3/22/20 Ebay Email From Seller Regarding Shipments During The Pandemic

Received this a few moments ago pertaining to a $221 group of auction lots won this weekend.


Covid-19 Update 22/03/2020

Due to the corona pandemic, all flights that leave the EU have been canceled.
This means that for now we only ship within the EU + UK.
The only option we can offer our customers from outside the EU - UK is an Express shipment (cost $ 50 / $ 85).
As a result, all payments received with delivery addresses outside the EU - UK will be kept aside and shipped as soon as possible. (For the time being, this date is scheduled for April 4, but this is purely indicative and depends entirely on what governments decide).

Thank you for understanding in these difficult times.

Keep it healthy !!!!

Philatelic Regards Stamp Sales.

Translation was done by google translate from Dutch. Original Dutch text available for offices.

So I have 2 questions:

1- If the seller is claiming that no flights are being permitted from the EU to outside the EU, then how is he able to ship Express for $50 to $85 when Express shipments require air transit to achieve promised service levels

2- Should he expect payment now when he knows he cannot ship until AT LEAST April 4th? This was not mentioned in the description or terms- it was sent out at the same time as his invoice.

Why not direct the questions to the seller?

Assuming you've already paid him, I'd ask for an immediate refund. These shutdowns are not going to end anytime soon.

If you haven't t paid, I'd send a "Thanks, but no thanks; please just cancel my purchase and award the items to the next highest bidder. See you again when all this clears."

There are no restrictions on air cargo in place.

I did a a little poking around the Dutch postal service website, and I think it's an issue of priority. It appears that they normally ship a lot of mail as cargo on passenger flights, and since passenger service has been dramatically curtailed, they're having to transport mail via ground to other EU locations for loading onto flights. I found a few conflicting notices (keeping in mind I'm relying on Google translate), but at least one indicated that they are not accepting normal mail to non-EU locations simply because they have limited transport options, and those are the lowest priority. I'm guessing Express shipments are higher on the priority list.

Schiphol Airport outside of Amsterdam is one of the busiest airports in Europe, your would think that there would be some cargo planes flying from there to the US.

I did send my questions to the seller. And this is a philatelic discussion forum. Where we discuss our philatelic concerns, in the forum.

Do you know what the std shipping would have been, cost wise? If not a ton less, i'd ask them to split the cost of express due to the shipping restrictions.

If they agree then you've both compromised in these trying times and hopefully both partys will be happy. If they flat out refuse to budge, i'd just cancel, let em know why and how since you offered a compromise and they declined, you'll be taking your business elsewhere when this is all over. And it will be over at some point.

Check the status of international mail to and from various countries on the US Postal Service web site.

Just read Dutch post site.

Dutch post is stilI sending shipments to countries which accept cargo flights.

Due to restrictions in The Netherlands, the EU and the country of the recipient, delays must be expected.

A lot of the EU airlines have severely limited flights.

There is no reason not to send a shipment, but the email also sounds a bit like a email which was constructed a few weeks ago. in the current situation condition things will not end on the 4th of April but most likely several weeks if not months later.(believe me I know, I live in the most heavily hit region of the Netherlands,Noord Brabant were many of us have chosen ourselves to go into lockdown)

It is up to you shermea, what you desire.

This is only going to get more difficult, as I discovered when posting some ebay items this morning. All but one went in the pillar box, but I then found that my local post office counter was closed, and thus couldn't take a parcel. This means a bus or tube ride to an alternative (which we are, of course, enjoined not to do).

Just a brief update - I have not yet paid and the seller has not responded to my email

I have decide not to buy from vendors outside the US on Ebay- or off for that matter- until things normalize. I am seeing some sellers mentioning as much as 45 days delivery time. It's just way too risky for me to want to commit right now.

Could not agree more. I have to accept the fact that I have to buy perhaps only in North America.

I received two airmail letters from the States yesterday here in SW London, one from the West Coast, the other from the Midwest, and both took less than a week to arrive - only a couple of days slower than normal.

Steve Taylor
https://stephentaylor.co.uk

I've been receiving packages from Japan with only minor delays or no delay at all. My outgoing mail (though letter mail and not packages) seem to be getting through to Europe with only minor delays as well, judging by how quickly I've been getting feedback from buyers. Until recently approximately 80% of my ebay sales were international and now that's slowed down to a trickle. They must be worried about shipment delays there, too, but I'm not seeing that's the case.