eBay International shipping won't send my item because they said it can't be exported

[scoobadivr]

I recently purchased a vintage (1980s) computer disk drive from a seller in the US.  It was handled by eBay's international shipping program and went to an address in Illinois.

Today I received notification that I received a refund because the item cannot be exported.

I have made similar purchases through the old GSP and never had an issue, so I do not see how a piece of vintage computer hardware can be restricted.  How can I have this appealed?

Customer service told me that the seller will receive an email with options, however he hasn't, so I need to know how to have this escalated to someone who can intervene and correct this.

Any ideas?

[vegabass25]

Until eBay gives me a proper explanation, or gives buyers and sellers the option to at least talk to someone accountable about what happened, I consider my item stolen. Your refund means nothing, eBay. If you took something from me but left money in its place, It’s still theft. That item belonged to me. That transaction was as standard as any of the others I’ve done over the past 10 years. Some people wait years for certain items to pop up on eBay. To run the risk of it just getting confiscated with no explanation makes this marketplace useless, and makes buyers and sellers feel bad. EBay was supposed to be fun. Once my other orders arrive (if ever, they are also electric fans) I’m closing my account. Can’t even try to work something out with the seller because eBay decides to keep the item. I guess someone working at the shipping hub liked that fan more than I did.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

Global Post (non-ebay)(total 10 days transit from E. USA to Calgary). Item value 60 USD + 6.95 USD Shipping. NO CUSTOM FEES/TAXES. 

The duty-free allowance for the USA is now $150Cdn.(~$115 US) and the tax free allowance is $40Cdn(~$30).

You should have been charged at least  GST of $2.25-- but CBSA has for many years made a practice of ignoring postal shipments that are so inexpensive that it would cost more to assess and collect import fees than could actually be collected.
@lotzofuniquegoodies 

This did not apply to the GSP because it was not part of the international postal system. Nor to any other courier like UPS or FedEx.

I'm unclear on whether the EIS or  Global Post are postal or private.

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@reallynicestamps 

My Global Post shipment was USPS/CP (Commercial EPacket Express) . The USPS tracking stated signature required (which has become almost impossible to utilize even when paid for) but arrived in my community mail box. Secure? Yes, but still not a verified signature. What would have happened if it was put in the wrong box by mistake? Tracking would show as delivered. 

As for my shipment, my shock was for receiving something timely, tracked (- shows ETA/status), secure, reasonable shipping options with in this case no customs charges and fast. Features that were not included with GSP.

-Lotz

[marnotom!]

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@vegabass25 wrote:

Until eBay gives me a proper explanation, or gives buyers and sellers the option to at least talk to someone accountable about what happened, I consider my item stolen. Your refund means nothing, eBay. If you took something from me but left money in its place, It’s still theft. That item belonged to me.

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Unfortunately, according to the terms and conditions, the item didn't belong to you at that time.

From the Seller Terms and Conditions for EIS:

Transfer of Title.Title to an EIS Item remains with you until such time that the EIS Item is successfully delivered to your Buyer or their consignee, at which time title to the EIS Item shall transfer to your Buyer or their consignee. At no time does eBay (or its affiliates) or the third party service providers, or other subcontractors under contract with eBay or its third party service providers’ subcontractors take title to an EIS Item.

Your seller basically agreed to let the service provider relieve them of the item if it turned out to be undeliverable:

eBay shall have no liability and shall have, in their discretion and in any manner that they prefer, the right to dispose of or liquidate EIS Items that eBay or its third party service providers conclude are undeliverable, for whatever reason.

If eBay or its third party service providers concludes that an EIS Item is undeliverable and elects to dispose of it or sell it, title to the EIS Item shall transfer automatically from you to a third party that eBay may designate and you will keep your Buyer’s payment.

This is all at https://pages.ebay.com/internationalshippingprogram/seller/terms/.

Sorry to be the messenger of bad news.

[vegabass25]

All the more reason for me to leave this place. What a crock of shjt eBay’s turned into. Never again.

[reallynicestamps]

The USPS tracking stated signature required...but arrived in my community mail box. Secure? Yes, but still not a verified signature. What would have happened if it was put in the wrong box by mistake?

tyler@ebay, who has moved on from eBay, covered this near the beginning of the pandemic when Canada post no longer required their employees to obtainsignatures for health reasons.

————————————————————————
https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Which-carriers-still-use-signature-confirmation/m-p/4639...
Tyler confirms that BUYING signature confirmation will be accepted as getting signature confirmation

That being said,  I have recently been asked by my local carrier for a signature on a Registered letter, which was not addressed to me but to DH.

elizabeth@ebayCan you confirm that this is still the situation?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

The USPS tracking stated signature required...but arrived in my community mail box. Secure? Yes, but still not a verified signature. What would have happened if it was put in the wrong box by mistake?

tyler@ebay, who has moved on from eBay, covered this near the beginning of the pandemic when Canada post no longer required their employees to obtainsignatures for health reasons.

