During one of my previous yard sale reveal videos “They Had NO IDEA What This Vintage Junk Was Worth!“, I talked about a collection of R.L. Stine books that I purchased for a great price. I wasn’t sure of their exact value, but I knew they had value none the less, thanks to my lovely wife. It turns out that the books were worth $100 and I was more than obliged to list them for that exact amount. It didn’t take long for these books to sell for $90 and that’s where this blog gets interesting.
Shipping Overseas with eBay
I knew the books would sell relatively quickly, but I didn’t think they would be going over seas. The person who purchased the books resides in the United Kingdom and the order was done through the eBay International Shipping program. No problem right? You just ship the books to Illinois with the appropriate instructions provided by eBay and they handle the rest. We shipped the books and basically forgot about them because the process does take a few weeks due to the final destination.
An Unexpected Delivery Problem
While we were on vacation we get a message stating that the books could not be delivered and they were returned to the delivery center in the United Kingdom. I feared the worst because its bad enough when things like this happens in the United States much less during international shipping. eBay’s message clearly stated that they would resolve the issue and not to worry. I took this with a grain of salt because we have had numerous issues in the past domestically, but not this time.
How eBay Handled the Return
It took about one week and we received an email from eBay stating that the customer was refunded by eBay and we would not be penalized the shipping problem. I took for granted that we were out another $90 due to human error that was not of our doing. I mean think about it, eBay’s policy in this situation is dead on. Its similar to the customer is always right policy which drives us crazy at times because they definitely aren’t. But I get it now and understand the thinking behind it. My confidence in eBay has doubled after this recent experience and I hope they do not change their current policy when it comes to international shipping errors..
What I Learned from the Situation
What have I learned from this situation? Do not hesitate to use the eBay International shipping program . It will increase your sales and they will actually have your back if a issue occurs. I know its a bit hard to believe and accept, but its true. I am living proof. If you find blogs like this interesting or you like to watch reseller and picker videos, please take a moment and bookmark www.vintageupfind.com
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