eBay

theoldestfart · ‎08-21-2020

n July 26th I purchased an item. The item was 4 sticks of memory and the shipping description seem to indicate that the method being used was USPS

"USPS First Class Mail International / First Class Package International Service"

The shipping seemed a bit high but the item had a best offer. I used Best Offer to lower the total price paid. Only after the seller shipped the package did I discover in fact that this item was using eBay Send(Ship) as the tracking number began with ES. eBay Send uses DHL to pick up the package at the seller and then eventually hands it to USPS .

The item was shipped on July 27th. The initial tracking showed it progressing through DHL and it is handed off to USPS on July 31st. Then tracking went completely dead. I contacted the seller after two weeks of not receiving any tracking updates and simply got a reply whose just was "hope you get the items shortly". Two more weeks past and Canada Post showed no receipt of the package. I went and contacted DHL eCommerce and due to some sleuthing on my part was able to find their eCommerce tracking #. DHL indicated that USPS should have handed off the parcel to Canada Post on August 12th which they appear not to have done.

I tried contacting the seller on August 17th and so far 5 days later no response. Contacted eBay and mentioned the feedback from DHL I got and of course, simply got the standard boilerplate response about filing a INR claim once the latest delivery date is reached.

This is where I screwed up and should of rung alarm bells with me. I purchased the item on July 26th and the listing showed a delivery date of Aug 21st through Sept 21 st and that should of been a clear indication to stay away from this item but I did not. So now it looks like I will have to wait for a month before I can file a INR to get my money back on what appears to possibly be a lost item.

So what I hope to come out of this that if you see a listing from a US seller that says "USPS First Class Mail International / First Class Package International Service" and a delivery date spanning a month or more from the current date be aware that the item is fairly certain to be using eBay Send and NOT USPS entirely.

From now on if I use eBay I will stick to Canadian sellers. The hassle of GSP and the choke point at the Erlanger KY for those shipments and the unclear listing practises for eBay Send the huge shipping delays possibly lost parcels is not worth it to me.

theoldestfart · ‎08-23-2020

"Is there a possibility that the seller themselves has chosen DHL’s mail consolidation service without going through eBay? The US$12.50 shipping rate doesn’t jive with anything offered through eBay International Standard Delivery, although I suppose the seller could have padded the charge by US$2.50."

Did you check eBay Send? Since the tracking number that eBay sent me begins with ES and DHL and USPS is involved and that is part of eBay Send,

"Which is what I was getting at with my point about additional charges at delivery."

I want to know upfront what couriers are involved with a shipment UPS are notorious for adding fees just to collect your money and clearing your shipment.

I have heard DHL has a reputation of also adding incidental fees for clearing shipments. If I know that the shipment is involving either of these carriers I avoid them and move on. I also want to be able to track an item on the shipper's own website and not see at times a confusing or incomplete tracking summary supplied by eBay (see a previous post regarding where eBay supplied tracking shows where the parcel is since July 31st)

In the past I have ordered parts off eBay to fix customer's laptops / computers. I have given the client a time frame and a quoted price based on the eBay price. Only after I get confirmation from the client do I place the order and wait for the shipment to hopefully show up.

If the item does not show up then the time I waited for it to show up is lost, I have to find another source for the part IF the client still wants to get the computer fixed and is not fed up with me and not being able to fix the computer. I have ordered parts and they show up and the item was not what was shown, In order to keep the customer happy and not delay the repair any further I made the part work.

Sure eBay refunds the money for the item but that is only part of the over all picture.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-23-2020

For anyone interested a little test. Try a search on either dot com or dot ca for the following:

Apple AC Adapter Power Supply 12V 1.8A for Airport Extreme A1202

Now compare a few for the shipping to a Canadian postal code and a US zip like 90210.

I usually use closest option. The unit I have for sale comes up 10th on dot ca using those search words. And does not include all the shipping options specified as per the actual listing on dot com. (Matches exactly with dot ca.) Information that could sway a buyer.

What you will see is the kind of sticker shock Canadian buyers see on a regular basis looking for random parts to possibly fix something from US sellers in respect to cost and delivery time frames.

-Lotz

theoldestfart · ‎08-23-2020

One of those items on ebay.ca showed as C $23.08+C $39.00 shipping

Yet when I click on it I see the following for shipping US $43.15 (approx. C $56.95) USPS Priority Mail International. Shipping for 90210 meanwhile is free.

This what Canadians have to constantly deal with. The shipping for that $56.95 is "USPS Priority Mail International Estimated delivery within 8-24 business days".

The USPS service level for my shipment is "Priority Mail Express International” and that is a 4 days from a full month since it was shipped.

marnotom! · ‎08-23-2020

“Did you check eBay Send? Since the tracking number that eBay sent me begins with ES and DHL and USPS is involved and that is part of eBay Send.”

Sorry, I guess I wasn’t very clear with my question.

My understanding is that DHL offers a service called “Global Mail” which is handled by DHL until the figurative “last mile” at which point it’s handed off to the postal system. I’m pretty sure I received a package shipped in this manner a couple of years before eBay Send was unleashed. (I had to pay DHL a C$10 in addition to taxes and duty owing when I collected it from the postal outlet.)

I’m wondering if the seller may have purchased the shipping from EasyShip rather than through eBay, which might account for a shipping charge that doesn’t jive with the information from eBay Send, as well as the use of the “First Class International” shipping category in the listing.

theoldestfart · ‎08-23-2020

This is exactly my point there are so many bleeping shipping options for sellers in US that are at time so cryptically spelt out in the shipping method that people outside of the US have no idea who is actually handling their package before they bid or buy an item.

