How Does the eBay Resolution Center Work? I was Ruled Against in Favor of a Buyer With No Feedback

[samkom]

I have been a member of eBay for over 19 years and have accumulated over 1100 positive feedbacks with a 100% rating.  I recently sold and shipped an item to a buyer who has no feedback whatsoever.  Though I pack extremely well and have never had an item arrive broken, this buyer said that a piece arrived broken and accused me of shipping it that way.  The box showed absolutely no damage in transit and I made sure that the contents would arrive safely.

I told the buyer I would not offer a refund, so a case was opened.  Though I was not asked for my side of the story, eBay ruled in the buyer's favor, and is forcing me to make a refund.  I am so angry that I'm considering closing my longstanding account to assure that this will not happen.

Any thoughts on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Sam

[myangelandmyprincess]

If the item broke In shipping you're responsible to refund them no matter how well you packed it 

[luxe_beauty_4_less]

Sam, unfortunately, eBay has no way of disproving that the item was damaged in transit.  eBay's money back guarantee dictates that if the buyer claims damage, you must pay to have the item returned to you and then issue a refund upon receipt.  If you don't then eBay will rule in the buyer's favor, they will refund the buyer, claw the money back from you AND the buyer gets to keep the item.  That's why it's best, when damage is claimed, to follow through with the return.  At least that way, the buyer doesn't get to keep the item.  This has been policy for a very long time.  Sorry you had to experience it the hard way.  

[bonjourami]

Doesnt matter if the buyer doesnt have any feedback, that doesnt make her a scammer. Why wouldnt you offer return and refund if she says the item was broken? And you probably got a serious defect for not offering a resolution.You have no way of knowing if the item was broken...and if it was, your buyer shouldnt be out one penny..

[thnguyen_3454]

Your experience is very useful for me. Maybe i should  consider packing carefully with   my goods in the future. Sorry about the problem you met!

[samkom]

I didn't offer a refund because this was not necessarily a delicate item, and I wrapped it in bubble wrap and foam rubber (a first for me since I wanted to make sure it would arrive safely) before packing it up in a box large enough to secure the item.

What really got me was that the buyer claimed that the piece looked as though it had been wrapped as if it were broken before it was shipped, hence my thinking I was being scammed.  I still think that.

[ed8108]

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@samkom wrote:

 I am so angry that I'm considering closing my longstanding account to assure that this will not happen.

Any thoughts on this subject would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Sam

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Wouldn't that be over reacting to an infrequent occurrence

[*madison]

Did the buyer send you a photo of the broken item?

@samkom 

[samkom]

Yes, but I still can't believe that it broke during transit.  I packed it as well as anything I've sent (and I've sent a lot, including overseas), especially when the box was untouched.  Did you see that the seller accused me of SENDING it to him as broken?

[samkom]

Yes, probably, but man I'm mad!

[bonjourami]

Ive been selling here for twenty years, and Ive had one item arrive broken in all that time..it happens..and incidentally, the box itself was fine...not crushed at all..the buyer also accused me of sending it broken because the box was undamaged,no big deal..I moved on..

[samkom]

Yes, ALWAYS overpack your items.  Sometimes, like this, it doesn't seem to matter.  Oh well.

[*madison]

Yes I noticed the buyer is blaming you.

The item is broken so you should have issued a refund.

You were not going to win this case, not even if you had a million feedbacks.

A seller sent me an item and the packaging looked bomb proof, but the item was broken.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

They're not ruling in the buyer's favor. They are undoing the breached contract that the SNAD item caused. If they were ruling in the buyer's favor they would refund their money and allow them to keep the item.

Jumping through hoops, getting a broken item, sending back a broken item only to get their own money back IS NOT taking the buyer's side.

If that's what the buyer was originally intending, they need to get a new hobby. I'm confident that wasn't their original plan.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

OMG I just got an instant pot shipped by Amazon. It was double boxed with foam inserts and the outer box was a shipping box. I could not see any damage to the outer box but the product box was crunched in on one corner. The instant pot itself had plastic parts broken off and a huge dent in the side. 

I repeat, the outer box appeared undamaged. 

Thankfully Amazon takes damaged items back without whining about it and accusing me of being a scammer.