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Swapped shipping label nightmare (ft. fedex and US customs)

coppertongue

coppertongue

Jan 4, 2022
22
23
#1
hello one and all! i'm wondering if anyone could advise how i should proceed in this nightmarish situation i've found myself in. haven't really been able to find anything conclusive here or elsewhere (my search skills are also lacking, in fairness).

long story as short as i can make it: i ordered a bass from japan off of reverb. it got to my city after 3 business days, then was sent back to memphis for customs clearance, where it spent exactly one month. once i got the package, i find that my shipping label had been placed on someone else's box somewhere along the way, either by fedex or customs. i confirmed with the seller that this was not theirs, which was further corroborated when i saw that the document inside listed a sender in singapore and a different destination address. item description matched the item in the box as well.

i've spoken to fedex a few times and they don't seem to understand what the problem is, they see my info on the label and keep telling me it's correct. they came to retrieve it and are still in possession of it for now.

is there ANYthing else i can do at this point besides ask for a refund from my seller? i'd prefer to get the bass, but i'm at a loss as to what else to try.
 
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#5
Reverb has buyer protection. You get what your purchased or you get your money back. Sounds like a refund will be easier and less hassle. I'm concerned since you said the item description matched the item in the box as well. So it sounds like you got what you paid for. Was there nothing in the box? Or was the paperwork correct but the item was different? If you start a claim through reverb they will be able to see every conversation you have had with the seller and usually they will get everything figured out and you will get your refund. Normally the seller will send you a prepaid label but it will be up to you to rebox the item and ship it back. Once the seller receives the item and verifies that it hasn't been damaged you will get your refund.

One thing I can tell you regarding Japanese sellers, be they on reverb or ebay, or elsewhere. Is you might see the same item listed by multiple sellers. This is because a lot of them work together. They will all run an ad for the same item and whoever gets the sale will contact whoever truly has the item. Then they will workout a deal between them on splitting the profits. This goes on behind your back and as a buyer you have no way to know if that is what is going on or not. It could be a case where the actual bass was in fact located in Singapore and whoever you bought it from Contacted the dealer in Singapore who actually had the instrument and gave him the shipping addresses.

Or, The original box could have been damaged somewhere between Japan and Singapore and therefore it was reboxed and the shipping label placed onto the new box.
 
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#6
60bass said:
I'm concerned since you said the item description matched the item in the box as well. So it sounds like you got what you paid for. Was there nothing in the box?
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no, what i received was a coat in a box that could not fit a bass guitar. totally different item from a totally different seller. what i meant is that the document inside, some sort of consignee document, had an item description that matched the item in the box, which is not what i bought. i'm finding it difficult to accurately explain the issue, maybe that's why fedex is confused as well.

i'm aware of the wheeling and dealing japanese sellers do because i experienced the same thing on ebay last month, but i didn't have any problems with that transaction. as far as i know they only deal with other japanese merchants? though that may not be the case, i'm not totally sure, maybe that is what happened.
 
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#7
coppertongue said:
no, what i received was a coat in a box that could not fit a bass guitar. totally different item from a totally different seller. what i meant is that the document inside, some sort of consignee document, had an item description that matched the item in the box, which is not what i bought. i'm finding it difficult to accurately explain the issue, maybe that's why fedex is confused as well.

i'm aware of the wheeling and dealing japanese sellers do because i experienced the same thing on ebay last month, but i didn't have any problems with that transaction. as far as i know they only deal with other japanese merchants? though that may not be the case, i'm not totally sure, maybe that is what happened.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up. It certainly sounds like a scam or an item stolen and replaced during shipment. So, time for Reverb buyer protection. It might take a while but you will get a refund. Reverb and eBay both handle their refund policies well. It doesn't matter who screwed up. You didn't receive what you paid for. It's not up to you to chase it down or try and figure out what happened. Sucks you didn't get the bass but there's always another day and another bass. Who knows maybe Reverb and the seller will locate the bass.

Good luck and I hope you get this issue settled quickly.
 
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#8
60bass said:
Thanks for clearing that up. It certainly sounds like a scam or an item stolen and replaced during shipment. So, time for Reverb buyer protection. It might take a while but you will get a refund. Reverb and eBay both handle their refund policies well. It doesn't matter who screwed up. You didn't receive what you paid for. It's not up to you to chase it down or try and figure out what happened. Sucks you didn't get the bass but there's always another day and another bass. Who knows maybe Reverb and the seller will locate the bass.

