I am sure there are a lot of eBayers and Paypalers here and I thought I’d rant a little about an ongoing transaction that is frustrating the he!! out of me!
I bought a 500 dollar motorcycle helmet from an eBayer that had over 10,000 transactions, it was obviously a motorcycle store of some kind with overall good feedback, a few neutral comments here and there but nothing negative. I ordered the item back in January, paid for express shipping through USPS to Canada because I wanted it quickly and though the extra shipping would come with better coverage. I tracked the item and it looked like I was going to get here within a few days…the last update on the USPS/Canada Post site was that it cleared Customs…after that, nothing, days, weeks, now months go by and still no helmet and no updated tracking online, it was obviously lost or stolen, I’m thinking the latter.
I contact the seller who does nothing to help me out, he tells me he’ll put a trace through USPS but I doubt he ever did. He stopped answering all email, I raised a dispute through Paypal, he generated a non-paying bidder through ebay and left me negative feedback. I raised the dispute to a claim thinking Paypal will obviously see the light and refund my payment, it is looking now like they won’t. I get a call from someone at Paypal asking that I provide a signed afidavid stating that I did not receive the helmet…I don’t even know how to get one of these or how much I have to spend to get one! Does that sound right? I bought the item though bank instant transfer unfortunately so I’m not sure I can file for a charge back… anyone else with similar experiences and can provide any feedback? I would have thought Paypal/eBay would look at my history, I have over 300 positive transactions and 100% feedback, I’m obviously not the scammer here!
That sucks bro. This doesn’t help you much, but remember for future reference:
Paypal is wholly owned by Ebay. Ebay makes money from sellers, not buyers. Therefore Ebay has no incentive to side with you (300 transactions) vs a “Power Seller” (10k transactions) - not to mention it’s a whole lot less hassle for them to do nothing.
USPS/Canada Post is great for not charging an arm and a leg for “brokerage” (I think they have a $5 flat fee), but once the package crosses the border you lose ALL ability to track it. This goes for Canadian packages sent to the US via Canada Post as well. Given that the tracking shows receipt at customs, odds are the seller is not trying to shaft you - but he may think that you are trying to pull a fast one on him.
I don’t know that you have any recourse through the bank since you paid via transfer… Write up a letter that simply states who you are, and that you never received a helmet. Then go see a Notary Public and get it Notarized. That should cost ~$35.
The thing that really sucks is that on top of getting shafted on your lid, you’ve now got negative feedback as well. Are you saying that after receiving the money, and then you raising a dispute he flagged you as “non paying”? THAT at least should be trackable and easily disproved via PayPal. PayPal boasts something like $10k worth of coverage for every transaction, which you’re learning is damn near useless given that they’re owned by, and generally have their strings pulled by Ebay. Always pay with a credit card. But for the time being, you might as well fight it through the system. It’s pretty much all you’ve got.
A signed affidavit is simply a typed up statement that you didn’t receive the product ordered. You sign the statement under penalty of perjury and have it notarized, which gives it the effect of legal testimony. It’s no big deal at all and should cost you nothing more than the notarization fee. The Canadian lawyers on the board should know what the boiler plate language is for affidavits in Canada (you might want to post that question separately).
I had no idea that motorcycle helmets were so expensive.
The e-Bay seller did his part. He shipped the item. You can see that he shipped it, because you were able to track it. Once it left his hands, he had no more control over it. Paypal won’t refund your money because it’s clear that he shipped it.
Your argument should be with Canada post, not the e-Bay seller or Paypal.
I don’t necessarily agree with this at all, tried tracking through Canada Post and USPS but have been told only the originator of the package is able to start a trace. I paid extra for tracking and insurance thinking if it did get lost then at least I’m covered but the shipper just won’t cooperate with me.
HI Khai,
With regard to the lack of traceability of USPS and CanadaPost tracking after a border crossing. My experience with USA ExpressPost service provided by CanadaPost is that the package is traceable at Canadapost.com until it hits Canada/US border. Then it indeed goes quiet and opaque until the package is delivered.
However, at that point you can go to USPS.com and track the package with the same tracking number, and USPS can give you extreme gory detail about the package’s progress, up to the point where they will say “delivery attempt failed, left a note with recipient” or “delivered”.
For your future reference and convenience in helping your customers track packages. It’s a pain, but it works.
To the Original poster: check the tracking site of the CanadaPost itself, not USPS…they are NOT the same. The same phenomenon could be happening to you in the US-Canada direction…opaque from USPS point of view now that pack is in Canada. If you already have done this, your issue is with CP. You should show the tracking info confirms it was once in their hands. Hopefully some insurance was on the package.
+1 The seller did his part, he should assist you if he can, but it sounds like a Canadian post problem. I really don’t like shipping to Canada, it’s expensive, and the process is not always clear. On low price items USPS is ok, much cheaper then UPS, but for high dollar items like a helmet, at least UPS will give you tracking info and insurance. Sorry, unless Canadian post can do something you might be SOL. I think there is a some minor coverage with USPS on International shipments, check with your seller and see if you can file a claim. My experience has been that USPS is bad about making payments, making their insurance a waste of money.