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?

[flipistics]

Out of curiosity, what was the drive you purchased?

[brettjet38]

Did you receive a full refund?

If so, then there is nothing to be done, try buying another one from another Seller...

The item may or may not be returned to the Seller.

[marnotom!]

By the looks of things, some of those old disc drives can command quite a price. Did this sale blow apart the US$500 limit for items sent through EIS?

[pjcdn2005]

You can't appeal it but if the seller receives it back you can ask them if they will send it to you using usps direct to Canada.

[scoobadivr]

Thanks for the messages!  The item was under the $500 limit.

Interestingly eBay did call the seller; they told him they were going to destroy the item, so he has asked for a supervisor to contact him.

I have no idea why they wouldn't just return the item.  This gets curiouser and curiouser...

[marnotom!]

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@scoobadivr wrote:

I have no idea why they wouldn't just return the item. 

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Wild guess: It would cost money to do that.

[scoobadivr]

@marnotom, you're right, but at least give the seller the option to have it returned if they're willing to pay the shipping cost.

@BrettJet,  would happily purchase another one, but this item isn't common and one of this condition has not come up in my years of collecting, so if a conversation with someone there can save the item, I'd rather see that happen.

Thanks to all of you for your prompt replies!

[scoobadivr]

It was a second drive for the IBM PCjr.  The second drive itself is pretty rare, and on top of that, it was new in box.  I've been collecting for years and I've never seen one listed in this condition.

[vegabass25]

Any updates on this? Just had this happen with a vintage box fan I was buying from a US seller. Random refund and “item cannot be exported” with no explanation why. I’ve bought hundreds of vintage box fans on eBay using the good old global shipping program in the past, but so far the new “eBay international shipping” is worse than garbage. Very slow, the packages seem to arrive with much more wear, or in this case- a steel box with a small motor in it cannot be exported. I just had a similar fan shipped by the same international shipping a couple weeks ago from a different seller. Although slow, it arrived at my door. If this ends up replacing the GSP then I’m 100% done with eBay. Feels bad to have me and the sellers time wasted and the excitement sucked out of buying on eBay. I had no problem paying extra for the GSP since it was actually reliable and not too hard on the parcels. Served me well for ten years.

[neogeoreo]

Same thing happened to me today. I got a refund out of the blue saying "Cannot be exported". It was for a 40+ year old Atari 800 (8-bit) computer. Value was 100 USD. I've been a ebay member for 20+ years, never seen this before.   Whats going on?

[neogeoreo]

I followed up with ebay and they say its because the seller may have used a USPS tracking number instead of a ebay one (I'm not sure how the GSP works on  the seller side).  So I don't know if the item was mislabelled or the wrong tracking was assigned to the auction. I followed up with the seller with what they told me.  Hopefully either the seller gets the item back or I do (I will reimburse the seller in that case).

[neogeoreo]

For anyone in the future. The seller got in contact with ebay, apparently the reason they gave was one of the box dimensions exceeded their export limit by 2 inches. Doesn't sound like the seller will get the item back nor the money, its awful.

[reallynicestamps]

the reason they gave was one of the box dimensions exceeded their export limit by 2 inches.

You'd think the programmers would have put that restriction into the coding.

The EIS should automatically be refused at the seller end before it gets to the shipping hub. Preventing a lot of anger and angst, particularly for collectors.

elizabeth@ebay  Could that information be passed on to the appropriate team?

[vegabass25]

Update- seller got paid and I got refunded. Understandably, Seller had no more info than I had. Vintage item gone forever most likely.
I’m not upset at the seller at all obviously, we both find it weird. I’m very disappointed in eBay, though. And quite upset about getting my hopes up for nothing. EBay might be ruined for me if this isn’t just a one-off thing. If I even bother again. An actual reason should have been included with the refund email.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

the reason they gave was one of the box dimensions exceeded their export limit by 2 inches.

You'd think the programmers would have put that restriction into the coding.

The EIS should automatically be refused at the seller end before it gets to the shipping hub. Preventing a lot of anger and angst, particularly for collectors.

elizabeth@ebay  Could that information be passed on to the appropriate team?

