China to Canada not arriving? Ebay has a problem and must step in

[oragex]

Hello fellow Canadian members

It is well known that a very large percentage of items bought from China are never received by the Canadian buyers.  This is only a problem in Canada, not in the US.  It is a widespread problem for the Canadian buyers.

There have been already discussions on this.  For example  https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Buyer-Central/China-to-Canada-not-arriving/td-p/206561

I want to resume the situation, and to ask the Ebay management to work out for a durable solution for this issue.

The problem started years ago, when the Canadian Customs were being very slow in inspecting the packages from China, creating this way a large delay in the delivery to the Canadian customers.  This delay caused many Canadian buyers to ask for refund, which hurt and created a distrust from the China sellers.  Ultimately, the Chinese sellers started to mark a very long shipping time for their items bought by Canadian members, a delay which goes past the 60 days limit the Ebay allows for leaving a feedback.  As of 2019, a majority of China sellers actually never ship out their items to Canada, because the Canadian buyers wait over 60 day to receive their items and cannot any longer leave a negative feedback for a missing item: this way the Chinese sellers feedback is not affected by the items they never shipped out.  More over, the Purchase history page does not allow asking for refund after 60 days from the purchase, so many Canadian members don't ask for a refund when their item is missing.

It is important to note that these missing items never arrive to the destination, not even 6 months or 1 year later.

Ebay must put pressure on the Chinese sellers, to prevent them from escaping when they don't ship out the items to Canada.  Ebay must extend the feedback time limit to be longer than the shipping time limit.  Same for the refund time limit on the Purchase history page.

I am also asking Ebay to communicate with the Canadian Customs.  The Canadian Customs are too slow to process the items from China.  In comparison, the US Customs are much more efficient.  The Canadian Customs must improve their process.  Ebay management as well as any Ebay member can communicate with the Canadian Customs  with this form https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/feedback-retroaction-eng.html

As a Canadian buyer, I will stop purchasing for now from China, because there is no reason to purchase when most of the items never arrive.  It is sad, but necessary.

I think only Ebay can help with this issue at this time. 

I am attaching a video explaining how the Chinese sellers take advantage of the shipping delay to never send out their items to Canada and never get a negative feedback for this  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqHKIOAdVH4

Also a video showing how to get refund for a missing item after the 60 days delay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBzuL7wSo4Y

[femmefan1946]

@illogik4l 

You have three levels of Buyer Protection.

If you are too late (more than 30 days from delivery date) for the eBay dispute, you are still covered by Paypal for 180 days (six months) from payment date.

As outlined above.

If PP turns you down, you can still try the chargeback policy of the credit card you use to back your PP account by phoning the 1-800 customer service number  on the back of the card.  Card policies differ.

[smokenjoe14]

I agree with much of this.  To say use a faster shipping method cost more and you could then go to Amazon and get it much faster and just as cheap.  The appeal to ebay is many sellers include shipping and it is cheaper.  Problem is China is shipped by Boat.  It takes up to 2  Months  for the boat to get from China to Canada and then clear Customs.  Customs actually could take a couple of months.  i think many of the Chinese sellers are just putting items up with no intention of shipping.   Hoping after 3 months buyers forget.  Of my last 10 items I purchased only 1 came on schedule. I am still waiting for 3 that are 3-4 weeks over due and I have received 6 refunds.  Not a great record. It is getting to the point of not using ebay no matter how cheap.  Amazon is looking like the better alternative. Wish  and Alibaba are other sites buy from but the issue is the same as ebay.  At least ebay is good at backing the buyer in disputes. 

[smokenjoe14]

no so fast, pay pal is not as easy as that. I ended up having to get my money back with Visa as Pay Pal will not go beyond the 90 days and sometimes ebay products take more than that. 

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@smokenjoe14 wrote:

no so fast, pay pal is not as easy as that. I ended up having to get my money back with Visa as Pay Pal will not go beyond the 90 days and sometimes ebay products take more than that. 

---

PayPal website says different. 180 days from time of payment.

If your order is significantly different to the seller's description or doesn't arrive, you have 180 days to file a dispute.

https://www.paypal.com/ca/webapps/mpp/paypal-safety-and-security

[reallynicestamps]

Is this a new trend (items from China not arriving) ?

No.

This has been a problem for most of this century.  A mixture of slow shipping services, the UPU negotiation, and the fentanyl crisis.

@smokenjoe14 

think many of the Chinese sellers are just putting items up with no intention of shipping.

While most Chines sellers are honest, although you get only what you pay for, there are a small percentage (of a very large number) who are selling vapourware as you suspect.

I am still waiting for 3 that are 3-4 weeks over due and I have received 6 refunds.

Have you filed Disputes in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page? You only have 30 days from the last estimated date for delivery to do this.

All you want from the suggestion to Contact the Seller is a prompt refund, not a discussion or an offer of replacement.

No refund?

Ask eBay to step in and Escalate to a Claim.

If the seller cannot prove delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

If you have been schmoozed into waiting past the closing of the eBay window, you can go to Paypal.

