Late shipment from Canada to Netherlands - insurance claim?

[rdemaree]

I sold an item worth around $400 from Canada to the Netherlands a few weeks ago and it has been sitting in Netherlands customs since last week with no new info. The item was a handmade oil paint set for artists. (nontoxic, non hazardous). I had a proper label as well as proper invoice attached to the package and everything was properly declared.

The delivery standard was May 16th and it is now May 21st. It was xpresspost.

The customer has reached out for more info but I have none and just told them to wai until the weekend to see if it is delivered or if it moves to see what we will do. Currently there are no import fees due on the package according to Canada Post tracking and when I put the tracking number into a universal tracking system no duties show up or the Netherlands postal system nothing at all shows up.

I am curious what I should do at this point and what recourse do I have a seller to be reimbursed if I end up having to refund my buyer?

Do I bring the complaint/ reimbursement request to ebay? Canada Post ? Canada Post through Ebay? who?

and when?

My only assumptions are that maybe the postal service is running behind and not updating the tracking properly or that a postal worker is mishandling the packages, this or there are fees due and this (very sloppily and lazily) hasnt been indicated in the tracking on any website that it is searchable on.

All info is greatly appreciated.

[john_koenig99]

Sometimes parcels can sit in customs for more than a week (at least in my experience, both as buyer and seller). 

If it is actually in customs, the seller has no reason to file an INR claim (at least, this was mentioned in another thread). 

[recped]

@rdemaree 

Have you tried tracking on PostNL? You might see some additional info there

https://postnl.post/

[reallynicestamps]

If the buyer does file a Claim, enter the tracking number to show that it is in the Netherlands and has not yet been picked up.

Without being suspicious of your buyer, there is a well-known "customs scam" where the buyer files the Claim, gets a refund, then goes to the customs office and picks up the purchase paying only the import fees.

One of the Seller Protections of eIS/GSP or shipping to a forwarder, is that eBay accepts the acceptance at the plant address as being Delivered and the customs scam cannot work.

Do NOT believe eBay knows the tracking number.

Enter it yourself. Manually.