Ebay Question - Shipment to Canada - UPDATE

[Mom2Madi]

On December 27 I sent an auction win to a customer in Canada. It was a Power 90 BeachBody DVD set with excercise bands and vitamins that came with the set.

The package has yet to arrive in Canada. The buyer keeps asking me if it got caught in customs. I have no idea about customs. If Canada refuses the package, is it returned to me?

I shipped the package Global Priority - for like $12 - plus the .90 shipping confirmation. The customer did not request insurance.

What is my liability at this point? The auction was won on December 21 - so he is past his 30 days to file with PayPal - but what do I do now? He paid roughly $75 for the item plus shipping.

Any advise is appreciated.

Melissa
(Mom2Madi)


Just wanted to amend this to say the buyer received his package YESTERDAY!! I was SO HAPPY I wouldn't have to go through the process of telling the guy I wouldn't refund his money!

Package was shipped from Virginia on January 27 and delivered in Canada on February 8! Evidently the customs officers were trying to figure out if they wanted what was in the package or not!

Thanks again for all of the advice to be patient!

Melissa
(Mom2Madi)

 

[seashoreCM]

Is there any form of tracking on the package? This is included in U.S. UPS shipments and there are different levels for differnent extra costs for U.S. USPS shipments.

I think you decide what should happen if the package gets hung up in shipment. At least with USPS, there is a box to check off on the form saying you want it returned to you.

ALmost always a Canadian buyer has to pay sales tax (GST) and import duties when claiming the package. There have been complaints that thse extra charges are unusually large for UPS shipments.

Also, the PayPal seller protection does not cover U.S. seller Canadian Buyer situations. What will ultimately happen is a gray area. It is not too late for the buyer to simply file a dispute on his credit card bill and what will happen is unpredictable at this time. The fact remains, disclosure or no disclosure, insurance or no insurance, that if a buyer pays for something and absolutely nothing comes, the buyer stands a very good chance of reversing the payment.

I have sold some things on eBay to Canadian buyers but not allowed PayPal. I may allow PayPal in the future but insurance will be mandatory.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[poohj80]

I ship many packages to Canada and around the world using Global Priority. There is no tracking available for most international packages since after they leave the USPS's control they have no way of knowing what happens to it. There should not be a customs issue. You should have filled out a green customs form and stuck the left part of the form on the outside of the package to declare the package contents and value. The package may have been inspected but the recipient would not have to pay any duties on it if you marked it as a gift. If it hasn't arrived by now, I hate to say it but I think it's gone. The only option I could suggest is go to the post office where you shipped it with your receipt and shipping confirmation and ask if they can put a trace on it.

 

[Mom2Madi]

Thanks for the advice everyone...

As far as my dealings with the buyer... do I show him my proof of shipment and take the negative feedback that he is sure to leave. I guess this is just one of those things that can happen anytime a package is shipped. I asked him if he wanted insurance and he declined.

This is the first shipment that hasn't made it through and I feel bad.

Thanks again.

Melissa

 

[poohj80]

I understand you feeling bad, but you did everything you could. If you do receive negative feedback, you can respond to his feedback to explain the situation.

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

I just sent a package to Canada and if it was over 4lbs I had to claim what was in the package. They also informed me to mark it as a gift so the person would not have to pay. It cost me $17 to ship a 4 lb, 3 oz package and will take 6 - 14 days and if it is abandoned I would have to pay another $15 to get it back. I didn't realize it was so tedious/expensive to ship to Canada.

I think your package is lost and gone for good. I'm sorry.

 

[poohj80]

For smaller items, using the Global Priority flat rate mail envelopes provided by the USPS is usually the fastest and cheapest method of shipping. For heavier items you have to remember you're still shipping to a foreign country and they set their own costs.

 

[DMRick]

They also informed me to mark it as a gift so the person would not have to pay.

The post office told you to mark it as a gift? That is illegal. My post office has made it very clear that I am not to mark it as a gift if it is an eBay sale. Many Canadians ask me to, but I always tell them that we like to prove we are an honest company, and we follow all laws. If your package is ever opened and determined it is not a gift, you could be banned for ever shipping into Canada and be fined. Besides, you are signing a customs slip saying everything you wrote is true, and IMO it makes me look like a dishonest company to falisfy a legal form. The Canadians know just what the total price would be including customs when they bid, and they should take that into consideration.

That aside, I have had packages into Canada take a very long time at the end of December. They know more about their customs than I do, and sometimes it has been held, and they have been able to "find" it in customs when they have called. Suggest they call customs.

 

[princess pooh]

I shipped something to the US not long ago and it was held at customs for over 2 weeks. I wouldn't give up on the package quite yet.

 

[Mom2Madi]

Thanks to everyone for your input... I knew this was the place to come...

I did not mark the package as a gift ... wasn't discussed at the PO. I will suggest to the buyer to check with Canadian customs to see if the package can be traced by his address. It's worth a try.

Thanks again.

Melissa

 

[Pooh_Friend#1]

My package was a gift. It was not an ebay item.

 

[DMRick]

Definately mark gifts as gifts..since this was an ebay thread, I presumed..almost as bad as assuming

 

[totalia]

On December 27 I sent an auction win to a customer in Canada. It was a Power 90 BeachBody DVD set with excercise bands and vitamins that came with the set.

The package has yet to arrive in Canada. The buyer keeps asking me if it got caught in customs. I have no idea about customs. If Canada refuses the package, is it returned to me?

I shipped the package Global Priority - for like $12 - plus the .90 shipping confirmation. The customer did not request insurance.

What is my liability at this point? The auction was won on December 21 - so he is past his 30 days to file with PayPal - but what do I do now? He paid roughly $75 for the item plus shipping.

Any advise is appreciated.

Melissa
(Mom2Madi)

It can take WEEKS for something to clear customs across the border (still waiting on my Christmas present from my fiance and its almost 3 weeks). The time they give you is only an estimate.

Was it anything like food, any kind of chemicals or anything that could be used as a weapon? That will delay it and it will even possibly be confiscated by the canadian border guard. It's happened to me before.

 

[Mom2Madi]

There was no food in the box, but a bottle of unopened vitamins that came with the Power 90 set - The box had 3 DVDs, an excercise band and the vitamins. I asked the buyer to check on his end - as I've never dealth with customs before. I have sent probably 5 auctions to Canada within the past 6 months and never had any delivery problems. Oh well!

I appreciate everyone's input on this question. Thank you for taking the time.

Melissa
(Mom2Madi)

 

[totalia]

Yeah the vitamins might have delayed it.

My fiance's aunt sent me some expensive bubble bath (sealed of course) and after nearly 4 weeks, it was returned to her with the lable "toxic chemicals." Overreaction much?

Ever since 9/11, getting things across the border has become very difficult and sometimes it will end up irradiated for weeks to be sure that whatever is in it will die. lol

 

[Mom2Madi]

Updated and bumped!