

Most packages are adequately described and just keep moving.

Considering the thousands upon thousands of packages going through the plant in Kentucky every day, opening and repacking every item would be inefficient and uneconomical.

I have purchased only two items that were shipped by GSP. One was repacked because the seller did not note if the book was published in the USA. (It was.) Although the book was less than an inch thick, it was repackaged in a box some four inches in height. There was no damage and the notice I mention was included.

leaky-bucket-labs · ‎03-14-2018

@vintagetonow2134wrote:
what? they open the packages?

welcome to 2012

momcqueen · ‎03-14-2018

@leaky-bucket-labs wrote:
@constantineschoiceswrote:
what? they open the packages?
welcome to 2012

@vintagetonow2134: Only the Global Shipping Program does this. GSP has no direct impact whatsoever on Canadian sellers; as a export program it is available to sellers located in the USA and UK only.

@leaky-bucket-labs: Constantine is a new user and is looking to sell in the future, he/she has come to the Board only recently.

momcqueen · ‎03-14-2018

@happy_pigeon: Can we puhleeze re-bury this zombie thread? I feel like it's only adding to the general level of confusion.

happy_pigeon · ‎03-14-2018

Hi all, I'm going to close the thread to new replies to avoid any confusion as @momcqueen has pointed out. If there is a related discussion that you'd like to continue, feel free to open a new thread for it.