Counterfeit item sent and return address not traceable

[debwe_9545]

I bought a bracelet and it was supposed to be gold but it is an alloy of some sort, not gold.  I went to return it but the post office said the address given wasn't traceable or valid.   I can't contact ebay as there is no way to get a hold of them other than to return an item.  I got a notice from eBay saying I have to return the item with a tracking number but the post office couldn't tract the package overseas and if they could the minimum was 62 plus I'd have to pay tariffs and the bracelet wasn't worth what I paid.  I also have to pay tariffs on the item returned for the value I paid even though it isn't worth $10.  I have contacted the seller multiple times to let them know I can't trace the package to them and they refuse to respond.  There is no ebay guarantee for counterfeit products and no way to make it right if a seller lives overseas and doesn't provide correct return information.  Buyers beware of overseas sellers!!!  

[soh.maryl]

Did you open a item not as described case with eBay within 30 days of receipt?

If the seller is overseas, he's not able to send you a USPS return label, but he's supposed to front you the return shipping in advance.

If you're in the US, you, as the buyer, may have had to pay the tariff on an international purchase, but you, the buyer returning an item to an overseas seller, have no reason to pay a tariff on that package.

[powell-collectibles]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Did you open a item not as described case with eBay within 30 days of receipt?

If the seller is overseas, he's not able to send you a USPS return label, but he's supposed to front you the return shipping in advance.

If you're in the US, you, as the buyer, may have had to pay the tariff on an international purchase, but you, the buyer returning an item to an overseas seller, have no reason to pay a tariff on that package.

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Please stop telling people that you can’t provide a label if you are outside of the U.S.  it is absolutely not true, and you have been corrected on this point several times in previous threads.  

[house*of*paws]

How does one provide a US shipping label from another country @powell-collectibles ?  🤔

 I’m also under the impression that foreign sellers must front the return shipping money if they wish to have an item returned… and have seen that stated by multiple responders.  

[youn2240]

Because the Chinese post office isn't going to come and pick up the package from my house. 

[house*of*paws]

One … or both … of us isn’t understanding the other one @youn2240 .  I’m not sure which.  LOL

[ryry-jj]

Start the return process and give the reason as the item is not as described.  if the seller doesn't respond, then have eBay step in for the refund.  I'm betting the seller never responds, and you will have no need to return the item to get your refund.   I'm assuming you are still within the 30 day MBG time frame...

[soh.maryl]

Thank you.  So I'm NOT the only one giving wrong advice about this for all these years? 

[house*of*paws]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Thank you.  So I'm NOT the only one giving wrong advice about this for all these years? 

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@soh.maryl 
I don’t think so.  I haven’t seen it stated any other way, which includes the ‘several times’ you were supposedly ‘corrected’.

I truly hope that @powell-collectibles gives us both the information I requested … since I  want to be accurate in my answers.  I’m actually happy to be shown to be wrong, as that means I’ve learned something new.  🙂

[powell-collectibles]

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@house*of*paws wrote:

How does one provide a US shipping label from another country @powell-collectibles ?  🤔

 I’m also under the impression that foreign sellers must front the return shipping money if they wish to have an item returned… and have seen that stated by multiple responders.  

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You go online and buy the label, you get it in a PDF format, you send it to the buyer. It is really easy to see on the USPS site and rules that you can be in a different country and bio label. Go and register for an account – you can be in Antarctica and open an account. I’ve actually done the test – long ago – and registered for an account as if I lived in another country. It actually let me get through the entire process up through checkout. Of course, I didn’t buy a label, but you could easily do a quick test to make sure that it absolutely goes through.

the rumor that you can’t buy a label persist because people have never verified what they hear. And they decide to repeat it. It doesn’t matter how many times they’re told they’re wrong, they keep on repeating what they heard in the knitting circle.

it is a bit like that threshold for a good seller performance rating. There is one particular regular that continues to post the same number as the threshold for a for a good seller. Turns out that it was just a made up number – 98.6° turned into 98.6% as the minimum threshold for a good seller.   Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not – she has no clue, so just keeps on repeating what she’s seeing in these threads. And that’s the problem with only knowing things that you learn on these boards. If you’ve never been a seller, kinda hard to give really good selling advice.

[kensgiftshop]

Did they have all the negative feedback for selling fake items when you placed the order?

[house*of*paws]

Thanks for the info @powell-collectibles .

While you describe it to be technically possible for a foreign seller to purchase a USPS shipping label … it has never been part of eBay’s return process to provide one in that way.   A foreign seller cannot just click a link that shoots a label over to the buyer’s Inbox … which usually is what the buyer is expecting when we bring up that topic.

[Do you think most foreign sellers would find it easier to purchase shipping labels for buyers in other countries … as opposed to sending money via PayPal?  I’m asking because you posed that as an alternative.] 

The ‘body temperature’ feedback number for a ‘good seller’ has been around for many years (at least 20) … and is typically described as a ‘rule of thumb’ (i.e., ‘made up’).  The responder usually is trying to reeducate a newbie buyer who thinks that 80 or 90% automatically indicates a great seller.  I haven’t ever seen it described as a proven fact … just a useful gauge.  It’s an opinion.

While there are certainly things only another seller can advise an OP about selling … any knowledgeable responder can  provide policy information on Selling that they’ve picked up on Help or in the Community.  Hopefully, people only answer questions they know the answer to … be they buyers or sellers.

I don’t know of any responder who’s never made a mistake on the Boards … but I do know that most of the ‘regular’ ones care about accuracy and appreciate legitimate ‘corrections’.  [I can’t speak for all.]

Of course, when people nitpick answers, or insult responders, just for the heck of it … that’s a completely different story.  [As an ‘unofficial mentor’ … you should understand that.  😉]