————————————————————————
https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Which-carriers-still-use-signature-confirmation/m-p/4639...
Tyler confirms that BUYING signature confirmation will be accepted as getting signature confirmation

That being said,  I have recently been asked by my local carrier for a signature on a Registered letter, which was not addressed to me but to DH.

elizabeth@ebayCan you confirm that this is still the situation?

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@reallynicestamps 

I vaguely remember that too being said during the pandemic. Seems counter intuitive to pay for something but not receive what is being offered.

Here is the most recent I could locate announcement from CP on the subject. July 2022. I know I have seen another later revision/update.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/doc/en/business/reinstate-phys-sig-04-07-22.pdf

Similar to the guaranteed delivery standards with CP.  Active/applicable in Canada. Still has not been re-instated for USA and Internationally. Considering majority of everything, in theory is moving normally...Whatever normal is?

-Lotz

@dinomitesales 

Re: Prepaid items announcement. FYI. See 4.7 regarding prepaid items. (Note: "should" be used in 3 years.) Sept 30, 2022

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/doc/en/support/customer-guide/A15_CG_2022_e_.pdf

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@reallynicestamps 

At my local SD I have observed heated discussions between customers and the agents when people were trying to pick up packages(with card) but they were not the named person. In a couple of cases the mail was addressed to someone that was housebound and would difficult for them to show up in person. Ended with customer leaving the post office...without parcel.

As for adding the signature option, that can only be done using CP online services or in person. Not with eBay Labels or Shippo. That has been brought up since eBay labels was released but never implemented. Those choices ARE available with the CP rate checker with an upcharge on lower service...included on premium services n/c. Example. Signature option 2.00 for Regular Parcel

-Lotz

[marnotom!]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

At my local SD I have observed heated discussions between customers and the agents when people were trying to pick up packages(with card) but they were not the named person. In a couple of cases the mail was addressed to someone that was housebound and would difficult for them to show up in person. Ended with customer leaving the post office...without parcel.

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I believe that CPC will allow a designated person to pick up a parcel on someone else's behalf as long as they have ID showing that they live at the same address as the recipient of the parcel.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@marnotom! wrote:

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

At my local SD I have observed heated discussions between customers and the agents when people were trying to pick up packages(with card) but they were not the named person. In a couple of cases the mail was addressed to someone that was housebound and would difficult for them to show up in person. Ended with customer leaving the post office...without parcel.

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I believe that CPC will allow a designated person to pick up a parcel on someone else's behalf as long as they have ID showing that they live at the same address as the recipient of the parcel.

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@marnotom! 

With the cases I witnessed. No way no how. No exceptions as per agent.

Similar to eBay, policies such as these all depend on what was relayed to the employee and how strictly something is or isn't enforced. Comparative situation. Several years ago I was issued a cheque for a lost shipment. The cheque showed up with my business name which I do not have any legal id other than my CP account. RBC would not cash. I've had that bank account for almost 25 years. I had to request a new cheque be issued with my personal name before I could get paid. Cheque was for under 30.00.

-Lotz

[marnotom!]

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@vegabass25 wrote:

All the more reason for me to leave this place. What a crock eBay’s turned into. Never again.

---

When the Global Shipping Program was unleashed six or so years before you registered on eBay, there were a lot of comments similar to yours about it.  This was seen as a radical change to how items from the US were shipped to Canada.  I waited for the dust to settle and a few tweaks made to it and found it worked quite well for the mobile phone purchases I wanted to make.  I think I purchased one or two other things where the GSP was used, but found it didn't really work for most of the other stuff I was interested in.  I didn't get that bent out of shape about it, though.

The thing is, just about any new procedure or venture that eBay unveils has teething pains, not unlike a new car model.  Many automobile enthusiasts recommend avoiding purchasing a car when it first comes out and waiting until the next model year because those new models tend to have a lot of problems that the manufacturer missed.  In the same vein, I would suggest that for the next few months, Canadians try to avoid purchasing items where the new eBay International Shipping scheme is used unless they're happy to be guinea pigs.  And I guess there have to be guinea pigs, otherwise nobody will know what issues exist with this new scheme.

From what I can see, EIS isn't "just like the GSP" and it's going to take both buyers and sellers some getting used to in order to figure out how to best use it to their advantage.

ADDENDUM: I should have added that the issue of title to the item is treated by the GSP in a manner similar to EIS.  You've just been fortunate not to fall on the wrong side of the fence on this with your GSP shipments.  It's probably a matter of the GSP being able to handle larger packages than EIS can.

[marnotom!]

@lotzofuniquegoodies, here's a page from the Canada Post website that explains the official procedures in place for someone collecting a parcel on someone's behalf.  Maybe people using that postal outlet should carry a printout of it or have it ready on their phones:

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/receiving/tracking/a-delivery-notice-card-was-...

[pjcdn2005]

I agree that is how it works.  For example, my husband went to pick up a parcel in my name at the post office. Our neighbours were out of town and we were checking their community mail box so he also tried to pick up their parcel.  He was able to pick up mine because he could show ID at the same address. But they would not give him our neighbours parcel even though we had the pick up card.

I know with couriers that you can require any signature or a signature from recipient only.   I've never heard of Canada Post giving that choice.

