Sale in the UK - the buyer refused to pay import duties. What now?
Good morning everyone,
I sold an item in the UK, value € 170.
However, once it arrived at its destination, the buyer refused to pay the customs duties to the courier, so at the moment it is stuck at the courier’s depot center.
After asking the buyer for info via eBay messaging, he admitted that he had not paid and does not want to pay the amount requested by the courier.
At the moment he has done nothing else, while I contacted eBay customer service and they only told me to wait for the buyer’s next move, as he might still change his mind and go pay.
On my side, I’m afraid he’ll open a dispute or something like that, and that they’ll freeze my funds and........then we know how that ends.
Do you have any advice on how I can protect myself?
the track code has shown, since 06/09/24, this status:
mocer-75
·2 years agoIt doesn't mean that someone will go broke over the money for a t-shirt. Maybe they simply accepted the situation, or they'll make a Kansas City move once you have the neck back in your hands.
heavenwelkin
·2 years agoThis third possibility could exist as well.
The buyer knowingly gives up the item without making a fuss because they know they are in the wrong. 👍
daxsisko
·2 years agoas indicated by Mario ...... and partly also by Ebay:
to sum up:
Ebay advised you to wait for the buyer’s "move" .... I’d leave out the fact that "maybe they change their mind and pick it up....."
the buyer’s "move" is any possible opening of a dispute: in this case it would be useful to point out to support (and, obviously, also within the dispute) that the parcel was not collected by the buyer, with the tracking on the courier’s website confirming what was stated, remembering that the payment is for the customs duties
then there’s the eBay unknown....... (made more complicated by the fact that the UK and Italy are involved..... )
NOTE: I remind you that this is a summary, there are variables....
jimmynotfound
OP2 years agoI just have to wait for his move..
heavenwelkin
·2 years agoThat said, whichever way it goes, it will be an awkward situation.
In the worst case, the buyer opens a dispute, wins it, and then you have to refund them, or rather ebay will do it automatically.
You will get the item back and will have lost the shipping costs.
In the event that the buyer loses the dispute, in theory you will have to refund them only the cost of the item, keeping only the shipping costs for yourself, but here I want to make a point, since ebay does not require you to do that and the buyer, to force you to do it, would have to go through legal channels and, since these are foreign countries, I'll leave you to imagine....
So at that point, in my opinion, it would be a matter of morals, ethics, and common sense to work it out privately with the buyer once the dispute is closed, so you can agree on the terms of a partial refund.
A buyer who does not pick up a package definitely does not fully understand the risk they are taking.
If they decide not to pay the import costs and therefore not to collect the package, the reasons I see are 2:
1) they had already paid the import costs on ebay and do not want to pay them twice
2) they did not think they would have to pay import costs and do not want to pay them.
Let us know how it develops.
Best regards.
marioelegio
·2 years agoAs soon as he opens a dispute, contact ebay customer service again and point out once more that the buyer deliberately did not pick up the package (the one that shows the tracking).
The problem will be having to deal with two different ebays (he will open the dispute on ebay.uk and you will reply on ebay.it), let’s hope they can understand each other.
hi
mario
jimmynotfound
OP2 years agoAt the moment he hasn't opened a dispute, and the package has been in processing in the UK since 06/09
I don't know what the next move is, in a private message he wrote me that he HOPES the shirt will be returned to me