eBay

sb691993 · ‎07-12-2018

Hello all,

I have a buyer who receives their items that I sold them and tells me that one of the items is broken. I explain that I will fully refund her but first I need to see photos. They upload 3 photos that are not the item I sold them. They look similar but anyone can see that they are two different items. When I explain that maybe they sent me the wrong photos because these are of a different item, the buyer never responds to me. I send several polite messages with no response. Finally, I decide to call Ebay and upload the photos since the buyer is asking for a refund of one of the items.

The Ebay person on the phone explains that she can tell that the items are two very differnt items. She then tells me that there is nothing I can do at this point. I have to wait and see if they open a case. If they open a case, she instructed me to call back, to explain to the person assigned to the case, what happened and to have them look at the uploaded photos comparred to the listing photos. The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money. To back up a bit, the buyer asked me right after winning the auction but before paying, to lower the shipping price. I guess in hindsight that was a sign that something was wrong with this buyer and I should have canceled the sale and relisted. What do you think will happen? I am waiting, today is the last day for a refund/return which I am not going to give since its so obvious.

couldabeenworse · ‎07-12-2018

The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money.

OR.... If they didn't open a case, maybe they realized they had the wrong seller.

lovtaco0 · ‎07-12-2018

@sb691993 wrote: What do you think will happen? I am waiting, today is the last day for a refund/return which I am not going to give since its so obvious.

It sounds like the buyer already filed an item not received claim and if you don't accept it today then the buyer will escalate and eBay will force the return and give you a defect because they had to step in.

ittybitnot · ‎07-12-2018

What do you think will happen? I am waiting, today is the last day for a refund/return which I am not going to give since its so obvious.

Did you get something back? You don't have to refund until you get a parcel returned. Of course, it won't matter what is in the box.

or

Is this the last day you can "accept the return and provide a return shipping label"? If you don't, ebay will do it for you or simply let the buyer keep the item and take the funds from you. Selling here is not for everyone.

castlemagicmemories · ‎07-12-2018

It IS possible the buyer has messaged the wrong seller. You could ask the buyer if they are sure they have the right seller as you did not sell that to them. Just go through ebay messages.

castlemagicmemories · ‎07-12-2018

@couldabeenworse wrote:
The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money.

OR.... If they didn't open a case, maybe they realized they had the wrong seller.

Thank you SO much!

Every buyer is NOT a scammer! It COULD be an honest mistake!

castlemagicmemories · ‎07-12-2018

@lovtaco0 wrote:
@sb691993 wrote: What do you think will happen? I am waiting, today is the last day for a refund/return which I am not going to give since its so obvious.
It sounds like the buyer already filed an item not received claim and if you don't accept it today then the buyer will escalate and eBay will force the return and give you a defect because they had to step in.

It wouldn't be an item not received claim; it would be an item not as described claim.

penguins_dont_fly · ‎07-12-2018

@couldabeenworse wrote:
The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money.

OR.... If they didn't open a case, maybe they realized they had the wrong seller.

OP said "I am waiting, today is the last day for a refund/return which I am not going to give since its so obvious."

There is a return open.

Seller needs to respond ... buyer only has to escalate tomorrow and the OP will get themselves an "Unresolved by Seller" strike 😞

penguins_dont_fly is a Volunteer Community Mentor
Buying and Selling since 2013

castlemagicmemories · ‎07-12-2018

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@couldabeenworse wrote:
The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money.

OR.... If they didn't open a case, maybe they realized they had the wrong seller.
Thank you SO much!

Every buyer is NOT a scammer! It COULD be an honest mistake!

On this Board, if the seller does something wrong, it's a mistake!

But if a buyer does something wrong, they are a scammer!

SMH

dilo-8873 · ‎07-13-2018

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@couldabeenworse wrote:
The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money.

OR.... If they didn't open a case, maybe they realized they had the wrong seller.
Thank you SO much!

Every buyer is NOT a scammer! It COULD be an honest mistake!
On this Board, if the seller does something wrong, it's a mistake!

But if a buyer does something wrong, they are a scammer!

SMH

So sorry, but I find it has become necessary to say that:

On this board, which is the selling board by the way,

If the seller does something wrong, there’s hell to pay!

If the buyer does something wrong, he gets a refund and a free return!

sMh

the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth · ‎07-13-2018

On this board, which is the selling board by the way,

If the seller does something wrong, there’s hell to pay!

If the buyer does something wrong, he gets a refund and a free return!