The PP Resolution Centre is at the top of most pages under Tools.

The system is similar.

Again, if the seller does not refund immediately, escalate to a Claim and get your refund.

With AZ you are probably buying directly from AZ ,although thousands of small businesses try to compete with them. 

I've had terrible results from Wish, mostly on the quality of the goods.

[tyler@ebay]

---

@i.ezac.nv02whau wrote:
Make a repeat purchase from the seller that cheated you before. Then submit your feedback for the previous item, and say so

---

Hi @i.ezac.nv02whau  - please don't do this, as it's a violation of Feedback policy and could result in the feedback left being administratively removed. 

For situations where an item doesn't arrive, you should still be protected even if the estimated delivery date is outside the time frame for leaving feedback. As @reallynicestamps has mentioned, feedback comments and ratings are not things we consider when evaluating a seller's performance or standing with us. Open and escalated requests are however, so an Item Not Received request can serve to help us get you your money back, as well as notify us of problematic behavior on the part of the seller. Thanks!

[billnbob123]

I've had much worse experiences with Ali Express and switched to eBay for that reason. But still not receiving items, sigh.

[femmefan1946]

One of the few ways feedback is useful is with mega-sellers who use Surface shipping for cheap stuff.

Most buyers either forget or don't bother claiming a refund when the item doesn't arrive.  So the sellers continue and eBay doesn't really know* it is happening.

But many of those buyers will leave feedback.

So read not just the percentage, but also the actual FB itself.

A mega-seller can have 100% positive FB, but still have hundreds of unhappy customers.  Some of those will be people incapable of being happy, but a pattern of slow shipping, slow delivery**, poor quality, bad communication, etc.  has to be taken as a warning.

Included neutrals with the evaluation of the negatives.

*One function of the Resolution Centre is informing eBay that the seller is having problems.

** These are different things. While the seller chooses his shipper, he cannot control how fast the shipper(s) will deliver.

[corrosion_guy]

I have experienced long shipping times (> 60 days) for small low value Ebay packages from China to Canada for many years. In the past the items eventually arrived in the mail.

This year I have at least 5 small packages that have not been delivered after 3 to 7 months after the order was placed. For three of these orders I contacted the vendors in late September and they offered to ship out replacement packages. I am still awaiting delivery of these items.

These items are small electronic components for my hobby and I typically pay between $1 and $5 for each transaction. If these parts never arrive it won't hurt my wallet, but it is a source of frustration and has unfortunately caused me a distrust of Ebay and its Chinese vendors.

As a side note:

I have made a few orders in the past with Aliexpress and had very good service and reasonable delivery time, but the shipping costs are generally much higher.

Earlier this year I attempted to purchase a guitar for several hundred dollars from China through DHGate and was issued a fake tracking number for a guitar that was never shipped. After patiently waiting for 3 months I requested a resolution and was quickly refunded by DHgate. I this incident it was an obvious case of fraud.

Vendors not shipping orders? It can happen.

[femmefan1946]

@corrosion_guy 

I contacted the vendors in late September and they offered to ship out replacement packages. I am still awaiting delivery of these items.

They were never sent.

It is also possible that the original items were never sent.

It is quite possible the items have never existed, just a picture and a description.

If these parts never arrive it won't hurt my wallet,

This is why the scam works.

Some buyers forget they ordered after a month or so.

Some don't bother with a Dispute because the amount is so small.

Some promise a replacement and schmooze the buyer into waiting until after the window for Dispute closes.

Some accede to the occasional demand for a refund.

In all these cases, eBay does not see that there is a problem with the seller since no formal Dispute is opened.

Some buyers do open a Dispute and are promptly refunded, and eBay sees that the buyer has been made whole, so there is no penalty on the seller. **

very good service and reasonable delivery time, but the shipping costs are generally much higher.

Selling items that do not exist can lead to low prices.

You pay more for things that will actually arrive.

After patiently waiting for 3 months I requested a resolution and was quickly refunded by DHgate.

It's not clear if this was an eBay transaction.

But it comes under "Some accede to a demand for a refund. "  Because there was no formal Dispute* and/or because the seller refunded on demand, eBay sees this as acceptable because the buyer is made whole.

As a side note:

attempted to purchase a guitar

There have been many reports of guitars in particular being stopped at Customs (or even before Customs) for problems with the CITES ban on rare woods.

*In the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

** If a seller has "too many" disputes and claims, settled or not, eBay may step in and restrict the account.

[beramacgali]

you are right about this, but you can leave a negative feedback any time, without the stars. If my item is not there by 59 days i leave negative feedback.

I then request refund from seller. they give the song and dance but if they refund i offer to chance the feedback which you can do if they send a request to you after refund. You can lv a neutral fedback then but still state item never received and leave delivery time blank.

I have actually received 9 out of 10 items to Can. but delays are appalling.

And ebay has to implement  a policy where the seller cannot leave a longer than 60 day delivery .

