EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME.... ALL THIS WEEK (7th to 14th of jine 2015).
Just read the first few sentences of your post. I know exactly how you feel and I do feel bad for you too.
EBAY DOES NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, TO PROTECT SELLERS. IT IS ALL GONE.
1-shipped a necklace, scrupulously described and inspected before shipping, PERFECT condition, wrapped in heavy bubble wrap and boxed. What a beautiful item. Received email from an obviously disturbed buyer..."received item in 3 pieces and one bead has a huge dent".......Ok, nothing I can do except refund her money because, that's all ANYONE can do now. there is ZERO reponsibility from ebay, the buyer is ALWAYS right. I received the necklace back yesterday. Pendant was pulled off. One large hollow bead looked as if someone took a pen or pointed object and purposely dented it. There is no possible way this item was damaged during shipment. This was a way to avoid returning the item like a normal person. And they destroyed the item.
2- I read something in your post (didn't read the whole thing yet...but I will) regarding a layaway plan. I had a buyer ask if I accepted layaways on a $250 ring. Never did that before, so I said "sure"...payment in fuill will be in 60 days. It was difficult to send an invoice bceause even though she purchased the item thru ebay, she could not send a partial payment. Finally, I was able to send an invoice via paypal a few weeks later. No response. Then three more weeks, no response. Now we're nearing 2 months. She emails me and starts with: HOW DARE YOU SEND ME AN INVOICE FOR THE ENTIRE AMOUNT?....(and I knew this would be trouble...). After a few emails of trying to get this person to calm down, and explaining, I sent an invoice specifically so she would have the correct email address (which, now, come to think of it, is absolutely ridiculous), she then says (don't forget, near 2 months later) "I am so upset now, I can't trust anything you say, I want to cancel this transaction and if ebay asks why I wiull tell them you demanded payment after agreeing to a layaways plan. I said, no problem, she said thank you and that she would still consider it and get back to me. I gave her my phone number. She emailed back said "I can't call anywhere out of state". I tried calling her ebay phone number but OF COURSE it was disconnected. I thought...instead of buying $250 rings via layaway, perhaps this person should think about getting a phone that can call out of state. THEN I found out:
THERE ARE NO LAYAWAY PLANS ON EBAY. They just don't exist. And they are frowned upon.
SO, I am out the $25 sellers fee.
I could literally go on for HOURS about horrible buyers, people who will scam you by asking to ship to "their neice's address" (oh yes, i was out $$$ big time from that one), how they get around the return shipping so sellers pay the returns, liars, frauds, NON PAYERS...AND MORE....ALL THIS WITHIN ONE WEEK!
After 8 years on ebay, I have literally had it. I am through. This will be the last year. I will look forward to other venues. Oh, and ebay could care less.
