HELP!! Buyer filed dispute with financial institution and won?! Now I owe $600 out of pocket
 
 
 
 
Hi, a buyer I had back in February that JUST filed a dispute with their financial institution saying “they didn’t recognize transaction†I provided eBay with the tracking from UPS proving it was delivered and received. And now I just got the email saying the dispute was won in the buyers favor??? Now eBay is saying they are going to take the funds directly from my account. They told me I can appeal this in the email but all I get is a AI bot saying they cannot find this dispute in the system because it was handled outside of eBay.
50 comments
lakefor94
·1 year agoFwiw, I had a sale for over $750 this month and the shipping page defaulted to signature required.
I would have had to uncheck the box to not include a signature required.
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoDo you know if the item price was over $750, or if it was only over $750 once the shipping, taxes, etc were added? I'm curious if that makes any difference in trigging that feature or not.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoAs of a few weeks ago @jonathanbrightlight , it was still triggered based on total value not just item price. I was helping someone that complained they had to pay more for sig conf and unless I'm remembering wrong, I believe the item alone was $640-ish then the tax+ship buyer paid brought it over $750.
The label pages selects sig conf by default as long as the service chosen supports sig conf. Even when service does not support sig conf, there is a warning banner on both web an app about sig conf being required.
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoThanks for the confirmation, @wastingtime101 !
pikabo-icu
·1 year agoWow @nike_rocker I am very sorry.. That is a rough one..
I'm glad I read through this as I was unaware of the tax factoring into sig confirmation requirement. I always wrongly believed it was the price of the item before tax.
That said; I sell a lot of high value items and I put sig confirmation on anything $600. or more so I would have been covered. I know some buyers might grumble at the idea but I want that extra protection and it's worth it to me.
Again so sorry @nike_rocker that is a VERY expensive lesson.
Be sure to add that buyer to your blocked list! https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/BuyerBlock?
lacemaker3
·1 year ago@pikabo-icu
The signature requirement is based on the total amount the buyer paid, so it also includes any shipping that the buyer paid, as well as the sales tax.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/signature-confirmation-policy?id=5154
I just figured I would mention this, because I don't think it has been pointed out yet on this thread.
pikabo-icu
·1 year agoYeah I figured that out after reading through this thread.
Thank you.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year ago'didn't recognize transaction'...those are hard to fight and win.
It was between basically the buyer's bank and you...eBay steps aside.
Tracking wouldn't help really in this...I won one without tracking.
eBay just gives you the results and recoups the money for the buyer.
Banks usually always side with a buyer's credit source.
It is a sellers' worst nightmare...which I why I try not to sell anything expensive on eBay.
eBay will go into your banking source in usually 3 days to recoup the funds...which can get the seller overdrawn.
If you sold something and have pending funds then eBay wouldn't go into your banking source.
If you sold your item listed today you would be OK.
slippinjimmy
·1 year agoFALSE....these are the easiest Payment Disputes to win, a slam dunk if you follow the policy which in this case was not followed. If the OP had required a signature on delivery they would have been automatically covered in full by Seller Protection. If the order total had been $749 they would have been covered in full without a signature. Unfortunately for the OP the order total was just over the $750 mark and they were not aware that a signature was required to qualify for seller protection.
mam98031
·1 year agoI'm under the same opinion you are. Typically the reason they don't recognize the charge is the easiest to win. In fact, most times when Ebay emails the seller, they are told they don't need to do anything, Ebay will take care of it and the seller never losing ANY money.
However this particular transaction the OP had was over $750 and required signature on delivery, and the seller did not do that.
I do however disagree with Ebay on this. The dispute was NOT an INR or was because the seller did not qualify for Seller Protection. To me that is a completely different subject. The same proof that Ebay normally remits to a CCC should have met the requirements needed for the CCC to rule for the seller. I get it that Ebay wouldn't cover the seller under Seller Protection, but then that is NOT the question or the reason the buyer filed the claim.
I am not on board with requiring Seller Protection rules to govern this specific Chargeback Dispute.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoI won my last dispute where I didn't have tracking and still won.