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Hoping/wondering about the "exceptions" with this new program and what can and can't be shipped? Will there be many very upset buyers who find out after who knows how long something cannot be shipped? Size, value, type of item. The list goes on.

-Lotz

PS. As a side recently received a parcel routed through 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.  Hopefully that will be how the new eBay shipments will process going forward. Crossing fingers for anyone expecting anything!!!! Reminds me of purchasing on eBay long before GSP etc and not worrying about extra costs.

[marnotom!]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:PS. As a side recently received a parcel routed through 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.  Hopefully that will be how the new eBay shipments will process going forward. Crossing fingers for anyone expecting anything!!!! Reminds me of purchasing on eBay long before GSP etc and not worrying about extra costs.

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GlobalPost gives exporters the option of a duty/tax pre-paid service for items destined for Canada:

https://www.goglobalpost.com/usps-canada-ddp/

If you weren’t charged GST at the point of purchase, the seller/e-tailer may have folded it into the item price or is absorbing the cost intentionally or unintentionally.

My understanding is that the possibility of a similar arrangement for eBay purchases going through eIS is being considered. Perhaps the slow shipping speed for eIS shipments is due to them having to be processed for taxes/duty at customs?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@marnotom! wrote:

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:PS. As a side recently received a parcel routed through 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.  Hopefully that will be how the new eBay shipments will process going forward. Crossing fingers for anyone expecting anything!!!! Reminds me of purchasing on eBay long before GSP etc and not worrying about extra costs.

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GlobalPost gives exporters the option of a duty/tax pre-paid service for items destined for Canada:

https://www.goglobalpost.com/usps-canada-ddp/

If you weren’t charged GST at the point of purchase, the seller/e-tailer may have folded it into the item price or is absorbing the cost intentionally or unintentionally.

My understanding is that the possibility of a similar arrangement for eBay purchases going through eIS is being considered. Perhaps the slow shipping speed for eIS shipments is due to them having to be processed for taxes/duty at customs?

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@marnotom! 

The business noted stated free shipping for USA. 6.95 for Canada. Customs may or may not be charged. Prior to purchase there was no way to tell it would be shipped via Global Post.

Mostly passed my experience on as a comparison. Pre GSP etc I almost never paid taxes and customs clearing and never for anything low value. When GSP became the go to it become routine. Because the shipping cost is connected to the item value that increases the chance of customs fees with anything eBay from the USA(Bloated Canadian shipping options flagged as Priority shipping). The other nuance was 10 day delivery. Something I haven't received from a US seller in years. Last time I received 10 days delivery was when I was able by request, have the seller skip the GSP. Just was a nice change of back to normal. It is very possible that GSP 8s being replaced/phased out due to the number of complaints eBay has received about this program. Just took them much longer than it should have. As it was noted it was seller protection plan, not anything for intl. customers benefit.

-Lotz

(The customs value is the total value of all the items in the shipment and includes the shipping cost as well depending on the commercial terms or incoterms used or agreed upon in the transaction.May 4, 2022)

[reallynicestamps]

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.

[marnotom!]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

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The business noted stated free shipping for USA. 6.95 for Canada. Customs may or may not be charged. Prior to purchase there was no way to tell it would be shipped via Global Post.

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Most e-tailers won't reveal the shipping method used, probably because they use a number of different carriers and they'll choose they feel is best suited for the shipment at the time the order is placed.

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Pre GSP etc I almost never paid taxes and customs clearing and never for anything low value. When GSP became the go to it become routine. Because the shipping cost is connected to the item value that increases the chance of customs fees with anything eBay from the USA(Bloated Canadian shipping options flagged as Priority shipping).

<snip>

(The customs value is the total value of all the items in the shipment and includes the shipping cost as well depending on the commercial terms or incoterms used or agreed upon in the transaction.May 4, 2022)

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The GSP's shipping costs had (I'm going to refer to it in the past tense as it's being phased out) nothing to do with the item value.  The mobile phones handled through the program had the same shipping cost no matter what their value was, and that shipping cost was comparable to First Class Package International.

And you might want to take a closer look at the source of that quote on customs value.  It's from an American site, not a Canadian one, and I get the impression it's dealing with commercial imports, not personal ones.

https://www.dripcapital.com/en-us/resources/blog/what-is-customs-value