Forget about eBay's money back guarantee
TLDR:
Won auction, never received item, submitted proof, eBay sided with seller. I lost my money, seller gets to keep my money and potentially the item I never received.
The details:
Won a $510 microphone set on auction.
Seller sent label information, I tracked it religiously.
Took my infant son for a walk, as I returned to our building, I got a USPS notification that "your package was delivered".
Since I was literally standing next to the mailbox, where the item has allegedly been delivered, I could verify with 100% accuracy that this was not true. Unfortunately, this happened 5 minutes prior to the post office closing for the weekend, so I had to wait until Monday morning to go talk to them.
Monday morning I go to USPS. They fully recognize that the package was not delivered (or attempted delivered), but offered no explanation, and informed me that the package would now be returned to sender.
The last time this happened to me - also on a Saturday - it took me 7 weeks to finally receive that package - and only after the seller had filed a "find missing shipment" request with USPS.
I therefore wrote seller and explained the situation. He expressed understanding, and the next day he told me he had also talked to his local USPS office - which had also acknowledged the mistake and reassured him that his package would be returned soon.
I once again told him that I was pretty sure he would not see that package again, unless he filed a "missing shipment" claim.
And that's when he stopped responding to my messages.
After two weeks and 4 ignored messages, I decided to ask eBay to step in.
Was informed I had to wait 3 days in order to give the seller time to respond.
On the morning of the 4th day, I woke up to a message from eBay, that they had ruled in seller's favor, since my shipment showed as "delivered" in their system.
I had already provided eBay with all the evidence they needed to fully understand the situation: USPS tracking number that clearly stated that the package was being returned to sender + screenshots of my texts with seller - clearly showing that we had both talked to USPS and that they recognized the error was theirs.
I then appealed the case, simply stating that I had paid for an item, but that I had never received it.
After a few hours, eBay closed the case stating that they upheld the original verdict.
In other words: I have paid $560 for an item I never received, and eBay decides that it's my fault, and that seller gets to keep my money.
They even had the nerve to tell me "Please understand we consider delivery attempts as proof of delivery so we'll be retaining the original case decision."
And "[..] since latest tracking event shows that item will be returned to the seller, I highly advise that you contact your local post office to check if they still have the package with them so you can have it retrieved as there is a possibility the item was stuck there."
I obviously already did that, but the problem is that from USPS' point of view, I have no claim to this package, since I'm not the sender, and it's on route back to him.
The only person who can ask USPS to step in and look for the missing shipment is... the seller.
So the decision to award the seller with my money AND his product is beyond me.
And since I already filed an appeal, there is nothing I can do at this stage, but to eat the $560 loss.
I am furious. Absolutely illogical and unfair practice on eBay's part.
glenvonnie
·4 months agoThe first thing buyers do in this type of case many times is file an INR case which they're going to lose because the tracking shows delivered.
File an Item not as described, or missing parts or pieces case, and use the label they give you to send back what you got, nothing.
Once that is delivered the seller has a limited time to give you a refund or eBay will.
mr._bob
·4 months agoYEP
eBay knows about this scam and enables it.
I was victim of it 2 weeks ago.
Notified eBay immediately.
They allowed the seller to do it NINE MORE TIMES
They sided with the seller in my not received case and my appeal despite me providing SEVERAL pieces of evidence including INDISPUTABLE PROOF that it was a fake tracking scam.
They then allowed up to nine more users to be victimized.
They have STILL not refunded me.
They are now ADVISING ME IN WRITING to commit fraud to get my refund.
bonanza125
·4 months agoFile a chargeback dispute immediately.
mr._bob
·4 months agoAnd as everyone else is saying. Yes, Chargeback. eBay WILL NOT HELP YOU and you will waste DAYS of your life dealing with them. They will LIE to you repeatedly before closing your case in the seller's favor.
If you've went through Paypal I've read mixed reports of using their "Shipped to wrong address" claim... mostly negative. I'd just go right to chargeback, but you can try that.
I can however confirm the eBay is in league with the scammers and will actively work against you.
krazzykats
·4 months agoFake tracking scam. Charge it back with your funding source.
ᓚᘏᗢ
ryry-jj
·4 months agoDo know that once you go to your bank ebay will br out of the picture. Before going to your bank, if still within eBay's MNG window, file for a return state INAD. If you get that letter from post office maild a copy of it back to the seller if they ever do send a return label. If they never reapond after 3 days have eBay step in
asfol_58
OP4 months agoIs it safe to go to my bank and dispute the transaction when I have a bunch of other (ongoing) purchases and sales with eBay?
ryry-jj
·4 months agoYou are a victim of the fake tracking scam. File a charge back with your bank/payment source. Contact the fraud department at state that you "are a victim of the fake tracking acam on ebay"
You may need to collect a letter from the usps that acknowledges the parcel was not delivered to your address
asfol_58
OP4 months agoI've experienced a few of those - but they looked a little bit different, so I can say with high accuracy that this is not one of them.
Those were a fake package being sent to my zip code, but not me. And when they're delivered they show up as delivered. USPS helped me document that, and showed me the address listed on the label (which wasn't mine).
But in this case, they just admitted to their driver having mis-classified the item as delivered, when in fact it wasn't. Also, the address label was printed directly through eBay, so the tracking number is automatically pulled from that.
I think this was just an opportunity that arose in the moment, that the seller is now taking advantage of.