Buyer filed a payment dispute with their financial institution

[cicli_john]

I cannot find a situation quite like mine after searching "payment disputes with financial institution"   I am appreciate of the outcome for me but feel bad for e-bay if this is how these cases end up....

On 1/29/24 I sold a book for $125. I always purchase postage through e-bay  and they have recorded that the book was delivered on 2/2 (not bad for media mail NY to Montana).  Buyer left positive feedback and even sent  a couple of e-bay messages to me.  The first saying that they left feedback and the second  about how excited she was with the book as she was getting into it (hey, its a good Stephen King book). 

3/16 I received the following from e-bay:

buyer filed a payment dispute for an order placed on Jan 29, 2024. This means that they disputed a charge directly with their payment institution. They are requesting $125.60 back and the reason for this dispute is that the buyer did not recognize the transaction. The good news is that you’re protected for this dispute under eBay seller protection policy Today I receive the following: The buyer’s payment institution sided with the buyer. The good news is that you’re protected for this dispute under eBay seller protection policy. We won't deduct the dispute amount from your funds. You're not required to take any action at this time. I am not out any money but I assume e-bay had to refund the buyer....that is just not right.  There is no way for me to respond to the dispute reminding e-bay that the buyer received the item and I have written proof she is happy with it.  I keep an eye on what my feedback number is and before writing this I noticed it dropped by 1 and sure enough, I can no longer find her feedback but on the sellers hub under orders paid and shipped it still shows the green plus that she left feedback.  Can a buyer retract feedback?  She was probably trying to cover her tracks unless e-bay removed it.  Anyway, that's my story and I am happy that at least for now I am not out any money...and yes, I have blocked the buyer.

[cicli_john]

The e-mails that e-bay sent me about the dispute did not allow for me to respond and provide information which I gladly would have done.  When looking up my sold item there was also no opportunity to provide information.  The only thing I could have done would have been to call e-bay.  Don't they already have access to all the info I would have provided by looking up my account?

[cicli_john]

Regarding why the buyers positive feedback was removed...possibly the person handling this claim did not notice that import piece of information until after a decision was made so they removed it before their supervisor noticed. 

[gurlcat]

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@cicli_john wrote:

The e-mails that e-bay sent me about the dispute did not allow for me to respond and provide information which I gladly would have done.  When looking up my sold item there was also no opportunity to provide information.  The only thing I could have done would have been to call e-bay.  Don't they already have access to all the info I would have provided by looking up my account?

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Yes, in fact I always found kind of dumb and weird that you (USUALLY) have to respond to the chargeback page by at least posting the tracking number, even if there's already a tracking number affiliated with the order (even one for a label you purchased FROM eBay).  

This case of yours is SO WEIRD!  And it sounds like it was not a hacked account, if it is still active.  I'm not saying to do this, but if it were me I'd be tempted to write to the buyer just out of curiosity.  I mean if they were so chatty about their delight in the book, I wouldn't feel like I was being rude by asking why they did a chargeback on it.  

[bennotbill]

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@gurlcat wrote:

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but if it were me I'd be tempted to write to the buyer just out of curiosity.  I mean if they were so chatty about their delight in the book, I wouldn't feel like I was being rude by asking why they did a chargeback on it.  

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The last time I had similar and did this the "happy feedback" buyer said they had used their mother in laws card and forget to tell them. They were all positive in a couple of emails how they would sort it out. But once the chargeback went through it all went quiet.

It was a cheap untracked item made more expensive for me by the chargeback. I was disappointed no notice was taken of their admission in the emails.

And as eBay is the payment processor all unrecognised payments should be solely their problem.

[isaiah53-57]

Dont feel Sorry for ebay on this - It is their policy to cover "Dont recognize charge" chargebacks for sellers if they are shown to be shipped to the location. The way ebay charges show on charge cards bills is strange wording and most wouldn't recognize that it was an ebay charge, so thats likely the case here - It has been like this for a long time, yet they dont do anything to change it - Thats on them.

Plus, the effort the site puts into chargebacks on your behalf shows so starkly on cases of this nature. I mean this is a SLAM DUNK win of a chargeback if there ever was one - Proof the item was shipped to the location and the customers own words in feedback stating they received it - Yet they still lose because they refuse to put any resources towards it - I'm sure the bean-counters show its cheaper for them to operate like this - thats on them.

And finally, the next time you get a rock back in a box as a return on a "Not as Described", high dollar item from a zero FB buyer from Zanzibar or Spokane or wherever - likely someone who has done this same thing before and a bit of research will show the address or indivdual to be related to previous crimes of fraud  yet ebay informs you that you lost the chargeback and you're outta luck, just remember the previous paragraph so it wont be a surprise to you - Thats on them.

[gurlcat]

Interesting, well at least you did get to find out the 'why' and it wasn't a painful loss.  
About that last statement, I can't even think of a reason eBay shouldn't be responsible for INAD chargebacks after the return window has closed, and during the window, providing data to the card company showing that the buyer could have returned the item rather than file a chargeback.  I have never had a problem with the fact that sellers are forced to accept INAD returns because some of them don't know how to pack and others are downright scammers.  But the point is, the seller should be able to get 'whatever' the item is back, whether it's a gold-plated necklace they called solid gold in the listing, or an actual solid gold one that the buyer just has remorse about buying.  There's no scenario I can think of where the seller should pay for a chargeback, period.  

