Seller refuses to provide tracking. Scam?

[primaveraflora]

i opened an INR case and asked for a refund. the seller didnt refund me. they also did not give me the tracking info. they only updated the shipping info which was "USPS First Class". it was also "international standard delivery". in my email it also said that "u can close the case once u recieve the item" but i didnt get the tracking so i have no way of knowing when its going to be delivered.

- i thought if it was shipped with usps it would automatically give me and the seller a tracking number or do they have to enter it manually?

- what if the the seller still refuses to give me the tracking? it was shipped exactly a month ago so they would have to give me tracking right? should i escalate this case to ebay?

- what if they provide a fake tracking number and win the case...? what can i do? the seller also ignores my messages even when i asked them when they r availbale so we can solve the issue

(im a new member in ebay so pls tell me all u know about INR cases and refunds)

- also, when opening a dispute, does ebay read the messages of the seller and the buyer in the messages? or is it a bot that decides?

- if i lose the dispute and the appeal should i call ebay? what should i tell them?

[pjcdn2005]

The tracking number would be entered automatically if the label was printed on ebay or Paypal but if they took it to the post office they would have to enter the number manually.  But normally when a case is opened and the seller 'updates the shipping' that means that they reentered the tracking number to show where the item is right now.  There is definitely no tracking number in your purchase history?

Was this sent sent direct to you with first class international or was it sent through ebay standard international delivery program?

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

- i thought if it was shipped with usps it would automatically give me and the seller a tracking number or do they have to enter it manually?

Tracked services cost money. The cheapest from the USA to Canada is First Class International Parcel which starts around $20.

Letter mail is not a tracked service. The Seller has no Proof of Delivery.

- what if the the seller still refuses to give me the tracking? it was shipped exactly a month ago so they would have to give me tracking right?

There is no compulsion to give the customer the tracking number. Nothing about tracking is useful to the buyer. It does not speed up the shipping nor does it protect the parcel from rough handling.

Tracking is a Seller Protection.

should i escalate this case to ebay?

Yes.

- what if they provide a fake tracking number and win the case...? what can i do?

A "fake" tracking number would not show delivery to your address.

You win the Item Not Received Dispute if the tracking does not show delivery.

Open an Item Not Received Dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

You have 30 days from the last estimated date for delivery eBay gave you.

If the eBay deadline has passed because the seller schmoozed you past it--

DON'T PANIC!

You are still covered by the Paypal Buyer Protection program for 180 days from Payment.

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

Do NOT bother with the suggestion (not a command) that you Contact the Seller. You have already done that to no avail.

the seller also ignores my messages even when i asked them when they r availbale so we can solve the issue

You don't need the seller anymore. Open the Dispute and put him on the defensive. You are in the right and both eBay and Paypal are on your side.

- also, when opening a dispute, does ebay read the messages of the seller and the buyer in the messages? or is it a bot that decides?

It's a bot.

Which is good.

You don't need a lot of information.

Just "I did not receive the doohickey".

The seller then must prove delivery (not shipping, Delivery) or you will be refunded.

- if i lose the dispute and the appeal should i call ebay? what should i tell them?

You won't.

[primaveraflora]

yes they updated the shipping info but it still says "no tracking availbale". it says at the top that it was sent thru "international standard delivery" but at the bottom with the shipping and return info it says "usps first class".

[primaveraflora]

thank you. this helped me so much. although i might do another post "if" i lose the case because the seller seems to know their way around the system.

[priya-9537]

hi,
you can report the seller in ebay or contact to ebay.

[marnotom!]

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@primaveraflora wrote:

thank you. this helped me so much. although i might do another post "if" i lose the case because the seller seems to know their way around the system.

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I think it's more of a matter of either the seller knows how to bamboozle a new eBay buyer, or else they don't understand the system themselves.

Remember, your complaint is that you haven't received the item, not that the seller hasn't sent it.  Your seller needs to provide evidence satisfactory to eBay that your complaint is bogus, and they can't do that.

If they have used eBay's International Standard Delivery program to get the item to Canada, it's been reported on this board and the one on the American (.com) eBay site that it seems to be a lot slower than directly mailing to the buyer, even with COVID taken into account.  It may still reach you, but at this point you should be concerning yourself with recovering your funds.  Your seller may or may not be aware that items sent through this mail consolidation service are covered by up to $100 in insurance (indemnity) for lost items, so there's that to consider.

[lady.stark]

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If they have used eBay's International Standard Delivery program to get the item to Canada, it's been reported on this board and the one on the American (.com) eBay site that it seems to be a lot slower than directly mailing to the buyer, even with COVID taken into account.

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I did order something shipped by that method in mid-December (my first purchase with this service). Seller shipped it Dec 15 and the last estimated delivery date was Jan 13. I'm still waiting for the package. But with all the insane delays I know the postal system currently has, I will wait at least until Feb 10 before contacting the seller since I have 30 days from that last date to open a dispute. And PayPal will cover me for longer than that anyway (180 days from shipment).

[terence427427]

If shipping via Canada post there are a few instances where there is no tracking. l occassionaly sell coins, if under $20 or so, l send them via standard mail, one at a time of course (99% get through okay).  l also send small packages from Canada to Europe, always by surface/ground mail that has no tracking number either. Its a case of does the buyer want to pay $20 for ground mail or around $120 to $150 for air mail.

[reallynicestamps]

@terence427427

You're braver than I am.

I rarely use tracking in Canada or the USA because the two postal systems are very well integrated, and my item generally can ship LetterPost which is an air mail service for the most part.

And domestically, all parcel services are tracked. So we are in agreement there.

For the USA Small Packet does not offer tracking* and is about half the price of tracked packing, so I base my choice of service on the vibe the customer gives me, as well as the value of the shipment.

But for overseas, I would never ship by Surface. At the best of times it takes too long, and by the time it actually arrives, even with tracking showing it in transit, the impatient buyer may have opened an INR Dispute and been refunded.

If the buyer can't afford secure, rapid shipping, she can't afford the doohickey.

I am old and cranky.

*There is a "hack" about using the Small Packet invoice number as a tracking number. USPS often will record it as tracking. Don't depend on it though.