BEYOND DONE WITH EBAY!!!
Summary: amiche79 expressed frustration over receiving a counterfeit tool purchased from a seller on eBay, claiming difficulties in obtaining a refund and failing to get help from eBay's customer service. lady_madonna and others explained the correct procedure for securing a refund through eBay's Money Back Guarantee, emphasizing the importance of filing an official return request. Some participants blamed the buyer for not following procedures, while others shared empathy and offered advice on how to handle similar issues in the future. The discussion highlighted differing views on the effectiveness of eBay's processes and the responsibility of buyers to follow specific protocols.
I am not usually an eBay customer. However it was my husbands birthday so I decided to order a tool from eBay. Let me just say this entire experience has been a nightmare and I am beyond pissed. First the tool I received claimed to be a dewalt tool. It 100% was a counterfeit copy cat crap tool. I then reached out to the seller not happy of course and instead of issuing my refund immediately like it should have been. I then had to take the counterfeit tool to send back to the criminal seller. I then attempted to reach out to eBay to report the counterfeit prodct being sold on eBay and to request my full refund. (I did in fact ship back the tool) it is nearly impossible to speak to someone with eBay. I mean I searched and attempted and followed the auto mated prompts to report the seller and to try and get someone to help me as now it has been weeks and I still have not received my refund! eBay also then instead of contacting me denyed my report for the counterfeit tool saying that the seller is legit....... Im sorry but I am not an idiot we have many dewalt tools and I have numerous pictures that were provided to eBay. So as of now I am still without the $125 I spend on this counterfeit tool have recieved no help from, eBay and they apparently have no problem with their sellers selling counterfeit products.
Unfortunately at this point I will now have to file a police report on the seller for fraud and I also will be pursuing eBay for allowing counterfeit products to be sold!
Conclusion - buyer beware!!! I will never purchase from eBay again
arraus
·6 days ago@amiche79
Please ignore all nasty responses.
eBay has great resolutions that 100% protect buyers, like you, who experience this. Sadly, it wasn't clear what to do when you were having the issue.
WHENEVER you have an issue (I suggest using your phone to do this so you can add photos easily):
Go to your My eBay >> Purchases.
Open order page and click "..." or More actions.
Select Return this item.
Enter the truth. In this case, it sounds like item wasn't as described.
For items that are not as described or arrive damaged, buyers are 100% covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee as long as they file a case within 30 day of delivery.
NEVER return an item without opening a case. If buyer just messages seller, eBay will not be able to help without a Case. It doesn't hurt the Seller UNLESS they don't provide a paid return ship label & refund upon return. If seller doesn't provide a ship label, eBay will force a refund and Buyer gets to keep the item.
MORE INFO:
Return an item for a refund
eBay Money Back Guarantee policy
Other Tips:
If you absolutely need something by a specific date, I suggest buying way in advance, with extra time in case you get wrong item or shipping carrier is slow.
Always open an eBay case. Don't just try to message seller. If seller does the right thing, the case will not hurt their account.
eBay and similar marketplaces can be tough, but once you learn to work within the system, you can get excellent deals and hard-to-find items. I hope your issue gets resolved.
I hope you come back. eBay truly does take care of their buyers (when a case is opened).
kibble-net
·1 week agoI would also add, this is not just an ebay problem. I would stick to BRICK AND MORTAR retail stores only - and make sure to open whatever you buy before you leave the store, just in case.
tewhol-0
·1 week agoHome Depot has never sold me a Knock off.
shire123
·1 week agoOther than following ebay's MBG procedures there isn't anything that ebay can do. Buying and selling on ebay is not without risk. Looks like you ran into a bad seller.
pickapaper
·1 week ago@amiche79 Somehow you managed to find your way here to this forum and post about your unhappiness. But it appears you didn't take the time to find out about eBay's Money Back Guarantee.
