Has any Agent gave you the wrong advice ( call) that cost you money and reputation?
It happened to me last year and again this month ( Oct 2025). At least 3x, 3 agents gave the same advice on how to proceed . They all said you described it correctly, they said do nothing, You need to wait and appeal.
Just after midnight, The automated system sided with the buyer . so much for having a human reviewing and making a decision. When I appealed , I did not win the appeal. Turns out , the appeal does not go to a supervisor or manager , it goes to another agent in customer service. This agent certainly not going to rat out their equal. I hoping an executive reads this and gets back to me. I asked each agent to mark comments in the notes . Ebay sellers, if this has happened to you , let it be heard here.
43 comments
albany_sellers
·11 months agoLet's just say that I have zero trust in the phone reps and will not even deal with them. They will tell you whatever they think you want to hear to make you go away. I have been lied to too many times to believe a word I am told by them.
And what happens when they give you bad advice? You are told "oh sorry, but someone was confused, and there is nothing we can do about it, even though we really, really, reeaaaaaaly want to help you"
luckythewinner
·11 months agoWhat specific question did you ask the CS reps that prompted that response from them?
Did you ask something along the lines of "how can I fight this dispute?" or "how can I avoid refunding the buyer?"
gloryglorygifts
·11 months agoShort answer ~ yes, they have given me wrong advice.
My advice? Ask your question here as there are many long term people in the community that are very helpful. You can also contact employed ebay agents via social media at Facebook, Instagram and X.
The ones on here (chat) are basically reading scripts and have no knowledge about most of what happens here.
mam98031
·11 months agoI would add that if someone uses the Chat function for assistance, it is typically a Bot / AI that is responding to you unless you type in that you want to talk to an Agent. Then the Bot will get you to a real person.
fullers_uk
·11 months agoLast week I was told to invoice US tariffs to US customers using paypal and the buyers anonymizee ebay email address, obvioulsy isnt going to work and ebay will see it as trading outiside ebay because they wont get any fees on the transaction, there is a problem buying a coffee to use free wifi to do customer support and charging there devices from street lighting power
bigbeesliquidation_llc
·11 months agoYes, only almost every single time. They say whatever to grt you off the phone. ...its absolutely how terrible they treat sellers.
mam98031
·11 months agoIf you have bad luck with Customer Service via the phone, stop using that method and try another. You have other options.
On each Ebay page there is a link to contact Customer Service at the top of the page and again at the bottom of the page.
I would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.
Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.
https://twitter.com/askebay
https://www.facebook.com/ebay
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.
If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.
If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.
https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid
https://www.ebay.com/help/home
iamalwaysright
·11 months agoI think we all have had this happen us at one time or another.
babyers88
·11 months agofirst, you are not providing the details to make a determination as to whether or not the advice that was given to you in particular was good or bad or they did not know, etc.
The latter applies though to the question in essence I have been told incorrect information by a csr and I have had to correct them on more than a couple occasions.
Like anywhere some are extremely smart and some are just there for a paycheck and are not too bright.
In no case has one cost me any money due to there advice.
Some of the responses thus far to the question are also incorrect, I think some are just assuming or guessing or have not had enough experience to answer correctly. I am not going to get into the specifics
but as a seller you should make it a point to read and know the details of how things are decided, the rules and decision making have changed over the years, some things that used to be a process for decisions used in the past is no longer the case. Sometimes you just have to refund and then all you can do is report the buyer, block them and then write off the loss on your taxes and carry on.
The CSR's can be a tool used in your favor in many cases, but not always. Just have to use the thing between the ears.
lordp1
OP11 months agoFirst, This is not the place for details or specifics . Everyone including you looks like they had same experience. Having clicked on links to countless policies, they are often vague and can be mis-interpreted by the reader. Hoping for clarification on a specific issue may need a call to an agent and have that conversation. Its just like any and all ToA 's (Terms of Agreements) that we all just check w/o reading .
bgt_masters_of_tiki_d
·11 months agoMoney? Yes many times. Reputation, not so much. If ebay's site directs you to customer service reps through phone or online help and they give you bad information that cost you to lose an item and or money I believe they should be responsible for that lost because of bad information, in particular if you have it in writing or if its recorded.
lordp1
OP11 months agoI agree, sellers are told or should read the policies and procedures...but what about the agents? Seems that many of them did not . so when sellers call for clarification , they are getting something close to made up advise.
soh.maryl
·11 months agoOK, it's now happened to you more than once. So, instead of contacting CS with your question the next time, post it here instead. These Boards are composed of many, many experienced buyers and sellers who volunteer their time here to help others when they can. And a lot of the problems you've experienced, they have also.
