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Feedback possible fraud
I recently sold an item. An item in which I took several pictures of and a video of to prove the item itself is working.
the buyer left me a negative feedback that stated the item was damaged and sounded like glass. Mind you, there is no glass in the item. I messaged the buyer directly to resolve. However, the buyer stated that he didn’t even open the box because the box was damaged and since it sounded like glass didn’t want to risk it.
I told the buyer to send me pictures as proof, so I can file a claim with the shipping company, and to send the product back to me and I will fully refund them the full amount plus the return shipping.
:crickets:
to make it even weirder. The seller created the account the same day he purchased my item. It can be a legitimate buyer, but this peaked my suspicions.
I haven’t received the item back nor have I received communications from the buyer since I asked him for my item back and advised I will be looking at the serial number both on the device and the one that is software coded.
I sent a request to eBay to have the negative feedback removed and I was denied. They looked solely at the feedback and not at the messages between us.
am I at a lose with the feedback? It’s my first negative, so it’s hitting different.
bytetobytellc
OP1 year ago@mam98031 I received the dispute today.
“Your buyer filed a payment dispute for an order placed on Apr 2025. This means that they disputed a charge directly with their payment institution. They are requesting $xxx.xx back and the reason for this dispute is that the item doesn't match the description in your listing.â€
mam98031
Mentor1 year agoI am sorry to hear this. It is unlikely you can win this Chargeback. But you do have choices.
You can attach up to 5 documents to the Chargeback for evidence you want to provide to prove the item was as described. Unfortunately there really isn't any evidence that the Credit Card Company would consider clear evidence on this sadly. But you can still try. Using messages you got from the buyer, a copy of your listing, etc.
When you try to dispute a Chargeback, if you lose, Ebay charges you a $20 fee along with fulling refunding the buyer because that is highly likely how the CCC will rule. Ebay does NOT make that ruling nor do they have any authority over them. It is all the CCC sadly.
And if you decide to dispute the Chargeback, when the CCC ultimately rules that you need to refund them and Ebay processes that, you also will not get your FVFs refunded.
While this is not what any seller wants to hear, it is the truth of how a Chargeback for an INAD reason typically gets processed. You'd have to have some really clear and concise information to make the conclusion different.
There are other reasons that a Chargeback can be opened that is more winnable for a seller. But the reason you buyer used just isn't.
The other option is to accept it and tell Ebay to refund the buyer. Just close it out and let the buyer win. That hurts, I know because the buyer is taking advantage of you for sure. And yes they are even literally stealing from you. But it is cheaper for you to just approve the refund. At least then you can get your FVFs back.
I'm really sorry I don't have better advice for you. I'm just trying to be honest with you as to where we are with this type of a claim.
You will not be getting the item back under any circumstance. The CCC simply will not require the buyer to do that. Unfortunately the current laws that govern this allow CCCs to do this.
I'm really sorry. I know it is a good amount of money.
bytetobytellc
OP1 year agoThat’s tough to swallow, knowing I did everything satisfactory. You are right, even though my listing showed a video of the item working, and it may even still work, i ultimately have no proof - Oh and no item, since this person never shipped it back.
i’m sure sellers go through this all the time, but this is my first and it’s really sour.
i appreciate the help though in trying to navigate through this.
chalk it up as a negative on my balance sheet.
mam98031
Mentor1 year agoMy heart goes out to you. I completely understand. I wish I had better advice for you.
PLEASE keep in mind that not all Chargebacks go like this. It is just the ones that claim they aren't as described or damaged. There are other reasons that are winnable. So don't assume they all go this way.
It is also a valuable reminder why we need our local politicians to step up and do something about these laws that allow CCCs to do this. The consumer protection laws have not been updated for far too long which is why CCCs can do what they are doing.
The odd thing is, if you took this to small claims court, the court would likely rule that either the buyer needs to give you the product back or the money, they can't have both. Yet CCCs get away with doing just that.
I wish you nothing but the VERY best. You appear to be a wonderful seller and I would not hesitate to buy from you.
mam98031
Mentor1 year agoHello @bytetobytellc ,
I'm sorry you are in this situation. You certainly seem like a very good and responsible seller. Doing everything they can to make their buyer happy. I really like the response you left on the feedback. That really shows who YOU are and that is a very good thing. It will go a long way for those that review your feedback to know you are a good seller.
Now to the problem. In the buyer's feedback they said they were going to file a Chargeback Dispute with their Credit Card Company. Did they do that? If they did, you would have gotten an email from Ebay telling you it exists and most importantly in that email it tells you why the buyer opened the Chargeback.
Did you get that email? If you did, what reason did they use to open the Chargeback Dispute? That is very important information to know how you need to proceed. And time is of the essence here.
bytetobytellc
OP1 year ago@mam98031
Thank you for the reply. As of this moment I have not seen an email or notification from eBay about a chargeback of any kind. I have been keeping my eye out for it. I am just trying to get on the forefront of this thing.
what I did notice about the buyer is their language during our brief communication. The review is much more polished than the DMs. Also, in one of the DMs, he requested money back, which is what was agreed to when the device was returned, but also included information about how he will fix the review and all I had to do was send him the link. That was the last communication.
mam98031
Mentor1 year agoThank you for responding. OK now it is time to do nothing but sit back and wait to see if they make a move. Don't communicate with them for any reason. If they write you, I would encourage you to come back here and let us know BEFORE responding to them.
And if you do get notification of a Chargeback, come on back and let us help you through it. They can be very difficult to win. If one does get filed by the buyer, you will get an email and Ebay will put that amount of money on hold in your Managed Payments account.
Fingers cross that he is just done and has moved on.
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor1 year ago@bytetobytellc Come back if they do file the threatened chargeback dispute. You will get an email notice and need to reply to the dispute promptly.
I am going to tag my fellow mentor who is experienced with charge back disputes.
@mam98031
bytetobytellc
OP1 year ago@comics-scifi-collectibles Thank you for the information. I’ve had my account for a long time and recently started selling again. I did reply to the feedback and give the buyer the chance to send the item back. He did threaten to contact his credit card company, I guess I’ll wait and see. As far as the feedback….nothing I can do?
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor1 year agoThe feedback doesn't violate any eBay rules. You responded ok.
Feedback Removal Policy >
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/feedback-policies/feedback-policy?id=4208&st=3&pos=6&query=Feedback%20policy&intent=feedback%20&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1223