This forum is made up of buyers and sellers who volunteer their time and knowledge to help people with problems or questions. We are all very sorry that this happened to you but you are blaming eBay (the company) for something they did not do (the seller did). When you come on here and say "buyer beware!", you aren't notifying any the 134 Million buyers who buy on eBay and chances are very miniscule that many will be involved in a transaction with that seller.
4663samaritean
·1 week agoWhen I complained to eBay about a dishonest buyer, specifying what his dishonesty consisted of, I thought I was addressing eBay management, and after finding that eBay had no answer for me, I addressed the community in desperation. If you know a better way to resolve a series of shortcomings in the relationship with buyers, please tell me.
pickapaper
·1 week ago · Edited@amiche79
Okay. On any given day there are about 18 Million sellers selling about 2.5 Billion listings. eBay has no way to know if a buyer or a seller or an item is legitimate. They have no way to physically check an item and have no way to know if the item is what the seller actually shipped or the buyer actually received and they would not have the knowledge of everything to know if something is real or not. So, they have their Money Back Guarantee so that if a buyer receives something that isn't right, they can get their money back.
When you want to buy something on eBay, look at the seller's feedback. Do they have any neutrals or negatives and if so, for what reason? Did they respond to those neutrals or negatives and how did they respond, i.e calm and factual or ranting and calling names? Where is the seller located? This can be difficult sometimes because they will state they are in the U.S. but they are not. (Another thing to look for in feedback is hints regarding shipping from somewhere else.) In the case of your seller, was there any feedback that mentioned he was selling counterfeits? If he is not an authorized dealer, the tool may have been something he bought at a garage sale or estate sale and he, himself, didn't know it was not real.
Even if a seller says "no returns", if you receive an item that is not as described, you can file a "return this item" claim and the seller has two options, to send you a label for you to return the item and when they get it back, issue you a refund, or if they wish, they can just refund without the return of the item. If they do not take care of this in three days, on the 4th day you can ask eBay to step in and they will force a refund. All of this is automated; you do not even have to communicate with the seller.
As others have said, there are lots of great people and items on eBay. You just have to know your rights and know what to do if something happens.
4663samaritean
·1 week agoI became a seller due to circumstances, the death of my husband who was in charge of selling jewelry. So far, the feedback I have received is 100% positive. This buyer ordered 10 types of beads, a few gold charms and about 60 pairs of Tiger Eye earrings and after a few days he started returning them all not in one package, but one by one, with a few days between returns. He returned a gold pendant disassembled and I sent eBay the photo and eBay replied that they were not sure that the buyer disassembled it. Regarding the earrings, the buyer returned the earrings to me with a minus of 5 pairs and eBay did not react in any way. This episode is unique in my 23 years on eBay and a source of stress for me who am of advanced age.
pickapaper
·1 week ago@4663samaritean
I apologize, the reply I posted here was meant for another poster, not you. I accidentally tagged you instead of the correct person.
This information you just posted on this thread about the jewelry you received back should be posted on your own post about dishonest buyers, so others can see what you received back.
4663samaritean
·1 week agoHonestly, I don't know where my own post is. Could you help me to find it? Thank you.
pickapaper
·1 week ago@4663samaritean
Click on the blue dot by your user name and "view profile". This will bring up a big blue bar and under that are several options, one of which is "discussions". Click on that and it will show which threads you have participated in. Yours is the one you titled about eBay favoring dishonest sellers.
This is if you are on a computer. With a phone, it is probably different but I don't know about that.
tewhol-0
·1 week agoI think buyers come to eBay with the expectation that the platform has already taken meaningful steps to vet sellers and maintain a certain standard of quality. That level of oversight is, in many ways, part of the value proposition that distinguishes eBay from platforms such as OfferUp or Craigslist.
Given the fees sellers are required to pay to use the platform, it is also reasonable for buyers to assume that at least a portion of those fees contributes toward seller accountability, quality control, and maintaining a trustworthy marketplace.
eburtonlab
·4 days agoCounterfeit items are not allowed to be listed on eBay at all. No one is authorized to sell counterfeit items. That fact alone does not stop some people from trying to sell them, however.
