Unfair action by eBay
I sold a $700 item to someone in Italy on March 4. I shipped it by eBay's International Shipping Service (or whatever it is called). The package went to the eBay hub and was transferred to the Asendia International Mail Service. International shipping takes a long time, but the buyer did not want to wait and started an "Item not received" claim. I submitted tracking to both the buyer and eBay. Tracking showed that the package was stuck somewhere in Italy. Instead of waiting for the package to arrive, eBay gave me 3 days to "Resolve the issue". Since there was nothing I could do, the 3 days passed and eBay took the money from my charge card anf refunded the buyer. I contested this action, but eBay told me that my case is not allowed to be contested. Tracking still shows that the package is still stuck somewhere in Italy, but it may eventually arrive at the buyer's home. Then the buyer will have his money and my $700 item. And the funny thing is that eBay will not allow me to ask for a review of my case.All this time I was not allowed to speak with a human, only a robot. Does anyone know how I can speak with a real person about my case? I can't even provide tracking information that shows the item stuck somewhere in Italy. Also, this will also put a bad mark on my record, showing that I failed to ship a sold item. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
vickyaa
·1 year agoI forgot to respond to the talking to a real person part of your question. When you go to the chat box area. Put In need to talk to a Representative . That you need to speak to a rept. Keep putting it in then they will let someone call you . Good Luck.. Sorry you are going thru this. That's a lot of money to lose..
vilkau
OP1 year agoI did speak to a rep. She was aware of the problem and said someone would get back to me. I asked if they wil lcall, and she said: no, they will send an email. That was a day ago, and so far no emails.
vickyaa
·1 year agoThat's crazy they did that. They are suppose to cover it since it went thru their eBay hub.. I got this information from ebay here. / plus I highlighted some information below for you https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-protection?id=4345
Events outside your control
An item arrived late but tracking shows that you shipped on time
We automatically adjust your late shipment rate when:
If there is no tracking or the carrier didn't scan the shipment, it won't count as a late shipment if the buyer doesn't indicate the shipment was late.
You can also request removal of neutral or negative feedback where the buyer references a delivery issue but tracking shows us that you met your delivery or handling time expectations.
eBay International Shipping
When you use eBay International Shipping, you're responsible for sending the item your buyer purchased safely to the US shipping hub. If an item is damaged at the hub, or if the buyer reports that an item was lost or damaged during international shipping, we'll work with the buyer to resolve the issue. You're protected from:
For more information, see our Seller Center page about eBay International Shipping.
International carrier issues
We adjust your late shipment rate and remove negative or neutral feedback when you ship internationally and the shipment receives a domestic carrier scan within your handling time.
Severe weather or carrier disruptions caused the item to arrive late
Other protections
Seller performance standards
eBay Money Back Guarantee requests
eBay Guaranteed Fit
Protections for payment disputes
If a buyer files a payment dispute and the transaction is eligible for protection under our Payment dispute seller protections, we'll cover the amount of the dispute, waive the dispute fee, and remove negative and neutral feedback related to the transaction.
Learn more about seller protections for payment disputes.
Eligibility for protections
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year agoAlthough the names are ALMOST the same and the 'ship to' address is 100% 'THE SAME', this item was NOT shipped using the EIS System which 100% covers the seller.
It's the same as shipping an item using 'Ebay International Shipping' and 'Kmart'. Nothing is the same, the most important part of it NOT being the same is
EIS protects Seller
Anything else simply DOES NOT
fashunu4eeuh
·1 year agoSo sorry this happened to you, and appreciate your sharing this experience so other sellers can avoid the pitfalls that tripped you up this go ‘round.
What was the estimated date of delivery? Was there any movement of the package in the days leading up to the refund deadline? Sometimes eBay has been known to grant an extension or grace period to give a seller more time for delivery to occur.
Overall, it can be quite risky selling high dollar goods overseas. To mitigate that risk, the carrier service you offer is important, as this discussion reveals. Sadly the chosen service did not provide the kind of protection you expected to get to avoid this outcome, but the explanation of the two similarly named shipping service's eBay has will no doubt help many.
In addition, moving forward, you might want to reevaluate what countries have the most reliable postal systems, and then set up any shipping exclusions to minimize the added risk one can suffer when shipping to troubled areas.
