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Defective Ebay gift card
I don't know if anyone can help me with this, but here goes. I bought an Ebay gift card yesterday(7/20) at a Whole Foods store in the amount of $50. When I tried to scratch the card to view the number necessary to use the card, there was no number, just some gluey stuff, which I couldn't remove. I have done this enough times to know that I did it right, So, yes, the card is defective. When I went back to Whole Foods, they said there is nothing they could do, because they(apparently) have a legal agreement whereby Ebay is the resolver, not them. This seems to be standard practise, because whenever I have had problems before with a gift card, the store always refers me back to whoever's card it is. So then I called Ebay, and they told me only the store can resolve the problem. So here I am in the middle. Neither Whole Foods, nor Ebay, is taking responsibility. Isn't that convenient!! What can I, or do I, do? Help, please!
kh-stanley1
·1 year agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
bchendrick
·1 year agoUnfortunately I have had the same experience as James SEVERAL times with eBay gift cards being defective in the past year or two. At first a defective eBay card purchased at Target was immediately replaced with a new eBay gift card. But that card was also defective but again exchanged at the store. Very easy and what a long time shopper and Target RedCard holder would expect.
But some time later Target stopped making exchanges. The same was true with CVS and Ralph’s.
The eBay website is totally worthless. All it says to take card back to where I bought it. Everything else is not applicable.
Target gave me a phone number for eBay. I have called over the last six months but haven’t connected to any human Customer Service Representative. There is no option on the website regarding defective gift cards.
Finally in March 2025 I mailed eBay copies of the defective card, Target sales slip, and activation slip along with a letter of explanation. It’s been almost six months and no one from eBay has contacted me, not thru my eBay account nor the provided phone number, email, or physical address.
I have thus greatly reduced my use of eBay.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoSorry to hear of your current gift card issues. That original post is from 07/22/23.
You might get better answers to your issues if you started your own thread.
And I'm sure you have stopped buying eBay gift cards.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoDo you still have the part you scratched off?
These days a lot of cards have a sort of peel off layer that doesn't scratch off and it's easy to pull off the whole strip with the number if you're trying to scratch it.
You said there's "gluey stuff" which is exactly what I encountered the first time I tried to scratch a card that wasn't meant to be scratched @james4721 .
james4721
OP3 years agoNo. I know what you are talking about. I saw the peel-off strip right away and it came off quite easily! And I did not scratch anything. But underneath it was completely blank. Just the gooey stuff.
james4721
OP3 years agoIt seems to me that the card issuers are making this much, much harder and more complicated than it needs to be! It shouldn't be rocket science to access the number! And it certainly wouldn't hurt to rethink the whole process, either!
wastingtime101
·3 years agoThis is what I mean @james4721 .
If you peel off that clear strip, it pulls off the entire code because the code is printed on the clear strip. You're left with nothing but the glue residue.
Instead you have to remove just the silver part. Sometimes it peels, sometimes it scratches (photo shown scratches).
Either way, if the card is not usable then take it back to Whole Foods with a print out of the eBay help page linked upthread. Highlight the section that says to take it back to the point of purchase. If the person at the counter won't help, ask for a manager.
james4721
OP3 years agoThanks. But I did remove just the silver part, but there was no number. As to taking it back to Whole Foods and talking to a manager, that's why I posted. Neither Whole Foods nor Ebay claims ANY responsibility whatsoever! And that's my problem!!
eburtonlab
·3 years agoAccording to the FAQ page, you need to take the card and receipt back to the retailer.
https://pages.ebay.com/giftcard/faqs.html
Maybe print a copy of the FAQ page as well.
The card may have been tampered with.
soh.maryl
·3 years agoPerhaps the OP should print this out and take it with him, along with the required information, when he returns to the store where the card was purchased.
james4721
OP3 years agoAgain, the store WILL NOT DO ANYTHING! And neither will Ebay! I am caught in the proverbial rock between a hard place!!
james4721
OP3 years agoIt doesn't matter what the FAQ's say! The store WILL NOT DO ANYTHING!
eburtonlab
·3 years agoNo one posting here works for eBay or Whole Foods. No one here can do anything about your issue beyond offering suggestions or pointing out policy.
You bought something at a store with a credit card. Any resolution to a problem with that transaction will involve you, the retailer and your credit card issuer.
james4721
OP3 years agoHow convenient for both the seller and the issuer of the card! Neither will claim responsibility! Hooray for democracy! If you don't have the balls to stand by your product, you should be in business! This whole gift card thing is a scam and should never have been allowed without some ultimate responsibility. You guys are pathetic and against all principles of moral behavior and good business practises! You should be ashamed of yourselves! But of course you're not in the least! And you can sleep well at nite knowing you have fleeced the public! Wow!
james4721
OP3 years agoNope, the card had not been tampered with in any shape or form. And, I watched the store clerk take off the part she was supposed to keep.
rcaspindle-4
·2 years agoI tried that just this morning - the store I purchased the defective card from after speaking to the manager, he had to call another manager - who said that his manager told him there was nothing that they could do - that I would have to call ebay - because it's an ebay problem. The problem that I have with that - ebay's online help is not very helpful when I have a problem like this. So rather that try that I'm starting here to find a solution to this problem. I can't even get my paypal account back - not happy about that - I should never had let my paypal account go. What if anything can I do ? Any help with this problem would be appreciated, thank you
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoDid you use a credit card? Call them and see if you can do a chargeback. Stop buying gift cards. Give cash and let the person decide where to go to get a gift. I absolutely abhor gift cards and do not want them as gifts nor will I give them out as gifts.
james4721
OP3 years agoYes, I used a credit card. As I mentioned in my Post, the store will NOT DO ANYTHING!