How to send return label/money for item that was reshipped to another country?

[msmaggie060]

I think I am getting a return request for an item that was shipped via a reshipper in the USA.  My first return in 15 yrs. on eBay.  Too high $ to just say keep the item without returning. I know I only have to pay return shipping from the US so if a case is opened it won’t help to send a PDF label through Shippo if the person is mailing back from another country. Do I just tell eBay to send them the money within the case? And do I just send the amount it cost me to mail to the US reshipper or what it would cost to mail back from the US (probably less).

[femmefan1946]

I know I only have to pay return shipping from the US s... if the person is mailing back from another country.

You don't have to do a dang thing.

If the buyer used a re-shipper, whether a professional freight forwarder or his aunt Ludmilla in Queens, your responsibilty for most of the Money Back Guarantee ended right there.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?...
 
This is the part I'm referring to
 
Exclusions and special coverage when the buyer doesn't receive an item


Items collected by a third party on behalf of the buyer
 - Not covered


The buyer arranged their own shipping method, such as a courier pickup
 - Not covered


The buyer provided an invalid or incorrect address at checkout
 - Not covered

What is the reason for the return?

It is my understanding that you only have to supply shipping from the address you shipped to.

And that if the returned item is not delivered within a set time, again you are not responsible for a refund.

From your buyer's perspective, he should be happy to have had Aunt Ludmilla re-ship, because freight forwarders are less likely to be prepared to deal with returns.

There is some controversy about this, so read other posts as well.

And probably we should ask eBay for a definitive answer, specifically for Canadian sellers.

tyler@ebay  

[pjcdn2005]

The mbg does specify that if an item is reshipped the item isn't eligible but a couple of years ago one of the reps said on the US boards that there had to be some sort of proof that the item was reshipped because it was possible that the freight forwarder address was where the buyer worked.  So if the buyer mentioned in a message that the item was shipped to them from a forwarder then you don't have to honor the mbg but the seller would have to contact customer service on how to handle that and I don't have first hand experience with that.

I would guess that if the problem with the item was seller caused then most sellers would honor the mbg anyway but that would be up to them.  If you do accept the return you would have to send money for the label from the US through Paypal....ebay won't do that for you.

[msmaggie060]

@pjcdn2005 

Buyer says they can’t return item as it is now in another country. My buyer has sold and sent item to another person in other country and they have opened the item, said there is something missing, (item was in a sealed pkg.) and want to return it. How to address this other than return for refund. What happens if they file as an INAD? 

[marnotom!]

Have they said what the missing item is?

[pjcdn2005]

So you didn't send it to a forwarder...your US buyer either sent it to a forwarder or sent it directly to another country. Either way, they are the ones that have to deal with their buyer, not you.  Honestly, if your buyer opens an INAD and you phoned ebay showing that they had sold the item, I'm not sure how ebay would respond. You weren't in control of what they sent their buyer so its an odd situation. If you contact ebay you should do so by sending a message through ebay for business Facebook as they seem to be a bit more reliable than customer service on the phone.  They may say that since your buyer admitted that they sent the item somewhere else that it has nothing to do with you now.  You might want to wait though until a SNAD is opened before you contact them.

When did your buyer receive the item? Is it past the 30 ebay mbg timeline?  Of course they do have the option of opening a claim through PP or doing a credit card charge back depending on how they paid. Note that if they open a PP claim or cc chargeback, you may not have the option to ask for the item back.

If you do feel that you should be responsible and believe that the item you sent wasn't complete and your buyer opens an INAD, you could send them a usps label by getting one through Shippo and sending it via email as a pdf. (I would date the label for sometime in the future)  I've heard that you can also do a usps label on stamps.com and pay with a $C credit card but I haven't personally every purchased a usps label...I'm just going by what I've read.

Even if you don't feel you are responsible for what 'their' buyer said...you would still have to send a label if they opened a SNAD but chances are that by the time they could actually use the label, it would be too late for them to use it.  Sorry I don't have a straightforward answer but its an odd situation plus I'm not sure how  responsible you are at this point.

[msmaggie060]

It was sent to a US forwarder and forwarded on to my buyer. My buyer has now sent it on to her buyer? in another country. Her buyer is saying there is a problem with the kit which was unopened and sealed when I mailed it. She (her buyer) must have opened it and she says it is not new and missing a piece of filament (thread?).

So this item has been mailed by me to the US, then forwarded to buyer in her country and now sent on to another person in another country. Not sure I should be liable anymore. Does anyone know?

tyler@ebay 

[femmefan1946]

but a couple of years ago one of the reps said on the US boards that there had to be some sort of proof that the item was reshipped because it was possible that the freight forwarder address was where the buyer worked.

Which is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.

How many parcels does a freight forwarder deal with daily? And how many forwarders are there in the USA?

What are the chances.?

Even so, if the buyer was receiving at work, getting a shipping label from his work address is not a problem, eh?

Somebody on that Board was typing without engaging his brain.

But it is a problem for the guy in Uzbekistan with an account with a forwarder in Delaware.

[femmefan1946]

Not your problem.

He got it and sent it on.

Not your problem.

He has to fix it for his own customer.

Just tell him to send it back.

Then if he complains tell him to send it back.

And that he should return it for a refund.

But there can't be a refund without a return, so he should send it back.

There is also the question of timing.

No eBay Disputes can be opened if more than 30 days have passed since the shipment was delivered.

And delivery was to the reshipper in the USA.

How long ago was the shipment delivered?

Paypal will demand that he return the item on his own before refunding. And you don't have to refund until you have it back.  (He does have 180 days from payment for this.)

And then there is the new chargeback policy that PP sent around emails about. Not sure how that would apply if at all.

[tyler@ebay · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the tag @femmefan1946!

Hi @msmaggie060 - this one is a little tricky. I know that you offer returns on most, if not all of your items, which means typically we'd ask you to honor that return. 

However, to be clear, you are only asked to honor the return from the location it was sent to. For example, on an Item not as Described return we'd ask you to arrange return shipping from the stated address on the order.  

If the buyer states it's in a different country now, or that they had it forwarded to them and now they can't return it, that's not a problem we would ask you to resolve for them. 

So in this case, I agree with others here: if the return request is opened (and within your stated return time frame) I would arrange a return shipping label from the address it was sent to in the US. 

If the buyer is not able to get it returned the request will naturally time out or close. If they plainly say that it was forwarded on to them then please consider contacting CS so they can review in additional detail and get you your options.

[msmaggie060]

tyler@ebay 

Thank you for the information Tyler. Yes I did say that I would take a return of the item. It was then that she said she no longer had the item, it had been sent to another country. Anyway, the story keeps changing and I’m waiting for the next email. Thanks again.

[tyler@ebay]

Keep us posted @msmaggie060!