eBay

br.rosfam · ‎09-26-2023

Basics of what happened:

I bought headphones on eBay. The headphones were fakes which was very obvious once I received the package.
I went out of the country and saw that I wouldn't be back before the return window closed, so I asked eBay for a return window extension, which they granted.
Meanwhile, the seller told me two things. (1) Yes the item is fake, and (2) he would refund me and that I don't even have to send the item back.
Nevertheless, it's a handful of days before my return window extension closes and I haven't gotten a refund from the seller so I'm preparing to send it back. The seller keeps telling me to wait, hold on another day or two, he's been busy but is going to send my refund ASAP. I don't think much of it since I have like a week left on my extended return window.
Then suddenly I'm surprised to see the seller opened and closed a case, locking in my missed my return window deadline. Apparently, I can no longer return the item because the return window is closed. But my return window extension is 5 days in the future, so that doesn't make any sense.
Ebay literally told me in a support transcript that my return window would be open until a certain date in the future. But it appears that although this was promised, it's not reality. I found out from speaking with support agents that the Ebay support agent was wrong when he said he extended my return window.
In fact, the seller was waiting for the original return window to end so he could close the case and take my money. He actively deceived me so that I would end up stuck paying full price for a counterfeit fraud item.

I have brought this up to the support agents on chat and over the phone and they agree the seller scammed/deceived me say there's nothing they can do:

I have done everything I can from my end. I have submitted reports to eBay about this seller. I have spoken with agents on the phone and over chat. All agents agree that I was given the incorrect information about my return window extension by eBay, that this seller scammed me and violated eBay policy by deceiving me, and that I deserve a refund or the ability to return the item. Nevertheless, there's apparently no way for eBay to give me a refund or force the seller to give me a refund. I've been told to continue contacting the seller asking for a refund, but they will never respond. I've been a customer of eBay since 2005 and this has been the worst experience I've ever had.

soh.maryl · ‎09-27-2023

Is "got over it and did nothing" your recommendation for a buyer who receives an item that is not as described?

wastingtime101 · ‎09-27-2023

@soh.maryl wrote:
The seller may have led you into a scam in your mind, but eBay CS did not help by telling you that the deadline for returning your item would be extended and you contributed to this by not reading or understanding the MBG.

Agreed that the comms with CS did not help in this situation.

I think there was a miscommunication between the buyer and CS. If a formal extension had been added to the return, from what (US-based) CS told me in the past, it would not have been systematically possible for CS to intervene before that extension date arrived. Unless the system changed (which is possible), I don't believe there was an extension added to the return.

Look at the screenshot where CS said, "I had a look at the communication you had and I understand you were granted the extension." My interpretation, based on experience, is CS was looking at communication between buyer and seller and there was no formal extension by eBay. Perhaps CS was saying the seller was giving the buyer an informal extension. It was an overseas rep so there could have been something lost in translation / interpretation / communication.

Either way, buyer jumped the gun by opening a return request when they were traveling and not able to follow through with shipping the return.

GLORIOUS!

soh.maryl · ‎09-27-2023

ETA: In retrospect, I believe I was too hard on the OP in this instance. To the OP: Sorry for my snarkiness.

gosimus · ‎09-27-2023

@br.rosfam @reallynicestamps

< you will be required to pay for a Return Shipping Label >

Paypal's "Return Shipping on Us" service will pay for the return, but you have to sign up before opening a dispute. I probably don't need to tell you to read all the conditions before signing up for this service. https://www.paypal.com/do/webapps/mpp/returns/terms-and-conditions?locale.x=en_DO

house*of*paws · ‎09-27-2023

Hey @gosimus

Is this something new? I know PP started paying for a given number of return shippings per year a few years ago … but then stopped paying within the past year. [It’s sooo hard to keep up. 🙄 ]

So is your link something new? I’m on my phone … and can’t browse as easily … so can’t find the date the program started. Thx. 😊

albertabrightalberta · ‎09-27-2023

@br.rosfam

I mentioned this in another post from another scammed buyer. Please refrain from buying anything electronics from sellers in China!

Oh, and in the future, please check sellers' feedback before purchasing.

Name and shaming isn't allowed on the boards, BTW.

albertabrightalberta
Volunteer Community Mentor

wastingtime101 · ‎09-27-2023

@gosimus wrote:
@br.rosfam @reallynicestamps

< you will be required to pay for a Return Shipping Label >

Paypal's "Return Shipping on Us" service will pay for the return, but you have to sign up before opening a dispute. I probably don't need to tell you to read all the conditions before signing up for this service. https://www.paypal.com/do/webapps/mpp/returns/terms-and-conditions?locale.x=en_DO

@house*of*paws @gosimus

PayPal discontinued that service a year ago:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/PayPal-will-no-longer-provide-free-return-shipping-labels-for...

GLORIOUS!

house*of*paws · ‎09-27-2023

@wastingtime101 wrote:
@gosimus wrote:
@br.rosfam @reallynicestamps

< you will be required to pay for a Return Shipping Label >

Paypal's "Return Shipping on Us" service will pay for the return, but you have to sign up before opening a dispute. I probably don't need to tell you to read all the conditions before signing up for this service. https://www.paypal.com/do/webapps/mpp/returns/terms-and-conditions?locale.x=en_DO
@house*of*paws @gosimus

PayPal discontinued that service a year ago:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/PayPal-will-no-longer-provide-free-return-shipping-labels-for...

Thanks for the info @wastingtime101 . [I was hoping that PP might have just started up another program where they’d pay for return shipping. Guess not. ☹️]

titipeo · ‎09-27-2023

You make a good point with your comments, check seller's feedback, don't buy stuff from China, etc. Like I mentioned, item cost new $170 and buyer got it for $35, is obvious something is off. Then he claims to seller that goods where fake, well, what exactly you were expecting when you were buying then for $35. Sometimes I think that buyers should accept the outcome of their actions, but eBay is there to help out with their MBG, or the chargeback, and no one gets hurts. Maybe if buyers start getting stuck with their purchases, they might learn to be careful, do proper vetting on sellers, and these things could be reduced. As I've always said in the past, buyers greed comes into play.

gosimus · ‎09-27-2023

@house*of*paws @wastingtime101

That link was contemporary. I went to PayPal and took that link from the URL at the top of the page I was on. I sort of hinted to the OP that I didn't like all the terms and conditions that came with the service. I guess that PayPal doesn't update their information pages any better than eBay has been.

gosimus · ‎09-27-2023

@house*of*paws @wastingtime101

Too late to edit my above. I clicked the link to go to that page again. I logged in to PayPal with the intent of asking them if the service was still available. When I refreshed the page, the screen changed to a "could not be found" pacifier page.

Sorry for posting incorrect information, @br.rosfam