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Denied eBay Money Back Guarantee – Item Missing From Sealed Package
I’m looking for guidance from the community on a Money Back Guarantee claim that was recently denied, as I believe it conflicts with the intent of the policy.
In November, I purchased a pair of Meta Ray-Ban Display ($1800) glasses on eBay as a Christmas gift. The listing was covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee.
The package was delivered via UPS November 28th and was not opened at the time. It was wrapped and given as a gift. When the box was opened on December 25, the package contained only the original packaging, no glasses and no smart strap.
I immediately contacted the seller. The seller stated they did not know what happened and believed it may have been stolen during transit. They left the decision to eBay.
I filed a claim under the Money Back Guarantee and provided all requested information. Despite this, eBay has now denied the refund.
The "More info" section states "Based on your communications with the seller, we see that you received the item"...
My concern is this: I did not receive the item I paid for. A sealed box with no contents is functionally the same as non-delivery or receiving an incomplete item. There is nothing in the Money Back Guarantee that requires buyers to open packages immediately upon delivery, nor should a buyer be held responsible for theft or tampering that occurs in transit.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation where an item arrived with the contents missing and had success appealing the decision? If so, what steps or wording helped?
Any guidance from moderators or experienced members would be appreciated.
Thank you.
ferncliff-39
Mentor8 months ago@4sale_by_darren
This is how eBay works - you received "something", eg an empty box, so your claim for not receiving "anything" was denied.
You could have turned right around and opened a Return Request for receiving an item "not as described", eg an empty box (again) with contents missing. This time your claim probably would have been accepted and you would return the empty box to the seller for a refund, or they could refund w/o a return. Even if it was stolen in transit, that's on the seller, not you.
eBay allows 2 claims to be opened in that order only - not delivered, then the item is delivered, but not as described/damaged, etc.
I'm afraid now it's too late to do that on eBay - see if the option to open a "Return" is still there for that item.
If not, you will need to go to your payment source to open a claim - PayPal, credit card...