eBay

cumos55 · ‎10-02-2014

Over August and September I was happy to receive several sales from buyers in European countries.... Finland, Norway, UK, and Ireland...

One week ago a buyer in Finland said.. there appears to be a problem..

Tracking from Winnipeg... got as far as Montreal... and then no more.

Out of 9 parcels only three parcels went further showing that the parcel went to Ville St. Laurent and indicating that the International item has left Canada.... one of these parcels is about to be delivered....

Tracking for this parcel stopped at Montreal.....It was not possible to prove the parcel left Canada...

Then day before yesterday... buyer files a non-receipt case... immediately refunded.....

The case already meant... defect... and then buyer left a Neutral feedback... I haven't got the item, but seller refund it. It is ok for me.

I paid for tracking ... However, inadequate tracking by Canada Post caused me problems....

No defect yet... but not unexpected..

-----------------------------------------

Out of nine parcel mailed over August-September... three had that reference... International item has left Canada.

Of the remaining six.....

--- two have already left feedback..... with no tracking beyond Montreal...

----one has been refunded....

---and three are in limbo.... with the last tracking indicated as Montreal.... could be a problem.... However... the time period is beyond 45 days for two of these parcels...

Small packet was used for years..... insured but with no tracking.

International parcel Surface with no tracking is the same without tracking beyond Montreal .

In today's eBay tracking is important..... and with no more guaranteed tracking... The solution is no more international sales..

Sales to Canada and US only.....

I paid for a shipping option with tracking.....Canada Post did not do its job... Inadequate tracking.... between Montreal and Ville St Laurent... end result was one problem so far.....

Canada Post will be getting a letter from me.... Nine parcels... six problems

Good-bye international sales...

cumos55 · ‎10-02-2014

If the tracking showed anything on the Finland Postage site.... then... the refund would not have been automatic.

However, if one looks at the other parcels that did not show anything beyond Montreal.... there was nothing on the destination site.

so far....

and

For some of the parcels it will still be a wait and see... and maybe the parcel will arrive without any tracking showing

or ....the buyer just might wake up and ask

Where is my parcel?

and tracking shows it is in Montreal... appears to never have left Canada... Then, who gets a refund?

inuk_the_polar_bear · ‎10-02-2014

My take away from this is that you are having more than a reasonable amount of difficulty with tracking. Why?

Are you doing something different? Some change in procedure. I am not looking to assign blame. I mean, I know you know what you are doing.

art-in-the-making · ‎10-02-2014

Are you doing something different?

Not to speak for Cumos but the elephant in the room here is sellers getting defects because of 3rd party tracking fails and ebay technology (and system logic) fails inciting buyers to click on the braindead "where is my item?" button.

cumos55 · ‎10-02-2014

If one pays for tracking... then tracking is expected....and in the past it was there.

Now .... I find a critical point of tracking missing.... and without that point my defect rate can jump dramatically.

with the claim... Where is my purchase?

and the critical point for International Parcel Surface is the statement... International Item has left Canada..

How can I prove that the parcel has left Canada.... and should be in the destination country within 5 to 6 weeks.....

Tracking is there for the seller to prove the item has been mailed... is in transit... has left Canada...and for the buyer to see it is on the way to the buyer's country...

With surface mail the parcel should be in customs of the destination country within 5 to 6 weeks....

That is why a seller ships with tracking.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Why is there trouble?....Proof that the parcel has left Canada is missing for some parcels.

and ... Not doing anything different the last two months compared to the 18 months previous....

Canada Post is the problem.....

rose-dee · ‎10-02-2014

'cumos' -- This may not be of any help to you, but reading this thread it occurred to me that the tracking system itself may be less well designed or organized than you expect.

What I'm saying is that you mention you sent these items via international surface with tracking -- I'm wondering if there is a lower level of attention in handling parcels going by surface than with air parcels, or perhaps a completely different system, that is less reliable than air parcel handling.

We all expect "tracking" to mean the same level of step-by-step monitoring, regardless of the parcel service type. But maybe there are two tiers of tracking -- a sort of lower standard for surface which nobody tells us about.

I've found that tracking on air parcel services to Europe has always been precise and reliable, but perhaps the surface tracking is a lot more sloppy and more poorly managed.

You may be be right that if international shipping by surface with tracking is the only service that makes economical sense for your books going to Europe, international shipping may not be worth the defects it generates despite all your best efforts. Or perhaps it means stipulating tracked air parcel service only on the more expensive items that you know may appeal to European buyers.

Since eBay has now decided that there is no leeway for sellers where shipping is concerned, and with international air parcel services becoming ludicrously expensive, I think it's going to mean a steadily shrinking number of sellers offering to ship to international destinations from anywhere but China (who seem to be immune to shipping costs and related woes).

cumos55 · ‎10-02-2014

Sellers on eBay cannot afford to pay for imperfect traffic...

If Canada Post offers a shipping option with tracking... there can be no error... and definitely not in Canada before the parcel leaves the country.

rose-dee · ‎10-02-2014

I think you're right, and although it won't help you to erase the defect eBay gave you, if you have the time to pursue this with Canada Post, you may at least get some answers. As you say, you'll likely have to go up the management ladder to get anyone who is able to answer your questions meaningfully.

There is of course the possibility that some sort of computer or mechanical error occurred just during the period you mention. Still, you're caught between Canada Post and eBay -- even compensation from CP won't do anything to change the defects.

I'm very sorry to hear you're in this situation.

cumos55 · ‎10-02-2014

I have cut back on international sales dramatically over the past years.

