Item not collected from customs. Buyer not accepting delivery.

[nyr134]

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or guidance for this situation:

I sold an item for $700 to an overseas buyer.  He asked that I value the item for just $20 on the customs declaration.  I told him that I couldn't and I insured the package via USPS for $700.

The item arrived in Germany in a timely manner and tracking shows that it cleared customs and has been "available for pickup" for nearly 90 days.  The buyer did not respond to my e-mail if he received the item.  Both USPS and the German post office say the tracking is correct and that the item will be returned to me because it has not been picked up.

What are my risks here?  The buyer has not requested a refund - perhaps he has no grounds to do so at this time (?); when the item is shipped back to me, can he then request a refund?  It will soon be 90 days since the first delivery attempt - is there a time limit beyond which he can no longer get his money back?

Any other advice from your experience with buyers who didn't want to pay full customs duties and abandoned their item?

[When I have the item in hand, I will refund him - but I don't want to refund him beforehand and then he goes to his post office, pays his fees and gets the item.]

Thanks.

[gkn29]

ebay's Money Back Guarantee (MBG) explicitly does NOT cover buyer's who refuse to pay customs/duty unless you inflated the value or misrepresented the item's location

The item was shipped internationally and didn't clear customs because fees or duties weren't paid

Covered: The seller overstated the value of the item or misrepresented the item's location, which caused customs fees or duties to be higher Not covered: The buyer didn't pay applicable customs fees or duties for any other reason

[fab_finds4u]

MBG doesn't  cover the buyer if they refuse to pay customs.  They don't cover packages where they refuse delivery.

If it's returned deduct original shipping and refund. Block them. 

[postingid7659 · Accepted solution]

At 90 days buyer is past time to open a dispute with eBay.

Buyer can open a dispute with Paypal, if that was the payment method, for up to 180 days.  Your defense is the tracking number showing it was shipped and available for delivery.   Screen shot the tracking information and retain it.  

Otherwise I would let sleeping dogs lay.  

[sin-n-dex]

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@nyr134 wrote:

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice or guidance for this situation:

I sold an item for $700 to an overseas buyer.  He asked that I value the item for just $20 on the customs declaration.  I told him that I couldn't and I insured the package via USPS for $700.

The item arrived in Germany in a timely manner and tracking shows that it cleared customs and has been "available for pickup" for nearly 90 days.  The buyer did not respond to my e-mail if he received the item.  Both USPS and the German post office say the tracking is correct and that the item will be returned to me because it has not been picked up.

What are my risks here?  The buyer has not requested a refund - perhaps he has no grounds to do so at this time (?); when the item is shipped back to me, can he then request a refund?  It will soon be 90 days since the first delivery attempt - is there a time limit beyond which he can no longer get his money back?

Any other advice from your experience with buyers who didn't want to pay full customs duties and abandoned their item?

[When I have the item in hand, I will refund him - but I don't want to refund him beforehand and then he goes to his post office, pays his fees and gets the item.]

Thanks.

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If it has been sitting at customs for 90 days, he's probably run out of eBay time to request a refund. However if he's paid by Paypal, it's 180, or whatever his credit card issuer gives me to request a refund.

I'd be prepared for that. If he's not willing to pay customs on a $700 item, you can bet he'll want his $700 back (and probably before German Customs sends it back, a sleazy buyer will use his refund to pay his Customs).

C.

[sandi7766]

Sit tight and wait to be contacted

[mariek7922]

I think you are handling this well... yes wait until you have the item in hand before refunding. Stories like these underscore that I made the right decision not to sell internationally. Scenarios like these keep me up at night and I'm too old for that kind of stress! Some may argue. Go ahead.