Dealing with a verbally abusive customer over order delay?

[hes_14]

Hello,

I need some advice. I shipped an order to a foreign country in mid-June and it was initially stuck at eBay's international processing facility in Glendale Heights, IL. The item was due to arrive between June 25th and July 9th. Its now the 9th and the package hasn't even left the country. The customer has lost his patience and has been blowing up my inbox with lengthy, verbally abusive rants and accusations calling me a scam artist, liar, fraud etc all for the fact that the item is still in transit. He thinks I never shipped the item which of course is nonsense as he can easily check the tracking history from the beginning. I even sent him screenshots of the tracking progress but i'm not getting through to him and anything I say he dismisses as lies and excuses.

He proceeds to berate me by asking why are there constant delays among other questions that are impossible for me to answer and i'm sure even eBay can't even give. However, there was movement this morning with the package now showing "processed through regional facility" in Chicago and a new tracking code displayed by Asendia and USPS. The item is being handled by the Ebay International Shipping program or EIS.

His complaints are contrary to the situation and appears to be incapable of reasoning or even common sense despite all my efforts and explanations. I honestly believe he doesn't even care about the order anymore and only wants it just so he can slander me with a long winded canard of a complaint over something out of my control.  At this point, I want to report him and if I could cancel the order and have the item sent back to me I would. Screw this guy!

[wastingtime101]

Block him and be done with it. Package went to the eIS hub so you're covered by seller protections if he files a non-receipt claim or leaves neg FB. Scratch that.

You said you shipped through eBay International Shipping (eIS), but that looks like wrong info. Your package is in a Chicago hub with Asendia, and your listings that I checked advertise direct shipping with USPS not with eIS. That means you did not ship with eIS - you shipped with eBay International Standard Delivery (EISD).

With EISD you are responsible end-to-end. If the package gets lost along the way then you do have insurance coverage up to $100, but you'd be responsible for refunding the buyer. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-international-standar...

There was movement this morning on tracking which means even if he did file a non-receipt claim today, you'd get an automatic extension due to the recent scan.

[hes_14]

Sorry, I confused the programs together as i'm new to eBay and this is only my 2nd international shipment. The 1st time, there was no eBay warehouse stopover, I filled the customs form myself and it made it all the way to Hong Kong without issue. I don't even recall seeing eIS option within shipping preferences. Sounds like the worst of both worlds. Less protection and an additional middleman that complicates the process. If the customer files a missing package claim, will I also be responsible for the shipping cost the customer paid?

Plus, what do I do about this customer that DMs me everyday with insults and rants? That's my main concern. After this fiasco, i'm certainly not inclined to offer Intl shipping again.

[wastingtime101]

These are my suggestions:

1. Stop offering direct international shipping. As a new seller especially, that's a minefield you don't want to step in until you have a lot more experience. Instead wait for your account to become eligible for eIS because that comes with a lot of seller protections and handles a lot of the international rules and regs for you.

2. I don't know what your communications with the buyer have looked like so far, but don't react to their comments of "liar" or "scam". Since you're still in a current transaction and the item has not arrived yet, I don't suggest cutting off communication (unless they're cursing, etc), but I do suggest limiting your replies. Definitely no more than 1 reply per business day, but consider spacing replies out between days. Keep it professional, short, and to the point. Example:

Buyer,

Tracking shows your item was processed through the Chicago hub this morning. From Chicago it will leave the US and you'll see additional scans as it reaches your country and goes through customs.

Seller

Then if he messages you every day, don't respond again until there's tracking movement showing it's in his country. Then reply with that update.

Buyer,

Tracking shows the item was scanned in your country today. It will have to go through customs. Please view tracking on your purchase history page here: https://www.ebay.com/mye/myebay/purchase

Seller

My biggest concern at this point would be if the buyer owes customs/duties and refuses to pay. If that happens, come back here for more advice.

While I would definitely block this buyer from future purchases, I'd wait until the transaction is complete since the package is still in transit and you don't know what's going to happen. Others will advise you to block the buyer immediately. It's not an easy decision.

Unfortunately eBay made a horrible change last year where blocking a buyer also blocks all messages and sellers no longer have a choice to block a buyer from purchasing to protect their account, while keeping communications open to deal with current transactions. [Another use case kyle@ebay - please review OP's situation regarding BBL message blocks.]

[kensgiftshop]

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@hes_14 wrote:

Plus, what do I do about this customer that DMs me everyday with insults and rants? That's my main concern. After this fiasco, i'm certainly not inclined to offer Intl shipping again.

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Tell the buyer to open an Item Not Received case for a refund.