[brettjet38]

Ahhh!, the darn...

...gets them everytime. And its all in those Terms and Agreements we all just click "Accept"

[marnotom!]

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@brettjet38 wrote:

Ahhh!, the darn...

...gets them everytime. And its all in those Terms and Agreements we all just click "Accept"

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One thing I find interesting (if you want to call it that) about EIS is that, unlike the GSP, sellers are bound by a set of terms and conditions as well as buyers.  The GSP had a few warm and fuzzy FAQ-type pages for sellers, but I think the only thing they actually had to agree to was the use of the program, and even then we've seen cases where bewildered sellers have found themselves enrolled.

[dinomitesales]

Sorry, I didn't read the whole thread, but in responding to what I think was being asked of me:

Signatures are actively being collected as per pre-covid regulations. There is no reason why a signature-required item should be left in a mailbox or otherwise 'delivered' without a physical signature being collected.

And to pick up an item at the post office you just need proof that you live at the address, as marnotom said. Anyone that has ID with the address matching the parcel/letter/whatever can pick it up. The name is almost entirely irrelevant except for items that are shipped with "Proof of Identity" service (which is being phased out anyway).

[reallynicestamps]

At my local SD

What is SD?  Shopper's DrugMart?

The Postal Outlet clerks are not Canada Post employees. I've seen a lot of misinformation in Outlets.  Most of the time the clerks are fine, but people are people.

...I was issued a cheque for a lost shipment. The cheque showed up with my business name...

When I was a bank teller we were told to get the name on the cheque written on the back, then the name by which the depositor was known at the till written on the back, along with the depositor's account number. Those cheques could only be deposited, not cashed. And only by branch customers.

Mind you I stopped working as a teller when I decided my Centennial project would be to go to university.

Nowadays, I can't even make a deposit into DH's account in cash or with a cheque in his name, but apparently he could do it with a scan on his phone, if he knew how to use his phone for anything but texting.

[reallynicestamps]

Thanks @dinomitesales .

It's always helpful to get information from the trenches.

[stepoha37]

This just happened to me with a vintage manual typewriter. It was shipped from Wisconsin on Monday but when it arrived at the shipping hub first it was being inspected. Then on Friday I suddenly received a refund and a message that "this item cannot be exported." I never heard anything from the seller and when I communicated with eBay they blamed the seller, said perhaps the item was misrepresented or not packaged properly, an issue with the paperwork .

This typewriter is very hard to find. I live in Quebec where typewriter keyboards are often in French and my 92-year-old dad insisted on a Brother typewriter. The typewriter repair shops I contacted around here all said that typewriters are regularly imported from the United States to Canada without any problems. Apparently the paperwork can be tricky but still..

When I spoke to FedEx and gave them the tracking number, they said my name and address were not listed anywhere, the shipment was a U.S. to U.S. transaction and it was successfully delivered on Wednesday. They said they are hired by eBay to ship items and that they had fulfilled sucessfully shipped the item to its destination. I regret not using the My US Address service. I am very disappointed in eBay and I find it strange that this has happened with several vintage items, all landing in the same shipping hub in Illinois. I will not be ordering anything from a U.S.-based seller on eBay again.

What bothers me the most about this is the shipment could have been re-rerouted to the U.S address I use or I could have picked it up near the border. I was not given a chance to do this. I don't know who to believe and I find this experience very bizarre.

[marnotom!]

@stepoha37 

Ouch.  As someone with a soft spot for many things vintage, I feel your frustration.  I don't really have much interest in vintage manual typewriters, though, so I did some digging through some listings where eBay International Shipping was being used.

What I generally found with these listings is that they're incredibly light on "item specifics" and while that makes sense to a point for a vintage item, these listings don't even state the typewriter's country of manufacture (even as "unknown") and it may be missing information such as that that's affecting the ability for the necessary "paperwork" to be generated, thus rendering the item unexportable.

I spent a bit (although admittedly not a lot) of time on this discussion board thread on the .com site.  (Thanks for the contributions, @pjcdn2005!)  There is a post from a seller who shipped an item through EIS that the program couldn't forward to its destination, and their screenshot of the notice they received suggests that they had the choice of having the item returned or liquidated.  I don't know if that choice is offered for all items that EIS is unable to forward, but if it is, then your seller may have dropped the ball here.

I suspect the reason why you didn't get consulted on this is because the item isn't considered yours until it's delivered to you.  I know this flies in the face of the notion of good customer service, but it's the seller's choice to use EIS (even though you're paying for it) and they'd be the one paying to have the item returned if there was a charge associated with the return. 

[pjcdn2005]

It seems that the majority of times that I've read of this happening with EIS, the item is described as 'vintage'.  I don't know if that is a coincidence or not.

In the EIS information that came out when the progran was first announced, they did say that an item that could not be exported may be sent back to the seller or would be liquidated and sold by a proxy for the EIS.  I don't remember the post that you are referring to @marnotom!  but it does seem that all or most of these situations have resulted in the item being kept by EIS, just like they did for the GSP.   That's got be frustrating for both buyers and sellers.