The problem is that unscrupulous or uninformed sellers can list genuine items and then deliver counterfeit items.
It is not always possible to look at a listing and know in advance exactly what, if anything, the seller intends to deliver. For one thing, a scammer can simply copy a listing from a genuine seller, using a genuine photo of a genuine item.
Except for a few specific categories of items that go through authentication, eBay never sees what the seller ships or what the buyer receives, so there is nothing for eBay to check unless someone complains about what was received by invoking eBay's money back guarantee.
Sellers are responsible for the descriptions they provide, and buyers should not assume that eBay screens the listings in advance.
As long as counterfeits exist and there are folks trying to sell them, buyers will still have to be on the lookout for them, and avoid deals that are obviously too-good-to-be-true, whether they are being sold by accounts registered overseas or by domestic sellers wittingly or unwittingly buying counterfeits from overseas to sell here.
Buyers that doubt their ability to distinguish a genuine article from a counterfeit one should only consider purchasing from trustworthy sellers that have an established reputation for delivering exactly what was described, and should avoid deals that are too-good-to-be-true, or deals that are offered by inexperienced sellers that might disappear soon after the transaction is made, or else be prepared to get items authenticated by trusted sources within the time eBay allows to take advantage of eBay's money back guarantee.
Of course eBay could remove a listing that shows obvious signs of being counterfeit. But not every counterfeit or suspicious listing may be obvious to someone that does not have expertise in a particular area. And the sort of scammers that list counterfeit items do not simply give up and go away when eBay removes a listing or suspends an account; scammers are constantly creating new accounts or hijacking existing accounts, and posting scam items over and over again faster than eBay can possibly find them and take them all down. No matter how quick or how thorough eBay is, there is always a chance that some listings will get through or that some seller will advertise one thing but ship another, so buyers always have to be prepared for that no matter what eBay does.
arraus
·6 days ago@pickapaper I think she came here for help. That's what this forum is for, isn't it?
yes. It is.
pickapaper
·6 days ago@profitweb
I honestly don't know what you are talking about. Did you read the entire thread.? If you did, you would see that I posted two or three replies that were helpful information. There are replies from other posters that were not nice; did you send your little message to them too?
janet9988
·5 days agoif you try to actually read the whole thread..... The ORIGINAL poster was complaining about a Seller who sold counterfeit items.
Another poster @4663samaritean tried to switch this post to BUYERS who were scamming.
arraus
·4 days ago@janet9988
I did read the entire post.
My reply was specifically addressing @pickapaper opening comment to the OP:
Explaining policies is great. Opening with sarcasm to a stressed buyer isn't. We can help people without putting them down or being accusatory.
kibble-net
·1 week agoSo long, hope you're able to find a better place to shop. Wishing all the best to you.
msha3839
·1 week agoUnfortunately you have no one to blame but yourself…the same tool, that most likely not cheap, anyone with common sense and intellect above baseboard, would buy from authorized dealer , something that guarantees product and factory warranty…
magicjohnsonsvariety
·1 week agoThat is not at all helpful advice...lots of people sell tools and are not "authoried dealers"...ebay was built on the idea of normal regular people selling off their new and used tools at discounted prices.
Sure you can always get ripped off and pay full retail price but most smart people look to save money when they can......
msha3839
·1 week agoSure, smart people TRY to save money, but there is a place and time to do so..in this case nothing but a problem and even after smooth transaction, no warranty…p.s. and if someone can afford to pay retail prices, they definitely did something right in their lives to be able to do so…🥃
magicjohnsonsvariety
·1 week agoMy point is the majority of new and used tool sellers are honest...even tho they aren't "authorized dealers"...
Stereotyping everyone who is not authorized by the manufacturer as being high risk is wrong...perhaps the OP simply neglected to check their Feedback...
A seller saying they're authorized is code for...I can now charge my customers way more because I'm authorized...
