eBay

kazam2000 · ‎01-24-2020

I sold a barely used fitbit Versa before Christmas. The guy emailed me today and told me it doesn't work and that Fitbit says it's out of warranty and that he's really mad. I told him to pack it up and ship it back to me for a refund. I then went to ebay to see how to refund and i noticed that he already left me negative feedback before even contacting me. He then emailed me back saying that he can't return it because he sent it to Fitbit. So after ruining my 100% feedback of 10+years, I also cant' get the item back. It sounds fishy to me, but I was willing to refund him anyway when i got the item back. So what should I do? Should I file a complaint on him with ebay?

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-24-2020

It's odd that he would assume a used item would still be under the manufacturers warranty.

I'm not sure what you could report him to ebay for as he isn't required to contact you before he leaves a negative but I definitely would not refund without a return.

It's possible that the buyer is hoping you will offer a partial refund. I would probably stand my ground and tell him to return for a refund.

eleanor*rigby · ‎01-24-2020

@kazam2000 wrote:
" . . . he can't return it because he sent it to Fitbit."

Tell him to file for a return for a refund via eBay's resolution center. In theory (although I suppose you never know), he will not be granted a refund unless and until he can return the item to you. It's possible eBay will refund him themselves, I guess, but (hopefully) you will not be required to pay for the refund.

You can always suggest he get it back from Fitbit and return it to you . . . I can't believe Fitbit would keep it, although they may require he pay shipping costs to get it back. The fact that he sent it to Fitbit (yeah, I'll bet he did) is not your problem. He has to get the item back to you somehow.

If he does file for a return, make sure you accept it and follow all eBay's requirements and deadlines, or they may indeed find in his favor against you.

I use all those caveats because there are invariably sellers who come along and say, "Yeah, but I had to . . . " whatever.

eleanor*rigby · ‎01-24-2020

I just noticed you sold that Fitbit on December 11. It's possibly/probably too late for your buyer to file for a return on eBay. If it is too late, ignore my advice about eBay's resolution center, etc. Sorry, I should've looked at that before I responded.

Be prepared for him to file for a return via PayPal.

inhawaii · ‎01-24-2020

No send item back. = No refund.

Harden My Heart - Quarterflash

m60driver · ‎01-24-2020

Give him one more chance to return for refund and then ignore and block. And yea, it sounds fishy but you don't have grounds yet to report him to Ebay simply because he gave you a meaningless neg review. A single neg review will not hurt your reputation.

mam98031 · ‎01-24-2020

@eleanor*rigby wrote:
@kazam2000 wrote:
" . . . he can't return it because he sent it to Fitbit."

Tell him to file for a return for a refund via eBay's resolution center. In theory (although I suppose you never know), he will not be granted a refund unless and until he can return the item to you. It's possible eBay will refund him themselves, I guess, but (hopefully) you will not be required to pay for the refund.

You can always suggest he get it back from Fitbit and return it to you . . . I can't believe Fitbit would keep it, although they may require he pay shipping costs to get it back. The fact that he sent it to Fitbit (yeah, I'll bet he did) is not your problem. He has to get the item back to you somehow.

If he does file for a return, make sure you accept it and follow all eBay's requirements and deadlines, or they may indeed find in his favor against you.

I use all those caveats because there are invariably sellers who come along and say, "Yeah, but I had to . . . " whatever.

I'd caution that thought. In Ebay's current return system, they could return an empty box and get a full refund. So I would not encourage the buyer to file a claim in Ebay.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

mam98031 · ‎01-24-2020

Have you looked at the FB this buyer has left for others. If not you should. See if they seem to do this or similar to others.

I absolutely would NOT refund this buyer. They are trying to take advantage of you to be sure. Either they have the item, it works fine and they are fishing for a refund or they did ship it to Fitbit and Fitbit has agreed to take care of them. Otherwise there would be NO REASON to ship the item to Fitbit.

Either way, they are trying to steal your money.

But check their FB left for others and let us know if you see anything else that could raise an eyebrow or two.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

kazam2000 · ‎01-25-2020

I checked his feedback left for others and there is only one more in the last year. It was positive, but it said that it took so long to get the item that he thought he was going to pass away before it arrived. I'll keep watching to see if he leaves more feedback soon for his other purchases he made in the last couple months. I just don't understand why he wouldn't contact me first before "sending it in" to Fitbit? Especially if it wasn't under warranty? That's why it seems a little fishy to me. I'm just going to do nothing in this case and hope he doesn't contact ebay for a refund.

mam98031 · ‎01-25-2020

@kazam2000 wrote:
I checked his feedback left for others and there is only one more in the last year. It was positive, but it said that it took so long to get the item that he thought he was going to pass away before it arrived. I'll keep watching to see if he leaves more feedback soon for his other purchases he made in the last couple months. I just don't understand why he wouldn't contact me first before "sending it in" to Fitbit? Especially if it wasn't under warranty? That's why it seems a little fishy to me. I'm just going to do nothing in this case and hope he doesn't contact ebay for a refund.

You may just have to live with this one. It is unfortunate and you may never know why they choose this route, but it is clear to me. This is one of two things.

1. They have the item, it works fine and they are fishing for a refund.

OR

2. They did ship it to Fitbit and Fitbit has agreed to take care of them. Otherwise there would be NO REASON to ship the item to Fitbit.

OR

3. They shipped the item to FITBIT w/ an agreement with to fix, replace or refund them AND they are trying to get a refund out of you too.

No matter how you look at it, they are trying to steal your money. One of those three things is happening. I lean more towards the last one.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999