Item vanished on GLENDALE HEIGHTS 2024-02-14

[stacklakeoy]

Hello,

I bought an old laptop on 2024-02-09. It is an intarnational sale from IL, USA to Finland. It got stuck in "consolidation center" in GLENDALE HEIGHTS, IL, 60139, USA, United States. Last scan is 2024-02-14 with remark "Arrived at Consolidation Center. Shipment is being processed". Now, over 2 months later, my item still has not arrived.

I placed INR claim but I have no idea what I should do? The seller posted shipment details, but what next? Ebay has been very unhelpful. They even say money back guarantee is not valid for some reason. I'm not interested about the money, I want the item and I want them to check what is going on in Glendale Heights.

Have any of you have recent trouble with Glendale Heights and/or Easyship? I don't want to buy more via Ebay until this issue is resolved.

[stacklakeoy]

I also contacted Glendale Heights Police department about if they have any recent cases of someone stealing mail.

[mudshark61369]

@stacklakeoy,

You should go to the listing in your purchase history open it and use the contact seller button, and ask them to try calling the International shipping hub in Glendale Heights, Illinois, to find out what has happened to your package. 

    They will need to provide them with the tracking number that shows delivery to the Hub on 2024-02-14 and possibly the order number, and a description of the package, as well.

  I do not know if the phone number I am going to post works or not but this was the only one I could find. The seller would dial 800-325-7390. Because ebay does not allow phone numbers to be sent using the standard format.  You may have to send it to them formatted like 800***325***7390 if you get a message saying you cannot post the number,  tell your seller to do a google search for "How do I contact eBay International Shipping".

  I do not think you can call it directly from Finland but you can try that if your seller does not respond by calling  +1-800-325-7390. 

When you contacted ebay they responded to your request by treating it as a Money Back Guarantee (MBG)   Item Not Received claim, which should have been filed within 30 days of the last estimated delivery date, shown in your order details. The representatives are tasked with only dealing with MBG issues, not shipping issues. 

Just so you know the Glendale Heights police cannot help you.  An international shipping facility is controlled by the U.S. Customs and Border Security department, which is federal agency.  So the local police department has no authority there. 

[kensgiftshop]

What was the estimated delivery date?

If it's been longer then 30 days after that date, that's why you're not covered by the MBG.

[ebooksdiva]

My guess... your laptop contains a lithium battery and can't ship air mail, customs maybe inspecting it to determine whether to ship or confiscate the item. 
I repeat...this is just a guess. It may or may not be what is happening. 

If you don't receive your item be the last estimated date of delivery you can open an item not received case for a refund.  If you paid through PayPal you have 180 days to file a chargeback.

If you didn't use PayPal call your credit card company.

[stevescho]

Bad guess, lithium batteries inside laptops or other products ship all the time, all over the world, without restrictions or holds. It's not that. As to the other questions, yes, I've encountered issues with easyship, and no, I've heard nothing about Glendale Heights. 

Since you've too late on your INR claim, I recommend asking the seller for a refund and, if no reply, initiating a credit card charge back depending on the specific time frames for that. I have had an international seller reimburse me for a misdelivered item where eBay denied the claim, so it can happen. The item may or may not be in Glendale...getting someone ("them") to do a search for it, without physically being there, may prove difficult. eBay won't at this juncture.

[marnotom!]

I agree with @ebooksdiva that the battery in the laptop probably led to someone--correctly or incorrectly--deeming the shipment as a hazardous one and the shipment of the item dead-ended based on that.  Batteries in laptops may ship all over the world all the time, @stevescho, but for whatever reason eIS is pretty squeamish about dealing with them.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the amount of charge on the battery can't be determined, or maybe eIS's insurance won't cover them, but I've read of several other instances of laptops dead-ending at the Illinois forwarding hub when sent through eIS and the battery seems to be the culprit.

@stacklakeoy, sorry this happened to you and sorry that it appears that you left it too long to pursue a refund through the Money Back Guarantee process.  If you're unsuccessful in getting a refund through eBay but you paid through PayPal or used a credit card, you may have some recourse through the payment provider as their timelines for refunds of not-received merchandise tend to be longer.

[ebooksdiva]

Lithium batteries may ship all over the world by boat, but not by air transport. 
If eIS is using Air Transport for international packages they may not ship and be confiscated.

You need to read on restrictions for eIS eBays International Shipping 

[stevescho]

False, that link says lithium batteries inside devices DO ship international. And that boat only but not air remark is silly. And a laptop battery won't exceed the 100 watt hour limit stated in the fine print. Lithium inside all manner of devices shipped by the millions daily is not the issue here. Not to hijack, but misinformation like this which has come up before in this community isn't useful either, especially when repeated. Have a nice day.

[marnotom!]

The eIS forwarding hub isn’t a big AI-powered machine operated by robots.  There are human beings making all manner of judgement calls based on the nature of the item and the training they've received.

Who’s to say that some of these employees may have been inadequately trained or they were off on a smoke break when the nuances of handling Li-ion batteries were being discussed?

[stevescho]

marntom!, provide any link to this Illinois/laptop/battery culprit you say you "read".

[pjcdn2005]

In the past, if there was a problem shipping an item the buyer would be refunded by EIS automatically and the seller would receive a notice that the buyer had been refunded.  It's possible that this step was missed but it is also just as possible that the item has been lost there.

[pjcdn2005]

As others mentioned, if you have waited too long to file an item not received claim through eBay, you should contact your payment provider and if possible, open a chargeback through them.

[stacklakeoy]

Thank you @mudshark61369 , I will probably try calling or getting the sender to call them.

[stevescho]

Awe, come on, marnotom!, stop with the lithium battery theory already. That would mean not a single one of a million+ laptops in Finland got there by air shipping... they're just piling up at hub centers. This is a common item, frequently resold.