Hello. I am in need of some advice from the pros on here. Where to start...

[bravepirate]

   So I recently sold this Star Wars collectable puzzle to someone. It took a week after they had received it, then all of a sudden said it had arrived damaged, so they filed for a refund. I do not offer refunds on my page, as I take pictures of all details.

They filed a case and ultimately, eBay  deducted the amount out of my bank account, twice, this sending my checking account into the negative and because this has been my only income since becoming disabled, so this was a difficult hit that I'm trying to recover from still.

When I received the item back, which was on the 12th day of 10 that they had in order to send me the item, as stated in all of the documents regarding returns, customer service guarantee and if the customer broke the rules, not once, but twice,that should not cost me. 

This was a collector's item, worth on average around $300 online, which they ended up winning because they were the only bidders, for only $125, so he had no reason to complain, but worst of all, the customer broke all 4 tamper-proof, sealed seals, opened up the box and for all I know, they could have taken something out for all I know, not just ruining the integrity if my item, rendering it worth less, but ruining it mechanically by taking parts out. It's almost like they had an open one, ordered mine, then pulled the swap on my and that's not right! I'm almost $200 in the hole, due to Ebay's negligence, because the entire case was not examined properly, even after I emailed in all stages of pictures, from my possession, to pictures the customer sent me when they complained of supposed damage, to pictures of the condition that I finally received the item, which was open and looked to be missing as it was barely half full of parts when it was stated to be a large puzzle. 

The last I heard was that eBay was going to make an acception to their policy, as they had closed the case without all of the proof and pictures, so I'm waiting for them to refund my bank account with the money that should be rightfully mine, but they should be responsible for paying for the overdraft fees since it wouldn't have happened in the first place. 

Please help! What should I do?

@ebaymanagement @ebaycustomerservice

[justafemster]

You messed up in not allowing the return for an INAD.  The customer said it was damaged, therefore it was damaged in ebay's eyes.  

You're lucky you received anything back, as after the customer was refunded, they didn't have to return anything. 

You put it on auction, with the starting price.  You got the starting price.  

You were told whatever they could to get you off the phone, you're not going to get a refund, they don't look at pictures and they sure don't read what you wrote.  

Ebay is not going to pay your overdraft fees.  Not their monkey.  That's also on you.  I get it, you're broke.  But that's still not ebay's fault.  

Accept it, move on.  

[titipeo]

Sorry this happened to you, but your no refunds policy means absolutely nothing on eBay, as they have a Money Back Guarantee that overrides everything that a seller says. This MBG allows buyer to get their money in case of problems, such as items arriving damaged, or not similar to what the listing was saying. At any rate, once a buyer files a claim, its best to accept it. 

Some buyers have found a way to scam sellers under this policy, and unfortunately we as sellers are prey to this. eBay's protection to sellers is very minimal, as it tends to side more with buyer than seller. 

Regarding the overdraft fees, eBay wont pay for it, so don't expect that, accept the fact, take the hit and move on. Regarding eBay paying for the damaged, don't expect that as well, as above, take the hit and move on. 

You mentioned item arriving damage, what type of damage? As this could have been a claim to submit to the carrier if insurance was purchase, or if sent via USPS Priority Mail (they automatically insure up to $50). This should have been something to  talked to buyer, but it requires their cooperation. At this point, this is null since they returned the items. 

Regarding the possible missing pieces after the seals where broken, this could have happened during transit, not sure if you have pictures of the item. You can claim to eBay how much the item weight before opening, when you sent it, and how much it weights now, when you received it. 

Good luck, and for future, here are some short eBay rules to keep in mind:

1) The buyer is always right

2) the seller is always wrong

3) never sell anything you can't afford to losse

4) when in doubt, go back to #1 and reread all over again.

[fab_finds4u]

You're not getting compensated for subsequent damages.

Never sell anything you can't afford to give away.

eBay doesn't decide case by case. You get whatever you get back, even an empty box, and they get a refund. 

Sorry, that's the way it goes. First your money then your clothes. 

Have some chocolate with that K-Y Jelly.

[powell-memorabilia]

Sorry you are going through this, but you need to be realistic.  Your Star Wars “puzzle” was the $125 Imperial Tie Fighter?
- your item is worth $125 - I can buy it new, for less

- there is no reason for someone to order your item to swap out pieces, as Lego has a super easy and free process that will provide missing pieces from these sets 

- your buyer and eBay reps do not and should not care about your financial issues

- your assertion that a buyer has less rights to complain if he gets a good deal is not grounded in reality

[simba6]

There is NO such thing as no returns when selling in this venue.  You always have to keep some money to cover such returns. 

[bonjourami]

The proper procedure would have been to provide a return label, and refund after return, you also received a defect for Ebay having to step in.