And the thing here is that, if someone gives you a bad suggestion, at least four people will jump in and correct them.
lordp1
OP10 months agoWill take your advise. but im not through . We are suppose to read the policy, which many of them are vague or still can be interpreted in different ways , but CS for sellers get a pass if they provide poor info.
lordp1
OP10 months agoBTW: take a look at the reply / comment I left for the buyer that said I was difficult to deal with.
mam98031
·10 months agoSadly there isn't much that can be done about that. It is the buyer's opinion and it is allowed. Your response was a little harsh, not to mention not completely correct.
A No Return policy does not mean you will not be refunding a buyer. The only type of Return Request that you can actually deny is a properly filed Buyer's Remorse return. But buyers filing an INAD you need to process. Either let them return it and refund. Or refund without a return. Do it yourself and don't allow Ebay to step in and force the refund, because they will. Then you don't get your FVFs refunded and you get a Defect. It isn't worth it.
mam98031
·10 months agoWhen you are unsure, come here and ask questions. We can help in most cases.
babyers88
·11 months agoLike I already stated, some are extremely smart with PHD degree's and the whole bit and some just fell off the bed of the potato truck, which one you might get is a roll of the dice.
hell anymore you can get pretty good clarification by simply googling the question at hand, which will normally reference ebay policies and procedure in writing. (if you don't already know or are unsure)
mam98031
·11 months agoThat is interesting. You have access to the education of the CSRs you dealt with? I'm not sure anyone with a PHD would work as a CSR, but I suppose if the job market is really restricted where they are located or they just can't apply what they learned with that much education, then maybe they would be a CSR. It would just surprise me.
I agree that Googling for an Ebay policy on something is much easier than trying to do it on the Ebay site. I always use the internet when the need arises.
soh.maryl
·11 months agoMy advice now and probably always will be: Start with asking your question here. Be sure to give all the relevant details, the more we know, the more likely it is that we will be able to help or advise you.
lordp1
OP11 months agoSad to hear all of you that responded to my post that CS has a record of providing "the opposite procedure" than the written policy , as you and many other know , is very vague in most cases.
So, their are 2 thought provoking questions: Are CS agents NOT reading the policy and procedures that eBay and you are saying sellers should read? Are CS agents deliberately advising callers in such a way as to benefit....the buyers? Yes, I read the policy, but many times it is vague or misses the point. Hey eBay executives, why do CS agents not guide the seller as written in the policy and procedures?
mtgraves7984
·11 months ago"... they said do nothing..."
@lordp1
^^^ THAT is the worst advice ever. On eBay, always be proactive. You do not want eBay to make your business' decisions.
slati_2013
·11 months agoI can understand it happening once, but the second time is on you. After the first loss you should have figured that CS will tell you anything you want to hear.
Sellers who start with "I accurately described it I should not have to refund" are doomed to lose. As we say here all the time, buyer not happy "return for a full refund".
lordp1
OP11 months agoSad to hear CS has a record of providing "the opposite procedure" than the written policy , as you and many other know , is very vague in most cases.
So, their are 2 thought provoking questions: Are CS agents NOT reading the policy and procedures that eBay and you are saying sellers should read? Are CS agents deliberately advising callers in such a way as to benefit....the buyers? Yes, I read the policy, but many times it is vague or misses the point. Hey eBay executives, why do CS agents not guide the seller as written in the policy and procedures?
mam98031
·11 months ago@lordp1
Duplicate posts are not necessary.
mam98031
·11 months agoNot really. If you got the same person every time you contacted Ebay, then OK I can buy this as a problem. But that is not very likely to happen.
kensgiftshop
·11 months agoNever had that happen, but then, I don't contact CS about returns.
I'd rather handle the return myself.
lakefor94
·11 months agoWhat @kensgiftshop said above.
A seller has to handle all aspects of returns. Involving eBay is a loser almost 100% of the time.
lordp1
OP11 months agoSad to hear CS has a record of providing "the opposite procedure" than the written policy , as you and many other know , is very vague in most cases.
So, their are 2 thought provoking questions: Are CS agents NOT reading the policy and procedures that ebay and you are saying sellers should read? Are CS agents deliberately advising callers in such a way as to benefit....the buyers? Yes, I read the policy, but many times it is vague or misses the point. Hey ebay executives, why do CS agents not guide the seller as written in the policy and procedures?
bonjourami
·11 months agoNo Ebay execs in here.
lordp1
OP11 months agoHow possible is it that the people that the "appeal " goes to the same people that provided the opposite advice / procedure written by eBay. Would it be possible that the "appeal" lands in the que of the CS agent that gave the wrong advice to the seller in the first place.
bonjourami
·11 months agoIve always understood that an appeal must have 'new information' to be considered.I have no idea where the appeal goes..maybe Ebay could tell you.
12345jamesstamps
·11 months ago'3 agents gave the same advice'...I guess they are reading it from the same script.
You would get better advice here from sellers and buyers.
I only been on eBay since 2015...not as long as you...and would never call them...
stainlessenginecovers
·11 months agoEvery phone agent gives the wrong advice. Been that way since CSR's from 'overseas' took over during Covid.
