eBay

gilliankehler · ‎10-15-2017

I have a GSP item I purchased that shipped from the US, has gone through the Erlanger sort center and cleared customs. Since october 5 the tracking with Canada Post has shown that it is in Mississauga, has been released from customs and is now with Canada Post for further processing. The expected delivery date still shows October 11 but I have not received it! The seller has been awful with communication since the start and is refusing to respond to my requests for her to help me.

I tried calling Canada Post myself to open a service ticket, but they said they need to hear from the seller (who is deciding to uninvolve herself from the situation).

So I realized it had been over 30 days since date of purchase, and I panicked and opened an eBay dispute. It is telling me it's the seller's turn to do something, but she hasn't done anything. It says I can "take action" tomorrow Monday 16. I plan on calling eBay to discuss all this come Monday but am worried they will settle in the seller's favour, because there is a valid tracking number and everything? After all it's not her fault it's stuck in transit (although I do need her to contact Canada Post on my behalf!!). This was a $225 item! Any advice in the meantime about how to handle this would be appreciated!! I just want to receive the item!!

ypdc_dennis · ‎10-15-2017

Don't panic,

eBay Item-Not-Received case is for the 30 days after last estimated delivery date -- not from time of purchase. So for this purchase it is the 30 days after October 11. So still lots of time. Tracking has to show delivered.

Since it is a GSP shipment it is Pitney-Bowes (the reshipper) that has to nag Canada Post -- although the seller can nag Pitney Bowes to get tracking.

Since the seller is not talking, you can ask Pitney-Bowes directly at global.shipping.support@pb.com to see if you can shake it loose.

...

And if you paid with PayPal you have a 180 days from date of purchase for an INR claim.

-..-

gilliankehler · ‎10-15-2017

Thank yooouuu!... Those are reassuring words! Just sent off an email to them... Do they have a phone number as well??

femmefan1946 · ‎10-15-2017

Did you state in your Dispute that the seller used GSP for shipping?

The seller* has no responsibility for delivery after the shipment shows delivered in Erlanger.

However-- the GSP took over responsibility at that point.

And as ypc_dennis says, it's DELIVERY not shipping that is important.

If the shipment cannot be shown as delivered, you will be refunded.

When the shipment turns up after that, GSP does not want it back.

* who is not being helpful or reassuring, which should be reflected in your feedback

marnotom! · ‎10-15-2017

I'm just elaborating a bit on Dennis' (and now Femmefan's) excellent post(s) and adding a few musings of my own.

The seller's responsibility for a shipment forwarded through the Global Shipping Program ends once the shipment is accepted at the Global Shipping (forwarding) Center in Kentucky. From there, Pitney Bowes and its network of subcontracted freight forwarders and logistics companies takes over. Your seller may have "ghosted" on you because they know that they're no longer responsible for the package, or else they had no idea that the item had the Global Shipping Program automatically applied to it by eBay (it happens), no idea what the GSP is and how it operates, and was completely baffled by your messages.

From what you're saying about the tracking info, it appears that your shipment is one of the odd ones that may have been transported to Canada through a mail consolidator rather than a freight consolidator, and there has been a small handful of posts that suggest that this process isn't terribly speedy. A month's wait for an item from the United States is a bit on the slow side, even by GSP standards. Normally, items clear customs with a logistics company before being handed off to Canada Post.

I'm not sure who this "them" is that you emailed, but contact information--including a telephone number--for Pitney Bowes' Global Shipping Program can be found on this page:

https://www.pitneybowes.com/us/global-ecommerce/contact-us.html

As Femmefan suggests, in your claim for a not-received item, you should have indicated that the item was forwarded through the Global Shipping Program. This would ensure that that Pitney Bowes handles it and the seller doesn't have to wear it.

Incidentally, having tracking information doesn't make sellers or shippers "immune" from these sorts of claims if the tracking doesn't show that the item was delivered to the proper address.

gilliankehler · ‎10-15-2017

So what do I do about that case I have open, tomorrow I can officially ask eBay to step in since the seller hasn't responded, is that what I should do? Should I call eBay? Or should I just wait and see if I hear back from Pitney Bowes?
I should also mention that she forgot to ship these for 2 weeks so the estimated delivery date with eBay was Sept 22-28. These are very, very late:(

marnotom! · ‎10-15-2017

@gilliankehler wrote:

So what do I do about that case I have open, tomorrow I can officially ask eBay to step in since the seller hasn't responded, is that what I should do? Should I call eBay? Or should I just wait and see if I hear back from Pitney Bowes?

