Buyer unable to complete purchase, error on app says item not available for their location

[peterkat2020]

Hello,

  I have a potential buyer who contacted me yesterday evening who has been trying to purchase item 286762069407 but they are getting an error message in the app that item is not available for their location and to view similar items.  They are located in Ormstown QC and I am in Montreal, QC so we are in the same province.  I entered their postal code and got the shipping amount so not sure why they can't complete the purcahse. I checked the buyer is not on my blocked list.  I have 6 other items with watchers so now I am wondering if they have issues making a purchase as well but have not received messages from other potential buyers.  I will try to contact customer service later as the chat bot was useless.  

Thank you if anyone has any ideas as to what is the problem or the solution.

[john_koenig99]

I tried to checkout said item, and I got exactly the same message. I am located in the GTA, Ontario.

Have you had this issue before? It can be a glitch with this particular listing.  Maybe you need to relist it. 

Try contact eBay thorugh  Facebook or X (Twitter); their reps are a bit more helpful than chat or phone ones.

[lacemaker3]

If they are using the app, it may be the app for eBay.com. Or the simplified version in the app may just not be able to handle this.

They can try using the website instead, using the browser on their phone or a computer. This should work, based on my experience.

I just tried going to checkout for that item, on the website (a computer). I started on eBay.com. With the primary shipping address in the US, it said it could not be shipped. When I changed to an address in Canada, there was no problem. I could have purchased and paid for it.

Then I tried on eBay.ca, with the same results. With the primary shipping address in the US, it said it could not be shipped. When I changed to an address in Canada, there was no problem. I could have purchased and paid for it. I tried two addresses, one in Ontario and one in Nova Scotia.

[jtg204]

Might be similar to this problem where others suspected terms that might cause the listing to be a hazard, unsure if it was resolved by this other seller though:

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Community-eBay-Site-Issues/Issue-with-item-location-Canadian-buyers-can...

[peterkat2020]

I contacted a live agent through their chat and they said it is a technical issue with their site that they are aware of.  I was told they have received other complaints about this and he opened a service ticket on my behalf. Said there will be an udpate in 2 or 3 days.  He said there are no restrictions on my account. But now that you had the same error message I wonder if it is just me having the issue or others too.  

Maybe  devon@ebay can confirm if this issue is being worked on. 

[peterkat2020]

The buyer used both the app and the .ca site and got the error message both times. They also tried to purchase similar samples from another buyer and got the error message.  And the fact you tried with 2 diffent Canadian addresses and you could have gone through with the purchase means not everyone is affected by this problem.  I have not been contacted by any other buyers but I have watchers on 6 items so I don't know if others can't purchase from me. 

[john_koenig99]

I did change the default address to my own, on .ca. It showed normal, with the quoted price from CP. The error message only showed up until I went ahead to check out the item.  

[john_koenig99]

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@jtg204 wrote:

Might be similar to this problem where others suspected terms that might cause the listing to be a hazard, unsure if it was resolved by this other seller though:

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Community-eBay-Site-Issues/Issue-with-item-location-Canadian-buyers-can...

---

Yes, this is exactly the same issue as the OP encounters. 

Reading through the thread, it seems that the one marked as "Solution" is changing some wording in the listing title and/or content that makes the listing OK, because it appears that some words in the current listing trigger some kind of glitch that prevents the item to be available to be sold. 

I suggest to @peterkat2020 to read carefully this thread, and see if something applies as solution to your current conundrum. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@peterkat2020 wrote:

Hello,

  I have a potential buyer who contacted me yesterday evening who has been trying to purchase item 286762069407 but they are getting an error message in the app that item is not available for their location and to view similar items.  They are located in Ormstown QC and I am in Montreal, QC so we are in the same province.  I entered their postal code and got the shipping amount so not sure why they can't complete the purcahse. I checked the buyer is not on my blocked list.  I have 6 other items with watchers so now I am wondering if they have issues making a purchase as well but have not received messages from other potential buyers.  I will try to contact customer service later as the chat bot was useless.  

Thank you if anyone has any ideas as to what is the problem or the solution.

