On October 9th, I purchased 3 Nintendo DS Games, 1 Strategy Guide Booklet, and 2 Pin-Back Buttons as a single package from a Japanese eBay seller. The package’s total value was $197.95. On October 10th, the package was shipped out from Japan by Yamato Transport. The order on eBay did have an error in having FedEx assigned as the shipper, but the seller let me know far in advance about the error and that FedEx had nothing to do with the shipment. On October 14th, the package’s Customs Clearance was completed.
Then on October 21st an attempt to deliver this package was performed by UPS. Up to this point, I had no idea UPS was involved. I had not received any email about them having my package, nor did UPS or eBay provide me with a tracking number. I was also not informed of any import fees for the package. The package arrived between 7:40 and 8:00 PM that day. I was not home at the time, and the person that answered the door on my behalf was not able to pay the import fee in the required cheque or money order format. The fee itself was a little over $50.
Since then I have done what I can to find this package. I asked UPS for help directly with this matter, and they said I need to ask for the UPS Tracking Number from the seller. I did, but in the end, the seller clarified that they only knew about the Yamato Transport tracking number. I could ask Yamato Transport directly, but I’m afraid I will just be told to ask UPS again to provide a tracking number, which I’m sure is impossible, even if I provide my name and address. I also made sure to create a UPS account and purchase UPS My Choice Premium, to see if there was at least something related to the package that I could find. I inputted my name, address, phone number and email that are the exact same on eBay. No packages found in the “To Me” section. I’ve been waiting for 3 days so far for an attempted redelivery, but that’s probably not possible for this kind of package. Obviously if I attempt to ask about this package at a nearby UPS Store or Access Point without the tracking number, they will tell me that they can’t help me.
When I contacted the seller, they also told me that for the item to be returned to them, the seller would need to submit a request and pay for the associated fees. Therefore, the package wouldn’t be returned automatically.
So my question is, what is supposed to happen to this package?