eBay

fanfareplayer · ‎02-09-2024

I recently sold a letter written by Thomas Edison. In the listing I CLEARLY stated that the letter was lamanated for protection. (Letter was lamenated personally by me nearly 20 years ago and remains in the exact condition it was in when lamenated it.) I CLEARLY posted photos so that the buyer would see that the letter was lamanated. However, once the buyer ecieved the letter, he decided it was not as described in the listiing and so he started a return. I have researched complaints and it seems like eBay ALWAYS sides with the buyer. eBay already sent the payment to my bank and it has been sitting there for several days LESS the 13% eBay takes. M

My question is : what should I expect to happen? Will eBay side with buyer and stiff me of 13%? Will eBay refund the buyer with the entire amount and NOT stiff me 13%? Will eBay side with me? This is outrageous.

lonebuck-books · ‎02-12-2024

@mustang707 wrote:
If and when you get the letter back, when you relist it, I would suggest putting the word "laminated" in the title to avoid this situation in the future. Unfortunately, buyers don't read descriptions very well.

Agreed. Buyers don't read descriptions so you have to put it in the title in hopes that they see it. Also, it looks like the bottom left corner is missing but only shows partially in one photo. I would add a close up of that just to make sure people have the opportunity of seeing it. As for laminating it, I'm not sure how you would do it with people not reading descriptions but just to at least try and cover yourself, make sure you say that it is something you laminated yourself and is not professionally put in a protective sleeve. For serious collectors, that is a huge deal. If your buyer was a serious collector and saw it was done with a home laminator, he will return it as it isn't something that can be reversed without damage to the document.

fanfareplayer · ‎02-12-2024

I don't roll over and die because someone says I should. The document is preserved. It will sell somewhere, some day to somebody. And if it doesn't, the world will not come to an end. This is my lone experience dealing in this sort of thing and it certainly will be my last. Thanks for all of your comments. The letter should be in my box today and I can put this behind me.

itsjustasprain · ‎02-12-2024

@fanfareplayer wrote:
I don't roll over and die because someone says I should. The document is preserved.

I think 'sealed' might be a better description.

@fanfareplayer wrote:
It will sell somewhere, some day to somebody. And if it doesn't, the world will not come to an end.

That is true - whats done is done. Yes - someone will be happy to get it regardless. In future I would recommend not laminating anything regardless of condition: leave that for your buyer to decide because sealing it up in plastic will not improve its value.

I will sometimes point out in my selling description that the item is dirty or fragile if it is - and also explain that I would prefer to leave its cleaning or restoration to someone who knows how. I have not noticed any reduction in its selling ability as long as it is clearly photographed and described so that the buyer can clearly see what he is getting.

fanfareplayer · ‎02-12-2024

I got the letter back and eBay is screwing me out of the 13% commission that they told me OVER THE PHONE they would not do!!!!!!!1 I am OUTRAGED!!!!!! They are demanding payment of $704 when I only got paid $592 and II don't have enough in the bank to pay them!!! On top of that, when complained to a live agent on the phone, PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING AT ME IN THE BACK GROUND. I filed a dispute, but how do I avoid paying this 13% commmission???

fanfareplayer · ‎02-13-2024

Well, eBay resolved this after all and refunded me $93. I was right all along.!!!!! I do not roll over and die because someone tells me I should!!!! Thanks to everyone who participated in this discussion.

lux.ra_14 · ‎02-13-2024

@fanfareplayer wrote:
The Smithsonian hasn't seen this letter or the laminating job. If they did they would eat their words. It makes absolutely no sense to me that they would say the item is destroyed. It is preserved.

Glad it worked out, but I'm puzzled by your insistence that lamination was a good idea. No one should follow your lead. Did you read the link about South Carolina destroying its most historic documents with lamination? A misguided attempt at preservation, and they didn't do a homemade job with a machine from an office supply store.