Also to mitigate risk, it can be helpful to revisit eBay policies affecting such outcomes as this, to remain aware of next steps to follow when faced with shipping problems or other transactional issues.
Retail shrinkage is one of those facts of retailing that needs to be addressed in one’s business plan. Managing that liability can be a real challenge, but we all have been there. I tack on a set amount when pricing my goods, an amount that is then set aside for loss compensation once the sale is made. Over the years, this suspense fund has grown exponentially and now covers the cost of my offering free returns.
vilkau
OP1 year agoThis is ridiculous. I provided tracking information to eBay a couple of times. Whoever handled my case is not telling the truth, for some reason. Shipping to a foreign country sometimes takes a long time. The buyer thought he would get his purchase in a week or two, so he told eBay that he did not receive his purchase. And eBay opened an "Item not received" case for him. The item is still stuck in Italy, perhaps at customs, but I am sure the buyer will get it, in addition to the refund of my money. Now there is nothing that will make the buyer give the money back to me, and he will have the money plus the $750 item. Thanks eBay!!! Give the person who handled this case a promotion. I appealed the case, and 3 days later I got a message from eBay that the case was resolved in the buyer's favor. Come on!!! While according to the shipper, my item is still "In Transit".
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoTry having the package intercepted and returned to you.
Ebay gives the buyer an estimated delivery date and they have to wait until after the date before they can file an INR.
If there is recent tracking updates, they might put the case on hold for a few days.
If there's been no updates for a little bit, buyer will get a refund.
vilkau
OP1 year agoHow do you "Try having the package intercepted and returned to you"?
wastingtime101
·1 year agoYou can't have it intercepted once it's shipped from the hub to the buyer. You can only request an intercept if it's still in the US with the original carrier before it gets to the hub.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoMy bad.
I thought you might still be able to have it intercepted.
vilkau
OP1 year agoSurprise! My item is still "In Transit", but now tracking shows that today it arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, instead of the correct destination, Verona, Italy. And it shows the content to be 2 letters, which is not true. Did the correct valuable content got "lost" somewhere? In any case, it is still "In Transit to the destination". eBay, are you listening? Don't you think you jumped the gun by returned the buyer his money while my item is still in transit to the buyer? I would like to complain but do not know where or how. I would like to speak to a real person instead of a robot.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year ago@vilkau
If you go to your shipping preferences page, it'll show that you're not enrolled in eIS.
https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf
wastingtime101
·1 year agoNone of their listings (that I checked) offer eIS, but that does not necessarily mean the seller is not enrolled in eIS.
1. They do mostly auction format and eIS isn't always an option on auction format listings.
2. They offer direct ship and if the direct ship cost is lower than eIS, eIS won't appear even if the seller is enrolled.
Of course it's also possible the seller is not enrolled in eIS.
If they are enrolled in eIS then they should remove direct international shipping options from their listings if they don't want to be responsible for international delivery.
playwithitagaintoys
·1 year agoDid you use ebay international shipping? The exact name of the service used matters. If you did, then you are off the hook after item gets to the hub.
It also seems like you didn't respond to the claim in time and ebay had to step in. If so you lose the money and the item. But if you used ebay international it should have been on ebay
vilkau
OP1 year agoI did use eBay International Shipping. Tracking shows that the item arrived at the hub and was transferred to Asendia. Asendia was supposed to take it to Italy. Why is it stuck in Italy? Who knows, maybe customs. But eBay should have waited instead of refunding the buyer right away. Now I am out of my item and my money, and eBay says "Case is What can I do?closed".
lakefor94
·1 year agoIf it was EIS, EBay International Shipping, they refund at the cost of EBay.
Do you actually see an entry in your Payments tab where they extracted money from YOUR account?
Check carefully. Holds are different from debits.
wastingtime101
·1 year ago100% this was not an eIS transaction. The shipping section of the listing confirms it.
Go to the order details page. If it was eIS it would look like this:
steady2304
·1 year ago@vilkau I would venture a guess that the buyer received a bill for the customs/duty fee's when it arrived in Italy and decided to file a claim for INR. Once eBay approved their INR claim they will probably go and retrieve it from customs.
