fppp Loc: Canton Ga. USA

This is one for the seller, beware.
I had an item I sold on ebay a month ago, it had a few accessories included in the package, after to buyer had it a few days he states there is a problem and would like to return it, I agreed. he shipped it back, now USPS has the item, and it is delayed or misplaced for 10-12 days, the buyer is really getting mad about the delay and demands his money back, ebay does not recommend refunding payment until the item is returned an inspected, finally located and returned to me, I open the item and notice most of the accessories are missing that I shipped with the item. I ask what happened to the accessories he states they were return in package, there was no room for them the way it was packed and returned, I contacted ebay, and reported the shortage, $200.00 missing, kind of useless. I refunded his money marked it up as experience, needless to say the buyer posts negative feedback stating I was a criminal? ebay refuses to remove the feedback, and they will not refund my seller fees... total loss with shipping and fees of $284.65
I hope this will help anyone to think twice before selling items on ebay......

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

When eBay first started, most people (buyers and sellers) were great.
Not so much anymore.

Sad.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Ebay is weird.

I have not bought anything and i can not buy anything from them as i was marked dangerous just an hour after i registered.
I contacted them by email and even tried calling but nothing was changed.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

This is most unusual because the merchandise was valuable. The fact that the buyer may have kept the accessories, is quite possible. If the major item is substantial as well as the accessories, you could bring a claim against the buyer in small claims court. You may have a difficult time Proving that you were shorted the additional items. As for a bad review, that is unfair and you may start wishing to drop off EBay. You may have better success with another merchant. I have only purchased a few items recently on e-Bay. One of the things I would like to caution you about is that you shouldn’t refuse returns. When I see that the seller refuses returns, I go over to the next listing. Instead of listing together, You might have a listing for your main item and a second listing for the accessories in the future. In this case, you might consider this a $284.65 piece of case that you really didn’t want. I’m sorry to hear about this difficulty that you experienced. It seems that as Covid Pandemic spreads, more people are becoming unscrupulous. Not that it is right, but any seller now becomes reluctant to use E-Bay for fear of loss of merchandise and a good reputation.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

It seems a little one-sided that a buyer can complain about a seller, but sellers can't refute the dispute.

sourdough58 Loc: Maine

I had a $50.00 item that I sold on eBay, it was complete, the buyer replied he was not satisfied and wanted to return it, I agreed and refunded, later found that a part inside had been removed. Now I have NO RETURNS NO REFUNDS, all sales are final, ask any questions, request more pictures, do not bid or buy until you are sure you want to keep it. I will go out of my way to show every detail. I have even made videos showing the item working. I think I sold a light meter to someone on this site years ago. I find most people are honest and I have only had 2 problems out of over 100 + dealings. My rating is 100% positive last I checked.

dave.speeking Loc: Brooklyn OH

Identify the suspect buyer.

FrumCA

I generally pass on any seller who advertises No Returns, No Refunds as there are other sellers who do not have this policy. However, I did have some good luck with a purchase I made from a No Return, No Refund seller several months ago because I needed the product ASAP and he was the only player in town. The item I ordered was a CO detector for a boat. All detectors have an expiration date which is stamped on the product. The expiration date on the product I received had long passed so contacted the seller, explained the problem to him and asked if he would consider accepting a return and refund. He immediately agreed to my request. I returned the product and my money was immediately refunded. This seller will definitely get my business again in spite of his No Return, No Refund policy.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

You can say what you want in your listings, but nothing will protect you from an unscrupulous buyer. I sold a receiver with its remote control for $125. I packed them in separate cartons. The buyer claimed that the receiver didn't work and returned it, but didn't return the remote control. I took the receiver to an electronics shop which tested it and gave me a written report that it worked perfectly. Even this did no good with eBay. But what happened was that the buyer didn't return the remote and I had evidence that it had been shipped separately and received so she couldn't claim never to have gotten it. So she ended up paying $125 for a remote control which is what she wanted and thought she'd get it free with her scam complaint. Had they not been shipped separately, I would have been screwed by eBay. This is the only time someone tried to cheat me on eBay, but their policy of always favoring the buyer makes me hate them.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That's a horrible situation to be in. You lost your money and your reputation. If I ever have a package returned like that, I will videotape the opening of the box. It's a "he said," "he said" situation. One person says he sent it, the other says he didn't. I don't know how eBay could deal with that situation fairly. Leaving a bad review after you refunded his money just makes the situation worse. I've been lucky with eBay - so far.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

My experience as an occasional seller of photo gear that I no longer want is that no matter what you say in your listing, ebay requires you to accept returns (and pay the return shipping). The buyer just clicks a return button on his ebay screen and you get an email from ebay saying authorize the return postage or ebay will authorize it and charge your paypal account.

Once the item shows as delivered by the shipping company you get another email from ebay saying authorize the refund or ebay will charge your paypal account and make the refund themselves.

I could find no ebay route to challenge the return - as long as there's a shipper report of a returned package you must make a full refund, even if the returned item is damaged or incomplete. (My buyer got to use the lens he "bought" for a full week and eventually got ALL his money back - best lens rental deal available on the internet.)

I no longer sell anything on ebay. I will look there to buy things that are not readily available anywhere else

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

I haven’t bought anything on eBay for many and after this flurry of post will not buy anything from them.

1963mca

No, it doesn't always favor the buyer. I bought a Texas Instrument battery charger for a TI-59 calculator. The picture (labeled as the actual item to be received) showed a small square Wall Wart type supply with a long Red and Black charging cable and the TI Logo imbedded on the charger body. What I received was a similar type supply but without the TI Logo and the charging cable was all Black, clearly not what was described/shown in the ad. The cable color and non-TI logo didn't matter to me, but the charger didn't work! I measured the output and it was 0 volts, then I tested it with an ohm meter and it showed open circuit, clearly defective. I asked the seller about returning it and replacing it with a working one. He said it was working when it left and he had no replacements. He wouldn't accept it as returned as defective for refund. I then pointed out the discrepancy in cable colors and the charger was missing the TI Logo, and all he said "prove it". I took a picture of what I got and attached it to a copy of his ad showing the differences in cable colors and chargers. These are not interchangeable cables by the way, they are wired right into the charger. His response was I was trying to pass off a defective one and still refused to refund my money. I then filed a complaint with eBay. To make a long story short, eBay sided with the seller, it appeared I was trying to return a phony part. No recourse for me.

Now, what little I buy from eBay has got me changing the way I do things. I make sure I keep a copy of the ad I am buying from, including photos and all verbiage. Then, when the package arrives, I set up a digital movie camera and film the entire unpacking process, showing exactly how the item was packed from all perspectives to show it was unopened when received, thru opening the package and then testing the item, all without stopping the camera, until I get to a point where I am satisfied the item is satisfactory.

Don't know if that would satisfy eBay or not, they really don't seem to side with anyone, only with what will result in the least amount of work on their part and will cost them the least amount in resolving any issues.

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

That's funny, I have dealt with ebay for years, as a buyer and never have had a problem and I use PayPal for added protection. Always got my money back on things that I bought that were faulty or misrepresented. I am not afraid of ebay or PayPal.

bobforman Loc: Anacortes, Washington State

I sold a car part to a fellow in Kentucky. 3 days later it was delivered. The buyer then stops payment because he hadn't received it. When I shared the delivery receipt and he says: "That doesn't do me any good, I'm in Germany!" Apparently there is a big mail forwarding operation in Kentucky. Notwithstanding I stated "no international shipping" PayPal wouldn't release the funds. Then he wanted the shipping charges from KY to DR reimbursed. I finally gave up and eventually got about 50 cents on the dollar. Seller beware!