Good luck and I hope you get this issue settled quickly.
Click to expand...

thank you. i'm gonna see what fedex has to say when they call back tomorrow, but a refund is looking like the only real option. oh well, it was an interesting journey
 
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#9
coppertongue said:
thank you. i'm gonna see what fedex has to say when they call back tomorrow, but a refund is looking like the only real option. oh well, it was an interesting journey
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Again, my advice based on having issues similar to yours in the past is, to stay out of it. The reason being is because the contract to ship is between the seller and his chosen shipper. In this case FedEx. I know it's hard because you're anxious to get the bass, but you fulfilled your part when you sent payment. Any issues after that are between the seller and his chosen shipping service. Reverb has your back so let them handle it. Message the seller through Reverb and start a refund request. You don't want to be involved in any dispute between the seller and shipper. That could possibly give them a reason to hold things up thereby delaying your refund. They messed up and sent the wrong item. Let Reverb make them figure it out. Since you never received the item, the seller should issue your refund quickly. If he then needs to be reimbursed, he has to deal with FedEx to get paid or get his bass back.

A similar thing happened to me once on a TB sale. The buyer hadn't updated his address with PP and I sent the item to the wrong address. He never received it. I issued him a refund even though it wasn't my fault. I then had to get USPS involved to track my shipment. It took them 60 days but I did eventually get my item back. The point is that I chose USPS and so I was the one who had to deal with them.

Let the seller track and find the shipment, just get the refund. The last thing you want is FedEx finding the shipment and then sending the shipment to you. There's no way you can be assured that it won't have been damaged in shipment. Once you have possession and IF anything is wrong. Then the problem becomes worse. It means that you now have to return the item and wait for the seller to inspect the item before a refund is issued. You could be blamed for damage you didn't cause. OR, it could get damaged in return shipping. Far too many things that can go wrong.

Like I said. I know it's hard because you just want the bass but usually when a deal doesn't go smoothly, that almost always means there are one or more issues/problems with the shipment. Especially when dealing with overseas shipments. Take the money and start looking for another bass. It's out there.
 
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#12
coppertongue said:
hello one and all! i'm wondering if anyone could advise how i should proceed in this nightmarish situation i've found myself in. haven't really been able to find anything conclusive here or elsewhere (my search skills are also lacking, in fairness).

long story as short as i can make it: i ordered a bass from japan off of reverb. it got to my city after 3 business days, then was sent back to memphis for customs clearance, where it spent exactly one month. once i got the package, i find that my shipping label had been placed on someone else's box somewhere along the way, either by fedex or customs. i confirmed with the seller that this was not theirs, which was further corroborated when i saw that the document inside listed a sender in singapore and a different destination address. item description matched the item in the box as well.

i've spoken to fedex a few times and they don't seem to understand what the problem is, they see my info on the label and keep telling me it's correct. they came to retrieve it and are still in possession of it for now.

is there ANYthing else i can do at this point besides ask for a refund from my seller? i'd prefer to get the bass, but i'm at a loss as to what else to try.
Click to expand...
Stand your ground with FedEx. I had a bill from them telling me to pay them for paying my import tax. This was a fee on top of the tax. They hadn't asked me if I wanted them to pay the tax on my behalf. I called it an illegal contract, and they gave me a credit note their fee. I immediately payed them back for the import tax.
 
#15
How is this different than the seller shipping an empty box , or a box full of bricks? File the claim ASAP!

On a similar note , years ago I sold a Morley wah and a Dunlop volume pedal on eBay. Unfortunately , I got the labels mixed up , so the Dunlop went to the wah guy , and the Morley went to the Dunlop. One of the buyers contacted me saying he got the wrong item, but he was cool with that. I contacted the other person , never to hear back from them. I got positive feedback on both. What I had was a label mix up. What you have is fraud.
 
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#16
themickster said:
Stand your ground with FedEx. I had a bill from them telling me to pay them for paying my import tax. This was a fee on top of the tax. They hadn't asked me if I wanted them to pay the tax on my behalf. I called it an illegal contract, and they gave me a credit note their fee. I immediately payed them back for the import tax.
Click to expand...

No, he's wasting his time trying to deal with FedeEx. He is not the customer, the seller is, and is the one who has to deal with the shipper. As others have said, the OP needs to file claim with Reverb ASAP and get his refund.
 
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#18
You can’t always get what you want. If you want the bass you gotta get the refund on this to get things moving.

But as someone who accidentally mixed up shipping labels once and got the more expensive item stolen from me, that bass is almost certainly not ever coming to you OR the seller now.
 

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