Germany parcels customs scams

[xena200]

Hi I sold an item for 150 and sent standard airmail to Germany which usually takes 3 to 4 weeks,after 2 weeks buyer says did not receive and puts in a claim.I try to tell him its probably stuck in customs as  2 weeks is too soon to expect arrival,escalated to next stage and eBay refund him within 24 hours before estimated time of arrival,have found out parcels can be stuck in german customs for months,seems a scam how can eBay refund so soon,also had a buyer from China put in a claim before 2 weeks,tracked postage is too expensive from new Zealand buyers won't pay it,at least 50 for any item,also if its stuck in customs that's not my fault,have found out any item over 22 euros sent to Germany has fees,buyer claims not received then gets a refund knowing full well its in customs and gets item for free,not sure if I want to ship larger items to germany

[femmefan1946]

TL/DR

But in spite of avoiding that block of text, yes, it's a known German scam. I've heard of it elsewhere, but mostly it seems to be Germany.

The easiest way to avoid it is to enroll in the Global Shipping Program.

This is a Seller Protection program in which the buyer pays all import fees before you are instructed to ship.

You only have to track the shipment to the GSP plant in Kentucky (domestic shipping!) and they deal with brokerage, duty, VAT, shipping, etc.

Worth looking into if you are selling in a high value/high fraud category.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Seller is in New Zealand. No disrespect intended, if you are going to give advice, need to read the post. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

OP, this is a dilemma for sure. It is understandable to wish to keep costs down, but the way things are now on eBay, you have to protect yourself from fraudulent Item Not Received claims, and the only way to do this is to have tracking.

[duncanvr]

Airmail from Australia can take 1-6 weeks to Germany depends if its held somewhere. I had no problem from here to Germany untracked just sometimes slow. But my German buyers are regulars they know to wait. If I sold $150 I would have sent it tracked to Germany for sure. In fact probably anything over $40 should go tracked. I realize its expensive to send tracked from NZ as it is from here. But you have to charge the buyer accordingly the correct shipping cost or you lose out. Your German buyer put a claim in to quick. One; in future write to the buyer before shipping and tell them it could be 2-4 weeks. Two; make sure your postage policy is set to the slowest shipping method for international sales. Three; make sure each item has some kind of flat postage charge that covers most of the cost of tracking. Four; for heavier items use calculated shipping which inc tracking.

[xena200]

Thanks i tried to explain it could take 4 to 6 weeks,after 6 weeks i told him i would refund,but he would not listen and put in a claim so soon,trouble is buyers don`t want expensive shipping,in hind sight i should of just paid the extra $30 to $40,a bit put off sending to Germany now as i see anything over 22euros means fees for the buyer,also they ask to put lower value on customs forms.Guess should of sent tracked but still can be held up in customs.

[xena200]

Yes tracking is good but in New Zealand it`s so expensive,lowest is about $50 for even a simple 100gram item,registered is available for small paper items but not tracked,trouble buyers won`t pay for tracking,if i sell an item for $50 there`s not much chance a buyer will pay $50 tracked postage,lots of times i pay extra postage,will maybe add it to my listing but most buyers are very good,a few are crazy,had one guy in china put in a claim after about a week and called me a liar and said i did not post over just $19

[2015mhfashions]

Any INR case opened at any time without tracking you will lose, I would absolutely send tracked delivery, even it if were stuck in Customs as long as it had showed recent movement you would have been granted a time extension.

If customers want the product they will pay the shipping.

[skylarstuff]

I know the exact feeling.  Years ago I suggested a shipping policy that allowed buyers to choose the cheapest shipping option but at their own risk and not the seller.  But too many people piped in and said that scammers would then use that to cheat people out of their money.  But I still believe it would be a viable option.

[valuestore]

Each country has its own quirks, Germany has fairly strict customs, its a risky place to ship to even with tracking, Italy, France and Austria same.  Russia tend to be slow , probably due to size of the country.  Anywhere there is a slow down in shipment, potential risk to you sky rockets. On top of that using non track services increases that risk substantially, its inevitable some buyers will get impatient. Doesn't necessarily mean is a 'scam'.  I think possibly the seller wasnt aware of the risks before sending.