OT: Upset with Amazon

[Joni O]

I really hate to admit this ..... I freaked out and ordered toilet paper from Amazon in March. Yes, it was a brand I had never heard of, but I didn’t care. When I got the shipping notice, I immediately checked the tracking and it was shipped via China Express. I freaked again because I had all sorts of thoughts of it being somehow contaminated by corona. There was no indication that it was being sold by a company in China.

I contacted the seller and said I wasn’t comfortable with it being shipped from China at that time. They immediately issued a refund, but the order was never cancelled. It was due April 28 and has never shown up. Maybe one of these days 20 rolls of TP will show up on my doorstep.

[FitBoop]

All shipping charges are stated on the Amazon product page. I looked up FlyByte’s products on Amazon and the 2 products listed say Prime, free shipping, fulfilled by Amazon. Assuming your thermometer product listing stated the same, you should not be responsible for any shipping costs. You need to check the order details. Was it Prime? Free shipping? Fulfilled by Amazon? Was there anything stated on the product page for the thermometer that the product was coming from China?

There is a page on Amazon that discusses duties and customs fees, but it is unclear regarding products from China to the US. Here is a discussion among Amazon sellers, and it seems that Amazon has a policy for sellers to pay all duties and customs so that buyers are not billed.

The product page and details regarding shipping should govern the buyer’s responsibility for the shipping charges. If you do not hear back from the seller, then you should contact Amazon again to take care of the FedEx bill (assuming it is legitimate). I would also file an Amazon A to Z guarantee claim against the seller.

[ddj]

FitBoop, my invoice said free shipping and under the estimated tax section, it said 0.00. There was nothing on the product page that indicated it was coming from China. It was not available through Prime. I tried to find one that was fulfilled by Amazon with Prime shipping but could find none, so I took a chance on this one.

I heard back from the seller. They said:
We feel sorry about this. Please don't worry. We will handle this. Please let us know your invoice number so that we can ask FedEx to rebill it to us. Thank you.

I gave them the information. Should I still try to work with Amazon?

[yogapam]

I assume you bought from a marketplace seller. So it’s quite possibly related to changes in Customs charges & regulations for purchases from sellers in certain other countries. Amazon should should post it in their listings like eBay does so you know what to expect. I’d clarify with Amazon, nothing will change if nothing is said.

[ddj]

Originally Posted by yogapam

I assume you bought from a marketplace seller. So it’s quite possibly related to changes in Customs charges & regulations for purchases from sellers in certain other countries. Amazon should should post it in their listings like eBay does so you know what to expect. I’d clarify with Amazon, nothing will change if nothing is said.

Yes, it was a marketplace seller. I've purchased things from out of the country before (but not China) and never experienced this. I agree that Amazon should post this information on the product page, especially if you might be expected to pay duties and taxes.

The seller contacted me again and said they had asked FedEx to bill them but it could take a few days. I don't know how I'd ever know if FedEx did it or not.

[starbelly]

As I do not live in the US, I do not know if my reference is valid. In the Netherlands packages on which duty is owed will not be delivered unless the duty is paid. In the past, this had to be done in cash (exact change-- very inconvenient!), but it may be possible to pay via an app now. The value on which duty is imposed is very low (€22) and the duty is our 21% VAT plus a customs fee so I rarely import goods. In the US, however, the duty limits are typically higher so it seems odd that a thermometer would even incur such charges, especially $36!

CBP's website says: " Packages whose declared value is under $800 ($100 if being sent as a gift to someone other than the purchaser) will generally be cleared without any additional paperwork prepared by CBP. "

and

"How you pay duty depends on how your goods were shipped. If your goods were shipped through the International Postal Service, you will need to pay the mail carrier and/or go to your local post office to pay any duty and processing fees owed when your package arrives at that post office. If your goods were sent by a courier service, that service will either bill you for the duty they paid on your behalf or require payment on delivery."

[yogapam]

Originally Posted by Joni O

I really hate to admit this ..... I freaked out and ordered toilet paper from Amazon in March. Yes, it was a brand I had never heard of, but I didn’t care. When I got the shipping notice, I immediately checked the tracking and it was shipped via China Express. I freaked again because I had all sorts of thoughts of it being somehow contaminated by corona. There was no indication that it was being sold by a company in China.

I contacted the seller and said I wasn’t comfortable with it being shipped from China at that time. They immediately issued a refund, but the order was never cancelled. It was due April 28 and has never shown up. Maybe one of these days 20 rolls of TP will show up on my doorstep.

You just might get a TP surprise when you least expect it, lol

Another thing that should be more clear on Amazon is where a marketplace seller is located. It hugely affects shipping time and we should be able to chose where we purchase from IMO.