[vintagecraze50]

When I get a chargeback I ALWAYS contact the buyer and ask what is going on. This to provide clarity of the situation if they respond. I had a chargeback around Christmas. I contacted them and got a wacko response that they thought they bought from a fraudulent account. What? This item was shipped and in transit when they filed the chargeback. I reported this to ebay. They immediately closed this buyers account, and I mean immediately after I called and my concierge told me this was a bad account. Too bad they did not catch it before I shipped. The darn package was just about to be delivered to this crook and I caught it in time and it was delivered back to me.

[gurlcat]

Wow, okay I'm going to keep that in mind.  Of course it's a done deal with the OP's case, but I think I would contact the buyer just because of my compulsive curiosity, which hasn't killed this cat yet!  

Here's my theory: The buyer is a Stephen King-esque insane person, and this chargeback was just phase 1 of their campaign to gaslight the OP down into their depths of madness.  Misery do be lovin' company!  

[mam98031]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

Now I'm a bit confused. -the 3/16 eBay message sounds like they didn't require you to submit anything on your behalf, like not even tracking.  -Was the sale via the Ebay International Shipping program?  

     There used to be a LOT of these when eBay first moved to MP due to the way the charges appeared on the buyers CC statements. That has subsided quite a bit as buyers have gotten used to the changes in/on the CC statements.

     At one point eBay was handling these internally without the seller having to submit anything although they did notify the seller that a chargeback had been opened the initial notification stated nothing was required from the seller. This makes sense since eBay already has the information pertaining to the transaction. 

     Why eBay was required to refund the buyer in this particular case is a mystery and may remain as such since nobody knows how eBay responded to the chargeback. Maybe it fell through the cracks and they neglected to respond, who knows. 

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While this is true, it usually is not the best course of action.  Being proactive and submitting whatever evidence the seller has regarding the issue is always in the seller's best interest.  To just sit back and wait to see what action they take will often end with the seller being out the product and their money.

While submitting evidence doesn't always result in the seller keeping their money, not submitting the info puts the seller at a higher risk of losing the claim and their money.

[mam98031]

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@cicli_john wrote:

correct, e-bay did not ask me to provide anything.  I assume they could just look at my account to see whatever they would have wanted.  This was not an international sale. 

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They never do, that doesn't mean you shouldn't.  Being proactive is a much better approach than doing nothing and just waiting to hear what they decide.

This transaction being an international sale or not has nothing to do with what transpired on this Chargeback.

[mam98031]

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@cicli_john wrote:

The e-mails that e-bay sent me about the dispute did not allow for me to respond and provide information which I gladly would have done.  When looking up my sold item there was also no opportunity to provide information.  The only thing I could have done would have been to call e-bay.  Don't they already have access to all the info I would have provided by looking up my account?

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That just simply means you did not know where to go and look so you could supply some evidence to battle the claim, not that Ebay doesn't allow it.  Which you can find the claim in your Seller Hub.

[mam98031]

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@gurlcat wrote:

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@cicli_john wrote:

The e-mails that e-bay sent me about the dispute did not allow for me to respond and provide information which I gladly would have done.  When looking up my sold item there was also no opportunity to provide information.  The only thing I could have done would have been to call e-bay.  Don't they already have access to all the info I would have provided by looking up my account?

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Yes, in fact I always found kind of dumb and weird that you (USUALLY) have to respond to the chargeback page by at least posting the tracking number, even if there's already a tracking number affiliated with the order (even one for a label you purchased FROM eBay).  

This case of yours is SO WEIRD!  And it sounds like it was not a hacked account, if it is still active.  I'm not saying to do this, but if it were me I'd be tempted to write to the buyer just out of curiosity.  I mean if they were so chatty about their delight in the book, I wouldn't feel like I was being rude by asking why they did a chargeback on it.  

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Why would you rattle that cage?  You didn't lose any money.  Why tempt upsetting the buyer and possibly cause additional problems for yourself?  That defies logic.

[genv]

The Customer bought from YOU. Your Seller Name. The Charge shows as eBay. A lot of people panic before checking their purchases. File an Unrecognized Charge. Or, they had a Fraud, and, Bank blanket-flagged ALL charges. Contact Buyer. They can call their CC or Bank & report it as legit. 

[dbfolks166mt]

While this is true, it usually is not the best course of action.  Being proactive and submitting whatever evidence the seller has regarding the issue is always in the seller's best interest.  To just sit back and wait to see what action they take will often end with the seller being out the product and their money.

While submitting evidence doesn't always result in the seller keeping their money, not submitting the info puts the seller at a higher risk of losing the claim and their money.

     What more evidence could the seller possibly submit that eBay does not already have. EBay needs to do their job. 

[mam98031]

You are assuming Ebay did not do their job.  It is possible for a seller to have some evidence that Ebay may not automatically submit.  

Each seller has to decide for themselves what is best for them.  If you don't want to submit any evidence and just hope the Chargeback will be ruled on in your favor, that is your choice to make.  For me, I do not do that ever.  I always submit whatever I can on a Chargeback, I could care less if Ebay submitted it already.  But I have a very proactive personality and I know that not everyone sees things in the same way.