Item stuck at customs, buyer requesting refund
Hi all,
I’m based in the UK and received an order via Amazon.de for a customer in Slovenia. Item shipped same day. 11 days after order, customer has initiated a request for refund saying items are stuck at customs and didn’t realise that they were ordering from the UK. Now I’m not sure what to do here. It is clear, obviously, that we are shipping from the UK. So do I:
a) issue refund for product and shipping now
b) issue refund now for product only
c) wait for product to return and issue full refund
d) wait for product to return and issue refund for product only
My preference is d but as I’ve not encountered this before would appreciate some pearls of wisdom from seasoned sellers.
Thanks!
0 replies
Seller_7VbclcPFFRTnc
Did you send using amazons IOSS electronically updated via your courier ?
If not, refund in full
Seller_77IcbQKVGdZo0
What is the Estimated Delivery Date on the order?
Did you pay tax via IOSS, is the item just in customs awaiting clearance and will be cleared and sent onto the customer?
Assuming you paid tax via IOSS and the Estimated Delivery Date has not yet passed I would tell the customer there is nothing you can do until the Estimated Delivery Date has passed.
Seller_BS5lg2keRs2QO
What makes it obvious? It’s a genuine question by the way, i haven’t ordered from one of the non-UK sites where the seller was in the UK.
Seller_NoMNQDGnEW5Bx
I’m pretty sure it would have to be a full refund
Seller_cIWYSZGHDepmd
I send the invoice showing the VAT has been paid along with the postage label showing the IOSS logo. I then explain a little about IOSS and I tell the customer that with those they may be able to convince customs or the postal system that no further taxes are due. Even so, some people are being charged, but customers are generally quite good about it as long as they know what is happening.
Seller_EQF2CJf4HpHdA
I have just had an almost identical situation, but despite being able to prove the item was simply being processed by customs the buyer would not wait, and so opened a case against me and was refunded by Amazon.
Therefore, once I had been advised it was cleared from customs, I then sent a message saying that the item had been cleared by customs, but, as he had been refunded in full, I would like him to either refuse to accept the item and have it returned to sender, (so I at least I got my item back), or, if he had changed his mind, to re-order, and then accept the item.
In my case, the guy was great and asked to return to sender, but as I say, at least I got my item back so all I lost was the postage costs.
Hope this helps in some way; GOOD LUCK…
Seller_sFEUMUfeW5484
How does the buyer know it is “stuck” in customs. Is the item fully tracked, if not there’s no way the buyer could know.
Maybe buyer is just assuming it’s stuck as they “feel” it’s late. The RM code “ISOLP” is not an IOSS compliant service.
Seller_G3a6cew5p5IPV
If anyone would be kind to confirm that I can use amazon ISSO number when I ship abroad and the customer will not have to pay any tax or duties? As I have had customers return products because they are asked to pay taxes. I am not VAT registered yet,but amazon collects taxes on every order. TIA
Seller_rGNl7DgMf1CPH
I had a package to Italy that got stuck in customs, I explained to the customer where it was being delayed and he opened an A-Z claim. Amazon took my money and refunded him.
3 days later the signed tracking said it had been delivered, he would not return the item and Amazon had no intention of sorting the problem out so I lost around £45
I now do not sell anything outside the UK at all and life is a lot easier.
Seller_5YFRNOzXQoONr
I had the same issue with a shipment to Spain.
I told the buyer it was stuck in customs awaiting them paying import duties.
They kept asking when it was going to be delivered which Amazon make it easy to do ‘where is my stuff’!!
I kept replying it was in Spanish Customs and they needed to communicate with customs!!
Amazon then inteferred and gave the customer a FULL refund and I had to pay the courier to retreive the goods at my expense. Large loss to me.
I have stopped selling into Europe as Amazon always side with the buyer and have the attitude of F**k the seller.
To cap it all I get the daily survey from Amazon asking how I rate decisions regarding overseas sale problems!
