eBay

wildlandff05 · ‎12-21-2018

First time posting on this forum. I've been using eBay for quite some time now. Mostly just using it as an online garge sale of sorts. I don't sell anything regularly.

Anyways, I sold an iPhone about a month back. The buyer couldn't activate it for whatever reason, and wanted to return. I accepted returns on the phone so it was auto-approved. She then proceeds to send me several rapid fire emails about not being able to print the return. She goes to the PO and sends the phone out, then sends me a few more saying something about an inability to add the tracking number.

Several days go by, and I don't have the phone. I find out she sent it to the wrong address, and it was returned to sender. She gets the phone back, then sends it off again - to another incorrect address. This time it shows it's delivered (to Colorado, I'm in Wisconsin). Since the phone was "delivered", she wants a refund.

I wasn't going to issue a refund until I had the phone in my hand. I sent her a message saying exactly that. Several days go by without a response - so I report the buyer (first time I've ever done that).

2 days go by - and I haven't heard anything back from eBay. Then all of a sudden, she opens a case against me. 15 minutes later the case is closed, and eBay rules in her favor. The refund is automatically withdrawn from my Paypal account. So now I'm without the phone, and the money.

I called eBay and submitted an appeal. They said it was my fault for providing an incorrect address - which, upon double checking in my profile, was indeed correct. I updated it on my end just to make sure it stuck in the system. eBay can see I updated the address after the fact, and that's the deciding factor here.

Like I said above, I don't use eBay all that often - eBay's fees are through the roof - but this is ridiculous. I feel like I just got robbed. Buyer's have a ridiculous amount of power in these transactions, and my hands are completely tied. The eBay agent I spoke with said I could report it to the Internet Crime Complain Center.

Any ideas here? I just spoke with another agent and they're going to look at the case again. I already know they're going to rule in favor of the buyer, but figured I'd take one more shot at it.

goodluckselling · ‎12-21-2018

Well I have one questions really. Is the address the buyer sent the phone to an old address you used to have?

Good Luck Selling!

*madison · ‎12-21-2018

So, you didn't update your address before the sale, and the buyer returned the phone to your old address, is that what happened?

@wildlandff05

skatefool · ‎12-21-2018

@wildlandff05 wrote:
I called eBay and submitted an appeal. They said it was my fault for providing an incorrect address - which, upon double checking in my profile, was indeed correct. I updated it on my end just to make sure it stuck in the system. eBay can see I updated the address after the fact, and that's the deciding factor here.

Explain this part. If your address was indeed correct, what did you need to update?

juststuffisell · ‎12-21-2018

Ummmm….. No, you have no recourse on eBay I believe. You can try to make one more phone call to escalate the case, but I do believe this decision won't be changed based upon the information you provided.

All of your remaining recourse is only available outside of eBay through the legal system.

You could file a police report in the town/city where the phone was delivered given they kept something that was not addressed to them and hope they will go by and get the phone for you...lol...not likely, but...you never know.

Cheers

fern*wood · ‎12-21-2018

Which was indeed correct: your address or ebay telling you it was incorrect?

castlemagicmemories · ‎12-21-2018

I called eBay and submitted an appeal. They said it was my fault for providing an incorrect address - which, upon double checking in my profile, was indeed correct. I updated it on my end just to make sure it stuck in the system. eBay can see I updated the address after the fact, and that's the deciding factor here.

*********************************************************************************************************

It seems the deciding factor here is that the address was incorrect to start with.

Really sorry that wasn't updated.

wildlandff05 · ‎12-21-2018

The return address was correct, at least in my profile. The first address the buyer sent the return to was my old address, and I have no idea where they sent it the second time. I've never lived in Colorado.

When I say I updated the address, all I did was re-submit the previous address, which again, was correct on my end.

So the system shows I "updated" the address after the return had initially started. Obviously eBay thinks I corrected it, but I did no such thing. It was already correct.

I'm guessing there was a hiccup in the system. Even so, the buyer re-sent the item to a phantom address that now show's it delivered.

goodluckselling · ‎12-21-2018

@wildlandff05 wrote:
The return address was correct, at least in my profile. The first address the buyer sent the return to was my old address, and I have no idea where they sent it the second time. I've never lived in Colorado.

When I say I updated the address, all I did was re-submit the previous address, which again, was correct on my end.

So the system shows I "updated" the address after the return had initially started. Obviously eBay thinks I corrected it, but I did no such thing. It was already correct.

I'm guessing there was a hiccup in the system. Even so, the buyer re-sent the item to a phantom address that now show's it delivered.

It is possible that the system needed maybe up to 24 hours to update your address. The only way the buyer could have gotten your old address is if at the time of the sales you had that older address on file still. It is possible you changed it after the sale and the old address was still assigned to that transaction.

Let me ask you this question. Was the return started through eBay or Paypal? Have you gone to paypal and made sure you have the correct address there as well?

Good Luck Selling!

ed8108 · ‎12-21-2018

@castlemagicmemories wrote:
I called eBay and submitted an appeal. They said it was my fault for providing an incorrect address - which, upon double checking in my profile, was indeed correct. I updated it on my end just to make sure it stuck in the system. eBay can see I updated the address after the fact, and that's the deciding factor here.

*********************************************************************************************************

It seems the deciding factor here is that the address was incorrect to start with.

Really sorry that wasn't updated.

Guess the seller wants this case decided in their favor & against the buyer.

Simply a mistake and was not intentional to have not updated the address, so the seller should not be held accountable for the result ?

Am I missing something here?

wildlandff05 · ‎12-21-2018

I guess I'm not being clear here.

Once I noticed she sent it to my old address, I opened my profile to check.

It showed my current address (the correct one) as my return address in my profile. I punched in the same address - again, the correct one - and submitted it to make sure when she sent the phone for the second time there wouldn't be any trouble.

This is where she sent the phone to the phantom address that accepted the phone as delivered - opened the case against me - and now likely has both the phone and the money. This doesn't seem odd to anyone else?

fern*wood · ‎12-21-2018

Did you ever tell the buyer what your address is to make sure they got the correct one or were using the correct one?

wildlandff05 · ‎12-21-2018

Yep, I did.

fern*wood · ‎12-21-2018

@wildlandff05 wrote:
Yep, I did.

You might try calling again and have the rep read this email and then give the tracking number showing they mailed to a different zip code.

goodluckselling · ‎12-21-2018

@wildlandff05 wrote:
I guess I'm not being clear here.

Once I noticed she sent it to my old address, I opened my profile to check.

It showed my current address (the correct one) as my return address in my profile. I punched in the same address - again, the correct one - and submitted it to make sure when she sent the phone for the second time there wouldn't be any trouble.

This is where she sent the phone to the phantom address that accepted the phone as delivered - opened the case against me - and now likely has both the phone and the money. This doesn't seem odd to anyone else?

I realize you do not have the phone but the buyer can not use it anyways so they are not trying to keep both. The return was because they could not use the phone on there network (I think this was the reason?). They actually did a lot more work than they had to. You need to stop blaming the buyer for having both phone and money back.

Concentrate your efforts toward eBay and have them look to see what return address is assigned to the transaction, and find out why your correct address was not on file at this time frame.

Good Luck Selling!