Not as described

[wads80]

Ebay forced me to refund a buyer. She used a bogus  “not as described” excuse. Outright lied.

As a seller I couldn’t even dispute it ‘cuz of the buyer protection guarantee policy. 

Out of all the reasons for return this one is sketchy & can be easily misused. 
I know there’s diddly I can do about it …. So kinda just venting. 

item was a USED 30+ y/o multiple piece toy. Her complaint? Coupla of teeny tiny spots on 3 pieces that could easily have been wiped off. 

And the real kicker …they have a hold on her payment, took the refund outta my checking account. 
Are they gonna release the hold now to cover the refund? It’s not clear. 
So far they haven’t. 

I’m out shipping charges TWICE & have no idea if I’ll get my final value fees back either. 

Ugh! So frustrating. 
Not really digging this “new” eBay. 
I’m not a business. I’m a housewife trying to make a coupla $ & empty out my house. 
One if those people who built this company from day one. 
Now they only favor real businesses & the heck with people like me. 

[soh.maryl]

Sorry this happened to you.  I know it's upsetting.  However, had to ask, if those tiny spots on three pieces could have been wiped off, why didn't you do that before listing or before shipping? 

[bonanza125]

It's all policy. Ebay allows the buyer to return the item regardless if you have "no returns." Here is the thing though is this the only issue you have? Majority of transactions go smoothly. I get returns from time to time but I look at it as its part of the business. Now I understand you don't consider yourself a business however Ebay does. When you receive this item back just put it back up for sale and find another buyer.

Yes you will get your fees back. Just make sure when the item is returned you manually give the buyer a refund. Don't let Ebay step in. Also yes they take the funds directly from your checking account once you issue a refund upon return of the item. Do not issue a refund until you receive the item in your hands.

[12345jamesstamps]

'took the refund outta my checking account'...that I think happens in 3 days of notification that eBay will be doing that in an email...so I think you might have been sitting on this for 3 days?

I am assuming you sent a return label to the buyer by now...did you?

If you did nothing yet...and eBay steps in you will lose the item and the sale profit of the item since you mention 'no returns' in your listing.

[grand-and-glorious-purpose]

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@wads80 wrote:

Not really digging this “new” eBay. 

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Uh...welcome to 2008

[wads80]

I refunded. Had no choice. Paid for return label too. No choice. 

[wads80]

When ebay first began people like me ( housewives cleaning out the house ) built the company. Now they could care less about us. Also not fair that buyers can make stuff up to get refunds, leave bad feedback. Sellers can't.

[wads80]

Didn't even see them. That's how ridiculous her claim was. 20+ year old, played with toy,  gave it a quick wipe as I do with all my old items. Described accurately. 

[wads80]

I will put it back on. Have to wait a year tho  'cuz it was a Halloween item.
She didn't send it back 'til 3 days before the holiday too.
When I checked her out ( after the fact ) I saw that she was selling the same thing at the same time.
 And checking out Feedback doesn't help anymore since buyers can no longer receive negatives.

Find it kinda weird considering she got into a bidding war over it. The whole thing's suspicious & I totally believe she may have  intentionally sabotaged my auction and she most definitely misused the buyer protection thingy. Reported it .....fat lot that'll do me.

 

[kibble-net]

Selling is a numbers game. There are always going to be a small percent of buyers who aren't happy.

Hopefully, soon you will learn it's better to accept the return in these circumstances, than the alternative.

It's not about being RIGHT. It's about running a business like a business, not a garage sale. When you are selling on ebay, garage sale rules don't apply.

If you are unwilling to do this, maybe ebay isn't for you.

[grand-and-glorious-purpose]

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@wads80 wrote:

 Also not fair that buyers can make stuff up to get refunds, leave bad feedback. Sellers can't.

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No it isn't.

[ansun1024]

Same thing happened to me, buyer claimed as not as described lier to eBay . As a seller l have no choice to give full refund with return shipping fees. eBay has no seller protection. Call eBay 3 times, they don’t do anything.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

When Ebay first started out there were no rules. Any scheme anyone could think up to defraud buyers and sellers got used. Every negative FB was greeted by a retaliatory negative FB. You did not have to make a purchase to leave FB, and Pierre raked in the dough.

Complaints about buyer or sellers, Pierre implemented the FB system and ignored them.

Ebay got a terrible reputation that multiple CEOs have worked hard to live down.

Buying and selling on Ebay remains a joke in some parts of the population.

Today, the Ebay rules serve to help limit the selling population to those who can offer at least a semblance of a professional behavior. 

Many of the sellers who helped build Ebay crippled its growth and made it an also ran in ecommerce. The history is truly neither black nor white.