It depends how a seller presents the situation to the bank(buyer's)
I don't know how many you won or if you still sell but I am going by my own experience.
Maybe eBay would pay the lost out of their own pocket if there was a signature required.
Let's remember...there are two kinds of signatures as well...digital or written...the written one is the one you want to use...which I request in person at the post office with a clerk.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi @nike_rocker . Looks like you already received a correct response about required sig conf when order total value (item+tax+ship) is $750+, but I'll add some more context surrounding shipping.
You used the service UPS Ground Saver (aka SurePost) which is truly an economy service. As of today the liability coverage caps at a mere $20 because the service is intended for slow-moving, low value items. Back in Feb when you shipped the coverage was $100 - it was lowered last month, I believe.
UPS Ground Saver does not offer signature confirmation - you could not have added it if you wanted to.
My point is aside from not knowing the signature confirmation policy, the shipping service selected was not appropriate for the product shipped unless you were willing to take a big gamble and self-insure.
Knowing what shipping service to use, whether there's coverage, etc is all important when shipping high value product. Learn about the options upfront so you know what to expect if something happens like a package getting lost, damaged, or a buyer filing a claim.
eBay does surface a warning on the label page about purchasing signature confirmation when the value is $750+. In fact, it's selected as a default as long as the service chosen supports sig conf.
Regarding "doesn't recognize the transaction" payment disputes-
This is one of few dispute reasons where eBay does offer seller protections if certain criteria are met. The protection is automatic and you would have seen it upfront if you qualified, without an option to upload docs to challenge the dispute. Because the protection was not automatic, that was a red flag that something about the transaction meant seller protections didn't apply. You can read more here.
Losing the dispute means they'll pull the full amount from your account, plus a $20 fee is tacked on when there's an unfavorable outcome for challenging the dispute.
I really feel for you on the loss. Hopefully the info in this post will help with future transactions so you can avoid similar pitfalls.
pls-consignments
·1 year agoReach out to Facebook if you can. This may be a situation where the CS is just deferring, since they are unable to authorize a reversal. When you appeal, make sure you have all your ducks in a row including screenshots, time-lines, tracking etc. If you feel this is a scam, you could do a little digging on the buyer. If you find a fake name, address or phone number, eBay will consider it further. Hope it goes well for you.
nike_rocker
OP1 year agoOh I definitely feel scammed, buyer went out of his way to go directly to his bank for a payment dispute without ever contacting me about the order 3 months after I ship and deliver the item? Now eBay is taking money out of my pockets to right this wrong. If that’s the case, anyone can just chargeback orders from eBay with no repercussions it seems..
mam98031
·1 year agoYou can appeal it by contacting Ebay directly. I am really at a loss as to how you lost this Chargeback Dispute. I am trying to get more information on this very subject and if I get anything helpful I will absolutely share it with you. Please keep us informed on any progress you may make on this subject too.
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
nike_rocker
OP1 year agoThank you for this information. This is probably every seller’s nightmare that I’m living through right now. I will try these options in the morning because currently its 1am and agents aren’t available until 5am from what I’m receiving now.
mam98031
·1 year agoI don't know about that timeframe. What method did you try to contact CS. Did you try Facebook? That is really well you find the better trained CSRs. But likely better in a few hours instead of now.
Well it is certainly a big problem and I sincerely hope I can scrap up some information for you that help. Everyone is asleep right now, so nothing will come tonight. However I will be on it tomorrow and see if I can learn anything that will help. You aren't alone. Try to keep your spirits up. I realize this is a lot of money. And I take your issue very seriously. So if I can help, I will absolutely do that.
nike_rocker
OP1 year agoSo far I have sent my information regarding this issue via X from the link you provided above. But if you think Facebook is the better option I will relay the information through that platform as well.
nike_rocker
OP1 year agoJust got off the call for Customer Service and they basically told me that the reason why eBay sided with the buyer is because I didn’t purchase a signature delivery option when sending this item to the buyer. I told them that this should’ve been automatic if it’s under their terms of agreement but I guess I’m SOL.
ittybitnot
·1 year agobecause I didn’t purchase a signature delivery option when sending this item to the buyer
@nike_rocker
Signature confirmation is required for items that Total $750 or more. If that was a regular CS call back, they lied (though ebay prefers to say the agent "misspoke"). Wait to hear from X.
nike_rocker
OP1 year agoTheir reasoning is because it became over $750 after tax for the buyer. The original listing was $696.96…however if it is a requirement why is it not automatically applied to the shipping label/cost when checking out?? Also keep in mind that this purchase was made in FEBRUARY and now decides to file a payment dispute with their financial institution.
