Warning to Sellers about current handling by eBay on INR cases. First off, I'm aware of how these would normally be handled, what to do when one is opened, and how it will be resolved. Normally. It's obvious to all at this point, buyers and sellers, that there have been delays in shipping, misrouted items and items "in transit" for sometimes over a month. That is, to anyone that has turned on their TV in the past 3 months, or if you're eBay. I could make this a short rant, but I want to add in the events that have been surrounding this cluster of INRs, which leads me to this early AM post.
Apparently, eBay is sticking with the "We don't see any shipping delays and therefore all good" (my words) line under their "Additional support during COVID-19 for buyers and sellers on eBay" article, even thought he big red header banner on the USPS website says otherwise. Granted, most items seem to be on time or within a few days of delivery dates, but there ARE MAJOR distribution center closures and disruptions. Mail is being sent, and held, in distribution centers states away and just lingering in the system as "in-transit". These packages all seem to be eventually jarred lose and delivered, but they can be up to weeks late. I've waited over a MONTH for USPS Priority Mail to be delivered to me on a commercial rate package. Most of these delays seem to be in the upper Midwest (Detroit/Chicago area) and all along the Eastern seaboard (Mass/NJ/NY) in particular, but down to Florida as well.
International shipping for me has taken a hit in delays as well, with 3 transactions in as many days, being brought to my attention as being severely delayed by a month or more to Australia. One was over 2 months old and was promptly refunded without asking the buy to open a case. The second, a day later, was an INR case and was immediately refunded. The third is still being addressed. In all cases, the items were last scanned leaving the US so it was presumed by all parties, including the USPS, that the Australian post office or customs was holding inbound mail up. No problem, I just stopped selling to Australia until things iron out. Can't afford that mess.
Now, I get another INR opened on the same day I was dealing with the 3rd Australia issue, and a day after I just refunded the other two transactions. This one from a buyer in New Hampshire. Last scan was "in-transit" on the 23rd of May out of Florida, which was the day he was promised the item by eBay. He gave it 5 days before he opened the case. I responded to him that there were delays all up and down the east coast and would look into it as he requested in his comments.
This is when I called eBay for guidance as it is obvious, there are delays piling up and there needs to be some extended handling or shipping times adjusted into the transactions. I get a nice lady in the UK (I guess the US and Philippine centers are down or overworked. Gee, I wonder why?). She looked at all my recent activity and thanked me for doing the refunds on the two Australian transactions, but that in future cases, including the current one I was calling about, they (eBay) are allowing for "30 days" from purchase to be delivered, and that if a buyer escalates a case, this would be explained to them. I took her word.
3 days later, buyer escalates, and case closed by eBay immediately in buyer's favor, money refunded back out of PayPal and item still in transit and will be delivered. Obviously feeling duped, I called CS back immediately, again getting the UK. I explain what I was told, he sees that it's still in transit and explains that since the case was already closed (while of course not even discussing the last CS's guidance regarding the extended allowance for delivery, which I now believe was false information), that I would have 30 days to appeal the decision and when the item shows up as delivered, to file that appeal. He also informed me that he would have someone call me "within the hour, if not within the day" to further discus the case. Never happened. That was on the 4th. This morning, at 2:47 AM CST, I get an alert on my phone of an eBay message stating that my appeal was CLOSED. WHAT APPEAL?
Getting out of bed and checking the case, it said that I sent them an appeal on the 6th (within the past 3 hours while I was asleep). I did not. This was opened and closed in the wee hours of the night by someone obviously overseas, my guess in the UK.
So now I get a defect, told two things that weren't true, lose the item and have the money taken out of my account, all for something everybody should be aware to what, why and how it is happening. I would have just refunded the buyer right off if I had not been told by the first CS that they are handling these cases with the buyer out to 30 days. Is this a policy in the UK that she mistakenly advised to me as a seller in the US?
WHO opened and closed an appeal in the middle of the night? And WHY? I am now shut out of actually opening an appeal when this item shows delivered.
I've NEVER had a case escalated and I sure didn't APPEAL this one as of yet. Someone is railroading these cases though and then shutting down appeals by falsely opening one internally. Be aware of it from here on out.
And eBay, quit pretending there isn't a shipping issue with USPS, THERE IS. I can't tell you how much of a disappointment and runaround this is. A defect? A false appeal? Over an INR during this time, with everything that is going on in the WORLD right now. And in the middle of the night.
Hope this isn't how you are going to run Managed Payments?
