After 19 Years Selling on eBay I'm about to move everything over to Mercari. Here's why....

[homecarecomputer]

My ads say I don't take returns. I do under certain circumstances and basically, eBay forces you to if a con artist complains enough......and that's what happened here.

The last 5 calls I made about this return were greeted with "Thank you for 19 years of selling"....well, I guess I won't be making it to 20, though I have 1,100 items for sale so it will take me a while to transfer it over.  
The disrespect with which eBay handled my situation was above and beyond reproach. I spoke to 6 different people who gave me 6 different policies and not one thing that was said to me was consistent. 

A woman bought an item from me listed as "hand-crafted" with LED lighting and I had 9 pictures and half a page of description. I'm very thorough that way.  I also let people know I don't take returns so study photos and ask your questions before purchasing.  This woman harassed me about the price before she bought the item and continued to harass me about other similar items I had wanting more but not wanting to pay my prices and then started sending me comparisons of other people selling what she considered similar items which were not.

I lowered the price by $40.  I double-boxed this delicate item and sent it off.  She received it and the complaints started.  NOT that anything was actually wrong with it --but the lights were so bright she had to wear sunglasses ?? Yes, she actually said this.  That the bottom was warped (the photos are exact and it is an imperfect handcrafted item).  She called eBay for a return and having sold on eBay for 19 years, I saw this as buyer's remorse.  I would gladly take back the item but paying for shipping to and from this woman was something I was not inclined to do.

I was told by 6 different people many different terms of their policy.  "Don't do anything and eBay will send her a label which you will not have to pay for".  So I listened to his instructions and eBay charged me for that label.  They told me to wait until a particular date and then call back and they will take care of what has happened on this date because "buyers remorse" is not consistent with a refund for "damage" which she did not send photos of or prove.  This went on and on for a week.  I got screwed at every turn.  The kick was when I received the item in the mail and all the windows of the house were off and sitting in the box  ??
There is no way these windows would have come off themselves. There was no damage to any of the 2 boxes she returned them in.  It had to have been done out of maliciousness.  There is no other possibility. I called again.  The item s damaged upon return. I sent over photos. They told me not to do a thing...not to let the return go through. They would get back to me.  An hour later my money was out of my account and they had given her a refund.  They said there was no sign of damage to the box......

Wow.  SO this lady got her money back. I paid her shipping both ways and she destroyed my item and out of 19 years of respect eBay just took money out of my pocket.

To be honest, this year I have sold just as much on Mercari as I have on eBay.  No-fuss, no muss, they buy the shipping labels and I just print them.  They treat you with respect.  They take less in fees. People have to pay as soon as they buy something and I get my money after everyone is satisfied.  There is no "6 weeks later notice that the customer says the item is damaged" there is less con-artistry.  

for 19 years I have been a diligent seller and I have packed my items with care and when I do get feedback (because on eBay most buyers never leave it --on Mercari, I'm left feedback for every single item whether it's the customer or Mercari itself--  They answer my emails and I don't have to hear 6 different policies from 6 different people who are all lying to me.
So yes, it's going to take me a bit to transfer over but unless eBay does something to show some respect to its sellers in the coming weeks I'm gone.  

Thank you for listening.  I"m just so upset I had to talk to someone who understood.  I'm sure I'll get some nasty comments (I seem to see that a lot on here with people who are just expressing their frustrations --there is always that one guy making people feel stupid --"you should have known better").  But no one can **bleep** me off any more than I am now.  

[homecarecomputer]

You made me laugh house*of*paws. I thank you for that today 🙂

Why are they called Putz houses?

The name for Putz houses evolved from the German word "putzen" which means to clean or to decorate. And the name was acquired by little houses that were placed around the nativity scene for Christmas decorations in the early 1900s. Yes, these adorable little houses have been around for about 100 years.

[homecarecomputer]

Look...I figured one of you would come along....

The point was that she returned to me an item that was maliciously destroyed (the windows were taken out BY HAND) and yet she was still given a full refund with shipping I paid each way.  What part of that is in the ebay agreement?  

[dentalrprtek2012]

Yes that’s eBay for you stating no returns means you don’t want your merchandise back and will give a full refund and they can keep it. Makes perfect sense to me. eBay is a joke and they do whatever the buyer wants and the seller gets screwed.

[chapeau-noir]

@homecarecomputer   I have to nitpick one thing - I sell on Mercari and their fees are not less ever since they implemented their processing fee - they run about 13% for me.  

ETA: The processing fee they started really adds up as the site tends to be much haggling and low dollar. 

I've had nice customers there, though.

[dentalrprtek2012]

Exactly can’t be bothered to read but plenty of time to post

[glasser]

@femmefan1946  Defacto, eBay has a forced return policy. Just claim INAD and you get to return or refund no questions asked. Doesn't really matter if the item was not as described or not.

It's a stupid system that creates more confusion then trust.  Sellers keep thinking they have some say or there needs to be proof in INAD case. But that is not true.

I advocate for everyone item can be returned with the option if buyer pays shipping or seller pays shipping. That would parallel they way most online commerce sites handle things. If the seller want to just refund with no return fine. eBay would create all labels based on verified address and generate and be responsible for any tracking issues that arise.

super simple.

