Order Refunded, Item Liquidated???
I got a message from ebay that the package did not pass inspection. There were three items in the package, one has been refunded, the other two have not. The message says that I get to keep the sale. These were parts for a sprinkler that were shipping to a buyer in Canada. What gives?
30 comments
gurlcat
·1 year agoIf you don't want EIS orders, just disable it.
pauls2134
OP1 year agoAnd ebay still hasn't emailed me regarding the disposition of my parts - I spoke to customer service yesterday, someone in a call center who spoke broken English.
pauls2134
OP1 year agoYes, it was three separate orders, as the buyer ordered three different parts from me (see screenshot). I'm supposed to pay shipping on three separate packages??? Really? This is not the first time I've shipped international with orders combined, no issues prior. And why was the box opened for inspection, anyway? And where are the other two parts, the ones that weren't refunded?
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year ago@pauls2134
Yes, you should have shipped those separately. That is the way the program works. Because they're dealing with customs, it can be a huge deal.
gurlcat
·1 year agoMy guess is this has something to do with steel tariffs, whether or not the eBay employees at the hub facility made the correct judgement calls. The metal content is one of many considerations of which items can or cannot be forwarded to the destination country, based on their prohibitions and/or tariffs.
I have had mixed costume jewelry lots liquidated because of metal-related policies in the countries of my buyers, which is probably why a lot of them seem to be moving toward freight forwarders instead of EIS.
There is at least one seller on eBay who sells liquidation items from the Illinois hub. -Not only do they get the items but also all the data from the original listing (the original seller's photos, item specifics, even written description). I have seen my non-forwarded items for sale there, and I have also purchased a few things from them. LOL, it appeared the packages were never opened at all, like the contents included the original seller's recycled packing materials, invoices, thank-you cards, etc., and basically this liquidation seller just slapped the new shipping label over the old one. Last I checked, they had over 20,000 items for sale, every category of item imaginable, with photos obviously taken by thousands of different photographers in thousands of different backgrounds. For some reason the 'zoom' feature doesn't work on the photos. I have no idea what kind of deal they have with eBay, but I do know they tend to price items for MORE than the original sale price, then gradually mark-down from there. The listings are TRS+.
pauls2134
OP1 year agoWell, I guess next time I get an international order, I'll just cancel it, because I can't afford to ship each item separately.
christworks
·1 year agoI don't understand why you can't afford to do that. It looks like you do not charge shipping as a separate line item. Then surely you build the shipping cost into the cost of the item, don't you? You are eating A LOT of costs if you aren't doing that and, if so, then IMHO you need to address that.
One genuine mistake like this should not doom and gloom your business, or cause you to take the drastic step of cancelling orders. You are looking through this through the lens of emotion. I get it. But step back and look at it through the lens of a business.
pauls2134
OP1 year agoYes, shipping cost is built into the price of my parts. But if a buyer purchases three different parts and I ship separately, that's about $10 out of my pocket. Some of my parts are priced near breakeven, as a loss leader - if I have to ship them separately, I take a beating.
And yes, there's emotion involved - there were three expensive parts in the box. Ebay has "liquidated" one, so where are the other two? My buyer is still out the money on them and my reputation is at stake; all my buyer knows, is that he bought parts from me, and he doesn't yet have them.
And while I'm on a rant, why is ebay calculating their fee post sales tax? That really is sneaky and it burns me.
christworks
·1 year agoI am sorry you are in this mess. But this is not eBay's fault. Your choices as a seller and lack of understanding of eIS (which again, I didn't know about either), are why you are in this mess. You can get out of it and be profitable and have a business you enjoy. It takes acknowledging the issues, then reevaluating your business model.
Also, as @gurlcat said, if someone bought part A in Chicago, IL, part B in Lincoln, IL, and part C in my ex's hometown of Quincy, IL, you would still be paying the same amount in shipping charges. Are you giving a discount if someone buys 2 or 3 items? If you are, then that is also part of the problem because you do not have enough margin on your items to pass along savings that way.
As far as the eBay fee, it is what it is. They charge it on shipping costs, too. You don't escape that by offering "free shipping." And it isn't "sneaky." It is laid out in the open exactly what the fees are. If it "burns you," that again goes back to the choices you make as a seller...from what to sell to how much you charge.
I hope you can get your missing parts back, but I'd prepare to take it all as a loss on your taxes.
gurlcat
·1 year agoThere comes a point when you have to recognize an anger and victimhood addict when you see one. -When it's severe, they'll do anything to avoid a solution, even pre-loading unrelated angers to hold onto (like this 'fees on taxes' thing).
gurlcat
·1 year agoCancelling orders is just going to get your account shut down, and anyway you're not making any sense. Each EIS order is just a shipment to Illinois. So if 3 different American buyers who live in Chicago ordered on the same day, it's no different than if 1 Japanese buyer purchases 3 things from you -it's the same price for 3 packages.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year agoIf you want to remain an ebay member, you might rethink your "next time" plans. Cancelling orders will be the death of your account.
christworks
·1 year agoInteresting. I've never thought about this. I don't get very many international orders nor orders where a buyer buys more than one thing, whether at the same time or separately. Without seeing this thread, I probably would have combined the orders myself, then refunded the buyer part of their shipping. 😲 Sorry the OP made this error, but glad they came here to get help so everybody can see it.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoDid you combine three orders into one package for EIS?
