Blocking Shipments to Moldova
I am in Ukraine. Ebay already blocks shipments to Ukraine even if the seller is willing to ship there. So I use a Moldova address. Now Ebay is blocking shipments to Moldova even though the seller will ship there. Why ?
36 comments
enelani
OP7 months agoThe result of my BBB complaint about Ebay was that they blamed the seller. This was TOTALLY FALSE because the seller ships worldwide and has shipped multiple times to me in Ukraine.
In the meantime I was able to contact a Paypal human on the phone - Wonder of Wonders. They promised to have their tech team look into it. The next day the Paypal portal had been updated and I was able to pay. Hooray for Paypal.
As for Ebay, they have ZERO human customer service and their AI robots are basically useless in solving problems like mine. It goes to show that human customer service beats AI robot customer service any day, every day.
I have found that responders to my message here are mostly well intentioned people but lack the technical knowledge on how to solve Ebay problems.
zzzz-0-zzzz
·7 months agoDon't expect the BBB to do anything at all.
The BBB is an independent organization of possibly millions of companies big & small. They aren't really a consumer advocacy organization & are independent from the government.
1 AI Bot = 10X the amount of human work @ 10% the price. Soon, (ALL) Quality of service shall decline (in everything business & govt), but the "fake" profits of the cost-cutting will increase the stock value enormously in the next 2-5 years until the effects of 25% (or more) unemployment/underemployment are "felt": Loss of customers (the end of the middle class) & the rampant crime of marauding gangs (& the much worse govt reactions to it).
There will be the "Owners" (of stock & govt power) & the "Losers" who "work" for very little. The world is a "Flat" 3rd world. Possible failed state situations. Haiti everywhere?
So, at ebay, prices on "middle-class people" stuff will drop, while high-end "rich people" stuff will go up.
When things get Kafkaesque @ ebay, it's about trying to figure out what the AI bot is going to do & if/what the few humans on the inside might do. Most of the time the answer is: "Nothing". Usually, if something fails, it will continue to fail in the same way, so usually there is some predictability.
We should all make a note that if you are a buyer outside of the US, & have problems paying, USE PAYPAL!
jonathanbrightlight
·7 months ago@enelani
If the PayPal portal was updated in some way, and you were then able to make the payment, wouldn’t that indicate that the problem was on PayPal’s end and not eBay’s?
zzzz-0-zzzz
·8 months agoebay sellers can refuse to mail Internationally (at all) or to any particular country.
A POSSIBLE SOLUTION:
If a US seller won't send internationally, you can search the following @ Google (etc)
"International mail Forwarding remailer services"
This is a way to get a mailing address inside the US.
Examples:
https://www.usa2me.com
https://www.anytimemailbox.com
It is probably expensive & I don't know which services are the better ones. You'll have to ask around.
enelani
OP8 months agoThis is NOT the answer because US states charge sales tax on Ebay buys. Plus to resend packages overseas with tracking is expensive. In the EU and Ukraine, packages under E150 value are exempt from VAT and customs duties.
zzzz-0-zzzz
·8 months agoTo have a "US presence" credit/debit card & package forwarding is probably going to be expensive. If ebay (or a particular seller) blocks the purchase from / won't deliver to your country, then your only "solution" is to have some sort of "presence" in the US. It will probably be costly!
The only other "solution", (AFAIK) is for another US ebay member to act as a "buyer" for you, then export the item as a "gift" to you. The "Ebay Buyer" might not do this for free unfortunately!
But maybe you can cut "swapping" deals where the "Ebay Buyer" would buy some of what you are selling then buy the item(s) you want & send them off to you as "gifts". (You then refund the amount of money the "Ebay Buyer" paid for the items you are selling)
Still there's a "double" delivery cost & the US taxes will need to be paid, so the items the "Ebay Buyer" buys from you would need to cover those costs as well.
In effect, you're setting up a swap!
But you need to find another ebayer that wants the stuff you're selling & there needs to be a lot of trust. I don't know what ebay thinks of people setting up such arrangements, but they probably don't care as long as you're buying & selling in the conventional way using ebay & not setting up side deals outside of ebay.
zzzz-0-zzzz
·8 months agoIMHO:
You ought to sell more uniquely Ukrainian things. US buyers would be more interested in that than buying US stamps (for example).
(example) Any old Ukrainian magazine with a US-known celebrity on the cover is worth something to Americans. The Ukrainian versions of well-known US magazines (celebrity/fashion/Playboy/etc) will probably sell well to the US. You can just get ones people are throwing away & sell them.
enelani
OP8 months agoYesterday I filed a strongly worded complaint with the BBB. I'll post here what their reply is.
Beats me why Ebay won't let me pay for a lot I successfully bid on. Isn't that what they are in business for ?
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoI hope you do follow up with any reply you receive.
kathiec
·8 months agoAfter all, they don't want negative reviews at BBB.
