eBay

thebmwminipartstore_2 · ‎08-29-2018

I wanted to see if anyone feels this could be feedback extortion. We sell genuine BMW parts, we are a Dealership. I had someone buy a part last month. A few days after delivery I get a message for "not as described", it was not a SNAD case, simply a message. The message said he thinks the parts are counterfeit. I explain we only sell genuine BMW parts but he could return it if he would like no big deal. He says ok and sends the part back, a return case was not opened. He just sent it back. I get the part back and process the refund. The item was $25 with free shipping.

Fast forward a month later and I get this message today, along with the exchange:

"hi, item was returned and refund received.

Please consider reimbursing me for the return postage of $3.50 as I'm convinced that I received counterfeit decals. I may need to report this incident to eBay to protect other buyers."

"The emblems are 100 percent BMW factory parts we are a BMW Dealership. What you are asking is considered extortion per ebay's policy. I have reported this to protect future sellers."

"I will be doing the same and leaving you appropriate feedback. You should check on your supplier because the ones I got from another dealer are different and match my original ones."

"That is fine, BMW is the only supplier for genuine parts. We all get them from the same place. I will report this for feedback extortion."

I thought about sending a refund but that last line in his message hit a nerve. He has already accused me of selling fake parts so I know he is going to neg me anyways. So I blocked him and currently await the neg. This has been quite the month, numerous false SNADS and used parts returned. Hopefully next month is better.

sean5294 · ‎08-29-2018

Something odd struck me on the way home. He is a seasoned buyer, I bet he might be under a return/buyer restriction. That would explain why he did not open a return request. Don't you just love the nonsense, I have a whole shelf dedicated to counterfeit parts/use parts I have had returned by buyers. We have close to $2000 a month in theft. Good times.

Sorry OP here, this is my at home account.

sean5294 · ‎08-29-2018

I didn't think he was going to return the part. They just showed up after a couple of weeks. I would have loved if he filed a SNAD or return, I could have at least got my selling fees back.

luckythewinner · ‎08-29-2018

@thebmwminipartstore_2 wrote:
It is not a SNAD the parts are BMW parts. So stating "I may need to report this incident to eBay to protect other buyers." is not saying hey if you do not do this I will try to hurt your account?

1) I was not commenting on the validity of his claim that they were SNAD, just stating that he made that claim to you in the message you quoted.

2) Trying to "hurt your account" by reporting you to eBay is not feedback extortion.

pburn · ‎08-29-2018

Oh, my goodness. All this angst over $3.50.

thebmwminipartstore_2 · ‎08-29-2018

1) I was not commenting on the validity of his claim that they were SNAD, just stating that he made that claim to you in the message you quoted.

He should have opened a proper return for a SNAD. I would have sent a label and refunded the item. Sellers are expected to go with eBays processes, I think we should expect buyers to do the same.

2) Trying to "hurt your account" by reporting you to eBay is not feedback extortion.

Perhaps it is not feedback extortion, that is why I asked, but telling someone "if you do not do this for me then I will do this to you" is by definition extortion.

thebmwminipartstore_2 · ‎08-29-2018

HEY!!! I can almost buy a cup of coffee with that. But seriously I have an accounting department I have to answer to.

ittybitnot · ‎08-29-2018

Fast forward a month later and I get this message today, along with the exchange:

"hi, item was returned and refund received.

Just a word of advice for next time....Dear buyer, Sorry you are not pleased with your item, please start the ebay return process so your return can be processed. You

It is not a good idea to accept a return outide the return process. It will come back to bite you in the rear once in a while. A full return via PayPal still serves to give a seller a performace defect.

I would suggest that somebody "missed the memo" about feedback extortion. ebay's answer to the extortion problem was to make feedback count for NOTHING with relation to a seller's performance rating. Buyer's can use that old threat or suggestion of a threat all they want. A red donut can do you no harm. The harm is only suggested or perceived to have consequences.

Since you were such an easy mark from the start, your buyer is coming back for more blackmale money.

lacemaker3 · ‎08-29-2018

@thebmwminipartstore_2 wrote:

Possible feedback extortion?
...

eBay defines feedback extortion to be threatening negative feedback to receive something that the buyer is not entitled to.

In this case, the buyer has stated that they believe the items they received are counterfeit. In that case, eBay says that the buyer is entitled to refund of their full payment, and the seller is responsible for paying the return shipping cost.

So the buyer only asked for what they were entitled to receive. This is not feedback extortion according to eBay's definition.

More info: eBay does not assess the truth or falsehood of NAD claims. The buyer is assumed to be telling the truth if they say the item is NAD. If you feel the buyer's claim was not justified, then you can file a report againast the buyer after you receive the item back and determine that it was not NAD. This report will not change the outcome of the case at hand, but eBay does take these reports into account, and will sometimes make a buyer ineligible for Money Back Guarantee coverage if they filed too many claims that were considered to be ... sketchy, maybe, is a good word to use.