This may be okay for rich people...but normal average people tend to seek out the best price available...
msha3839
·1 week agoYou miss my point, again…there is an old saying..” I’m too poor to buy junk and ending up to pay second time short time after”…or stepping twice on the same shovel….
tewhol-0
·1 week ago@msha3839
You seem to have no substantive point to contribute to the discussion beyond belittling another person in an attempt to elevate your own position. Disagreement is perfectly reasonable, and constructive criticism can be valuable, but there is a significant difference between challenging someone’s argument and attempting to diminish the person making it.
Ultimately, if the goal is to have a meaningful discussion, there should be room for differing opinions without resorting to condescension or personal disparagement. Trying to make someone else feel smaller does not make your own position stronger—it only undermines the credibility of the point you are trying to make.
msha3839
·1 week ago · EditedFeel better screaming? Good…I have no need to make OP or anyone else smaller, and I could care less about anyone’s feelings,especially when this is a factual situation…this is a forum and posters can express their opinions…usually shock therapy works miracles and teach individuals to be more responsible for their own actions, something that many individuals fail to understand…and people diminish themselves ONLY by their own actions…
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 week agoMany manufacturers will not honor their warranty when a NEW tool is purchased from other than an authorized dealer. Many manufacturers will not allow their authorized dealers to sell on Ebay.
Unless you can acquire a copy of the warranty and read it, and it does not restrict its coverage, buying on Ebay is an invitation to being cheated.
Sounds like you did not read the procedures for the Ebay Money Back Warranty either. You would have had your refund within three days of the return arriving at the seller.
Sounds like you relied on communications direct with a seller who you knew sold you a counterfeit. Why would you think you could trust him.
Click and Clack on NPR's Car Talk radio program would frequently opine "The Frugal Man pays the most". They were often correct.
Many normal average people are good shoppers and they do not buy on price alone. They do their homework.
adamcartwright
·1 week agoSo now we're blaming the victim for seller fraud? 🥴
msha3839
·1 week agoNo, but it’s about time buyers taking responsibility for their actions..luck of basic intellect gives false sign of knowledge and comprehension, that causes wrong decisions..no way I justify seller fraud, but it exists since the beginning of time and for a simple reason…human nature of having low IQ and greed..OP could easily avoid this problem by making logical decision and doing homework..
arraus
·6 days ago@msha3839
OP Buyer just didn't know how to submit a Return request and about the eBay Money Back Guarantee. ALMOST ALL OF US went through this.
Nothing was wrong with OP being upset, after their experience... or that they came here to vent and get support.
Insulting someone's intelligence as a response reflects poorly (on you) and may violate rules. Please, refrain from responding if you nothing decent to say. This is a "Community".
msha3839
·6 days agoYou can’t drive the car without learning how to drive..and don’t complain about getting involved in the crash…
arraus
·4 days ago · Edited@msha3839
By that logic, when someone gets into a crash, decent people call for help. They don’t stand over them lecturing their driving skills or who is to blame.
The OP is already dealing with the consequences (lost time and money). They came here for support & guidance on what to do next.
This forum works best when we focus on actual solutions instead of saying things to upset someone more. "Brilliance" doesn't need to state the obvious. If you've been in business for any time at all... I'm sure you've been so upset, spitting nails, before too. OP is just being human.
We can offer help & support.
msha3839
·4 days agoBy logic , guidance should come prior to consequences…you’re not buying insurance after the accident…🥃…OP could ask questions prior to mess..
arraus
·4 days ago · Edited@msha3839
eBay already provides that "insurance" through the Money Back Guarantee. The buyer just didn't know the exact steps to claim it.
Buyers don't study policies before checking out. They expect protection when things go wrong. Scaring away upset buyers hurts every seller on this platform. We're here to help them navigate the resolution process, not run them off.
What's your objective here?
