eBay

leeleeavellino · ‎10-10-2022

I'm a new seller to ebay. It's been fun and haven't had any big issues until today. I received a message from a seller that an item I shipped was damaged. It was a VERY sturdy mid-century metal pineapple ice bucket. Though I'm new to ebay, I'm not new to shipping goods so it was packed with care. He sent me photos showing an enormous crack (its 1/4" thick metal) and a 3" dent ( again, it's 1/4" thick metal)...but absolutely no damage to the box. It's not adding up to me. Does anyone have any advice? I have put in a claim with Fedex on his behalf and he is going to request a full refund from ebay. Not how I wanted to start my week. Thank you for any insight/suggestions.

duffy4444 · ‎10-17-2022

@leeleeavellino wrote:
I received my pineapple back and don’t believe for a second that the damage happened in shipment. It looks like it was crushed - and again there was no damage to the box. Do I have to refund him after my return inspection? Do I have any recourse?

No recourse. He returned the ice bucket, and whether it is the one you sold him, or him pulling a switcheroo on you, you still have to refund him. That's the way eBay looks at it in this age when buyers are allowed too much leeway to either scam or be an opportunist when seeing something they can get for free. eBay will not back you on any situation, emails, or photos that could be doctored and is against the buyer's Money Back Guarantee. You could go thru the insurance route, but you may lose on that one, too - along with a lot of wasted time.

It's sad, but the truth is that you should never list, sell, and especially ship any item online that you and your business model are not prepared to lose, along with your payment for it on a forced buyer refund that you have no control over. That's the way it is for all of us sellers, no matter how long we've been here and how many thousands of feedbacks we have.

Cheers, Duffy

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maryinlikely · ‎10-10-2022

You got a buyer that is replacing their old damaged item with your item. Call Ebay and see if they can help you since the shipping box does not show damage.

ittybitnot · ‎10-10-2022

@leeleeavellino

First question: Has your buyer filed an ebay claim yet, or are they just messaging you?

ckimodog · ‎10-10-2022

Tell the buyer to file a claim. Another thing, you should consider accepting returns. Ebay has a money back guarantee. No returns does not mean no refunds.

PS Nice shop!

12345jamesstamps · ‎10-10-2022

Have you matched your photos on selling item with their photo with damage ? I did that for stamps I sold and found photos were not the same and called it out to buyer. Never heard from buyer again and of course I blocked them. Taking no returns doesn't help either. Buyer can assume a refund and won't have to return anything. I would request a return to make the buyer do some work packing it and mailing it before giving a refund. The buyer might just end up ghosting you. There's a lot of work that goes into packing and mailing something. Does buyer still have box...does buyer have tape? Does buyer have time to mail something out?

leeleeavellino · ‎10-10-2022

This is how I’m feeling about it. 😞

leeleeavellino · ‎10-10-2022

He hasn’t filed an eBay claim as yet but has said he intends to do so.

leeleeavellino · ‎10-10-2022

Thank you for your words of advice and the compliment on my shop. I’m obsessed with it!

bonjourami · ‎10-10-2022

"You got a buyer that is replacing their old damaged item with your item. Call Ebay and see if they can help you since the shipping box does not show damage. "

You think the buyer was actually replacing his mid century, pineapple,Italian,$400, ice bucket? Doubtful ...

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“Never pick a fight with an ugly person. They don’t have anything to lose.” ~Robin Williams

leeleeavellino · ‎10-10-2022

Thank you! I immediately made him work to send more documentation. I will make him ship it back if I’m allowed to do that.

kensgiftshop · ‎10-10-2022

@leeleeavellino wrote:
He hasn’t filed an eBay claim as yet but has said he intends to do so.

When they do, you'll have two options.

Refund the buyer and let them keep it.

Accept the return, pay return shipping and give a full refund when something is returned.

When a buyer claims an item is damaged, it's the seller that files a claim with the carrier if they want to, after the buyer is refunded.

If they send it back and you can prove it's a different one, you can report the buyer for abusing the MBG.

Have a great day.

bonjourami · ‎10-10-2022

If hes filing a case, you need to provide him with a return label, and refund after return. The insurance is for you, not your buyer.

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“Never pick a fight with an ugly person. They don’t have anything to lose.” ~Robin Williams

ittybitnot · ‎10-10-2022

He hasn’t filed an eBay claim as yet but has said he intends to do so.

@leeleeavellino

You don't have to do anything until they file that claim. Perhaps the buyer is just "tree shaking" or testing the waters to see what you will do. Some newbies will refund since they don't know how the game is played and still live in fear of a red donut review (even though they don't count for anything anymore).

Other buyers may have lost their ability to file an eBay claim, so again are just seeing what you are going to do.

Dear buyer,
I am sorry you are not please with your purchase. Please return for refund.

Sincerely,

You

When a claim is filed, accept the return, provide a return shipping label, and wait.

When the claim is filed, your item becomes whatever the buyer says it is. There will be no involvement by eBay at all. The process is automated, and CS are no longer allowed to take any action that deviates from the bot program. For ebay purposes, it matters not if your buyer is telling the truth, lying through their teeth, and sends you back the proverbial brick instead of your product.

You will be refunding anyway.

ms.rodriguez* · ‎10-10-2022

Ask for more photos of the item. See if you can verify if it's the same one. Were there some scratches or perhaps a label. Does it look identical ? If yes, then tell the buyer that you will report him to ebay for switching the items. In the end, if the buyer still opens a claim, you are forced to accept the return and pay the return shipping and fully refund too. Bummer.