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Seller ships with slower service than what buyer paid for, or seller ships later than advertised.
I've been getting the runaround from different ebay agents on what a buyer can do for a few situations here.
Let's assume the seller has multiple shipping options, say UPS Next Day Air, and UPS Ground. Assume the buyer is in California, and seller is in Florida (so it's reasonable to assume UPS Ground will not deliver in 1 day). The buyer selects UPS Next Day Air. The seller ships with UPS ground. The seller does not have returns accepted. The item arrives late, but the item itself is otherwise as described and there's no issue with the item.
What sort of resolutions does the buyer have in this scenario?
What if the seller only has a single shipping option offered like UPS Next Day Air, and the shipping is NOT free, and the seller uses UPS Ground (and the same other conditions and results happen as described above)?
And what if everything is the same as above but the single UPS Next Day Air option is free but the seller ships with slower UPS Ground?
Last hypothetical situation, let's say the the seller has a 1 day handling policy, but the seller ships after say 8 days, and the item significantly misses it's projected delivery date (item still arrives as described and in good condition), and seller does not accept returns, is there any recourse for the buyer?
I'm not really looking for "buyer should just open an INAD return", I need very convincing justification for why you think that, and links back to the appropriate ebay policy that supports this.
This is not something I am looking to abuse (only going as far to thought experiment, like this post), but I have run into other sellers doing this type of behavior and have not found any sort of recourse yet.
ssateneth
OP2 years agoAlright, it appears that my notions were correct - there isn't a way for a buyer to be made whole when a seller intentionally uses a slower service than what the buyer selected (as long as it wasn't an item that expires such as live animals or concert tickets), but the buyer can punish the seller with a report for violating the user agreement which can lead to various penalties up to and including account suspension or termination.
tree*fern
·2 years ago@ssateneth Yes, that's correct. The buyer can also punish the seller with negative feedback. EBay doesn't count feedback anymore as part of the performance standards sellers must meet, but it counts when it comes to potential buyers.
wooden_flower
Mentor2 years ago@ssateneth
Just to add, if an item arrives after the estimated delivery date, it is considered not as described and can be returned at the seller’s expense for a full refund.
See the special coverage when the item doesn’t match the listing here -
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210&st=3&pos=1&query=eBay%20Money%20Back%20Guarantee%20policy&intent=Money%20ba&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1238
ssateneth
OP2 years agoThat one is... pretty heavy handed, and it does not appear that there are special circumstances around that one. Because of all of the shipping delays around the nation right now, it would appear many packages are technically "not as described".
But then again, "estimated delivery dates" are dynamic and are frequently changed by ebay, so the date presented to the buyer on purchase could possibly be changed by ebay while in transit, and the policy says "the latest estimated delivery date". So I'm not entirely sure what to make of this one. But if the seller takes a chance with sending with UPS ground knowing it will get to the buyer the same date as next day air, it would appear the seller did not break any rules to constitute a return (but whether its a UA violation is a different matter. Any opinions on that one?)
wooden_flower
Mentor2 years ago@ssateneth
The delivery date is always stated as a range of 2 dates. The ‘latest’ refers to the later of the 2 dates in the original delivery estimate.
You are correct that many packages could be considered not as described under this definition. While most buyers don’t mind waiting an extra day or 2, there are times when you can’t wait. There are also sellers that ignore their promised handling times. This provision allows the buyer relief in both situations.
tree*fern
·2 years agoThank you @wooden_flower for clarifying! @ssateneth I had it wrong. Here's a direct link to the special coverage:
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210#specialcoverage-snad
tree*fern
·2 years agoHi @ssateneth ,
Scenario #1: The seller must ship via the method advertised and/or the method buyer selected from the options offered by seller. Seller cannot downgrade service (e.g., from Next Day to Ground). But if they do, eBay can't make the seller reimburse the buyer for the cost difference. Buyer can:
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/selling-policies?id=4214
Scenario #2 and #3: Same as for scenario #1, same whether or not the shipping is "free." Free shipping just means the shipping cost is included in the item price; either way, buyer has paid the shipping cost for the shipping method advertised in the listing.
Scenario #4: When the seller doesn't ship within their handling time, AND the package also doesn't arrive by the estimated delivery date shown on the listing, then eBay penalizes the seller with a Late Shipment Transaction Defect. (Buyer doesn't need to do anything to make this happen.) There are other penalties along the way, and too many transaction defects can eventually cause a seller to permanently lose selling privileges.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-standards-policy?id=4347#late-shipment
If the item hasn't arrived after the estimated delivery date, the buyer can request a full refund for Item Not Received. But if the carrier's tracking shows the late item is delivered within the next 4 days, before the deadline for the seller to reply to the refund case, then the buyer's refund will be denied.
Buyers have up to 30 days after the estimated delivery date to request a refund, so if the carrier's tracking shows the item is late but still on the way, it's best to wait before submitting a claim.
When a listing says the seller doesn't accept returns, that can only apply to returns for fit or changed mind/buyer's remorse. The eBay Money Back Guarantee always overrides the seller's return policies.
https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-items-not-received-refunds-buyers/returns-items-not-received-refunds-buyers?id=4008
tree*fern
·2 years agoCorrection! When a listing says the seller doesn't accept returns, that can only apply to returns for late arrival, fit, or changed mind/buyer's remorse.