 
coastaltechsolution
·1 year agoLooks like that is correct:
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/signature-confirmation-policy?id=5154
luckythewinner
·1 year agoif it is a requirement why is it not automatically applied to the shipping label/cost when checking out?
Because it is not a requirement.
It is only a requirement to be eligible for Seller Protection. , and there are sellers who choose not to meet those requirements.
Whenever a seller meets the criteria for Seller Protection, there is a small chance that eBay will end up having to cover a refund in a dispute. So I suppose a cynic might suggest eBay could maximize profits by not aggressively reminding sellers when signature confirmation would benefit the seller.
And that same cynic might suggest there are buyers who know the rules, and when they pay $750+ for an item and don't have to sign for it, they see an opportunity to get the item for free.
lacemaker3
·1 year ago@nike_rocker,
Edit: sorry, I'm slow. Took a while to investigate this.
Unfortunately, when I looked into this more deeply, it looks like this customer service agent was correct. The buyer's total payment for this transaction was just over $750, and OP did not get signature confirmation.
I looked up the purchase in Marketplace Research, and it said that it sold on Feb 26, 2025 for $696.96 with free shipping.
https://www.ebay.com/sh/research?marketplace=EBAY-US&keywords=%22finalmouse+starlight-12+wireless+mouse+medium+achilles%22&dayRange=1095&endDate=1747748144730&startDate=1653140144730&categoryId=0&offset=0&limit=50&sorting=-datelastsold&tabName=SOLD&tz=America%2FNew_York
Then I looked up the UPS tracking information, and it was delivered Feb 28, 2025 in Irvine, CA. The sales tax rate in Irvine is 7.75%. There was no signature confirmation.
$696.96 × 1.0775 = $750.97
So the buyers total payment was just over the $750 limit, for when signature confirmation of delivery is required.
@ittybitnot: just FYI.
ittybitnot
·1 year ago@lacemaker3
Yes, you are correct. I was looking at the wrong screen.
mam98031
·1 year agoI'm sorry this isn't going the way you had hoped. My research shows the same thing as many other posters have shared with you on this thread. Please let us know how the appeal goes. Again, I'm really sorry as I know this is a large amount of money.
You do have legal ways you can go if the appeal is not fruitful. There is small claims court against the buyer. Some research may show you can file online and even have the meeting online. But check out the requirements for their jurisdiction and yours.
Because you lose a Chargeback dispute does NOT mean you will lose in a court of law.
nike_rocker
OP1 year agoHonestly, I may have to consider this. All other options are looking zero to none if this appeal isn't approved. The buyer and I seem to live in the same state, however, way further cities apart.
jonathanbrightlight
·1 year agoEven if you were in different states, cases are sometimes (often?) handled virtually via video conferencing systems now, so sometimes you wouldn't even have to travel to where the buyer is to file your claim in small claims court. Even if you did, it might well be worth it for that amount of money, though of course only you can decide that for certain. Good luck!
mam98031
·1 year agoI feel your frustration. I would be totally upset if I were in your place.
You can also check with their local Police Department and see if you can file a report on line for THEFT, because that is exactly what they have done.
If you shipped via USPS, you can file a complaint with them for FRAUD. The use of USPS in the commission of a Fraud is a Federal Crime.
https://chargebacks911.com/chargeback-laws/
chariot_badges
·1 year agoNot me. I wouldn't go thru all that chit.
A two-word reply is all they get: "Sue me."
Explain it to the judge.
It's outside of eBay's purview now, and they are not on your side anyway.
You'll win this in Small Claims court.
Make sure the venue is YOUR town.
They can appear by video.
You'll win.