If so, you created this problem.
EIS handles combined purchases by creating one order.
ittybitnot
·1 year agoDid you combine three orders into one package for EIS?If so, you created this problem.
@tobaccocardyahoo
Why would you say that? Do you have a link to another more specific page? From what I could find there appears to be no "number if items" caveat that would cause this problem.
From the linked page posted at the bottom:
Combined shipping
If a buyer purchases multiple items from you, the order will automatically be combined if it's eligible for combined shipping. There are several reasons why shipping can't be combined when sending items through eBay International Shipping. For example, combined shipping won’t be applied if:
The order costs more than $1000 USD
The listing is in auction-style format
The items exceed the program’s package limits
If the buyer is paying import charges at checkout for some items and paying import charges on delivery for other items in the same order, the shipping won’t be combined.
Tip
Each eBay International Shipping order should fit in one package which meets the weight and dimensions allowed.
Due to export limitations and restrictions, items listed in the following categories also can't be shipped with eBay International Shipping. This is not an exhaustive list and it may be updated based on transportation regulations and export laws.
Any category or items containing Radium or other radioactive materials
Dangerous goods requiring hazardous handling labels & documentation
Export-controlled items requiring license > Ex. Military vehicle parts
Business & Industrial > Heavy equipment & attachments
Collectibles > Knives, swords & blades
eBay Motors > Airbags, used parts (containing hazardous residue), AC refrigerant, vehicle paint (flammable)
Electronics > Standalone lithium batteries (not inside or with a device)
Electronics > High-power lithium battery devices (over 100 watt-hour)
Electronics > Drones
Health & Beauty > Fragrances (flammable perfumes & cologne)
Flammable or otherwise hazardous aerosols
Jewelry > High value
Personal security > Pepper spray, stun guns, handcuffs
Sporting goods > Other (CO2 cartridges, firearms, firearm parts, laser scopes)
Replica firearms > Prop guns
Stamps, coins & paper money
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-international-shipping-program?id=5348&st=3&pos=1&query=eBay%20International%20Shipping%20program&intent=eBay%20International%20shipping%20&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1704
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year ago@ittybitnot
I think what @tobaccocardyahoo was saying was not that combining three orders specifically was an issue, but rather combining the orders was the issue. You cannot combine EIS orders that eBay does not combine for you at the time of the order.
So if the customer orders 3 items at the same time, and eBay displays it as one order for 3 items, you can put them in the same box with a single label.
If the customer orders 3 items separately and/or they're not combined by eBay, they need to be shipped in separate boxes with their own labels.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoThank you @jonathanbrightlight .
I was not clear enough.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoEIS assumes each order is a shipment and combines orders when it gets the proper input from the buyer.
Each order gets its own paperwork for customs, and its own shipping charges.
There is no need for a special warning, since deciding to combine three orders is a seller who does not understand the concept of freight forwarding.
The OP's copy/paste makes it clear this was an order for one item. Most low paid clerks will deal with the shipment just the order he was credited for. The presence of the other two items may have been why it triggered a rejected inspection.
The stingy man pays the most. If the OP was trying to save the postage to EIS, it could have been the cause of this catastrophe.
animal-house-8
·1 year agoSo interesting cause I combined 2 orders for shipping to Canada EIS and had no problem sending in one box. Are you saying each order mush be shipped separately? If so I messed up.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoYes you screwed up. EIS makes its own provisions for combining orders and adjusts the domestic charge and the international charge. That gets the custom documentation correct too.
If you combine on your own, it relies on some human noting the problem and dealing with it. You know you cannot rely on humans to get it right.
inhawaii
·1 year agoWhat inspection?
How was it shipped? EIS?
pauls2134
OP1 year agoI have no idea what inspection, and yes, through EIS - I'll attach some screen shots.
pauls2134
OP1 year agoThere were 2 other items in the package - where are they? My customer was refunded for one of the items, what about the other 2? What is "item liquidated"? They threw away my part? My customer is waiting on these parts. I just got off the phone with ebay, the agent is going to have international shipping look into it and email me.
animal-house-8
·1 year agoI have never seen this, does ebay have a clue about what happened?
Once the item reached the eIS hub your job is done. It is now between the buyer and eBay to sort out.
buyselljack2016
·1 year agoitem liquidated means it now belongs to eBay, and they have sold it to a "liquidator" that will resell (if possible)