EISD (eBay International Standard Delivery) is a poor excuse of a shipping method and should be dropped completely or the name changed so it doesn't confuse sellers who think they are purchasing EIS (eBay international shipping)
wastingtime101
·1 year agoPreach! I've been saying that since day 1 when eIS was announced. eBay makes things harder than they need to be.
lakefor94
·1 year agoAgreed, that one would not have been hard to differentiate...
inhawaii
·1 year agoThe trouble is you shipped your item via "whatever it's called" insead of EIS (ebay international shipping). Had you used EIS this would not have happened.
vilkau
OP1 year agoI did use ESI.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoWhat is the item number @vilkau ? I want to see how shipping was set up on the listing.
When a claim is filed on an eBay International Shipping (eIS) transaction, eBay typically steps in automatically.
Because that didn't happen I am guessing the problem here may be that you offered direct shipping to Italy, then shipped using eBay International Standard Delivery (eISD) which is a completely different service.
eISD is a semi-direct shipping option where you ship to a hub, but you are still responsible end-to-end. eISD does come with up to $100 included insurance.
vilkau
OP1 year agoThe item number is 153353719511, and I shipped it by eBay's International Shipping. It went to a hub where it was transferred to Asendia. Asendia tracking shows that the item is stuck in Italy. But neither the buyer or eBay could not wait and refunded the buyer his money.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoOK thanks for providing the item number. This confirms what I said above.
Your listing advertises direct shipping to Italy with USPS First Class Package International.
On the label purchase page you purchased an eBay International Standard Delivery (eISD) label. This is an entirely different service from eBay International Shipping (eIS).
If you do not want to ship direct (or semi-direct) where you are responsible end-to-end then revise your listings to not offer direct shipping methods. By not offering direct shipping, eIS will be the only option.
Because you did not ship eIS, and instead shipped eISD, you are responsible end-to-end.
Because this was already escalated with eBay asked to step in and you did not have confirmed delivery, that means you lose the claim and your fees are forfeit.
At minimum you should be able to file a claim for the $100 insurance coverage. Follow the steps here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-international-standard-delivery?id=5011#section4
You should also track the package on an external site, for example https://parcelsapp.com/en , as you can sometimes find more tracking info and details. Depending on what tracking shows (like if a buyer refused to pay customs fees, for example), you may have cause to appeal your claim. If you want to send me a message with the tracking number I'll take a look for you.
vilkau
OP1 year agoI have a copy of the shipping label. It says the item was shipped by USPS Ground Advantage to EBay International Delivery hub in Glendale Heights, IL. At the bottom of the label it says "Asendia", which is an international shipping service. Everything by the book. So why can't eBay understand this? Asendia tell me that the item is in Italy stuck for some reason. Maybe customs? eBay has already taken the money from my account and refunded the buyer. When he gets the item, he might keep it and also keep the money.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoThe service you are describing, shipping to a hub with Asendia at the bottom of the label is eBay International Standard Delivery. It is not eBay International Shipping.
I understand it was a large dollar amount, and I feel for you on that, but refusing to accept the truth is not going to help here.
I offered some hope above - depending on what tracking says - why not take me up on my offer of sending me the tracking number so I can see if scans show whether or not you have grounds to appeal?
jbbowers12012
·1 year agoFinally - The clouds have parted!!!
lakefor94
·1 year ago@vilkau
If eBay refunded the buyer out of eBay's purse, as it should happen, no worries for you. That is EIS protection, as it is stated.
They don't mess around, ebay takes care of the buyer, end of story.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoThis was not an eIS transaction.
vilkau
OP1 year agoI shipped the item by eBay International Delivery. The item went from my location to the eBay International Hub by USPS Ground Advantage. At the hub it was transferred to Asendia. So beginning tracking shows that the item was delivered (to the hub), and following tracking continued to show the item's tracking, now in Switzerland instead of Italy, for some reason. I attach a copy of the shipping label.
vilkau
OP1 year agoThe item number is 153353719511.
Here is a copy of the shipping label
pikabo-icu
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
It sure looks like they used the right EIS and not standard?
Is there a way to know? Because it looks like eBay messed up this one..
Or am I reading it incorrectly?
wastingtime101
·1 year agoNope @pikabo-icu . As I've been saying since the beginning, they did not use eIS.
