Appealing Case Decided by eBay

[selex-tek]

I am the Seller, in the process of appealing an Item Not Received Money Back Guarantee case. The basis of my appeal is that the buyer is NOT covered by the MBG because this was a Local Pickup Only listing and the buyer did not pick up the item or have someone else pick it up for them. It clearly states in eBay policy that such cases are not covered by the MBG. I called eBay this morning and filed an appeal because there is no direct option to appeal in writing from within my eBay account. So my question is, is filing an appeal by phone the only way to file an appeal? 

[selex-tek]

Wrong and wrong. I won the appeal today. Ebay is issuing me a full refund. 

[selex-tek]

Not worried about any sort of payment dispute from the buyer. Ebay refunded him his money. Today thet granted my appeal. Reason: Buyer is not eligible for a Money Back Guarantee claim for Item Not Received in a Local Pickup Only item. 

[selex-tek]

I won the appeal and eBay is refunding me in full. We can now definitively say that a Buyer is NOT covered by the MBG for an Item Not Received claim on a Local Pickup Only item. Paypal wont cover it either. Nor. I suspect would any bank or credit card issuer. So not shenanigans after all. 

[selex-tek]

You are Correct! I won the appeall and a full refund. 

[selex-tek]

You dont get it. It was clear from the beginning that the buyer was fully aware of what he was doing. He purchased the item knowing it was local pickup only, intending and hoping to get me to ship the item. When I refused to ship he wanted to cancel the order. It was all clear from the messages. He just automatically assumed that he could cancel an order anytime he wanted so no reason for him not to buy the item and play dumb in order to get the seller to provide shipping on a no-ship item. This is such a common scam. After five buyers tried the same scam on me, I had had enough. THAT is the reason I fought this case. We sellers have few protections as it is when faced with unscrupulous buyers. Im just grateful that eBay could see the truth and stood by policy. 

[selex-tek]

The buyer would have no chargeback protections - he received a full refund. Honestly, why do people even respond without reading the details.

[selex-tek]

You are wrong. I made a good choice and in the end eBay understood and granted my appeal. 

[selex-tek]

Wrong. Ebay granted my appeal. Hopefully a lesson has been learned. 

[selex-tek]

Wrong. Appeal granted. Im receiving a full refund. 

[pokal53]

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@selex-tek wrote:

Wrong. Appeal granted. Im receiving a full refund. 

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That's good, just remember who is paying for that because they're not taking it back out of the buyer's pocket.

It's a courtesy refund, ebay pays for it, paid for by sellers who in turn pay their fees.

But I am glad to know it does work the way the word is written, whether the hassle is worth it, also now that Pandora's box is open... I've come close to testing this, just never had the nerve to pull it through but you are right in the technical aspects, it clearly does state that the MBG does NOT cover "Local Pickup" *AND* it is the buyer's FULL responsibility to pick up the item.

If it makes you feel any better, I received REDF_LAGS over this very argument.

[selex-tek]

It is so refreshing to hear from someone who has some legal knowledge. And I was fully ready to defend my case in court if need be. If I had ever thought for a minute that thus was an innocent buyer making an honest mistake I would never have refused to cancel. But that clearly was not the case, and eBay should have never issued him a refund in the face of clear policy. Im just glad eBay stood by policy and could see what it was all about. Lastly, it cracks me up that some people scoff at a small claims suit (obviously they are uneducated) claiming it is so much effort, etc. It literally takes 15 minutes to type up a complaint and mail it in. And it never goes to court anyway, because I dont bring frivolous claims or cases where I know I might not win. Nor do I do it as a money grab. It is strictly a last resort when all attempts at resolution have failed. And in my experience, no company wants to explain in court how they screwed over some innocent customer. They always settle. Thanks for your input!

[selex-tek]

I forget nothing. I won the appeal. Guess I must know something about policy.

[selex-tek]

Well in any case it is moot. I won the appeal.

[selex-tek]

I must disagree with everything you said. Ebay granted my appeal and is issuing me a refund. I would be willing to bet that this particular buyer will think twice before trying the same scam on sime other seller. It all happens one buyer at a time. I cant change the world but I can make a difference, even if small, by confronting wrong when faced with it.

[selex-tek]

I do not agree with having to find another avenue to sell local pickup only items. I did win on appeal and you are correct - eBay is issuing me a full refund. Also, yes the buyers refund was debitted from my checking account directly. I must point out what so many, including you, did not seem to get. This was not an innocent buyer making an honest mistake. It was a clear effort to try and get free shipping on a local pickup only item. As far as taking my local pickup items to some other venue, I say no. Why should I? Local Pickup is a feature that eBay offers. Fortunately, they seem to stand by the policies they have in place to cover local pickup sales. That is all I expect. Let the buyers who try to scam sellers go somewhere else. Or, face the music when their schemes go wrong. Im ok with either option.