Buyer wanted free international shipping through GSP

[vintagehitman]

Hi there, 

A buyer recently purchased an item from me. I'm in the USA, they're in Canada. I'm enrolled in the Global Shipping Program. The buyer initially messaged me about several existing items I had listed, so I created a new listing and "bundled" these items together. During the conversation/negotiation they asked for free shipping which I agreed to so I added free domestic delivery (to cover the cost of the package going to the eBay intl shipping hub). 

A few days later they sent me several angry messages because they'd, of course, had to pay extra fees on customs and other charges. It transpired that they believed that "free shipping" meant that I, as the seller, would cover all additional fees for them so they'd literally only pay for the item and that's it. 

I accept that I perhaps should have been more explicit in my conversation that free shipping did not cover customs fees, but I thought that this was obvious enough and I also don't believe it's even possible for the seller to pay these fees for the buyer, unless I'm mistaken? 

Nevertheless I told them to return the item to me for a full refund, but they basically said "don't bother" as they do not want the hassle of returning. I also offered to work with USPS to intercept the package before it left the country, but had the same response. Despite my offer to refund them their money I'm  concerned that I'll receive negative feedback for this transaction, which I feel would quite unfair given the circumstances.

Could somebody clarify for me the following please:

1) Is it possible for the seller to provide free shipping (inc all additional charges) as part of the GSP?

2) What options do I have if the buyer leaves me negative feedback and I wish to challenge it?

Thanks for your help. 

[pjcdn2005]

You’re actually using eBay’s international shipping program (EIS) which is slightly different than the global shipping program. The GSP was phased out a few months ago,  but both programs work the same as far as how shipping is charged.  The seller sets their domestic shipping charge and eBay adds on the international shipping charge based on the weight and dimensions and on the buyers location. When the buyer looks at the listing they see the combination of the two amounts.  The seller has no control of what eBay charges for international shipping so it’s impossible for you to use the EIS and promise free shipping.  You can promise fee domestic shipping but not international.

What was the item number?    Is the buyer definitely complaining about the customs charged or are they complaining about the international shipping cost?   If the buyer already received the item than it must be the customs charges and that’s also something that you can’t control OR pay for ahead of time. On some of your listings eBay gives the buyer the option of prepaying the customs fees but in most cases the buyers pays customs when they receive their item plus a processing fee.

2.  If the buyer leaves negative feedback about customs or shipping charges you should be able to get it removed.  EIS is supposed to remove any negative feedback if it relates to a service from the shipping program rather than from something you did,

[vintagehitman]

Thanks for your quick response. Yes, I think it's more so the international shipping charge in addition to the customs charges. They mistakingly believed that I would cover the international shipping charge for them, but didn't realize that this is not possible for a seller to cover.  The item # is 204628885658. 

Thanks for the bit regarding the feedback. They received the item yesterday, so I await any negative reviews. Fingers crossed that they accept this was a fair misunderstanding and I didn't charge them anything which was within my control. 

To make matters stranger the buyer messaged me shortly after trying to cut a deal on a separate item, so I was confused as why they'd then want to buy additional items from somebody they'd already declared as being dishonorable! 

[chapeau-noir]

You may want to block this buyer from future purchases.

[janet9988]

It is not possible to use EIS if agreeing to ship for free.

 You should have changed your shipping option on the listing, before the buyer purchased it, to USPS international shipping and not used the EIS service.

[wastingtime101]

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@vintagehitman wrote:

To make matters stranger the buyer messaged me shortly after trying to cut a deal on a separate item, so I was confused as why they'd then want to buy additional items from somebody they'd already declared as being dishonorable! 

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😂Buyers like this are amazing.

You're I think the 3rd or 4th seller I've seen in the last month having issues with international buyers and wrestling action figures. Is this type of buyer typical for the product you're selling? Or maybe your buyer is making the rounds and causing chaos for all sellers with that product.

PJ has you covered on the eIS advice, and Chapeau's suggestion is solid if you don't want to deal with this person again.

[wastingtime101]

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@janet9988 wrote:

It is not possible to use EIS if agreeing to ship for free.

 You should have changed your shipping option on the listing, before the buyer purchased it, to USPS international shipping and not used the EIS service.

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Definitely an option, however it's more costly to the seller and does not come with the protections that eIS does. It wouldn't solve the problem of customs fees, either unless the seller was willing to discount even further. Just wanted to add that info in case others run into this issue. 🙂

This type of buyer will keep beating down the seller for a lower price as long as the seller is agreeable.

[onefootflippers]

Things like this is why I either ignore any out of country messages wanting bundles or deals or I politely reply back that I can't do that.