returns to foreign countries

[charlesberryofstrachan]

should ebay warn buyers to be aware that returns to foreign countries like China is not practicable, due to excessive postage costs and problems with courier/customs services ?

[red_magpie · Accepted solution]

There are a lot of risks that eBay doesn't warn buyers about.

The cost of returning items abroad is just one of them. The fact that eBay's money back guarantee doesn't cover items signed for by the driver, left on the doorstep and stolen is another. So is the fact that if you pay by PayPal you forfeit your statutory consumer protection for credit card purchases. They don't even warn buyers about the regular, big money scams when buying vehicles.

They don't warn sellers that they will always take the buyer's word against theirs in a dispute. That if they accept PayPal when an item is collected there is an easy scam by which the buyer can get it for free. That if a buyer is out when an item is delivered and won't collect it eBay will make the seller refund them in full, including postage, and even place a defect on their account for not delivering it. That if a buyer receives a refund for delay in the post and then keeps the item as well when it arrives eBay will do nothing to make them return one or the other.

All of these can be discerned by carefully reading eBay's user agreement and policies. But how many users do this? EBay is a risky place.

[*vyolla*]

eBay cannot warn against every eventuality, in either buying or selling scenarios.

Before buying an item from any online seller, you should yourself how your money is protected, and what could go wrong. eBay's Money Back Guarantee makes it quite clear that buyers have to pay to return items bought from international sellers at their own expense.

If nobody reads up on how the guarantee works, whose fault is it?

[jambuttyminer]

I don't think ebay can warn members of all the possible problems when buying from overseas, they do put a warning note regarding customs fees.

The cost of return if there is a problem is something buyers should take into account when purchasing goods from overseas sellers