Freight forwarders

[boscobosco12]

Hello sellers--- In the past, I have not had any problems with buyers that have used freight forwarders.  I have a new sale  mail. I have packaged and shipped.  It was paid through a U. S. paypal account. The buyer has few but very good feedbacks.  Buyer has been member since January 21, 2020 in the Russian Federation.  I do not sell outside the 48 mainland U. S. and have marked that on ebay and paypal.  I am mildly concerned because the good reviews were probably written before the items arrived in Russia and before problems could erupt. Is using a freight forwarder circumventing my sales parameters ?  I know that previously using a forwarder negated some buyer rights but I think that has been changed.  Any ideas? Thank you. 

[pburn]

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

 I do not sell outside the 48 mainland U. S. and have marked that on ebay and paypal.  I am mildly concerned because the good reviews were probably written before the items arrived in Russia and before problems could erupt. Is using a freight forwarder circumventing my sales parameters ?  I know that previously using a forwarder negated some buyer rights but I think that has been changed.  Any ideas? Thank you. 

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I believe it's more accurate to say that you do not ship "outside the 48 mainland U.S." This buyer is not asking you to ship outside of the United States.

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

 I am mildly concerned because the good reviews were probably written before the items arrived in Russia and before problems could erupt.

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I'm not sure exactly how you could have any way of knowing that . . .

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

Is using a freight forwarder circumventing my sales parameters ?

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No. Again, you don't ship outside of the continental U.S., and no one is asking you to. You're being asked to ship to Delaware.

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

 I know that previously using a forwarder negated some buyer rights but I think that has been changed.

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Generally speaking, buyers lose MBG protection if a package is forwarded.

Not covered

• Items shipped to another address after original delivery, or when the buyer uses a freight forwarder. Exceptions include eBay shipping programs such as the Global Shipping Program and eBay international standard delivery.

[rosszonebricks]

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@pburn wrote:

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Not covered

• Items shipped to another address after original delivery, or when the buyer uses a freight forwarder. Exceptions include eBay shipping programs such as the Global Shipping Program and eBay international standard delivery.

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I will add, that this won't stop buyers from messaging saying their item was damaged in shipping or some other story.  Usually, they are easy to spot because the first thing I do when receiving any claim is check tracking.  You'll notice that it will likely show Delivered for weeks or even more before the buyer is messaging you.

I've learned to ask for a picture of the original box/packaging and label.  Reshippers will nearly always either repackage or at least completely cover the original shipping label.  Asking for the pic of the original packaging and label really covers you, showing that the package arrived safely to Deleware (Oregon, Florida, other common reship points) and that is where your responsibility ended.

[boscobosco12]

- Thanks for the reply.  I have been looking for the ebay policy on forwarding. I cannot find it.  I read somewhere that it had been done away with and same policy applies as items shipped without forwarding.  Can you let me know where you found this policy ? thanks

[boscobosco12]

 thanks for your reply.  I cannot find the policy you cite on forwarding.  I read somewhere that this has been changed.  111111111could you please iell me where you found this policy ? Thanks

[gracieallen01]

@pburn 

Not covered

• Items shipped to another address after original delivery, or when the buyer uses a freight forwarder. Exceptions include eBay shipping programs such as the Global Shipping Program and eBay international standard delivery.

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Isn't this a new 'addition' to the policy?

[kensgiftshop]

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

Is using a freight forwarder circumventing my sales parameters ?

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No, because you are still shipping to a US address.

Once the freight forwarder receives the package and reships it to their customer, if there are any problems, it's between the buyer and the freight forwarder.

[better_than_ice_cream]

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@pburn wrote:

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Generally speaking, buyers lose MBG protection if a package is forwarded.

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Not any more.  If you wade through this thread (and it's a long one) you will see that @Anonymous does not agree:

eBay Policy Change/Seller Protection Change when Buyer uses a Freight Forwarder? 

[a_c_green]

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

 thanks for your reply.  I cannot find the policy you cite on forwarding.  I read somewhere that this has been changed.  Could you please tell me where you found this policy ? Thanks

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Here is the link to that cite: 

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy... 

You will need to expand the "Read our full policy" section by clicking on the Plus sign next to that subtitle, and the quote appears as the sixth bullet item under the "Not covered" section.

[boscobosco12]

Thank you so much. I printed the policy out and I printed Trinton's position.  It seems to me that these may be contradictory.  The policy states buyer is not covered "when buyer uses a freight forwarder".  How do I PROVE that an address is a freight forwarder ? I looked up this address and it is just a building in a business park.  It does not say "freight forwarder". 

[Anonymous]

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@better_than_ice_cream wrote:

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@pburn wrote:

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Generally speaking, buyers lose MBG protection if a package is forwarded.

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Not any more.  If you wade through this thread (and it's a long one) you will see that @Anonymous does not agree:

eBay Policy Change/Seller Protection Change when Buyer uses a Freight Forwarder? 

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Hi @better_than_ice_cream, I must clear up a potential misunderstanding - I did not state anything that should be seen as a disagreement on my part with @pburn's comment about a buyer losing protection when they forward a package. I have specifically clarified multiple times on the boards that an item is not eligible for protection if it has been forwarded. The thread you have linked to is an example of one of my responses that clarifies this policy. 

I will reiterate here, a buyer is no longer protected if there is evidence that they have forwarded an item beyond it's original destination address. You are welcome to contact Customer Service if you have any questions or concerns about a specific transaction.

[pburn]

@Anonymous 

Thanks, Trinton.

[Anonymous]

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@boscobosco12 wrote:

Thank you so much. I printed the policy out and I printed Trinton's position.  It seems to me that these may be contradictory.  The policy states buyer is not covered "when buyer uses a freight forwarder".  How do I PROVE that an address is a freight forwarder ? I looked up this address and it is just a building in a business park.  It does not say "freight forwarder". 

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Hello @boscobosco12, having an item delivered to a freight forwarder is not the same as using a freight forwarder. An item can be delivered to a freight forwarder, but not be forwarded onward. This is especially common for items of a higher value, but is not limited to more expensive items. Again, just because an item was delivered to a freight forwarding company does not mean the item was forwarded by that company - the delivery could be held by the freight forwarder for inspection, the item could have been ordered by an employee of the company and delivered to them at work, or the freight forwarder may offer the option to have items picked up in person.

[better_than_ice_cream]

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@better_than_ice_cream wrote:

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@pburn wrote:

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Generally speaking, buyers lose MBG protection if a package is forwarded.

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Not any more.  If you wade through this thread (and it's a long one) you will see that @Anonymous does not agree:

eBay Policy Change/Seller Protection Change when Buyer uses a Freight Forwarder? 

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Correction:  Both  @Anonymous and brian@ebay .  I forgot that they both contributed opinions to that thread until I just reread it.

[pburn]

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@better_than_ice_cream wrote:

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Correction:  Both  @Anonymous and brian@ebay .  I forgot that they both contributed opinions to that thread until I just reread it.

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I think Trinton has just provided the correct interpretation of eBay's position on freight forwarding. You may want to bookmark Trinton's responses in this thread in order to access it the next time the subject comes up on the discussion boards.