Ebay ALWAYS sides with the buyers.

[dawnofthebizarre]

I recently had a cell phone I sold returned to me with a different IMEI and damaged also. Why is ebay always like this?

[kensgiftshop · Accepted solution]

Ebay doesn't know what the seller shipped or what the buyer received and they don't know what the buyer sent back or what the seller received, so they almost always take the buyers side.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

They’re not taking the buyers side, they’re voiding the transaction. Everything goes back to the original owner and the seller bears the cost. If they were finding for the buyer they would give the money back without return. That is how the law and consumer protection work.

The most we can hope for is eBay removing repeat scammers but we know that doesn’t happen.

people should stop selling cell phones. Unethical resellers have destroyed that market completely.

[bghtrade]

I had the same thing happen to me with a pioneer cd changer. The buyer actually scraped off the serial number on the damaged one that he sent back and ebay sided with them. How do we protect ourselves?

[plantaddict]

You can battle it with maybe a 50/50 chance eBay will reimburse you, you need to reach out to the buyer informing them the phone you received back is not the phone you sent out and simply inquire if a mistake was made. Let them know time is of the importance as you will be filling a police report and mail fraud charges as someone clearly switched the items if it was not their mistake. We all know it was the buyer but this way it makes it seem like you aren't so much accusing them so to speak.

Anyhow they'll likely not respond, most scammers don't or they will simply deny. File those reports and then appeal to eBay providing those report numbers. Best of luck!

[plantaddict]

Also this is why you always, ALWAYS provide your own return shipping label as eBay's automated one is always first class and never has insurance. Had you used your own with insurance you could have also filed the insurance claim.

[lightlily_arts]

I won't sell any type of electronics, computers and peripherals or phones on eBay at all.  Those are the items that I have had problems with over the years.  Those items I sell  on the FB marketplace locally cash only.

[cream_couture]

Sorry this happened to you. eBay does side with buyers, but you can appeal. They offer returns to try to have the seller at least recoup the item.

1. Contact the buyer and state that you did not receive the item back, instead you received a phone with a different IMEI number, that is damaged (send photos) and that they need to send your item back. If they respond denying they sent the wrong thing, state that you will have filed fraud, theft and internet crime reports, so the Post Office, FBI and police will be reaching out to them.

2. File a police report for theft either online or with your local police station or by calling your local police. eBay has let me use a police report as evidence before.

3. File a mail fraud report with USPS.

4. File an internet crime complaint - https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

5. Once you have copies of filed complaints and reports with associated numbers, contact eBay via phone to appeal.

[blue_skies150]

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@plantaddict wrote:
Also this is why you always, ALWAYS provide your own return shipping label as eBay's automated one is always first class and never has insurance. Had you used your own with insurance you could have also filed the insurance claim.

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This seems like very good advice.  However, I don't know the practical/logistical side of how to actually make that happen.  When a Buyer requests a return and eBay auto-approves it, how/when does the Seller get an opportunity to always (ALWAYS 😁 ) provide their own shipping label? 

[pjcdn2005]

If you check off in your return preferences that returns require a RMA, eBay does give you a short time to send your own label.

[plantaddict]

You have to go in and set up to add a RA number and that will stop that pesky auto-approval nonsense! This way you can opt to add your own label if it is something expensive or something that needs a label with insurance.

[coppelltvrepair]

Just to be safe...I have a constant beef with eBay about all kinds of things.

And I do accuse them about different issues...even today posted a blog article about an idiocy they've done in the name of the better good...

But it should be fair to note they do not *always* side with the buyer.

They are just like every big organization driven by rules.
You need to understand those rules and use them to your advantage where you can and accept them for what they are where you can't.

I do not advocate for eBay here, I advocate for having less stress in your life.

[couldabeenworse]

Also this is why you always, ALWAYS provide your own return shipping label as eBay's automated one is always first class and never has insurance. Had you used your own with insurance you could have also filed the insurance claim.

That would only be appropriate if the OP believed the damage was caused by the carrier.  If he believes, as this seller apparently does, that his item was switched by the buyer for a damaged item, it would be fraudulent to file a carrier insurance claim.

[debbi.evan]

I had a similar problem with a Dyson fan,  the fan worked perfectly and had no damage, the buyer claimed it was cracked.  

[dawnofthebizarre]

Should we start taking videos and upload them to a cloud? I asked ebay about this and said they dont allow or have the capacity to store videos. How are they making tons from us but cant store video temporarily.