Appeal Denied

[dalphwinds]

In late March, I was attempting to purchase Silent Hill 3 from seller  After an initial return to sender, the seller claimed to have reshipped it to my adress. It is now April 30th and I have not seen my package. I had sent an appeal to eBay and they have not seen my case as one that warrants a refund. However, the seller has clearly relisted the game for double the price initially purchased. This is clearly a sign that the seller has the item and does not intend to issue a refund or return, so why would eBay be in favor of the seller?

[klhmdg]

Did you originally get the item?

Did you file a claim to return through eBays MBG?

Your post leaves a lot out - You "attempted" to purchase. Then returned. Then seller reshipped.

An attempt would mean you tried to purchase. Did you purchase?

[mudshark61369]

@dalphwinds,

"After an initial return to sender, the seller claimed to have reshipped it to my adress".

What was the reason for returning the game to the seller?

 When you returned it did you ship it back with tracking, and if you did, did you message the seller and send them the tracking number?

Did you pay for the return shipping cost?

Those are the questions we need answers to.

However, given your inexperience using ebay, I am going to guess, you messaged the seller about some issue with the game,  and they told you to send it back.  You probably did that thinking they were being nice because they have a No Returns policy, which couldn't be further from the truth.  If you did not return it with tracking or send the seller a tracking number, you have no proof of a return, and that is why your appeal was denied. You cannot get a refund for a return without proof that you did return the item.  If you did send the item back and still have the shipping receipt with the tracking number on it, tell us that in a reply, because you still have one possible option left to get a refund.

When you receive an item that is not as described, sellers are responsible for paying the return shipping cost, no matter what their return policy is, because eBay's Money Back Guarantee policies trump a seller's return policy.

If you go to your purchase history, open the listing and look below the payment method icons, you will see;

If you click on the underlined Learn more button, you will be directed to the policy, and you should save it for possible future use.

After contacting the seller, if they told you to send the game back, you could have filed an Item Not As Described (INAD) dispute, using the More Actions button in your purchase history.  The seller would have had 3 days to reply by either sending you a return shipping label, or issuing you a full refund, if they did not want the item back. 

   If they did not reply or tried to argue about the return on the 4th day after filing, you could use the Ask ebay to step in button, in the dispute.  If they did send a label and you return the item, the seller has to issue a refund with 2 days of receiving the package back.

Whenever, you need to return an item for an INAD reason, never trust a seller to resend anything. You always use Return for a refund. Then find a more reliable seller.

You also need to check the seller's feedback profile, before buying from one. You do that by scrolling down a listing page to where you see the seller's username in a large font. below it will be a few comments then an oval with See all feedback in it.  You click on that to be taken to their profile page. On it if they have received negative or neutral feedback, you can click on those numbers to read only those comments.

In this case despite the seller's (20) feedback, it says No Feedback yet.  Which means all of their feedback and 100% rating are for buying only, Not selling.  You should avoid sellers without feedback, until you have a lot more experience using ebay, and even then be careful about buying from newbies.

[dalphwinds]

I did not initially get the item. I never as much as saw the package. I did not send it back myself. Originally, the item arrived at my post office, but they had found something wrong and resent it back to the seller. Or at least, that’s what the provided tracking number stated. I did not pay a return shipping cost because with the other recent purchase I made of Silent Hill 1, I had the exact same issue with my post office and yet that seller had returned it without an issue. I wouldn’t have an issue with it not being returned as long as it was refunded. The other two sellers who I have purchased from were unable to resend it and promptly refunded it for me.

The tracking code was 9400108205498787511218 on USPS.

I understand why you suggest filling an item not as described, however the issue is that the package never actually reached me, and saying that the item is “not as described” wouldn’t really make sense if I never actually have seen the package myself.

[klhmdg]

@dalphwinds when an item is undeliverable and returned to the seller by USPS or other shipping company, per eBay policy the seller does not have to refund the buyer.

Buyers are responsible for supplying a good delivery address.

Most sellers will refund the price of the item minus what they paid for shipping and any fees.

BUT eBay doesn’t require the sellers to do this.

When you tried to get a refund, the seller presented the tracking showing undeliverable from USPS and won the appeal.

You should make sure your address is correct and that the PO can deliver to you on any further purchases.

Good luck!

[sdneped · Accepted solution]

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@dalphwinds wrote:

After an initial return to sender, the seller claimed to have reshipped it to my adress.

It is now April 30th and I have not seen my package. I had sent an appeal to eBay and they have not seen my case as one that warrants a refund.

However, the seller has clearly relisted the game for double the price initially purchased. This is clearly a sign that the seller has the item and does not intend to issue a refund or return 

---

Actually @dalphwinds it seems that your seller applied insufficient postage, because on this particular return to sender at least, the seller's post office held the item for pickup rather than making an outright delivery.

Don't talk to the seller or contact eBay any more. Instead, file an item not received dispute here if that's how you paid as unlike eBay, PayPal requires a refund if you don't have the item -- and that includes even if you refused delivery.

Otherwise, file a chargeback with your card issuer, to get your refund.

Your card issuer considers a refused delivery to be a valid return or more broadly, regardless how it was a return to sender. 

[aproudparent2010]

Return to Sender Processed

GOOSE CREEK, SC 29445 

April 3, 2024, 11:17 am

Delivered, Individual Picked Up at Postal Facility

GOOSE CREEK, SC 29445 

April 1, 2024, 10:28 am


It shows you picked it up on the 1st and then did a return to sender on the 3rd?

[dalphwinds]

nono, please read again. I never actually picked up or so much as saw the package, the post office picked it up and automatically returned it after finding an issue.

[dalphwinds]

thanks so much! i didn’t intend to list this as the best answer, but it gives me way more than just “make smarter decisions next time” or “this is what you should have done but it’s too late” and overall not coming off as condescending. Regardless, I’ll keep in mind that PayPal is to be used for purchases such as this from now on.

[aproudparent2010]

I read what you wrote but the tracking shows that an individual picked it up at the post office and then 2 days later returned it to sender.

[janet9988]

YOU did receive the item and 2 days later YOU returned to sender.......

[dalphwinds]

This is starting to get annoying. I live on a military installation, the PO is made up of sailors who manage packages and make sure everything coming in is not a risk for us.

I did not return to sender, stop claiming I made a return to sender, I never as much as SEEN the package. This exact same issue occurred with other purchases I made at the same time, and those were easily resolved. 

[aproudparent2010]

That may have something to do with why your appeal got denied.

See how giving all details up front helps?

[ittybitnot]

@dalphwinds 

You need to take your order details and tracking information to the Post Office to determine if this parcel was intended/addressed to YOU in the first place.   If it was NOT, then you have a whole other issue.  Have the post master write it down and sign that the package in question was not delivered to you.  The need not tell you the exact address on the parcel. 

For instance, it could have been addressed to another person or business in your zipcode ON PURPOSE.  This scenario is used to convince eBay bots and the regular customer service that you indeed got the merchandise.  That party, realizing they had nothing to do with that merchandise, may have sent it back. 

Find out, come back here for your next steps. 

[dalphwinds]

I’m going to check in with the PO on why they returned it, because while it’s unlikely that it was adressed in the wrong name, it would explain why it was sent back without warning or notification. The mail room’s policy is that they only send things back after 11 days of being untouched. Since it typically takes a few days for the mailroom to process mail and they don’t directly have most packages, it doesn’t make sense for it to have been sent back without a valid reason, especially if they only held it for just 2 days. Regardless, thank you everyone with your help on this.