This was my last step to ....NO international sales.

I only have a few more years on eBay.... and will continue with my presence on eBay Canada and eBay US.

As to air versus surface..... There should be no difference in service or how tracking is provided between an air option and a surface option..

I pay for tracking and expect to have the parcel tracked... with no error(s) present...

rose-dee · ‎10-02-2014

@cumos55 wrote:
As to air versus surface..... There should be no difference in service or how tracking is provided between an air option and a surface option..

I pay for tracking and expect to have the parcel tracked... with no error(s) present...

You're right of course, and that should be the expectation, but I do wonder whether the two systems are operated and managed differently, with different levels of efficiency (which no one ever discloses). Perhaps two completely different flows once a parcel reaches Ville St-Laurent?

It would be very interesting to find this out from Canada Post.

cumos55 · ‎10-02-2014

Canada Post cannot afford to provide a different level of service for air versus surface delivery..

We pay for a specific level of service.....and should get the level of service we pay for.

reallynicestamps · ‎10-02-2014

Sounds like there is a specific problem in a specific plant.

Hmm- I wonder if phoning the Ville St Laurent plant manager would be useful? He may want to know if his staff need more training. (To be as polite as possible about it.)

Your complaint is with the postal systems that took control of the parcel in the other countries.

No, Canada Post belongs to the Universal Postal Union. Just as the seller subcontracts delivery to CPO, CPO sub-subcontracts delivery to the foreign postal service.

Responsiblity to the buyer rests with the seller. The OP is responsible to his customer. CPO is responsible to the OP, its customer. And the foreign PO is responsible to CPO, its... colleague.

cumos55 · ‎10-03-2014

Much of the tracking problems occurred between July 25 and August 20.

Regular staff goes on holidays and replacements might have made mistakes...

bearlover69 · ‎01-13-2019

Interesting Post and Subject

I recently bought some items from China and it seem I have some Problems with C.P. and this Tracking System.

To State One Problem with Ca. Post... This Recent Strike. They recently had Arbitration and got some Raises and Fair / Equal Pay Adjustments...etc. They then Decided that was Not Good Enough and Strike!!! - By Refusing to Deliver our Parcels and Mail... They Effectively Held Hostage the Public's Property as a Bargaining Tool!!!

My Sister and I had recently had a Converstation and it went something like this:

I used to deliver Fliers for Canada Post as a Subcontractor.
It was Certainly a LOT OF HARD WORK and for Little Pay. (One or Two Pennies / Flier)
I quit for those reasons... If someone else wanted to do it - they could and they did.

It's a VERY UNFORTUNATE part of Life, we all want More Money' and Most of us Rightfully Deserve it -

If you paid for a Hamburger at McD's and then had to wait for the next shift to get it... I'm sure some people would be fired!
If a child wants Chocolate Milk and you give him White Milk, Is their Choice Paramount... is that Unreasonable - IF they don't get enough Chocolate Syrup in their milk, and want more - Do they have a right to refuse to go to school till they get it - and should their seat sit empty if someone else wants to sit in it?
With all due respect - I'm tired of Government Corporations having an edge over everyone else demanding More Money -Better Working Conditions/ Benefits, when those who have No Union- HAVE NOT- and GET NOT!

I might be an Idealist or Fool to think People should do a Job because it's what they want to do and not because they can get more - We're only supporting the System of Middle and Upper Class while wiping out those who live in Poverty - That's My Belief on it.

I bought something from China last month.
It cost $135.00

When it arrived it was not as it was Described in the Listing.
I was asked to check the cost of shipping to send it back.
It was going to cost as much as the item itself. $128.00

My sister told me that Canada Post was Losing Money.
I told her -THAT's NOT TRUE!

She said it's because we Deliver stuff from China that costs nothing for delivery.
I asked her who benefits from the stuff China ships for free?
And, Who Keeps the Money that it Costs to Ship Stuff to China? Hmmmm- I don't think CP was loosing anything on that - putting it on a plane and letting them deliver it for Nothing!

So i'm using this as an Example of how the Global Market works!

I don't order stuff from the U.S. because they have Ridiculous Shipping Costs and Customs Charges!

Maybe there should be a Different "Free Trade Agreement" - and one that Consumers can take advantage of instead of the government and employers?

https://www.benefitscanada.com/news/arbitrator-awards-rural-canada-post-carriers-up-to-25-raise-in-p...

______________________________________________________________________
Next is the issue of Tracking - and with some Ring of Familiarity....
I have been waiting for a Parcel from China...which shows as Delivered in Quebec... Which I Am Not! Perhaps, there in itself lies the Problem with the Postal Service?

LM442155809CN

Destination : Canada - Cache time: 2019-01-13 05:22:00 (GMT-04:00)

2019-01-11 11:27 QUEBEC,QC, Delivered

2019-01-11 08:30 QUEBEC,QC, Item out for delivery

2019-01-11 01:09QUEBEC,QC, Item processed

2019-01-10 06:46 MONTREAL,QC, Item in transit

2019-01-10 03:50 MONTREAL,QC, Item processed

2019-01-08 00:02 BURNABY,BC, Item in transit

2019-01-07 21:02 BURNABY,BC, Item processed

2019-01-07 14:54 RICHMOND,BC, Item has arrived in Canada and was sent for further processing.

2019-01-02 13:27 CNCGQD,China, International item has left originating country and is en route to Canada

2019-01-02 09:07 China, International item processed in originating country