While smaller businesses may live and die on reviews eBay couldn't care less if they get negative reviews. They have absolutely zero affect on its business. So if the BBB is your trump card you're probably going to end up very disappointed with the results.
msha3839
·8 months agoIn my line of work I had to deal with multiple small businesses and bbb was the last on their priority lists…they are irrelevant..
enelani
OP8 months agoThe real problem is Ebay itself. They have no real customer support. They use AI robots who usually don't understand and can't answer the questions posed to them. I've been a member since 1996. In the good old days you could get an Ebay human rep on the phone and usually get a valid answer in under 5 minutes. Today you have to spend hours with useless AI robots or the Ebay community which tries to help but doesn't really know the answers. As for the next step, I will be filing a complaint with the BBB and then Ebay will have to answer or get a bad review.
msha3839
·8 months agoFor your information, BBB is private organization and irrelevant at best..in addition this organization have no authority to implement any action…they do charge for membership…
enelani
OP8 months agoErroneous information. I have found a BBB complaint gets obstinate companies like Ebay to settle any problem fairly promptly. After all, they don't want negative reviews at BBB.
If you have a serious problem with Ebay, you can't sue them. Under their terms and conditions you have to go to arbitration. In case you didn't know, arbitration is a scam. They want hundreds of dollars up front from you, much more than if you could sue them in court. So BBB is a good way to get Ebay's attention on a problem at no cost to you.
msha3839
·8 months agoYou ever heard about frivolous lawsuits? BBB have their share of problems..eBay can eat them for breakfast…
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoWhat do you think that will do?
enelani
OP8 months agoSee answer in the above message.
zzzz-0-zzzz
·8 months agoUnfortunately, ALL things business & government will be AI-only soon.
(10x the "work" @ 10% the cost!)
It is sad (of course). Our "obsolete" human existences are of little value to business & government.
(AI customer non-service runaround / AI govt reps that are Kafkaesque & Catch-22 so I can't comply with the law / AI cops / AI secret police sadists / AI sting-ops / AI Judges by TXT / The AI mini-drone that keeps crashing into my house / AI etc)
Where are the humans? They're everywhere, but they are broke & they are gone.
marnotom!
·8 months agoInternational shipping has also become a lot more complex since 1996 for various reasons such as buyer and seller fraud, more stringent customs requirements, and governments wanting to ensure that they get their piece of the pie.
Is your address in Moldova a post office box? Some shipping methods don't support shipments to those and that "does not ships to" message pops up instead of something more appropriate and informative.
enelani
OP8 months agoSeller has shipped to me many many times before using the Moldova address. So this is a new Ebay created obstacle.
marnotom!
·8 months agoThat’s great, but that doesn’t answer my question. Sellers can and do use a variety of shipping methods, after all.
enelani
OP8 months agomsha3839 I have never felt entitled. The problem is that Ebay is not following what the both seller and buyer wants - shipping worldwide, including Moldova.
I have been an Ebay member since 1996. In the old days you could call Ebay on the phone and probably get an answer within 5 minutes. Today I have to spend hours trying to get an answer to a basic question from a bulletin board. This is not progress, it's regression.
12345jamesstamps
·8 months agoYour eBay ID in feedbacks state USA...your address where items comes from are in Ukraine.
So us who live in the USA have to pay taxes on everything we sell...it's the law.
You can't say USA...you have to say Ukraine or whatever country you live in.
'I am using a VPN with the server in the USA.'...OK to use that...but not to sell on eBay.
enelani
OP8 months agoEbay has gone nuts. Now it's saying it won't ship to a UK address !!
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoMany things can't be shipped to the UK. Some sellers won't ship outside the US regardless of legality. You haven't specified what you're trying to purchase yet.
bonanza125
·8 months ago"Ebay has gone nuts. Now it's saying it won't ship to a UK address !!"
It's not Ebay it's your account. If Ebay gone nuts then everyone would be complaining.
msha3839
·8 months agoFormer Soviet block citizens have mentality that they entitled to everything and mostly never follow the law..p.s. before some posters try to convince me otherwise, I was born in the area, long ago, but do know language and mindsets of locals..in their blood, regardless where most of them live…
albertabrightalberta
·8 months ago@enelani
You may be trying to buy from a seller who doesn't do any international shipping.
enelani
OP8 months agoThat's not the answer because I am using a VPN with a server in the USA. There's no restrictions on this item anywhere. Try again.
mudshark61369
·8 months ago@enelani ,
You may have changed your address from Ukraine to Moldova, but your ISP address is still showing Ukraine which disqualifies you from buying. Also there are several items that are not allowed to be shipped to some European countries either because of import restrictions, safety, health or other reasons.
enelani
OP8 months agoI am not disqualified from buying on Ebay while in Ukraine, I am disqualified from paying.
roccotacodad54
·8 months ago"I am not disqualified from buying on Ebay while in Ukraine, I am disqualified from paying."
LOL LOL Lol lol lol lol ...............Paying equals (is) Buying.....................
enelani
OP8 months agoYou misunderstand. I am able to bid on lots, but currently not pay for lots.
zzzz-0-zzzz
·8 months agoYou might need to get a credit card (or possibly a gift card) from a US based bank.
enelani
OP8 months agoImage from Ebay checkout for lot I bought.
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoThe seller for that item has blocked sales to Moldova, or the item is restricted by eBay off sales to Moldova based on some criteria. There is no workaround on eBay.