@ittybitnot wrote:
Triton, with all due respect, your answer shifting responsibility to the seller to prove a package mailed to a freight forwarder was or was not actually forwarded in order to receive protections is unworkable because the seller is not able to obtain or in control of that information.
Basically, it is "unworkable" for the seller. For ebay it is likely 'working as intended'.
Hi @ittybitnot, I did not mean to give any indication that a seller is responsible for proving anything like what you've described. Ultimately, it is unlikely that a seller would be able to prove an item was forwarded as a forwarding company will not usually provide information about one of their customers. I was asked what would constitute as proof, and I provided examples. This should not be interpreted as instruction for sellers to attempt to prove something about their buyer.
This will be my final response on this thread, as past experience has shown that discussions surrounding this topic are unproductive. To summarize, we have protections available when an item has been forwarded beyond the original shipping location. Using a freight forwarder is an incredibly common practice for international buyers and does not in itself constitute any red flags or cause for concern. We offer protection for an item being forwarded simply because a seller cannot be responsible for what happens to the item in transit under the care of a courier they did not hire - the buyer using a freight forwarder is not some sort of fraudulent behavior and many, many sellers have nothing but positive experiences with buyers who use freight forwarders.
I strongly encourage sellers to not spend time attempting to discover if the delivery address was a freight forwarder as this would not constitute proof that the item was forwarded. Consider communicating with your buyer professionally to ask them if they used a freight forwarder, or simply work with your buyer to resolve their concerns.