The OP didn't know how the claim process works, so they came here for empathy after a bad experience. Berating them defeats the entire purpose of a community forum. You didn't provide "guidance".
msha3839
·3 days agoExact steps clearly indicated on eBay website…sometimes reading instructions prior to any activity can be productive…purpose of the forums more beneficial when people ask questions before and not after..every one give excuse about not knowing something..she’ll, welcome to the real world..knowledge is power🥂
house*of*paws
·1 week agoHi @amiche79
eBay doesn't sell anything itself. It is merely an online venue that rents space to 17.6 million, world-wide sellers to list stuff for sale. Although eBay does attempt to check out sellers before allowing them to sell ... some counterfeit items get sold. [This also is true of other venues (like Amazon) that have 3rd-party sellers. I've received counterfeit items from them as well.]
I'm really sorry this happened. eBay does have an easy way to get refunded if one knows the correct procedures, which you apparently weren't aware of as an infrequent user.
We buyers have 30 days from date of delivery to file a formal 'return request' with eBay for a refund. [The seller would be required to provide you with a prepaid shipping label for the return ... and to refund you after receiving the item back.] It sounds like you may have passed the deadline to file the return request.
Hopefully you funded your payment with a credit card ... either directly or through a venue like PayPal. I recommend you phone your credit card company ASAP and request a chargeback. They usually allow several months to do that.
Should you ever decide to purchase again on eBay, I recommend you ask here (the 'Community') how to file a claim with eBay if you run into another problem. Every company has its own rules.
Again, I'm really sorry you've had such a frustrating experience.
soh.maryl
·1 week agoSorry, but have to ask: Did you open an item not as described case with eBay? That's the easiest way to handle a situation like this and have a successful conclusion. You had 30 days to do so with eBay. The MBG, if used correctly, offers good protection.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 week agoRather short sided to think this entity, ebay, could POSSIBLY know that the seller was going to misrepresent their item being sold.
and...even MORE of a HUGE waste of time to 'call the police' as they could care less and might even kick you in the shin for wasting their time. Don't you think they have better things to do??
stephenmorgan
·1 week agoYou could also file a report with the FBI. Explain exactly what has happened and what you have done to get a refund. Contact FBI here.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Did your counterfeit item arrive thru USPS? If it did, file a report with them also. Go here for USPS.
United States Postal Inspection Service
How did you do the return? Did you return the item on your own without making a eBay claim or did you start an official eBay case and use the shipping label that was provided? You can use you own shipping but you have to provide the Tracking Number into the case details so that eBay can see its been returned. If you did not open a case then you need to open one.
msha3839
·1 week ago · EditedAre you serious about FBI or this is an attempt to be sarcastic? Do you really believe that FBI have nothing better to do with their time??
stephenmorgan
·1 week agoOf course I am serious, otherwise I would not have posted the link to the FBI Web-Site that encourages people to report internet crimes.
Why would you think the FBI has nothing better to do with their time? They literally set up a Web-Site and encourages complaints. Did you not even look at their Web-Site?
There is a lot of counterfeit and stolen property being sold online and with enough complaints it is investigated. Did you not know that there have been an occasional arrest of people who have committed internet crimes?
msha3839
·1 week ago · EditedUnbelievable…🤧..try it with seller located in China where FBI have no authority at all…have you ever heard about FBI investigation against independent sellers on eBay? And buyer have to prove that seller knowingly sold counterfeit item that in many cases impossible..and stolen property from major retailers get different attention from law enforcement for good reasons…counterfeit lawsuits brought up against manufacturers by corporations based on international laws where FBI list relevant …and occasionally arresting someone internet crimes that can be of different nature, doesn’t apply to this particular issue..good luck..🤧
stephenmorgan
·1 week agoIn your case if similar happened, I would let it go and not cause myself any stress by worrying about being ripped off.
After all you did state
msha3839
·1 week agoI try not to put myself in similar situations.
I have more than enough brain to analyze situation.
Some fights, especially caused by someone’s personal choices, not worth to fight due to predictable loss.
If someone not familiar how law enforcement and law in general works, shouldn’t give advice due to luck of understanding…🤧
stephenmorgan
·1 week ago · EditedOh, I agree. If I were you I would not advise people not to use the tools provided to report crimes.