The way I see it, Pitney Bowes is doing the job of the seller at this point, so you should be waiting to hear back from them, not the seller. As much as the seller has made a mild hash of things, they have fulfilled their responsibilities for the sale. Pitney Bowes, by all appearances, has not.

@gilliankehler wrote:

I should also mention that she forgot to ship these for 2 weeks so the estimated delivery date with eBay was Sept 22-28. These are very, very late:(

A two week lag before shipping is unconscionable. Things like this just reinforce my belief that the GSP is being largely used by sellers who, for whatever reasons, don't know what they're doing, rather than being used to its best advantage by sellers who have done their homework beforehand. No wonder it's getting such a rough ride. There are situations where it can work reasonably well compared to direct-to-buyer shipping options, but admittedly those instances are pretty specific and dependent on the stars aligning just right.

gilliankehler · ‎10-16-2017

Now the seller is accusing me of theft because she sees the item has been marked as delivered in Kentucky (at the Global Transportaiton Hub!!!!!). I tried expalining to her how the GSP works and that from Kentucky it needs to be sent to me in Canada. And now she's freaking out accusing me of giving her the wrong address, she is totally confused and thinks I'm trying to swindle her! God, why would you bother selling things on eBay if you don't want to bother learning about how it works first?? She also uploaded tracking info to the eBay dispute. Ugh this keeps getting uglier.

marnotom! · ‎10-16-2017

Did you mention the Global Shipping Program in your non-receipt claim? The bots that "read" the information you provide on that claim apparently look for keywords like that and that ensures that the claim gets kicked over to Pitney Bowes.

Any news from Pitney Bowes yet?

gilliankehler · ‎10-16-2017

I didn't intially but I sent some messages to the seller this morning mentioning the Global Shipping Program and Pitney Bowes several times. I heard from PB, they said they would be looking into it with the "vendor" (does that mean mail carrier? I hope so!) and to please be patient.

gilliankehler · ‎10-16-2017

And I just got off the phone with a super nice guy from Ebay who informed me to escalate the case as soon as that option becomes available, tomorrow. Pretty much waiting on Pitney Bowes to find out more info from Canada Post at this point I think. Thank you all for your advice, I'm feeling way better about the situation now 🙂 Just hope to god those boots make their way here!!!

reallynicestamps · ‎10-16-2017

The 'carrier' is PitneyBowes/Global Shipping Program.

Canada Post is (probably) the sub-contractor for the GSP.

Name the GSP as the carrier and give their tracking number in your case.

gilliankehler · ‎10-17-2017

Thank you. I added one last note to the dispute including both the GSP and Canada Post tracking numbers. Then I escalated as was instructed to do by the Ebay customer service rep.

gilliankehler · ‎10-17-2017

As an aside, what would you guys recommend me leaving for feedback when this is all over? I wish there was more space to write haha. I'd like to convey the seller a) doesn't understand how to sell on eBay, and b) was rude and unhelpful and unresponsive

reallynicestamps · ‎10-17-2017

"Problems with GSP shipping Seller not helpful Product good"

You can leave positive, negative, or neutral.

The first two affect the seller's FB percentage, but not his seller account.

The neutral has no effect on either.

marnotom! · ‎10-17-2017

I probably wouldn't mention the GSP by name (or initials) in any feedback left as sellers are "protected" against negative feedback that's related to it. You may want to focus on the two week lag before the item was shipped out.

gilliankehler · ‎10-18-2017

Update: I was refunded by eBay and told my parcel has been lost in transit. Would have rather had the boots but glad it's finally all resolved and over. Neg feedback left (did not mention GSP).
Big thanks again guys for all the advice, I really appreciate these forums:)

gilliankehler · ‎10-18-2017

Ok it actually retracted my feedback, all I said was "seller forgot to ship for 2wks, not helpful when item lost in transit" and now it won't let me leave any feedback?? I definitely want to leave feedback as the sellers behavior was unacceptable!

marnotom! · ‎10-18-2017

I'm guessing that there's no way for the feedback bot to distinguish between negative feedback related to the GSP and negative feedback related to the seller. I was thinking that "GSP" or "global shipping" would have been triggers, but apparently not.

At least you got your funds back, and that's the main thing. How's the seller's feedback otherwise?