eBay

farukanpaunch · ‎07-05-2022

I've got this guy who purchased 12 circuit breakers from me, he paid fast and I shipped out all the items in one big box with it weighing about 28lbs according to the post office scale. Now this guy is trying to say I only sent 5 of the 12, and wants a refund on the other 7. The order was over $750, so I had to get the signature confirmation upon delivery. I had called Ebay initially after he opened a case and they said I did everything correct when they reviewed this case and told me not to refund him, and that they would side with me. I explained to the buyer that he would have to take it up with USPS or whomever signed for his package, but he says I need to deal with USPS. I've seen posts about people talking about this being a scam, but they had been hit for not getting the signature on delivery. Since Ebay has already said they would sign with me, should I just sit back and ignore this customer and wait for Ebay? I don't want this **bleep** stealing from me...

mandisattictoyz · ‎07-05-2022

Well the problem is if he opens an item not as described case it’s a money back guarantee. So your screwed either way. The only way to do anything about it is if you offer free 30 day returns. Then you can deduct 50% back.

stainlessenginecovers · ‎07-05-2022

What CSR told you is NOT what would happen if buyer opens a return case.

Because you don't take 'returns' the buyer would have 1 way to open the case and 'force' a refund (which would be on the full amount as the system does not recognize 'partials'- is if the buyer opened a 'Not As Described'

You would then have to approve the return, refund, turn the buyer in for false return reason and then appeal and hope you win the appeal.

If the buyer opens for some of the 'other' reasons, you can 'deny' the return for refund. You will know if you can if the option to NOT accept is shown.

a_c_green · ‎07-05-2022

@farukanpaunch wrote:
I explained to the buyer that he would have to take it up with USPS or whomever signed for his package, but he says I need to deal with USPS. I've seen posts about people talking about this being a scam, but they had been hit for not getting the signature on delivery. Since Ebay has already said they would [side] with me, should I just sit back and ignore this customer and wait for Ebay? I don't want this **bleep** stealing from me...

Signing for the package is what's required (if $750 or more) for defense against an Item Not Received dispute. That's not what's at stake here, as no one is disputing the delivery. He's claiming that the shipment was incomplete, which (if he actually files) will be a Not As Described dispute.

You could gently suggest to him that as the 28-pound shipping weight clearly indicates that all 12 breakers were aboard, perhaps he is confusing your shipment with someone else's. He may be hoping that you'll capitulate with a partial refund, but I would not go down that path (or even mention it).

If he has not actually opened a dispute and you have already replied with some kind of assurance that all items were shipped, I would not respond further unless or until he actually files. At that point you are entitled to request that he ship the remainder back before refunding; just make sure that you respond to the dispute that way before your deadline. If this is a maneuver that he tries routinely with all sellers, you may not hear anything further from him.

farukanpaunch · ‎07-05-2022

Well he opened it as an "Item not received" case, which is not the situation as he did receive the parcel, which again, ebay said they would sign with me on when I called them. With this in mind, will he be able to reopen the case or will ebay shut him down with this?

a_c_green · ‎07-05-2022

@farukanpaunch wrote:
Well he opened it as an "Item not received" case, which is not the situation as he did receive the parcel, which again, ebay said they would [side] with me on when I called them. With this in mind, will he be able to reopen the case or will ebay shut him down with this?

First, if he has actually opened an INR dispute (apparently he has), be sure to respond by uploading your tracking number to the dispute where indicated. eBay should find in your favor on that.

The dispute that he really should have opened (and eBay will probably guide him to it if he calls them again) is Not As Described, since the 5 breakers he supposedly received was an incomplete order and not the dozen he paid for. Filing an INR dispute does not prevent him from filing a NAD dispute later on (such as for a situation where a missing package finally turns up but does not have the expected items inside).

Hopefully it will not come to that. For right now, be sure you properly respond to the INR by providing the tracking number.

farukanpaunch · ‎07-05-2022

So he opened the case as "Item not Received" instead of "Not as Described." What would that mean for me?

farukanpaunch · ‎07-05-2022

I did that, and mentioned who signed for it provided by both USPS and Ebay. I then explained to him the weight of the parcel and provided an image of the receipt with the tracking on it from the post office I sent it from.

Now, this buyer seems to only deal with circuit breakers looking at his account, he must refurbish them and flip for a profit, so I can assume he knows how much one of these would weigh, so I can only assume that he is trying to scam me

toysaver · ‎07-05-2022

If it were me... I'd send this to the buyer. 'To prevent fraud and theft the PO now uses the Automated Package Verification (APV) System. They will alert you if the package is not the weight listed and refund or charge the account accordingly as a cost adjustment to shipping labels.'

Tell him you'll get in touch with his local PO to verify any discrepancy as you didn't receive a shipping refund.

fashunu4eeuh · ‎07-05-2022

Some questions needed to be asked of the buyer back before he opened the claim. Was there a discussion about any damage to the outer box? Could the items have been lost in transit? But now the claim is pressing and must be addressed immediately

Sometimes the overseas inadequately- trained customer service gives out unhelpful or even damaging advice. This appears to be one of those times. What happens next depends on what kind of case the buyer opened.

If the buyer opened an Item Not Received claim, upload the tracking number to the case. When tracking shows delivery, the seller’s job is done and the case will be closed in your favor.

But if he opened an item Not As Described claim, you will not win the case.

eBay does not require evidence or proof the buyer is telling the truth. So they will take him at his word and will grant the return and refund. Before that happens, you want to accept the return and refund after receiving the item back, if you want it back.. Once eBay steps in, the seller is penalized for not refunding willingly. eBay will put a defect on your account, remove your funds to refund the buyer without returning the item, and charge you the Final Value fees as an added penalty.

Once the claim is decided by eBay, you can appeal the decision. See link below on the how-to.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/appeal-ebays-decision-return-missing-item...

a_c_green · ‎07-05-2022

@farukanpaunch wrote:
I did that, and mentioned who signed for it provided by both USPS and Ebay. I then explained to him the weight of the parcel and provided an image of the receipt with the tracking on it from the post office I sent it from.

I assume the receipt you obtained showed its 28-pound shipping weight on it as well, which would show that you're well aware of what you sent. However, INR disputes are generally automatically resolved, so if you have supplied the tracking number, and it shows a Delivered status to the City and ZIP of the address you received with the payment (I don't think anyone really looks at a signature; the tracking number just has to parse as being a Signature shipment), that case should resolve in your favor.

If he later comes back with a Not As Described claim that only 5 were received, it is likely that you will need to refund, but at least respond (within the NAD case) with the Return for Refund option, not the automatic Refund option. Reporting it to your postmaster might help, to relay it to his postmaster, in case your buyer has a reputation for filing such claims.

Some folks here have posted some pre-written responses for buyers making claims like this, where you'll express your regrets and promise to have the case investigated by the buyer's post office, so he should plan to be hearing from his postmaster and/or his carrier about it, etc., but while that might persuade a nervous scammer to drop the case, you still have make sure that you're responding to the NAD as expected. If you miss a response deadline for any dispute, eBay will simply award a full refund from your account and let the buyer keep whatever he has.

fashunu4eeuh · ‎07-05-2022

@farukanpaunch wrote:
So he opened the case as "Item not Received" instead of "Not as Described." What would that mean for me?

Hi, sorry, i am a slow typer and was not privy to the above discussions while responding. Customer service was correct in this case. The claim will be found in your favor. That won’t preclude him from opening a Not As Described case later, as other posters advised.