OKAY, just got Ebay's determination, which was affirmed by the concierge. I Lose All, Lamp/Money/$20

[mool]

OKAY, just got Ebay's determination, which was affirmed by the concierge. I lose both, the lamp and the money plus a $20.00 "dispute" fee that Ebay tacks on to the losing side involved in a dispute. Let me refresh the memory of those that have forgotten. Over 3 months ago I sold a Streamlight headlamp to a California resident for $168.00 + shipping. Buyer gets the lamp and gives a + feedback and gushes over the lamp. Headlamp was sold in as is condition with no return allowed. 60 days after receipt, I get a notice from ebay that the buyer had disputed the transaction with his bank for "item not as described". Ebay took the monies from my account and "held" it until a determination was made by the buyer's bank. I then wrote and talked to the buyer to state that even though item was sold as is, and buyer was 30 days past ebay's warranty under buyer protection, I was willing to take the item back and pay the freight. He said that it was too much trouble, that I had sold it, he had bought it and as such he was entitled to send it to get repaired at Streamlight (which has a lifetime warranty). I explained that I owned the light, he said that it was too much trouble and he kept it. I objected to the dispute. 

Today I got the email from ebay that said I lose both the money, the lamp and a $20.00 dispute fee. I called my concierge about the Seller protection and he said that since it had been done through the sellers bank, that ebay's hands were tied. That he would credit me the $20.00 fee as a courtesy for being a 100% ebay trader for 3600 + feed-backs over a span of over 24 years. I asked for his superior and he said that he was it... Judge-Jury-Executioner. I will be canceling my sales for now, as I cannot afford to risk anymore sales to thieves. Additionally I am seriously considering ending my ebay relationship. Not for what this buyer did, but for what ebay failed to do. Seller Protection by ebay? When? Where? How? The thieving buyer is still dealing on ebay.

[house*of*paws]

Hi @mool 

I'm so sorry this happened.  eBay can only protect you from a dispute a buyer files with eBay.  They have no control over a buyer disputing the purchase with their credit card company ... which is who tacks on the $20 fee to the refunded amount.  [This could happen with any selling venue.]

[bonjourami]

As I understand it, Ebay is completely out of the picture when a buyer goes to his cc..beyond their control.

[mool]

They could at least bar him from ebay? Concierge states that I cannot sell strictly for cash locally while on ebay. That I must allow for credit card payments. Why, so a thief can do this? Guy kept my light and my money. refused to send it back. You would think he violated some ebay policy? He violated a law, its called larceny. Ebay should not allow members use ebay to commit larceny through them.

[mool]

Please see prior reply... 

[bonjourami]

You absolutely can sell for cash with local pick up only on Ebay,but you also have to list the PP option. More misinformation from a csr. Why would Ebay suspend that buyer? Yes you lost money out of your pocket, but Ebay didnt. Buyers are king here, always.

[collectfest]

Thanks for your post. Good to know the level of protection we really have. A Similar situation happened to me about 10 years ago, I figured surly they would have worked out seller protection not.by now. I guess 

[dnasilver]

If eBay manages payments for sellers than they should go to the mat for the seller. eBay should fight the dispute tooth and nail just like any B&M store would!

[us_bmich]

Ebay has zero control over a CC cancelation, which is EXACTLY why the buyer did what he did. It's called stealing, and it's a loophole that burdens not only Ebay, but, every other online selling company.

Sorry this happened, heck I am mad and not even envolved.

[dnasilver]

You only lost out on the lamp and $20 dispute charge. That is what you will write off. You cannot write off the money you were paid too. Claiming the lamp and what you were paid is double dipping on the loss.

[gandjtaylor]

I don't know what has happened to Ebay , but they certainly DO NOT protect the long time sellers. I had a scammer from Texas buy an item~said it was fake~posted that he had returned it to me and filed a dispute with Ebay. He won the dispute, like your case Ebay said "it was out of their hands"~ and said I owed the money.. What he sent back was an empty box ~NO expensive gold necklace!!     I have contacted Ebay several times with no success~ after 23 yrs of selling on Ebay it looks like they are siding with the scam buyers and as far as I can see Ebay IS NOT a safe place to sell items anymore!!

[mool]

It is a shame. They had the tiger by the tail... but they slowed down their spin! Ebay would not even share the info of the bank that handled the dispute. I was confident that if I had conversed with the bank, I could have persevered or at least had a shot. Ebay refused. What motivation could ebay have in getting the money if it was my money... Ebay still got their fee! They have no skin in the game. I previously suggested that maybe ebay should have an arbitration board? An appeal process? But none exist. The bank's decision is final (usually siding with their customer), ebay will not dispute it, and the seller is the only one left to fleece. It is sad. I was having a pretty good day until... this! 

[rugerskick]

What you have described is why ebay is, long-term, going to fail.

They want to position themselves to selling higher dollar/higher value items.

If they do not have the backs of long time good sellers, with long time good track records, who are selling higher dollar/value items,  those sellers are not going to sell here for fear of loss via fraud and false damage to their reputation.

Ebay will not be able to enact this strategy because high value/dollar sellers can't afford it.

And then a percentage of middle and lower value sellers will bail because they will see the high value sellers being shafted by ebay and realize smaller sellers won't be treated any better.  And they can't afford to be hung out to dry by ebay.

As it stands right now ebay is an accomplice to theft in many of these cases.  Their policies enable it and encourage it.

[12345jamesstamps]

Sorry but I had the same experience. I am still selling on eBay. I now takes returns. This is  a part of selling something. My experience left a bad taste in my mouth also. Its a problem through credit cards, not eBay.

[mool]

As it stands right now ebay is an accomplice to theft in many of these cases.  Their policies enable it and encourage it. rugerskick said it best. Ebay is aiding and abetting the crime of larceny by being a knowing facilitator. I wonder if the CEO and the CFO of Ebay have any idea that this is going on. Taking care of us, the sellers, even a little bit, would not hurt business, in fact, it should boost business. I for one, with the pricier/bulkier items, was only offering them for local pickup for cash. I would then allow ebay to get their fees from my credit cards on file. This may be the only way I will sell anything anymore.

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