Enough complaints and crimes do get investigated. Sometimes enough reports and Congress will
create new laws to combat the crimes.
grann-4629
·1 week agoSorry to hear you got burned. Does the tool you received actually have the deWalt name on it or is it just their colour scheme? There's a guy on You Tube who reviews these look-alike deWalt tools and they are all crap, even the batteries.
Hope you get this resolved ... I love deWalt stuff.
christworks
·1 week ago · Edited@amiche79 I'm sorry you got messed over. For the life of me though, I cannot figure out why you did not simply look over eBay's 30-Day Money Back Guarantee policy so you knew what you needed to do and how to handle this. Links to the policy are on the order page and on every eBay listing.
Unless I'm missing something - and please correct me if I am wrong - you did not open an offical return case on eBay. You simply shipped the tool back to the seller with no record of having done that. If that is what happened, then you are not going to get your money from the seller nor will eBay be able to help you. Your only option now is to go to your payment source and file a chargeback. You are going to need evidence, which means gathering screen shots of the order, your messages with the seller, and a copy of the receipt the carrier gave you. If you file a police report, you can include that with your chargeback case. That's about the only thing the police report will be good for.
I do not know what you mean by you will be "pursuing eBay for allowing counterfeit products to be sold." No attorney is going to take such a case and state AGs aren't going to do come against eBay either. eBay has no way to verify every single item being sold on the platform. You can say a tool is fake. I can say it is real. How does anybody at eBay know which one of us is telling the truth? They can't and it's a completely unrealistic expectation that they should.
But eBay does not want you to be messed over either and leave the platform. Neither do us good and honest sellers. eBay has the most buyer-friendly policies of most any reselling platform on the Internet. You get a whole 30 days from the date of delivery to open up a return on the platform if the item you got does not match the description. The seller has to refund you or take it back, and if they don't do one or the other within 3 days, you can go back to the return and ask eBay to step in. No need to speak with anybody at eBay.
eBay's policy only has one flaw: It requires buyers to read it. They place it all over the website, yet for some reason buyers don't read it. For the life of me I don't understand why
I wish you luck. I hope you'll reconsider staying. More than that I hope your payment source comes through for you. If you do stay, before you buy again, make sure to read over the policy so you know your rights and be sure you are buying from sellers who have a good reputation on the platform. That's not a 100% guarantee you won't ever deal with a bad seller, but it will reduce the chances. When in doubt, come here and ask before making a decision. Someone here will set you on the right path.
mspirit57
·1 week agoDid you follow the money back guarantee?
christworks
·1 week agoDefinitely not. 🤔
lady_madonna
·1 week ago · EditedYou needed to file a Return Request when you received the counterfeit item, for the reason "does not match description".
The seller would have had to respond to you within 3 business days and either provide a return shipping label so they could refund you when they received the returned item OR they could have issued a refund without requiring that you ship it back.
Furthermore, had you filed the Return Request and the seller never responded, you could have had Ebay step in and they would have issued you the refund.
Since you did not file the Return Request for a refund through Ebay, you can contact the funding source you used to purchase the item to dispute the charge.
This was not Ebay's fault.
magicjohnsonsvariety
·1 week agoExactly what I would have wrote!...everything is automated online now...there is absolutely no reason to "speak" with someone at ebay...
tewhol-0
·1 week ago@magicjohnsonsvariety
Customer service is, in fact, a fundamental part of any business or marketplace. It is not merely an optional courtesy or an inconvenience to be tolerated; it is an essential component of maintaining customer trust, satisfaction, and long-term loyalty.
When customers encounter a problem, the quality of the customer service they receive often determines whether they leave feeling respected and confident in the company or frustrated and disregarded. Mistakes and disputes are inevitable in any marketplace, but how those situations are handled is what ultimately distinguishes a company that values its customers from one that simply processes transactions.
So yes—customer service is a thing. More importantly, it is one of the things customers reasonably expect when they choose to do business through a platform that charges fees and presents itself as a trusted marketplace.