That label is for eBay International Standard Delivery. Zero question. 100% confirmed. Not even close to an eIS label. No comparision.
pikabo-icu
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
Thank you! I figured you were correct.
I had never seen the labels so wasn't sure what I was looking at..
CHEERS! And Thanks again
SORRY @vilkau That sucks!
wastingtime101
·1 year agoThis is one of my recent eIS labels @pikabo-icu
Address Name: EIS C/O BUYER NAME
Second address line: evtn:######
evtn is a virtual tracking code tied to the buyer's order.
That simple.
eISD label, as shown by the original poster, has:
Address Name: EBAY INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY
Ref # with buyer's name below address / above barcode
ASENDIA information below barcode along with the ESUS tracking number. Only eISD and eBay Standard Envelope have ESUS tracking numbers.
eIS can have a variety, including EEUS, but never ESUS - and whatever that consolidated number is will only appear on eBay tracking, not on the seller's label. Seller's label is just a generic regular label but has eIS info in the address.
Not only that, but as I've mentioned before - eISD is only available when the seller offers direct shipping. It is a direct shipping international transaction. They will see the buyer's international address. The seller chooses eISD as the delivery service when they buy the label. They will see all international label options like eISD, USPS International, etc.
With eIS you can only choose a domestic shipping service on the label page because, as far as the seller is concerned, it is a domestic transaction.
This all sounds complicated, because you've asked about the differences I'm pointing them out.
-----------
Ultimately, none of that matters as it's really simple.
eISD is a semi-direct shipping option when you see the buyer's international address and you offer direct international shipping on your listing. If a seller does not want to take on liability of direct international shipping and learning about the service they are choosing, they should not offer it. Full stop.
eIS is essentially a domestic transaction. You do not have to offer international shipping on your listings (eIS is account level opt in). You do not see the buyer's international address.
There is zero possibility of confusing them when buying a label unless the seller chooses to offer direct international shipping.
pikabo-icu
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
Thank YOU very much!
Now I know exactly what they look like and that says EIS right on it so very obvious.
Thanks a bunch.. This will help me a lot in the future and in answering questions for other people.
You Rock..
And Sorry @vilkau that I kinda jacked your thread.. Forgive me..
I can't tell you how sorry I am about your label mix up. The names are so similar it's easy to do thus me asking for clarification from @wastingtime101 . I want to make sure I choose correctly.
Perhaps you could reach an eBay rep at their Facebook page and ask if there is ANY remedy they can offer you. It can't hurt to try.
https://www.facebook.com/ebay/
vilkau
OP1 year agoI finnaly got a hold of a live eBay agent and explained her my problem. She seemed to know what I was talking about and said that someone would send me an email. I am still waiting for the email. I don't know who is supposed to send me the email, what will he tell me, and why can't he or she call me. Strange.
hartungcards
·1 year agoThe email will be sent to you by "the back office." What they don't tell you is that "the back office" doesn't actually exist.
pikabo-icu
·1 year ago@vilkau I'm sorry... Was this an agent on the phone? Or chat?
If you haven't please contact them on the link I gave you at Facebook. They have good reps there and if anyone can help, it's them.
If you don't have an account of Facebook, it's worth making one to contact them. Make sure to use a direct message NOT a post on their page.
playwithitagaintoys
·1 year agoYou just don't want to believe what has been explained and proven over and over and over again?
We all feel bad for you, but you used the wrong service that provides no protection. CASE IS OVER. You lost the item not received case. Ebay refunded the buyer. You appealed. You lost the appeal. CASE IS OVER.
If you had used EIS, you would have kept 100% of your money as long as item was accepted at the hub. You would have even won a item not as described case. But you used the service that offers zero protection.
CASE IS OVER. Nobody will call you. Nobody will email you. Doesn't matter what the overseas rep promised you.
We all feel really bad for you, because we have all made rookie mistakes. But the CASE IS OVER. Your item is gone, your money is gone, and you won't even be refunded the fees. Sorry to be blunt. Sorry this is a horrible and expensive experience for you, but there is simply nothing that can or will be done at this point. The CASE IS OVER.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoThat listing shows "USPS First Class Package International" as the shipping option to Italy, not EIS.