Even cold lamination, which it seems you did, applies pressure and adhesive that permanently adheres the paper to the laminate. You had an original letter that Edison held in his own hands. Now you have a sheet of plastic, like a cheap restaurant menu, with only your fingerprints on it. That's not preservation.

itsjustasprain · ‎02-13-2024

@fanfareplayer wrote:
I got the letter back and eBay is screwing me out of the 13% commission that they told me OVER THE PHONE they would not do!!!!!!!1 I am OUTRAGED!!!!!! They are demanding payment of $704 when I only got paid $592 and II don't have enough in the bank to pay them!!!

When you refund the buyer payment after the item has been delivered back to you then Ebay refunds the Final Value Fees that they took out of the original payment. Therefore you should see that $592 goes back to the buyer from you and the other 13% goes back to the buyer from Ebay. (There might be a little rounding error in the numbers I am using here but that is the general idea.)

If you were to ignore the deadline for refunding after the item was returned - thus forcing Ebay to step in and refund the buyer themselves - then Ebay would keep their FVFs and come after you for the full $704 instead. From what I see in your later post it sounds like you refunded in time and so they did not ding you for that remaining 13%.

albertabrightalberta · ‎02-13-2024

@fanfareplayer wrote:
But anyway, the return was forced by eBay. I spoke with a representative and she said the buyer will get a full refund even though I only got $592, so eBay pays that 13% difference I was told.

@fanfareplayer wrote:
I got the letter back and eBay is screwing me out of the 13% commission that they told me OVER THE PHONE they would not do!!!!!!!1 I am OUTRAGED!!!!!! They are demanding payment of $704 when I only got paid $592 and II don't have enough in the bank to pay them!!! On top of that, when complained to a live agent on the phone, PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING AT ME IN THE BACK GROUND. I filed a dispute, but how do I avoid paying this 13% commmission???

@fanfareplayer wrote:
Well, eBay resolved this after all and refunded me $93. I was right all along.!!!!! I do not roll over and die because someone tells me I should!!!! Thanks to everyone who participated in this discussion.

To be honest, I'm angry that Ebay gave in to your whining. Those "goodwill refunds" cost the rest of us honorable sellers higher fees. (Someone has to pay for YOUR $93 credit and I resent being one of those who pays.) You were NOT "right all along!" You were wrong but pushed and prodded them into accommodating you.

You were told for 3 pages that you were wrong and should accept the return willingly or ebay would decide against against you, refund the buyer and retain the FVF they collected from you. They do that in order to encourage sellers to resolve their own disputes.

It really bothers me that we're in a climate that so few people are willing to listen, admit to and learn from mistakes and insist that everyone else is wrong and they're right. It's sad.

Had ebay retained that $93, maybe you'd have accepted that you erred, however unintentionally it may have been.

*stepping down from my soapbox*

albertabrightalberta
Volunteer Community Mentor

I can explain it to you but I can’t understand it for you.

fern*wood · ‎02-13-2024

@fanfareplayer wrote:
Well, eBay resolved this after all and refunded me $93. I was right all along.!!!!! I do not roll over and die because someone tells me I should!!!! Thanks to everyone who participated in this discussion.

It isn't becoming to confuse getting your way with being "right all along".

fanfareplayer · ‎02-13-2024

Your opinion......

fanfareplayer · ‎03-03-2024

Update:

I relisted the letter with the description in ALL CAPS highlighting that the item was laminated and that if the potential buyer feels that lamination destroys the letter then DO NOT BID.

It took about 2 weeks. Got a buyer who was absolutely thrilled with the letter. I relisted at lower price than what I was originally asking. Buyer offered me $50 more so I took it. She was THRILLED to have it and clearly, she read the description, unlike the original buyer who put me through all of this. In the end, everything worked out. And to albertabrightalberta and fernwood, I WAS right. YOU were wrong. I won. As it should be. I don't roll over and play dead because you say I should.

To the rest of the community, thank you for your contributions.