This indeed an eBay Send item. It says "eBay Send tracking #ES..." when I go an use the tracking option inside of ebay for the item. The thing is I contacted DHL eCommerce and they said

"in this specific case, we transferred the package to the United States Postal Services and they are the ones in charge of sending the package to your country, from there is handled by Canada Post;"

"This is a DHL Parcel Intl Standard shipment which typically takes 4 to 8 average transit business days from the day it is exported (July 31st), according to this information this package was supposed to arrive no later than August 12th"

pjcdn2005 · ‎08-23-2020

According to ebay, they recommend that the seller specify in the listing that they are using ebay standard international however they aren't required to. The seller may have compared the label cost of ebay standard international to first class international when they went to print the label and decided to use the less expensive service.

theoldestfart · ‎08-23-2020

Probably right. I pointed out to the seller that the eBay tracking system shows the item is sitting in Carson CA aka it shows no handoff or it being shipped to Canada. This is the tracking that most normal buyers would use and see. The seller has told me to file a complaint with eBay. SIgh I had to explain to him that requires me waiting for another month to Sept 22nd and only then can I file a INR as Sept 21st is the last delivery date for this item.

theoldestfart · ‎08-29-2020

I figured I would post an update re this shipment, I subscribed for email notifications on USPS and Canada Post using the tracking # I found without eBay's help. I got an email from USPS that the package finally showed up in Canada and has cleared customs. eBay tracking still showed the same thing as it has for over a month. The package was still sitting in Carson CA. USPS continues to email whenever the package is scanned while Canada Post email notifications are silent since Canada Post only feels it is necessary when there is an issue with the item or when it was delivered.

I have not yet received the package but it will be over 5 weeks in transit from LA area in CA. I still stand by regarding this being my first and only eBay Send purchase. The listing description for these types of sales needs to clearly indicate which shipping methods are being used for the item. Being dependent on eBay tracking system which seems to have issues with missing updates is something I want to avoid.

I will stick with Canadian sellers for the time being however that is nor without issues even when it comes to Newegg Canada.

marnotom! · ‎08-30-2020

@theoldestfart wrote:

USPS continues to email whenever the package is scanned while Canada Post email notifications are silent since Canada Post only feels it is necessary when there is an issue with the item or when it was delivered.

Why are these updates important to you?

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-30-2020

@marnotom!

@theoldestfart

For some buyers it is EXTREMELY important to monitor delivery status updates, especially when another courier "could" mysteriously be involved. People are not always home when packages arrive and IF they get dropped off on a front step then tend to magically walk away. Drivers seem to like to drop and dash. This is also nerve racking when the item is either high value or urgently required. And now, with community mailboxes we rarely use/check our front door.

-Lotz

femmefan1946 · ‎08-30-2020

People are not always home when packages arrive

Postal shipments can be marked DO NOT SAFE DROP.

And it should be noted that eBay does require the buyer to have a secure spot for delivery.

You could also put a notice on your front door asking that packages not be left unattended.

But that means taking personal responsibility which many are loathe to do.

I am old and cranky.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎08-30-2020

Drivers DO NOT READ. Both notes on packages and signs on door. Courier shipments...Fedex, UPS, Canpar and oversized Canadapost packages can potentially arrive at your front door. I've had oversized packages from Canadapost that were clearly marked by shipper DO NOT SAFE DROP show up on my step. Only spotted by accident. And with asking shippers to mark packages as do not safe drop there are no guarantee they will do so. I am old and cranky too. I do not appreciate drivers that refuse to read and porch pirates, but sadly part of the new normal. I live close to high traffic street. Packages dropped on my front step are in full view of anyone passing by.

-Lotz

sonometrics · ‎08-31-2020

Last friday I bought a service manual for a tape deck. $10 US from a US ebay vendor that currently has 18 items listed for sale. $3 US for shipping. No duty or taxes. This item looks to be anywhere from 25 to 50 pages (8.5 x 11) document / booklet.

Ebay lists the shipping service as "USPS First Class Mail International / First Class Package International Service" but elsewhere on the order details page they list the shipping carrier as "ebay send". They list a tracking number starting with ESUS followed by an 8-digit number. The USPS tracking site does not recognize it. I sent a message to the seller asking for clarification on the tracking number.

In the mean time, I did some searching for ebay send, the following link may be helpful to some here:

https://www.ecommercebytes.com/2020/06/06/tracking-ebays-international-shipping-programs/

There is mention of there being 2 tracking numbers associated with an ebay-send shipment, and it's useful to get both.

In my case, with the purchase of what is a document, it seems to me that sending this directly to me using USPS would have been the way to go, given that this item presumably would have no customs / duties applicable and would have been treated as a letter or correspondence.

femmefan1946 · ‎08-31-2020

I gather eBay Send is slightly cheaper than USPS mailing, because the seller sends the package to a central point using cheap domestic rates, then it is bundled with a lot of other parcels heading for Canada (or elsewhere) and gets to Canada on a single manifest.

Basically the same as the Global Shipping Program, but it seems at this early point, to have more plants than the single GSP one in KY.

And as a seller myself, I can assure you we are a cheeseparing bunch of cheapskates.

The important thing to remember is that tracking, for all the warm fuzzies it gives the buyer, is a Seller Protection against unwarranted claims of non-delivery.

Tracking will not speed the parcel, nor does it tell you where the parcel is. At best it tells you where it has been.

Put the last estimated date for delivery on your calendar. If it hasn't shown up by then, open an Item Not Received dispute.

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