eBay

xfactor888 · ‎08-16-2022

I bought a product from a seller than turned out to be defective, and I requested a return which was granted. The seller then claimed that I sent back a part with a different serial number than was shipped to me. I don't have a picture of the serial number on the product that was shipped to me, so it's my word against theirs. What should I do in this case?

lamber9347 · ‎08-16-2022

@xfactor888 There is nothing you can do, but there will be nothing FOR YOU TO DO. This platform does not get into any back and forth between sellers and buyers. Buyers have the upper hand in every situation. The seller cannot prove you returned a different item because the seller could have simply substituted the item themselves. You will win the case you just have to wait it out. There is no court of law here, only a selling platform that aims to keep the buyer happy at all times. If seller attempts to keep any portion, just hit the appeal button and eBay will grant you the full refund. You will not be out any money here, remember that you have a money back guarantee- that is a guarantee. Worse case you may have to write a rebuttal but that's just your time. Best of luck to you....

xfactor888 · ‎08-16-2022

Thanks for your reply. Technically speaking, there is a small chance that I could have sent the wrong item back. I compared it to a product at my work, but the chances I sent back the wrong item are very slim, almost 0. Worst case though, I just wouldn't get the refund? I tried to ask the seller for the serial number they were expecting, but they wouldn't give it to me.

Anonymous · ‎08-16-2022

Based on your two posts in this thread, sounds like you returned the wrong item.

It also sounds like the seller noted the serial number but you did not.

ajs_coins_and_alchemy · ‎08-16-2022

Serial number in listing pics?

ajs_coins_and_alchemy · ‎08-16-2022

Or listing description?

Anonymous · ‎08-16-2022

@ajs_coins_and_alchemy wrote:
Serial number in listing pics?

Useless if OP didn't take a pic of the one he sent back

xfactor888 · ‎08-16-2022

No, it was one of those sellers that has a lot of items to sell, and doesn't show the pictures of SNs of all of them.

Anonymous · ‎08-16-2022

A lot of sellers keep a private log of the item's serial number when it goes out, especially imei numbers which they otherwise would not disclose in a listing to avoid blacklisting.

Regardless. As @lamber9347 said you probably won't lose anyway.

I've had buyers return totally different imei numbered phones and lost.

xfactor888 · ‎08-16-2022

I am pretty certain I didn't send the wrong part back, as I had it in my possession the entire time. The only reason I mention it is because I do want to be careful and I really don't want to scam anyone out of their money. Like I said, I tried to contact the seller but they wouldn't tell me the serial number of the product that they were expecting, so I can't compare it with the other board. That seems a little fishy to me, which leads me to believe I did send the correct product and they're trying to keep the money.

lamber9347 · ‎08-16-2022

@xfactor888 wrote:
Thanks for your reply. Technically speaking, there is a small chance that I could have sent the wrong item back. I compared it to a product at my work, but the chances I sent back the wrong item are very slim, almost 0. Worst case though, I just wouldn't get the refund? I tried to ask the seller for the serial number they were expecting, but they wouldn't give it to me.

Well, that was not the answer I expected back!!

Seller cannot simply not refund. The process for a returned item being different is the seller can keep up to 50% of the price. Seller would have to meet certain qualifications first, and even then, the buyer can still appeal that. If a buyer claims to have returned the same item, there is no way for the seller to "prove" it's not the same. Seller now has it in their home, they can substitute it just as easily. Remember, this isn't a court of law, this is only a selling platform that handles millions of individual sales in any given day.

xfactor888 · ‎08-16-2022

I can understand somewhat why they do that, but it seems like if they were willing to send me the board with the SN, and if they really cared about resolving the case, they would have told me (since if they are to be believed, I already have the SN in my possession since I didn't send it back). From their perspective it doesn't make any sense to withhold information they believe I already had. You are right that I should have taken a picture before sending it back though, I'll be sure to do that in the future.

xfactor888 · ‎08-16-2022

I've reviewed the other product and I have confirmed I sent back the correct part. Now that I know I want to escalate the issue, I found instructions at this link:

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

But after following the instructions, the option to ask ebay to step in doesn't appear. Is that because it hasn't been 3 days since the company received my return?

lamber9347 · ‎08-16-2022

The return process is all automated. You must wait for the case to work its way through the system. You can't rush it, just bide your time and remain positive all will be fine....