Return Shipping Prepaid Label from USA to Canada

[skylarstuff]

I have accepted a return based on the fact that the buyer has indicated the item is damaged.  I accepted the return and Ebay is now asking me to provide a shipping label for the buyer in the USA to send the item back to me in Canada via a prepaid label.  How do I do that from Canada?  I offered to pay the buyer for the costs but they are not responding.

[flipistics]

Is it worth your while to do so? A lot of your items appear to be lower cost paper and ads that may not be worth the cost of the return (unless you have another store). If not, your best bet is probably to just refund the buyer and not ask for it back, especially if it really is damaged.

If you do want it back, you have a few choices since you're relatively close to Toronto. You might be able to use a cross border shipper like Shippsy to return it back over. I think they have a pickup in Toronto. The label to get it to Shippsy could be purchased with Shippo. Many people will also use Pirate Ship for the label. You can contact them and have them add Simple Export Rate to your account, which makes the shipping fairly reasonable for small light items.

[reallynicestamps]

You can buy a USPS shipping label on Shippo.

https://apps.goshippo.com/login?next=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.goshippo.com%2Forders%2Fmanual%2F

You may still need your Solutions for Small Business number from Canada Post to get the discount.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/small-business/shipping-discounts.page

It's so straightforward even I have done it.

If the buyer doesn't use the label and return the item, you win the Claim and are not required to refund.

[skylarstuff]

Thank you for the replies.  I run auctions as well.  The item sold was a $200 USD poster with $30 shipping.  I have asked for them to ship at their end and will reimburse them for it.  New questions, 1) if they choose not to do that and do nothing, and not return anything. Will I end up just having to refund them the $230? 2) If they do return the item, how do I make sure that I do not pay customs and duty on the $200 USD which is $273 CDN.  Lately I have been paying customs even on small orders like $20 USD.

[byto253]

Just an fyi.  Offering to pay for the return shipping amount instead of sending a label for international returns is acceptable under eBay terms.   In the thread below from a couple of years ago, I outline one I did like that, though the buyer would not return it and just kept saying "send label".  I did not know about buying a label through Shippo, just that I could not do it through eBay, Canada Post or USPS.  

If going this route, I would call or message with an eBay rep to get confirmation that you understand sending funds for return shipping up front is an acceptable option to a label since it is cross border.   I had done that, and the record of calls and eBay messaging took care of things.

Easier to just buy a shippo label though!  

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Ebay-reversed-a-decision-error-and-refunded-me-Will-they...

[pjcdn2005]

Offering to pay for a label AND sending the money through a source like PP or Venmo is acceptable as long as you show proof of that within the request.  Otherwise, if the buyer asks eBay to step in and you have not paid for the label or at least attempted to do so, eBay could rule in favour of the buyer. 

You an also sign up for Pirateship.com for free and print a usps label through them.

[flipistics]

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@skylarstuff wrote:

Thank you for the replies.  I run auctions as well.  The item sold was a $200 USD poster with $30 shipping.  I have asked for them to ship at their end and will reimburse them for it.  New questions, 1) if they choose not to do that and do nothing, and not return anything. Will I end up just having to refund them the $230? 2) If they do return the item, how do I make sure that I do not pay customs and duty on the $200 USD which is $273 CDN.  Lately I have been paying customs even on small orders like $20 USD.

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It's best to just send the label if at all possible. There's a good chance eBay will step in if you don't and then you'll have to fight to try to get reimbursed and get the strike removed from your account (both of which may or may not happen). As for customs, there's a good chance you will have to pay. You would then have to file some paperwork with the CBSA to be reimbursed I believe.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

If you discussed this via eBay messages (and not through the case), I would even go as far as to respond in the actual request with something like "Please provide me with a quote for a USPS return label along with the information for how you would like to receive the funds so that I can provide you the funds for the label".

Then before the deadline for you to resolve the request, contact the AskeBay account on Twitter or Facebook (not the website customer service). Explain that you reached out to the buyer multiple times to arrange for them to purchase a shipping label and they did not respond and remained inactive. 

At least that way, they can put a note on the request for when the buyer asks eBay to step in.

It's always risky to go that route instead of just sending a label. Sometimes people have cases requests escalated against them because a buyer asks eBay to step in, and eBay doesn't understand that the seller tried to provide a label. Then it becomes a game of cat and mouse where you have to deal with customer service and try to get reimbursed. 

A service called Shippo is the easiest option for creating a label, but it is slightly convoluted. Unless something changed, you have to create the label in reverse. As if you are the buyer and they are sending it to you. 

I will add that I would stick to USPS (not Fedex or UPS) in order to avoid excessive brokerage fees. You should mark it as returned merchandise. You still might receive an import fee, but it is a lot less likely with USPS since it is through Canada Post. Also, Canada Post will only charge you a $10 brokerage fee on top of the taxes. UPS and Fedex may charge substantially more. 

[skylarstuff]

Thanks to everyone who responded.  One thing I never thought of was making a postal claim for damage.  Thanks to Lotz for that advice.  I also notice there is no way to actually comment on a case.  Its basically send a label or give a refund.  So no place to communicate anything else, other than Ebay messages which will not show an agent direct info about the return.  I am going to just refund and bite the bullet and not have to deal with the return label and then possible customs on the return.  All my stress over the return will disappear, and just pay for the problem to go away.  But thanks to all for your advice its much appreciated.

[byto253]

Just an fyi, if you are talking to an agent, they will check messaging if you indicate info that is there.  I had some do that when talking with me in the past. 

Anyway, best of luck.  Sometimes you do need to just walk away. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Not a bad thing to do considering the value of your time and the prospect of having a damaged product returned to you at an additional cost. The only reason not to do this is when it's a very obvious scam, because some buyers simply won't send the item back after receiving the label and the return will close. (You can refund the label).

I recalled there being a place in requests to send messages directly through the case. If I remembered incorrectly, I aplogize for the confusion. Other people are correct that you can point the CSR to your messages as well. 

[teenytrinkets]

I have some different advice for you that will be cheap, and call out the buyer if they're a scammer: send them a label to a US address. ANY US address. Do you know anyone in the US that can accept your package for you? Can you send it to a border pickup place and then pick it up or have it forwarded?

I did this once during covid (when we couldn't cross the border) - shipped a "damaged" return to a friend. Paid $3.80 for the the label on Pirate Ship, sent it, and they never sent the item back. I didn't have to refund, and had the label refunded. If you think you're being scammed, you're only out the cost of the label if you want to call their bluff.