[homecarecomputer]

I guess I've been lucky, I don't get a lot of hagglers (or I don't accept their haggled prices :). But yes, you are right, their processing fee makes them about 13% but that amount is on the selling price not the selling price and the tax and the shipping..... So where I recently sold something on ebay for $42.00 the fee was $8.20 and I sold something for $42.00 on Mercari the fee was $5.72  Ebay is charging way more.....again, they are charging you a fee on the item, shipping and tax!

[donsdetour]

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@homecarecomputer wrote:

Look...I figured one of you would come along....

The point was that she returned to me an item that was maliciously destroyed (the windows were taken out BY HAND) and yet she was still given a full refund with shipping I paid each way.  What part of that is in the ebay agreement?  

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Comes under a criminal act in which eBay has no control over: eBay aint law enforcement:

Note: that is if you did not damage the item and claim they did....

Such as the last statement is to show no one but maybe you and your purchaser know the truth in such a case...

You could report them for return abuse: and should just stating the facts. Do not expect any one such complaint to do anything but these type don't quite: so sooner or later they get caught...

[fashunu4eeuh]

You have mentioned multiple times that you have been here 19 years. Yet in appearance seem to be unfamiliar with how the Money Back Guarantee works, a key policy all sellers need to know.

I am assuming this was your first brush with the MBG? Without having this knowledge, your outcome was doomed from the start.

eBay does not require that buyers need to prove their cases. They are guaranteed to prevail. Once a Not As Described case is opened, sellers must submit to the policy regardless of a no return listing. They must pay shipping both ways, as you did. But there is no fighting a NAD case, regardless of the length of time you have sold on eBay, or what your standing is. These things do not figure into the case, i am sorry to say.

Very sorry you had this experience. It speaks well of you that you have never had a case opened against you in 19 years. Wish you well wherever you go.

[releasethekraken_1]

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@homecarecomputer wrote:

My ads say I don't take returns. I do under certain circumstances and basically, eBay forces you to if a con artist complains enough......and that's what happened here.

The last 5 calls I made about this return were greeted with "Thank you for 19 years of selling"....well, I guess I won't be making it to 20, though I have 1,100 items for sale so it will take me a while to transfer it over.  
The disrespect with which eBay handled my situation was above and beyond reproach. I spoke to 6 different people who gave me 6 different policies and not one thing that was said to me was consistent. 

A woman bought an item from me listed as "hand-crafted" with LED lighting and I had 9 pictures and half a page of description. I'm very thorough that way.  I also let people know I don't take returns so study photos and ask your questions before purchasing.  This woman harassed me about the price before she bought the item and continued to harass me about other similar items I had wanting more but not wanting to pay my prices and then started sending me comparisons of other people selling what she considered similar items which were not.

I lowered the price by $40. 

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OK, I'll take one for the team and be the "you should have known better" guy. She told you over and over that she was going to be a problem, and you said, "great, here's $40 off".

Good luck at Mercari. I'm sure you'll never run into that kind of buyer there. [/s]

[mtgraves7984]

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@homecarecomputer wrote:

You made me laugh house*of*paws. I thank you for that today 🙂

Why are they called Putz houses?

The name for Putz houses evolved from the German word "putzen" which means to clean or to decorate. And the name was acquired by little houses that were placed around the nativity scene for Christmas decorations in the early 1900s. Yes, these adorable little houses have been around for about 100 years.

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@homecarecomputer... hope you're 'in' on the inside joke...

I admire your putzy house. I wish I had one.

@house*of*paws, @katzrul15 , @downunder-61 , @coastaltechsolution 

I know y'all are on the short list... ^^^ I couldn't help myself. ^^^ 😂

[monster-deals]

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@homecarecomputer wrote:

This woman harassed me about the price before she bought the item 

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Not every sale is a sale.

If you had BBL'd right there you would have saved yourself the headache.

[nuclearomen]

Mercari is crud IMO, but for items you sell I can see you doing OK/well there... Mercari wasn't so great me but depends on the items you have, ebay is better platform for my stuff. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@homecarecomputer wrote:

I guess I've been lucky, I don't get a lot of hagglers (or I don't accept their haggled prices :). But yes, you are right, their processing fee makes them about 13% but that amount is on the selling price not the selling price and the tax and the shipping..... So where I recently sold something on ebay for $42.00 the fee was $8.20 and I sold something for $42.00 on Mercari the fee was $5.72  Ebay is charging way more.....again, they are charging you a fee on the item, shipping and tax!

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That is true - hopefully it'll stay that way - I was just thinking of the FVF on the item price itself.  The 2.9% plus .30 was a somewhat recent change and made a big impact on my profits there just because the price points at which things tend to sell there are so low.  The haggle is like Poshmark (I've had people give me offers at both places that net me about a nickle lol), save that at least the commission isn't anywhere near as high (20%)!

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

It's 2021. Sellers have more options than ever before, both online and off. Sounds like you are pretty satisfied with Mercari, and you are obviously not satisfied with ebay. So, here's wishing you continued success with Mercari.