Need Help, Claiming Canada Post

[seiko000]

I sold a digital camera to Australia and it was claimd lost. I hope anyone who had the same experience can answer my questions:

1. I filled in a small note at the post office when I was sending the parcel stating the value of the camera; but I declared a smaller value due to tax reason. Can I claim a higher value now?

2. Are there any deductables?

3. Is it safe to refund the money back to the buyer BEFORE receiving it from Canada Post?

Thanks for al your help!! :razz:

[dmxlite]

Just a note, you have to wait a certain period before you can claim it. Time period depends on the service.

If they have a record of it, then they will probably give you the declared value. You can try asking for the higher value. Pretend you forgot. When you call in, they ask you about item, value, etc...

I don't think there are deductibles (I started a claim, but didn't finish it cause the item came back).

Don't refund the money before CP finishes its investigation. Does BB refund your money to you when you want to return a TV but didn't bring the TV with you?

CP will check with the post office in Australia. This is the investigation part... They may contact you (through mail or phone) if CP needs more information. If they can't find it, they will mail you a letter asking you if you want to proceed with the claim.

[tvwatcher]

if you sold it on ebay, and the buyer opens a paypal claim, you may not have time to wait for the Canada Post investigation to finish - if you wait too long, paypal will take the money from your account themselves and give it to the buyer


Canada Post normally only reimburses what YOU paid for the item, not what you sold it for.

[woof]

You filled out a customs form for the package and were given back a stamped copy of that form. Whatever value is on it is all that you can claim.

If you shipped using the small packet service then the maximum is $100, or the customs value, whichever is less. Other levels of service are usually limited to a maximum $100 also unless you paid for extra coverage.

If you understated the customs value so the buyer wouldn't have to pay so much duty then that was really dumb. The buyer's going to want a full refund but you're probably not going to be able to collect that. Why would you do something where the buyer gets the benefit and you take all the risk as is obvious in this case?

BTW surface mail to Australia is extremely slow - 2 to 3 months if that's how you shipped. Air is about 10 days to 2 weeks+.

[GVRtrader]

I sold a digital camera to Australia and it was claimd lost. I hope anyone who had the same experience can answer my questions:

1. I filled in a small note at the post office when I was sending the parcel stating the value of the camera; but I declared a smaller value due to tax reason. Can I claim a higher value now?

2. Are there any deductables?

3. Is it safe to refund the money back to the buyer BEFORE receiving it from Canada Post?

Thanks for al your help!! :razz:


1. You stated a lower value... its like buying something at Bestbuy when its on sale (lower price). If you return it when its back at regular price, will you get more money back than what you paid? Basically by putting a lower value, you state the value of the item. You lost the difference unless CP lost the note.

2. No.

3. Its not safe, tell them you are talking with Canada Post about this issue. Once its solved, you will refund the money. If they aren't understanding, then let them do extra work and go through paypal. You can tell Paypal that you are checking with Canada Post to see whats up. If you do, they will not rule in favor of either side (generally speaking) until Canada Post figures out who's fault it is. For all you know, the buyer might have the item and claim to not have it just to trick you into a refund.

[felix]

1. I filled in a small note at the post office when I was sending the parcel stating the value of the camera; but I declared a smaller value due to tax reason. Can I claim a higher value now?

Nope, you'll only get back the value of the item stated on the customs form. Not even after haggling with the reps. So DON'T undervalue your items. Especially if the item can easily be damaged. Learned this from experience. Just one of the reasons I no longer ship outside of Canada.

[tigger03]

you'll get only the value that you had declared.

once you open up an investigation with Cda Post, they will give you a case/file #. Keep this in case a Paypal claim is opened. This way, you can give PayPal the number for Cda Post as well as your case/file # and they can do whatever they need to ensure that the investigation is currently under way. I had opened an investigation b/c a pkg (small parcel, value not declared), and the end result was me getting $100 from Cda Post ... P.S: this was a cell phone that was returned to the company via pre-paid postage ... so I just had to peel the sticker and stick it on the box ... so it's pretty much a free $100 for me :D (and a lot of billing headaches after) ... hehe

[iamnotamerican.com]

1. I filled in a small note at the post office when I was sending the parcel stating the value of the camera; but I declared a smaller value due to tax reason. Can I claim a higher value now?

Nope. Legally, you falsely completed a legal declaration form and therefore were in breach of international Customs regulations. The law breaking aside, because the form is a legal document, the amount stated therein is the maximum the shipper would be liable for.

2. Are there any deductables?

Nope. No deductibles are payable.

3. Is it safe to refund the money back to the buyer BEFORE receiving it from Canada Post?

Nope.

One thing that should be asked though - whose decision was it to declare the lower value for the camera? You don't benefit in any way, so I am presuming it was the buyer.

In the event that the lost item search is unsuccessful and you have to refund the buyer, if the buyer specifically requested you declare the lower amount (as opposed to you offering and they accepting), you could justify limiting reimbursement ONLY to the amount on the declaration. The rationale behind this is that the buyer's specific request limited the amount payable from the postal service for the lost item and therefore you are providing the buyer with the full amount of the postal insurance.

[woof]

In the event that the lost item search is unsuccessful and you have to refund the buyer, if the buyer specifically requested you declare the lower amount (as opposed to you offering and they accepting), you could justify limiting reimbursement ONLY to the amount on the declaration. The rationale behind this is that the buyer's specific request limited the amount payable from the postal service for the lost item and therefore you are providing the buyer with the full amount of the postal insurance.

If this was an eBay/Paypal transaction and the buyer puts in a Paypal claim against you then you would be required to make a full refund of the original transaction amount. Paypal has no interest whatsoever in whatever customs fraud you may have been involved in - customs declared value is irrelevant. The refund must be based on the Paypal transaction value - actual money originally changing hands for the item.