A few months ago, I bought a LV twist PM in malletage from an eBay seller in Belgium. Long story short the bag was not as described and I raised a buyer dispute with the seller. At the end eBay asked me to return the bag and will be refunded when the bag is received. I shipped the bag on 12 Jan, and from the tracking notes the bag has arrived in Brussels since 18 Jan. It's been 10 days now and there have been no movements. I suspect the seller is deliberately not receiving the bag so he doesn't need to pay VAT. Obviously if the bag isn't successfully delivered, I won't get my money back. Does anyone have any experience in situations like this, or have been through a similar situation?
eBay refund policy dilemma
- Thread starter Mouldie
- Start date
Sorry to hear that. Idk anything about ebay refund but I can help you bump this post
The seller should not have to pay taxes on a return so I wouldn't think that is the issue. Does it specify where the bag is in Brussels? It may still be in customs. If it shows that a delivery was attempted and refused, you will get your money back. And the seller needs to pick up the bag or he will lose both the item and money.
How did you ship the bag back? As in what carrier did you use? And what country are you in? Tracking can be a challenge when items move internationally.
Did you mark "Returned item" on the customs declaration? Buyer should not have to pay duties on an item being returned to them.
Did you mark "Returned item" on the customs declaration? Buyer should not have to pay duties on an item being returned to them.
Has a delivery attempt actually been made on the parcel or is it still en route to its destination?
If a delivery attempt has been made and the parcel is awaiting collection then you can get in touch with ebay to initiate the refund. That will probably convince the seller to collect it. They have refunded me before in very similar circumstances. 2 days after I got my refund, the seller collected the parcel.
If it's still en route to the seller then I'm afraid you'll just have to wait it out.
I don't understand the comment about VAT but why should the seller pay VAT? They are receiving their own goods back. Would you be happy about paying to receive a return for something you'd sold? I hope you marked the parcel "returned merchandise".
If a delivery attempt has been made and the parcel is awaiting collection then you can get in touch with ebay to initiate the refund. That will probably convince the seller to collect it. They have refunded me before in very similar circumstances. 2 days after I got my refund, the seller collected the parcel.
If it's still en route to the seller then I'm afraid you'll just have to wait it out.
I don't understand the comment about VAT but why should the seller pay VAT? They are receiving their own goods back. Would you be happy about paying to receive a return for something you'd sold? I hope you marked the parcel "returned merchandise".
The bag is still sitting at customs. I suspect the seller does not want to claim the bag because 1. he doesn't want to accept the return, and 2. he doesn't want to pay customs fees to accept the bag. It's now been 1.5 months that the bag has been sitting at Customs. eBay keeps on asking me to wait and wait.
And no I didn't make the parcel as returned merchandise because there was nowhere on the customs form for me to do it. Can I contact the post office to let them know that it's a returned item? Honestly eBay has never asked me to do this and this is the first time I've had to return an item.
I'm located in Australia and the item was to be posted back to Brussels.
And no I didn't make the parcel as returned merchandise because there was nowhere on the customs form for me to do it. Can I contact the post office to let them know that it's a returned item? Honestly eBay has never asked me to do this and this is the first time I've had to return an item.
I'm located in Australia and the item was to be posted back to Brussels.
You need to call ebay and tell them to issue the refund for an item you returned a month and a half ago and that the seller isn't picking up, thus stalling your refund.
You did what you had to do and if this stalls long enough, they'll come back and say you're too late for a refund.
I have been contact eBay again and again, but they keep on saying wait for Customs to process. I've sent them another email today because they've asked me to wait again and again. I'll see what they say, because this is getting very pathetic.
Tell them that you are doing your part to do this within the required timeframe and clearly the item has arrived at the return destination. Ask why you should be denied processing of your refund because the seller has let the item sit for 1.5 months and not picked it up.
You should have marked the "returned goods" on the customs form, where it says the purpose of the import or something like that. If it hasn't got a section, you should have written it anywhere you can find on the form. By not doing so, you may potentially cause seller unnecessary cost to take your item back. Although the seller should have make sure the item was described accurately, it's not fair for seller to pay duty on getting their own goods back.
The seller can claim any import costs back, they just need to send proof that it was a returned item (PayPal EBay refund/payment details ) to the relevant customs department
I don't know how customs in Brussels works but here in Canada we have no access to an item while it is in customs. It is only after it has been released to the post office for delivery that it is accessible. I agree that 1.5 months is a long time for customs to hold an item but it is possible that your seller is helpless as well. Have you tried contacting the seller?
I think that tracking just hasn't updated and that the seller probably has their item back. It happened to me with getting an international item, tracking never updated and it said that the item was in customs but in reality the item was delivered to me.
Luckily, I'm an honest buyer but I've wondered what would happen if I needed to return.
Luckily, I'm an honest buyer but I've wondered what would happen if I needed to return.
After a lot of hassling and persistence, I've finally received my refund. I was getting worried about it all, but thanks to @BeenBurned for pointing out that I should tell eBay that the seller is stalling my refund. I was getting very worried because I know eBay's return policy and wasn't sure if they would take my word for it.