Global Shipping Programme - parcel lost

ElefantEd

I sold an item on ebay using the GSP - a buyer in the US won the auction; I sent the parcel to the hub in the UK, which was then sent on to the US. However it appears to have gone astray on the other side of the pond. The buyer hs understandably raised a case (he contacted me first, and I advised him to do so if he got no joy from the courier company over there).

My understanding is that my responsibility ended when the parcel arrived at the UK hub. However I am being given three options, which I assume are the standard ones, to either
1) Update tracking options to the buyer n(they are already there)
2) Refund the buyer
3) Send the buyer a message (which seems futile).

However I don't want to refund them myself, though I think ebay should do so, as I've done my bit and have no contract with the overseas courier.

Any tips as to how to get ebay to do this?

in_my_wellies

I had exactly this. It tracked as being delivered but the buyer opened a case to say he hadn't got it. I was given the same options as you but whilst I was wondering what to do I got a message from ebay to say they were investigating which might take 24 hours (I think) but after about an hour I received another message to say the case was closed in my favour and my money released.

Have you looked at the tracking? Mine arrived at the hub after two days but took another four weeks to be sent onto USA. 

Hoenir

What's the timescale?  International shipments can take many days to arrive at their final destination. 

soolin

Hoenir said:

What's the timescale?  International shipments can take many days to arrive at their final destination. 

The timescale is almost immaterial as a case has been opened already and OP is not responsible for onwards shipping. However OP is safe, if ebay don't send the reassurance email today then I tend to give them a call the next day and quote their own T and cs at them.

Global Shipping Programme | eBay

How you're protected

• You aren't responsible for item loss or damage that occurs after the item reaches the UK Shipping Centre. Once an item has been forwarded by the UK Shipping Centre, you won't be responsible for refunding the buyer if an eBay Money Back Guarantee or PayPal Buyer Protection case is filed against you for one of the following reasons:
• A buyer claims an item isn't received or a package is damaged in transit

Slightly off topic, I found ebay very frustarting with GSP losses as they often make the buyer wait for days and won't close the dispute, yet when I used to ship direct then an INR could be opened and closed before item even had a chance to get there. If sellers are forced to refund for courier delays then I think ebay should be held to the same rules and not make buyers wait for an extra week or so. 

ElefantEd

Thanks everyone. Just to update things, I've had two further messages from ebay:

"We see that the item is on its way to the buyer. Since you chose Simple Delivery, we’ve got everything covered from here. There’s nothing you need to do. We’ll take care of delivery, resolve any further issues, and inform you when the request is closed. "

and

"

We've reviewed your case and have decided to issue the buyer a refund of £6.09 without any impact to you.

This case is now closed. You aren't required to reimburse the buyer or eBay and this case will not be counted in your seller performance evaluation."

The ebay help isn't terribly helpful in explaining what will happen in these circumstances!

savergrant

Simple delivery is fairly new so I guess ebay aren't entirely sure...

soolin

savergrant said:

Simple delivery is fairly new so I guess ebay aren't entirely sure...

Even the old system covered the seller for loss once it reached the hub, but now simple delivery adds the extra bit of protection as seller is covered as soon as item shows as sent.