Don't call them.
Come here to the Forum and you will get the correct info from other seasoned members.
mam98031
·11 months agoWe had these same problems long before Covid came along.
You can't "call" them. There hasn't been a Call Center since the Pandemic. You can sign up to get a call back. That is one of the options I gave in my previous post.
stainlessenginecovers
·11 months agoWe did NOT have these problems long BEFORE Covid. No idea where you got that from.
I could call, they had a number, and get a US rep, if I called during the week in the morning...and get things resolved.
The rest of what you said is exactly what I said.
mam98031
·11 months agoYou may not remember them, but we did. The threads got some of the stories all the time. While this is not a new problem, it is still a very Important problem as far as I'm concerned. I'm not trying to minimize anything.
Every chance I get I talk about this subject and how it needs to improve. Clearly it is not having a lot of affect on the subject, but I will continue trying until something is actually done about it.
mam98031
·11 months ago@lordp1
There is definitely a problem far too often with the advice that an Ebay CSR may give out sadly. What I always encourage members to do is to make sure they review the Policy pages on the subject in question. ALWAYS read that FIRST.
I find that finding a policy for Ebay is easier to Google it. That is what I do. So if you had read the Policy page on this subject, you would have likely come away with the knowledge that what the CSRs were telling you was not likely to be in your best interest.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115
When a seller allows the INAD to time out is when Ebay can step in. Sellers have TWO days to respond and take care of an INAD. That means the seller would accept the return and issue a return shipping label. Then once they receive the item back they issue a refund to the buyer within 2 days.
Sellers can ONLY appeal an INAD IF they allow Ebay to step in and force the refund. However that is typically NOT a good move to make. Banking on the appeal working and things to get reversed is extremely risky.
When Ebay has to step in, they force the refund to the buyer out of your money. They do NOT refund the seller for their selling fees. AND the seller gets a Defect on their Seller Dashboard. None of which is good for a seller or the health of their selling account.
The other thing I suggest to sellers is to come here BEFORE making any move. Let seasoned member help to guide you to the best outcome possible on whatever the problem might be.
Certainly there are some things, especially account related, that we can't help you with. Then you do need to contact Ebay, but there are some better ways than others.
On each Ebay page there is a link to contact Customer Service at the top of the page and again at the bottom of the page.
I would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.
Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.
https://twitter.com/askebay
https://www.facebook.com/ebay
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.
If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.
If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.
https://www.ebay.com/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid
https://www.ebay.com/help/home
leaderco_97
·11 months agoI’m really sorry this happened to you — I can completely understand your frustration. When multiple agents give the same advice and it still leads to a loss, it makes sellers feel like the system isn’t actually protecting us or even listening. Waiting just to get an automated decision in favor of the buyer is discouraging, especially when you followed eBay’s guidance step by step.
You’re also right a lot of sellers think an appeal means a supervisor will review the case, but in reality, it often feels like it just goes to another agent who repeats the same decision without any new consideration. It doesn’t feel fair, and it definitely doesn’t feel like a “human review†the way eBay describes it.
Many honest sellers are just trying to do things the right way, but it’s becoming harder when policies always seem to lean toward buyers no matter what. I agree that eBay should allow a real second review by someone with actual authority, especially when sellers can show clear evidence.
You’re not alone thanks for speaking up. Hopefully eBay leadership does take these kinds of experiences seriously, because sellers deserve a fair and transparent resolution process.
tobaccocardyahoo
·11 months agoEbay CSRs are noted for giving incorrect advice about how the Ebay Money Back Guarantee claims are handled.
You should never have contacted them. The process is well defined in the seller help information, and the buyer has far greater rights than the seller under the law and under the Ebay policies.
Ebay CSR do not decide MBG disputes or appeals.
Your question was beyond the scope of what they can handle and Ebay does not usually accept any responsibility for their opinions, right or wrong.
If the buyer claims Item Not As Described, it will be decided in their favor close to 100% of the time. You should have protected yourself by authorizing a return with a prepaid return label.
Accepting returns and refunding is an inevitable requirement for retail sellers.
bonjourami
·11 months agoYes, the phone csr's are the worst, scripted and outsourced, they will tell you what you want to hear to get to the next call to make their quota. Better to just accept the return, provide a return label, and refund after return. Beats asking Ebay to step in and getting a defect. Its just about impossible to win a snad case.
jerseyboymusic
·11 months agoWhen you appeal, or escalate, these decisions go to Artificial Intelligence, I believe. AI defers to Ebay policy.
The customer service agents are not employed by Ebay and really have no business advising. They tell you what you want to hear and when they contradict Ebay policies, you're sunk.
I haven't had the need to contact them in about 8 years. All they do is parrot back what you say
mam98031
·11 months ago@jerseyboymusic
Appeals are NOT handled by AI. It may seem like it is, but it is not.