eBay automatically stepped in on an INAD I initiated. Return label "Reason for return" is incorrect.

[ryokosama]

Hi guys,

I recently purchased a high priced collectible figure ($600)  listed as "Used-Open box" No damage details were listed and the seller used stock photos to represent the figure.

I received it and upon opening, the bike that comes with him had two pieces broken off with dried superglue on them from a previous repair. The wheel also fell off after I picked the bike up. There was glue on that too. I contacted the seller and he the said bike was in perfect condition and accused me of breaking off the parts myself.

As per advice from Ebay on twitter, I initiated an INAD- Item damaged and provided photos.

The INAD said "If you do not hear anything from the seller, you can ask us to step in on July 8th"

I just woke up to see that Ebay automatically stepped in, has ruled in my favour and will refund me when the item is marked "Delivered". I didn't ask them to step in myself and they haven't forced a refund as I've been led to believe from other posts here.

The return label says "Reason-Item damaged during shipping" which is untrue. It was already damaged because the seller had broken it and tried to glue it back together. He did send it in a thin box with no protection  that was slightly too small for the item, but the damage I reported is what he did himself. When the seller receives the return, will he be able to appeal and reverse the decision because the return reason does not match the truth of the matter? Also, this is a 12 inch figure in a box and weighs about 4lb, but the label is a first class one, which surely isn't a valid shipping method for such an item?

Thanks in advance for the help,

[nh7235]

1. The eBay return label is just a placeholder. USPS will weigh and measure the label, and bill for the correct postage. That's why @rokusharma you don't see any postage on the label.

2. Use the scanner on the self-service APC kiosk in the lobby to get your receipt, then drop your return in the bin beside the kiosk. You will see an email from eBay a few hours later thanking you for mailing the return.

3. Since eBay has already stepped in, different rules: The seller will not see the return before eBay forces a full refund a few minutes after tracking shows delivered.

[buyselljack2016]

@ryokosama 

Makes no difference .................  damaged/repaired before sent, or damaged in shipping. The end result is the same. You ship the item back. Seller refunds, or is forced to refund by eBay.

Were you looking for some other results?

[ryokosama]

@nh7235 Thank you for the helpful reply! I will do as you said.

@buyselljack2016 I wasn't looking for anything other than an answer to my question about whether the seller can appeal my return based on the packing slip saying it was damaged in transit, when he, himself sent me a broken item that he'd glued together. I re-read my post and it seems clear to me, so apologies if it wasn't for you.

[house*of*paws]

Hi @ryokosama 

eBay may have stepped in at the seller’s request.

The term ‘Damaged’ generally is used when the item is broken in transit.  The term ‘Defective’ is used when the item appears to have been already damaged prior to being shipped.

That said, there is no difference in how the return is handled as long as the term indicates that the item is ‘not as described’ in some way.  The seller won’t be able to interrupt the process.

It’s perfectly fine to use the shipping label eBay provided.  It is a special label that is good for items weighing up to 70 lbs.  You’re good to go.  🙂

[ryokosama]

@house*of*paws 

The case notification was just after 3am EST, which is exactly when the INAD was due to end and I could ask eBay to step in (12am Pacific-eBay's time). I don't think the seller happened to respond the exact minute it was due to end, though maybe it is a wild coincidence. 

The seller outright said he would not send me a return label, which is why I told him I will open a damage return instead. I contacted Twitter and asked which is the correct option if the seller himself damaged the item and she said 'Damaged'.

Thanks for the information about the weight leniency on the return label! I appreciate it.

[house*of*paws]

@ryokosama 

I hadn’t heard of eBay stepping in on its own … so I learned something new today.  🙂

I usually recommend that buyers choose the reason ‘Doesn’t match description or photos’ as long as the item is NAD.  It subsumes all of the other NAD reasons so there can be no nitpicking.  😉

[ryokosama]

Thank you very much! If this ever happens again, I will absolutely pick the option you said. I'd hoped that if it was in writing via Twitter Ebay, I'd at least have some back up proof of what I was told, but it seems they often don't care about any of that! I've been a seller for 16 years and have never had an item this misrepresented before, so hopefully it won't happen again any time soon.

I did some research after writing this post and there are multiple reports of them stepping in automatically. I'm of course fine with that, but as I have to wait for him to get the item before I'm refunded, I got a bit worried about him contesting the refund and I'm travelling home to England soon, so don't want the case to expire while I'm away!