This is a longstanding problem with purchases from overseas. Particularly with purchases from China where sellers have a habit of , to be as polite as possible without actually vomiting, overdescribing their products.
With bulky/pricey items like jackets at least you can see that shipping domestically is not a lot less. Parcels are very expensive to ship by Canada Post and worse in most cases by courier.
So what is your next step?
Leave appropriate feedback for the seller.
The most effective feedback is calm and factual. 'Size 12 coat had 28" chest. No refund w/o return." for example.
Much more important is to leave Detailed Seller Ratings for the seller. A normal transaction gets 5 stars. The lowest rating is ONE STAR. If a seller's ratings drop below 4.3 his selling account may be restricted in the number and value of items, his listing fees may rise, and he may even have his account closed.
Sell the unwanted coats yourself on eBay or elsewhere. You may find a local consignment store that will take your New With Tags items.
Make sure the measurements are clearly stated in the eBay listing. Weigh and measure the parcel before listing to make sure the shipping is correct. You will be shocked at how much shipping will be.
Don't try to make money on this. All we are trying to do here is to make the loss lighter.
Or.
Donate the coats to the Snowsuit Drive, if they are children's sizes. Your pocketbook may not like it, but your karma will shine.
I have purchased from China a few times. About half my purchases have been successful. With clothing I go up three or four sizes. I still have received items that were too small and I've never gotten anything too large. Twice I've had to request a refund for non-arrival but one of those eventally arrived and it was courterfeit.