Wow, I didn't know the board members give refunds! How generous of them!

dilo-8873 · ‎07-13-2018

@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:
On this board, which is the selling board by the way,
If the seller does something wrong, there’s hell to pay!
If the buyer does something wrong, he gets a refund and a free return!

Wow, I didn't know the board members give refunds! How generous of them!

I hope you are referring to the post above mine as well - or are you playing favorites!!!

castlemagicmemories · ‎07-13-2018

@dilo-8873 wrote:
@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@castlemagicmemories wrote:
@couldabeenworse wrote:
The buyer is quite obviously lying and trying to steal money.

OR.... If they didn't open a case, maybe they realized they had the wrong seller.
Thank you SO much!

Every buyer is NOT a scammer! It COULD be an honest mistake!
On this Board, if the seller does something wrong, it's a mistake!

But if a buyer does something wrong, they are a scammer!

SMH
So sorry, but I find it has become necessary to say that:
On this board, which is the selling board by the way,
If the seller does something wrong, there’s hell to pay!
If the buyer does something wrong, he gets a refund and a free return!
sMh

@dilo-8873

With all due respect, yes, I know this is the Selling Board. I am a buyer but am familiar with policy regarding both sides of the equation, buyer and seller.

But no, there isn't always hell to pay by the SELLER.

But there certainly may be hell to pay by the buyer! An issue that was clearly NOT the buyer's fault, a legitimate SNAD, with multiple failures by the seller, can lead to strings of abusive, hostile, accusatory, insulting, and profanity laced messages over several days, in hopes of intimidating the buyer into abandoning the return.

Buyer DOESN"T get a return and a free item, not that that was what they were looking for anyway. They do get treated to non stop abuse until the buyer can escalate.

Then they get to repack the item, print the label, arrange for pick up, and wait for it to be delivered before they get a refund for something that was never their fault.

Then the honest neg that they left in feedback is removed by the seller, who keeps calling into CS until they get a rep that removes it out of sheer exhaustion.

Oh, yes, the seller goes through hell in that situation. Please show me where?

I totally understand that there are scamming buyers and scamming sellers. Bad ones on either side. I am not condoning false SNADs, or any other bad buyer behavior anymore than I am condoning inaccurate listings, or horrendous customer service on the seller's part.

I understand and know that there are penalties for seller performance as Ebay holds them to standards, and that many wish buyers were held to standards as well. There are irreponsible buyers in the mix as well.

But if you read this Board regularly, as I do, you already know that many threads start with a problem with the buyer, who is immediately, as in this thread,
lying and is a scammer. Even when a few other posters point out that the situation does not warrant that assumption. And that is why I posted what I did. Sorry if you found it disturbing or offensive, that was not my intention. I just wanted to post the perspective that I have often seen posted here. My apologies to all, I understand that not all sellers exhibit bad behavior. But the flip side of that coin is, neither do all buyers.

Thank you!

castlemagicmemories · ‎07-13-2018

@dilo-8873

For additional perspective, I frequent the Buying Board as well, and provide the same perspective on the Buying Board by frequenting correcting the SCAMMING SELLER threads that pop up over there. Just as not every buyer is a scammer, not every seller is a scammer, either. It might be something as simple as the seller has printed a label but the package has not been scanned yet, so the buyer thinks the seller is a scammer, when we all know that is not necessarily the case.

Regarding this: But there certainly may be hell to pay by the buyer! An issue that was clearly NOT the buyer's fault, a legitimate SNAD, with multiple failures by the seller, can lead to strings of abusive, hostile, accusatory, insulting, and profanity laced messages over several days, in hopes of intimidating the buyer into abandoning the return.

Please know that that scenario can occur also in the case of a seller who accept returns. They may fly the returns banner for increased visibility but have no intentions of actually taking a return. They may state this in their description, by saying they only take returns if they have misrepresented an item. Then you find out they never misrepresent an item (in their mind, no matter what the facts may be). And returns are to be taken for any reason if you choose that option when you list.

Granted, the Boards are where those with problems come to vent and for advice~but there is no reason to disparage either seller or buyer with the immediate assumption they are lying or are scammers as that may not be the case.

That's all.

couldabeenworse · ‎07-13-2018

There is a return open.

Seller needs to respond ... buyer only has to escalate tomorrow and the OP will get themselves an "Unresolved by Seller" strike

eBay has totally muddied up the difference between a "return request" and a "case". Since Customer Service told buyer there was nothing to do "unless the buyer opens a case", I am assuming this is still in the request phase, and if the buyer doesn't open a case, it's over.

I am also curious as to what response you are suggesting the seller to do that would prevent the buyer from escalating?

I do realize that accepting what CS says is a gamble.