---

@peterkat2020 

Your listing issues may have something to with the following eBay policy. eBay's AI may have snagged it to block it for selling.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/cosmetics-perfume-policy?id=4290&st=3&...

[peterkat2020]

I read through all the messges from March 2025 from the seller who had a similar issue. I will end the listing and remove all words referencing perfum fragrance eau de etc and relist it and ask the buyer to try again.  

[peterkat2020]

The buyer advised me  she got a different response from a Phone Rep claiming it is prohibited to sell fragrance and cosmetics in Canada and can only be sold to USA which obviously I won't bother listing for USa. Whatever the reason I will end the listing and won't try again with these types of samples. 

[femmefan1946]

As usual the phone rep is talking through their nether orifice.

There are restrictions on shipping perfumes because many are oil or alcohol based and thus volatile.

Basically, no air mail shipping.

But you can ship perfumes etc in Canada or almost anywhere in the world by surface.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Have the buyer try to go to your listing on the desktop website (not the app).

Have them make sure to use the .ca extension - not .com. 

If that still doesn't work, ask them to open it up in an incognito browser on .ca (not .com) and use the guest checkout. This would be a last resort, they would still have buyer protection. 

If none of the above works, ask them if their main address is a PO Box. If yes, check if you have shipping to PO Boxes blocked. 

[john_koenig99]

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@peterkat2020 wrote:

The buyer advised me  she got a different response from a Phone Rep claiming it is prohibited to sell fragrance and cosmetics in Canada and can only be sold to USA which obviously I won't bother listing for USa. Whatever the reason I will end the listing and won't try again with these types of samples. 

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That's a load of hoopla. I know of people who have bought perfumes through eBay, in Canada. 

[peterkat2020]

I don't beleive what the phone rep told the buyer as I have sold 3 perfume samples once before and used lettermail to Manitoba and there was no issue.  If it really is prohibited then why allow me to create the listing in the first place.  I searched Ebay and there are others selling samples in Canada using Canada Post as a shipping option. Those same samples in my listing I received them in the mail by Canada Post.  I ended the listing and will focus on something else. 

Thanks for all the responses. 

[flipistics]

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@peterkat2020 wrote:

I don't beleive what the phone rep told the buyer as I have sold 3 perfume samples once before and used lettermail to Manitoba and there was no issue.  If it really is prohibited then why allow me to create the listing in the first place.  I searched Ebay and there are others selling samples in Canada using Canada Post as a shipping option. Those same samples in my listing I received them in the mail by Canada Post.  I ended the listing and will focus on something else. 

Thanks for all the responses. 

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This is eBay's perfume policy:

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/cosmetics-policy?id=4290

I (think) you can ship perfume and cosmetics by Canada Post but it has to go ground only and requires special stickers.  I'm not sure the exact details as I avoid those types of products.

Just because someone else ships those products in a particular way doesn't mean they're doing it legally.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@flipistics wrote:

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@peterkat2020 wrote:

I don't beleive what the phone rep told the buyer as I have sold 3 perfume samples once before and used lettermail to Manitoba and there was no issue.  If it really is prohibited then why allow me to create the listing in the first place.  I searched Ebay and there are others selling samples in Canada using Canada Post as a shipping option. Those same samples in my listing I received them in the mail by Canada Post.  I ended the listing and will focus on something else. 

Thanks for all the responses. 

---

This is eBay's perfume policy:

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/cosmetics-policy?id=4290

I (think) you can ship perfume and cosmetics by Canada Post but it has to go ground only and requires special stickers.  I'm not sure the exact details as I avoid those types of products.

Just because someone else ships those products in a particular way doesn't mean they're doing it legally.

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For as long as this has been brought up wondering if the system is flagging samples the same way as it does a bottle. There have been listings on the system for both and in both USA and Canada for years. The current AI could be screening/blocking as soon as someone attempts to complete a purchase causing the transaction to be blocked. A slight modification to wording and magically there is no longer an issue with the listing. Might also be helping that there are 2 sets of rules for USA and Canada and like other things the 2 are not permitted to "co-mingle".

(Similar to batteries separate vs installed.)