If you want to sell International, use Ebay International Shipping, you have more protections.

[brightlightbookseller]

The "middleman" in the eBay International Shipping Program (the one you didn't use) is actually a huge benefit to you and has more protection, not less.  eBay takes over the process as soon as it reaches their hub, and will refund the customer for items that don't arrive or arrive damaged, or even not as described, and will scrub any negative feedback of most types (I think there may be a few exceptions where it can be left up).  It's really a wonderful program, so much so that many here think it will have to be scaled back at some point, but for now it's way safer than shipping directly, and we've rarely had customers complain (and negative feedback gets removed, so it's really just customer service mode at that point to let them know eBay will handle whatever complaints they have).  We've had customers open INR and INAD claims and every time, eBay told us we didn't have to do anything, and actually kept their promise.

[ittybitnot]

Tell the buyer to open an Item Not Received case for a refund.

@kensgiftshop 

Why?  The item is still in transit.  The automated system may just grant the refund, and then the parcel arrives, making this situation even worse for the seller.  eBay does not require a buyer to pay once they get a refund and the merchandise subsequently is delivered.  

[wastingtime101]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

Tell the buyer to open an Item Not Received case for a refund.

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I disagree with this advice. Per the OP, the package was scanned this morning in Chicago. When there is a transit scan within the last 10 days for international shipments (7 days domestic), eBay does not consider the package lost and they allow more time for delivery, meaning if the buyer filed an INR eBay will grant an automatic extension if the INR is escalated. But that extension may not be long enough for international transit and customs processing. Encouraging the buyer to file an INR at this stage could leave the seller stuck and the buyer with a free item after the INR closes.

There's no sign of the package being stalled or lost. Since the package hasn't left the country yet, but it's actively moving, it's in the seller's best interest to prolong the process and delay any claims being filed.

Chicago has an international airport and the package should leave the country from its current location within the next day or two.

[dbfolks166mt]

Tell the buyer to open an Item Not Received case for a refund.

@kensgiftshop 

Why?  The item is still in transit.  The automated system may just grant the refund, and then the parcel arrives, making this situation even worse for the seller.  eBay does not require a buyer to pay once they get a refund and the merchandise subsequently is delivered.  

     The seller is off the hook since they used the EIS processing center. Once it has arrived at the EIS hub the sellers responsibility is finished and the seller protections under EIS default to the EIS program. If the buyer opens an INR it is EIS's to deal with. If the system grants a refund it will come out of eBay/EIS coffers not the sellers. 

[dbfolks166mt]

     Which item was this and what shipping method did you use to actually ship the package? What carrier USPS, UPS.... did you use to ship the item to wherever it went in Chicago? What country is this actually shipping to? Without more specific details all anyone can do is guess. 

[wastingtime101]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

 The seller is off the hook since they used the EIS processing center. 

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That's not correct. Read replies upthread and you'll see the seller did not use eIS as indicated in their first post. I added EISD tags to that post in attempt to minimize the confusion.

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

Which item was this and what shipping method did you use to actually ship the package? What carrier USPS, UPS.... did you use to ship the item to wherever it went in Chicago? What country is this actually shipping to? Without more specific details all anyone can do is guess. 

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They confirmed they used EISD. Carrier used to get to the EISD hub is irrelevant. Destination country is also irrelevant.

[kensgiftshop]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

Tell the buyer to open an Item Not Received case for a refund.

@kensgiftshop 

Why?  The item is still in transit.  The automated system may just grant the refund, and then the parcel arrives, making this situation even worse for the seller.  eBay does not require a buyer to pay once they get a refund and the merchandise subsequently is delivered.  

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The package is somewhere.

It's past the EDD, so the buyer can start the INR and maybe they'll stop bugging the OP.

OP uploads the tracking number to the INR and if tracking shows movement, they might put the case on hold a few days.

[hes_14]

Lo and behold, this irate buyer persists with these slanderous and abusive messages only this time I finally set my foot down and remind the buyer yet again her package is en route and conclude the message with a polite but firm warning that if she keeps up this nonsense I would report her.

Of course, she took that well and left a lovely rebuttal of "go f yourself, you pos!" and a negative review to match. The "review" was, as predicted, a long winded drivel of defamation in broken English (see for yourself). I called a CS rep to request a take down, he reviews the review, the order, the messages and is completely sympathetic to my cause in agreement that the buyer was out of line. He files the request.

Imagine getting this upset with a seller over an issue they have no control over. What a ridiculous character!

Just as an fyi, the item in question is 1 of 10 units so she thinks I ether never sent the item (because I relisted it after the purchase) or sent her something other than what she order despite already telling her I own multiple units.