eBay

tinyin-5 · ‎12-26-2018

I bought an item that had two shipping options: Free without tracking and tracked for an additional ~$10 Canadian. The item is from Japan and given the recent Canada Post fiasco I wanted it tracked to make sure it gets through customs in one piece.

The item has shipped, but I didn't get a tracking number. I've contacted the seller, but they've stated on their account that they'll be away for some time and haven't replied to me.

However, I can see that they're still active on eBay. The item's page had been updated with a new quantity after I had sent my message asking for a tracking number.

What should I do?

reallynicestamps · ‎12-27-2018

With an estimated arrival date in mid-March, I suspect that your 'Japanese' seller is shipping from China and his supplier is using slow Surface shipping, which may still have a tracking number, but the supplier has not given it to the seller.

And you want what you THOUGHT you were paying for, faster shipping.

But, again, that's not the purpose of tracking.

Tracking tells the seller that the item has arrived and protects him if a false/ mistaken Non-Delivery claim is filed.

That you paid for it is... my best example is extended warranties on household appliances, which last less time than the manufacturer expects the appliance to work well. A true cash grab.

Anyway.

You can't open an eBay dispute until March 13, but you can open a Paypal Dispute for 180 days after payment.

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

The reason is Not Received.

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

But it doesn't have to go that far.

The first suggestion is to Contact the Seller, which you have already done, but the Dispute may galvanize the seller into providing that number.

DO NOT CLOSE THE DISPUTE IF YOU GET A NUMBER.

If you do, you cannot reopen it, and eBay will not let you 'double-dip'.

When/if the item arrives, you can change the Dispute to Not As Described if necessary.

And it may be if you bought what you thought was a Japanese product and authentic, but which turns out to be a Chinese fake.

View solution in original post

reallynicestamps · ‎12-27-2018

First, tracking is useless for the buyer. It is a Seller Protection.

EBay gave you a window for delivery.

If the item has not been delivered by the last estimated delivery date, go to the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page and open an Item Not Recieved Dispute.

You have already attempted to Contact the Seller, so you can skip that suggestion.

Ask eBay to step in and Escalate to a Claim.

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

If the Seller deigns to provide the shipping number you paid for, and it proves that the shipment is in Canada, you can wait a day or two, but if there is no number or the parcel is still on a boat somewhere, escalate.

If the shipment appears after you have been refunded, you can return the refund using Paypal's Send Money feature.

Do NOT accept an offer of a replacement. It won't appear either.

You do NOT have to close the Dispute to get a refund. That is a scam.

Normally, Japanese members are very conscientious. Which is a sort of reverse prejudice, I guess.

momcqueen · ‎12-27-2018

What's your Estimated Date for Delivery?

tinyin-5 · ‎12-27-2018

January 21 to March 12.

tinyin-5 · ‎12-27-2018

I don’t really care if it’s useless to me or not, I paid for a tracking number. I’m not suggesting that the item wasn’t shipped, I just want what I’ve paid for, which is tracked shipping.

reallynicestamps · ‎12-27-2018

With an estimated arrival date in mid-March, I suspect that your 'Japanese' seller is shipping from China and his supplier is using slow Surface shipping, which may still have a tracking number, but the supplier has not given it to the seller.

And you want what you THOUGHT you were paying for, faster shipping.

But, again, that's not the purpose of tracking.

Tracking tells the seller that the item has arrived and protects him if a false/ mistaken Non-Delivery claim is filed.

That you paid for it is... my best example is extended warranties on household appliances, which last less time than the manufacturer expects the appliance to work well. A true cash grab.

Anyway.

You can't open an eBay dispute until March 13, but you can open a Paypal Dispute for 180 days after payment.

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

The reason is Not Received.

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

But it doesn't have to go that far.

The first suggestion is to Contact the Seller, which you have already done, but the Dispute may galvanize the seller into providing that number.

DO NOT CLOSE THE DISPUTE IF YOU GET A NUMBER.

If you do, you cannot reopen it, and eBay will not let you 'double-dip'.

When/if the item arrives, you can change the Dispute to Not As Described if necessary.

And it may be if you bought what you thought was a Japanese product and authentic, but which turns out to be a Chinese fake.

momcqueen · ‎12-27-2018

If the estimated delivery is mid-March and the seller is presently on vacation, you have no other recourse at the moment than to wait to get the tracking number for which you paid.

What’s the date given by the seller for returning from holidays?

reallynicestamps · ‎12-27-2018

There are a lot of anime figurines being counterfeited in China.

If that is what you bought, and I notice another of your sellers has what appear to be the real thing, the Chinese made ones are fakes.

If you enjoy and support anime, it is a Bad Idea to encourage counterfeiting, which takes bread from the mouth of the creators.

Or you may have purchased something entirely different and I may be wrong.

tinyin-5 · ‎12-28-2018

The date has changed a few times from January 5 to 6 and vice-versa.

tinyin-5 · ‎12-28-2018

Absolutely. I bought a Cloud amiibo for Smash Bros., which is similar enough to an anime figure, but fakes as far as I'm aware aren't really a thing, especially since these figures have electronics inside them. If I were to receive a fake I would most certainly create a dispute.

The seller's been on eBay since 2013 with overwhelmingly positive feedback, so I'm doubtful that they would try to pull such a scheme, especially since it seems that they've sold ~74 of them. I've bought things from Japan on an old account that have had a large estimate window similar to this, it's just unfortunate that the seller is gone until January 5 or 6.

Thanks for your help though, and I'll be sure to follow your advice if the issue passes getting a tracking number.

van13sina · ‎12-28-2018

If you don't have a tracking number than you have to wait 30 days for your money to be released as far as I know but I may be wrong

van13sina · ‎12-28-2018

If you don't have a tracking number than you have to wait 30 days for your money to be released as far as I know but I may be wrong

reallynicestamps · ‎12-28-2018

The OP is the buyer, not the seller.

The Hold on payments is for new, occasional and questionable sellers. It does not affect established sellers.

The maximum Hold is 21 days on non-US sellers. I understand that this may have changed since it was originally implemented.

Even when a buyer's payment is Held, the seller is still responsible for shipping out promptly.

Tracking helps the seller prove that the purchase has been shipping and delivered.

Non-US sellers are not required to do nearly as much tracking to reach Global Top Rated Seller status as US sellers are to reach Top Rated Seller status.

The Global TRS icon does not show on seller pages on dotCOM, but does in the rest of the world.

tinyin-5 · ‎12-29-2018

Just got a tracking number. It’s a Japan Post number that shows the item originated from Japan. The seller didn’t message me with the number, it just appeared on the item earlier today.

Thanks everyone for your help!