Ebay Authentication - charged $14.95 but items NOT authenticated (shipped directly to me)

[abrackem]

This past month I have been charged multiple times for ebay authentication but the items (shoes) have been shipped directly to me.  I believe this is a bug in ebay's software.

The seller discounts their shoes not long after originally listing.

The discount drops the price under $75 which is below the minimum cost requirement for an item to be authenticated.

The "authenticity guarantee" message and additional information is removed from the listed but the $14.95 charge for "ebay shipping" remains on the listing.

This seller ships all of their items for free and has refunded me several time for the excess "ebay shipping" charge.  They are now saying I need to contact ebay authentication for further shipping refunds.

I have called several time and every time get a message that it is outside of their business hours.

Has anyone else experience this issue and what method have they used to get in touch with ebay authentication to report it and get the shipping charge refunded?

If anyone from ebay reads this please feel free to get in touch with me.  I am a former programmer and this is a bug in your system.

Thanks for any information or assistance.

[ittybitnot]

@abrackem 

As far as I know, the authentication services are "free".  To what entity are you paying this fee?  

[abrackem]

Yes, authentication is technically free but eBay adds a $14.95 charge for shipping from the authentication center.

When an item qualifies for authentication an "Authenticity Guarantee" logo appears at the top of the listing and the $14.95 shipping charge is added.  The text associated with the shipping charge is as follows when the item qualifies for authentication:

"This amount is paid to eBay for shipping, handling, and secure delivery from an authentication center to you."

The item I purchased (in this case shoes) no longer qualified for authentication when the seller discounted the listing by 25%, dropping the price below $75.  The original price was over $75.

When the price dropped below $75 the "Authenticity Guarantee" logo was removed from the listing but the $14.95 shipping charge remained.  The shipping charge text slightly changed ("from an authentication center" is removed).

The new $14.95 shipping charge text is "This amount is paid to eBay for shipping, handling, and secure delivery to you."

Important note:  the seller I purchased from never charges for shipping and offers hassle-free returns with, again, no shipping fee charged to the buyer.

I believe this is a bug in eBay's software and it has been reported.

It took several calls to eBay customer support to finally speak with someone who could help.

I also reported it to my credit card.  They forwarded the dispute to eBay and I should be receiving credit.

The last eBay rep I spoke with created a ticket for the issue to be researched.

They are supposed to update me by the end of this week.

If anyone else is experiencing this issue I suggest reporting it and getting a refund.

This has happened on multiple purchases I have made and is effecting many other listings as well.

I finally got through to a

[stainlessenginecovers]

I thought the authentication was 'over $150?? 

[abrackem]

For qualifying shoe models the price only has to be $75 or above.

Referenced from the eBay link below:

https://pages.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee-sneakers-seller/

• Item Eligibility.

  Only select listings on eBay.com are eligible for the Service. eBay reserves the right at any time, in its sole discretion, with or without notice to you, to alter or amend the eligibility requirements for Eligible Items, including, but not limited to category, and/or value of items and/or transactions.

  Check listings for the “Authenticity Guarantee” blue check mark badge to see if Eligible Items from a particular seller are included at this time.

  Eligible Items in the categories must satisfy the following conditions:

  • Brands: Yeezy, Jordan, Nike, adidas, New Balance, Asics, Vans, Reebok, Converse, Puma, Balenciaga, Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Maison Margiela, Louis Vuitton, Crocs, Off-White, Fear of God, Dior, Y-3, YEEZY SEASON, A bathing ape, Versace, Visvim, Golden Goose, Rick Owens, Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, RHUDE, Saint Laurent, Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Burberry, Valentino, Buscemi, Giuseppe Zanotti, Givenchy, MCM, Salomon, Hoka One One, On Running and MSCHF.
  • Models: Select models within the above brands
  • Condition: New and pre-owned
  • Category: Men’s or women’s athletic shoes, boys’ shoes, girls’ shoes, unisex kids’ shoes or baby shoes categories
  • Price: $75+ (with the exception of sneakers listed in the baby shoes category, eligibility starts at $100)