Buyer Return Abuse
So I recently sold an item on eBay (a Paint Sprayer machine). The buyer opened a return and said they have used this item for two jobs and it stopped in the middle of their second job hence they will need a refund or replacement. The return as automatically accepted since I have 30 days return policy. I received the returned item and opened it to my disappointment a completely different and old item. I sent eBay all the proofs for the fact this is not what I sent to the buyer. eBay offline team still decided in favor of the buyer. Kindly find attached pictures of what I received from the buyer. The first three pictures are what I sent to the buyer. I would like for someone to help me understand what is the decision-making process with these types of cases because this is far from fair.
fashunu4eeuh
·2 years agoHi @gadgetlake . Sorry that you have found yourself in this painful and untenable situation. There are some vital steps that all sellers need to take. It is past time to be better prepared to deal with possible scammers.
Sellers need to be well-versed with eBay policy, and with how the platform works to best protect themselves against fraud, and to avert possible misjudgments that can undermine one’s standing on eBay.
.As others have stated, the return system (and also the Money Back Guarantee process) is primarily automatic. EBay watches out for the buyer’s interests first and foremost. Sellers must rely on themselves as seller protections are not as powerful.
So when a transaction goes south and a Not As Described case gets opened, sellers must cooperate within the case and generally not fight the return for refund, even if “faultyâ€. Afterwards, sellers have the option to appeal the case and offer any substantial proof that eBay got it wrong. It is not simple or easy to do, particularly if the buyer knows more about eBay policies than the seller does and can exploit such knowledge.
Unfortunately, since there are no published identifying photos or information in the listing (like serial numbers), you have no way of substantiating that what the buyer returned is different from what you sold them. When matters like this come down to a he-said-she-said scenario, eBay will side with the buyer 99% of the time
So I am afraid in this case, without compelling evidence, there is very little you can do to recoup your losses. Reporting the matter becomes your word against the buyer’s, and that is usually not enough to accuse the buyer of fraud, and make it stick: it boils down to this—You sold them a Titan model 1500 paint sprayer. They returned a Titan model 1500 paint sprayer.
Selling on eBay carries risk of loss with every transaction. It cannot be avoided—only mitigated. It is up to each seller to determine his or her risk tolerance prior to listing their goods. Managing risk after the sale is fraught with stumbling blocks in the form of eBay rules that can damage selling accounts. Knowledge is therefore your best weapon against falling prey to possible scammers.
Below are links to some of the most important policies that can trip up those caught unawares.
Wish you all the best.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behaviour-policies/user-agreement?id=4259
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/prohibited-restricted-items?id=4207
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/appeal-outcome-case-seller?id=4369#section2
hollysfinds
·2 years agoEbay has never been a place that is fair to sellers for a very long time.
Follow the advice given to you by others here, & I wish you luck.
And remember that what goes around comes around.
That buyer has bad stuff coming his way.
ittybitnot
·2 years agowhat is the decision-making process with these types of cases because this is far from fair.
@gadgetlake
The 'decision' is automated. The outcome of any buyer claim that requires you to pay for return shipping is basically decided the moment the buyer chooses from the drop down menu. Your item becomes whatever the buyer says it is, and they can return anything they want. Pictures will never be considered, be they yours or what the buyer provides.
What you have here is a "faulty return". There is no seller protection for "faulty returns" on eBay. Though the following is rather "old" it is a quote from the then CEO, and is basically still the policy/attitude ten years later:
"We do not currently cover faulty returns and consider them a cost of doing business. When you sell on eBay, we consider you a business. One of our goals is to allow our sellers, whether they're large or small, to function as a business. As well as the potential for profit, all business models will have some sort of loss built in; it's important when selling on eBay that you consider this as a possibility."
A (not)delightful response from eBay CS on the same topic:
"After reviewing the details of your case, I found the item is successfully returned to you. However, it is completely different from the one you sold. I know how frustrating this matter could be, though I am positive that you will understand that since the item has been returned to you, we are unable to close the case in your favor."
"It's eBay's policy that these kinds of returns are a regular cost of doing business that every online seller of products occasionally encounters."
stephenmorgan
·2 years agoYou have been the victim of
Switch Fraud
Bad actors start by purchasing merchandise that works. And they return a defective identical item that’s broken or damaged.
eBay's logic is they do not know who is right or wrong in this situation so without absolute proof of a fraudulent return they will accept the buyer’s word. This has and continues to be a popular way of receiving free merchandise.
I am not sure, but I think some of their reasoning has to do with Consumer Protection Laws that favor the buyer, especially when paying with credit cards. With eBay’s Managed Payments they have taken the decision-making process away from the seller and eBay will decide on your behalf if a refund is warranted.
Sometimes eBay will reverse their decision if you can prove they made the wrong decision. Sometimes it is easy to prove a fraud.
In your case it will be near impossible to prove fraud since the same exact model you sold was returned. The weight would be almost the same so you cannot prove the same item was not returned. On your listing you did not post pictures of the actual item with serial numbers, you used Stock Manufacturer Photos instead and that does not help idenitfy what you sent.
dolcetreasures
·2 years agoMake sure you contact the buyer and tell them your intentions to report them to the police department, FBI, Postal Service and whatever else you can come up with. You can also add you intend on contacting their employer and publishing the info about what they did online. You can’t reason with thieves, the only thing that works is a threat to their livelihood.
oldwestgold
·2 years agoIf most of the people on this board understood the decision-making process of anything that eBay did, we wouldn't be here. I wish you luck.
mtgraves7984
·2 years ago@gadgetlake
Oh, my. If you didn't issue a refund and eBay had to step in and do it, then you also received a seller defect.
We can't go back in time, but moving forward... know that as a TRS who offers 30-Day Returns, you have one of the last seller protections left, the ability to reduce the amount of the (impending) full refund by up to as much as 50% if the item comes back to you in a different/devalued/destroyed condition. Use that protection when necessary.
That won't help you today, but it's always best to handle Returns before eBay steps in. Good luck going forward.
gadgetlake
OP2 years agoWhen I got the item back, the only option available for me was to issue the buyer a full refund.
Would I need to call them to activate the partial refund in that case?
Regards,
mtgraves7984
·2 years ago@gadgetlake
The ability to fill in the amount would be at the Refund screen. Did you try to go into those fields and enter an amount?