Funds on hold - buyer refuses to pay import charges - What happens next?

[pink*ribbon]

Hi everyone!

I sold quite an expensive item and funds are on hold until Oct 17 (if delivery is confirmed). However the buyer (from the UK) just messaged me and it appears he doesn't want to pay the import charges. The item was sold and shipped from an EU Country (tracked delivery, signature required). I just spoke to the carrier and they confirmed that the parcel will be returned to me if the buyer refuses to pay the charges. Since the parcel won't show up as "delivered" on ebay,  I assume the funds on hold will never be cleared and the buyer will receive a full refund (including shipping costs) on Oct 17. Is that correct?

Any ideas on what I can do now? I'm worried the buyer will receive a refund and pays the import charges right afterwards. So I'm ending up with no item and no money. Any advice greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[dbfolks166mt]

     Difficult situation but I don't believe the buyer will automatically receive a refund on 17 October. There are a couple of nuances you may have to deal with.

     If the buyer opens an INR case with eBay since you cannot prove delivery you will have to work through that case detailing the fact that the buyer is unwilling to pay the import fees.

     You could ask the carrier when they expect to return the item if the buyer doesn't pay the import charges. Once you have the item back, although you are not required to refund the buyer it is the ethical thing to do. You can issue a partial refund to the buyer deducting the shipping cost and fees but you may have to work with eBay to get the held funds released so you can issue the refund. 

[dhbookds]

you are in Austria and buyer in UK........I would ask on the UK or German Board........this is the US and there may be differing rules......  

[pink*ribbon]

Thank you! I'm based in Austria, but sell on ebay.com. Will try the other boards as well.