Sellers can choose to offer  epack, spedpak, and that delivers much quicker to canada with some tracking, buyer should be willing to pay a couple dolllars for that to have the security. 

[femmefan1946]

Buyers can only open a Dispute for 30 days after the last estimated date for arrival.

This can be longer than the 60 days from purchase allowed by eBay.

Paypal allows 180 days from Payment to open a Dispute.

Feedback has some usefulness to future buyers, but eBay does not use FB to assess member accounts.

Only the Resolution Centre will get a refund from an unwilling seller.

buyer should be willing to pay a couple dolllars for that to have the security.

Absolutely.

Most of these problems arise from prices that were too good to be true.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@beramacgali 

There is a chance, depending on how bad this current situation progresses with the Coronavirus that there would be compounding of delays from China.  Staff is being told to stay home, warehouses are completely shutting down causing delays in orders being processed and mail being processed. Whenever possible it's best to try to order from Canada/USA sellers, especially when it is something that may be urgently required. Hopefully Canada would be your first choice!   🙂

https://www.wsj.com/articles/businesses-suspend-chinese-operations-amid-coronavirus-fears-1158033813...

-Lotz

[ypdc_dennis]

The Chinese New Year has the usual additional holiday delays.

But in 2020 the government has extended the holiday period to February 2nd for all of China and to February 9th in the hardest hit regions.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/29/business/lunar-new-year-coronavirus-economy/index.html

Year of the Rat

[femmefan1946]

And remind everyone you know that the FLU (not the coronavirus) has killed over 9000 people in the USA this winter.

There have been NO recorded deaths outside of China from the coronavirus.

China reports 200 deaths from a population of 1,435,000,000.

Just to keep things in perspective.

[femmefan1946]

As of Sunday Feb. 2, one death has been reported outside of China, in the Philippines.

[chrimowa-0]

I absolutely agree. And currently with the Plague going on, it is even more difficult to get any legitimate assistance from eBay. I have written (now many) detailed notes to eBay that get replied by eBay employees that either simply Do NOT Care or who have not read the note in its entirety in order to clearly understand the issue.

Save your money if the Seller is in China OR India. Anything from India currently takes minimum 4 months to arrive in Canada .. if Ever.

And if you do receive it, it is likely **bleep** or downright fraudulent.

It's time eBay cracks down on these Scam Sellers. I'm sick of it and REFUSE to purchase anything on eBay ever again ... plague be-damned. Especially since eBay is currently USELESS at resolving anything. In fact, I lost the opportunity to make a claim thanks to eBay's Total Incompetence.   Phuk eBay.

[pmlinne]

I tried to avoid buying from China because of the current virus situation.     I bought an item that had its location listed as Toronto and at one point the estimated delivery time was 5 to8 days.   Only later did I learn that the item was being shipped from China.   Had I known that, I would not have made the purchase.   The estimated delivery time changed  and the parcel was not expected for 18 days.   It still had not arrived and I had to put in a claim.   I did receive a refund but am annoyed that the location was misrepresented.   

[reallynicestamps]

@chrimowa-0 

EBay has a Money Back Guarantee, but there is a system in place to claim it.

When you purchase, eBay gives you a delivery window. If the item is not delivered during that period, you can file a claim in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

If the seller cannot prove delivery, you will be refunded.

One problem with very long delivery periods is that eBay purges its records after 90 days.

However the transaction numbers still are recorded on Paypal. EBay stupidly does not make that clear.

Free Shipping from overseas usually means Surface shipping which often takes upwards of three months.

If a purchase is not small enough to fit in an envelope, and is advertised as Free Shipping, it is worthwhile to do your own diligence and ask if it is possible to pay for an upgrade to Air Mail.

Even in these days, with less air travel, and less air cargo as a result, Air Mail usually is as quick from Asia as from Europe.

But you have to pay for it.

If you have passed the 30 days from delivery deadline for an eBay claim, you are still covered by Paypal's Buyer Protection policy, which allows claims for 180 days from payment.

The PP Resolution Centre is at the top of your PP account page under Tools.

And if you are too late even for that, you can try the chargeback program of the credit card you back your PP account with.

But you will need those transaction numbers for any of those claims.

[grandmas-great-items]

It seems right now shipments from China are hit and miss. Some of my purchases are arriving and some aren't. I have even had 2 sellers go NARU (No Longer a Registered User) as I waited for the items.

Is waiting minimum 3 months after purchase before inquiring or opening a dispute enough time or should I be giving more time? I am past 3 months for another seller that I haven't opened a dispute since they are still selling and I want to give more time just in case it's just a shipping delay because of covid-19. I just opened a item not received dispute with a NARU seller that is now 3 months past the purchase date. Other sellers from China I received items within 2 to 2 1/2 months these last few months since covid-19 shut the world down pretty much.

I know ebay gives 30 day window from last expected date of delivery and PayPal gives 180 days from date of purchase. Should I just wait until day 29 after last expected delivery date to inquire and day 30 to open a ebay dispute or wait until 4 or 5 months to open PayPal dispute?