eBay

cymru_mam · ‎08-08-2019

I sold my daughters iPhone 6, sent and received by buyer.

The buyer has had it for just over two weeks and is saying it is now dropping signal and wants to return. The phone had no issue with signal when used by my daughter and this could be due to the providers masts in the area rather than the phone or by the buyer dropping or damaging the phone since they have had it.

The listing stated that it had a new battery fitted which it did - the buyer alleges that when the new battery was fitted that the aerial was damaged - my daughter used it for six months after that with no issue so it didn't happen then.

The buyer is also complaining that the phone has spots on the screen which indicate water damage. The original listing mentions the spots.

I did not offer any warranty with the phone.

They have now opened an item not as described case - and want a refund.

Obviously if they had told me there was an issue when they received it I would have refunded and assumed despite the copious amounts of bubble wrap it had suffered damage in transit but to use it for two and a half weeks before complaining !

What can I do I have tried to phone ebay but cant speak to a human being .

Don't wish to continue a dialogue with the buyer as they are being abusive.

Any help appreciated,.

chinohighcowboys1963 · ‎08-08-2019

If buyer opens a NOT AS DESCRIBED CASE, you are required to accept the return and pay return shipping if you want the phone back.

If you refuse the return, and eBay has to get involved, they will issue the refund and charge it to your account, and tell buyer they can keep the phone. You will also get a defect against your account for not resolving the problem yourself.

Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.

greg213213 · ‎08-08-2019

You only have one option and that is to accept the return unfortunately. Make sure that the buyer returns the original phone to you. If they return a different phone, call the carrier and report it as stolen. The carrier will then shut down this phone and the buyer will not be able to use it. Also if the returned phone is not the same one shipped to them file a "buyer abused MBG". You can also file a police report so this buyer is on their radar, file a report with the shipping carrier (USPS), and the FBI internet fraud unit. Make sure you get the report numbers, then call eBay with this information.

Make sure that you respond to the case the buyer opened. If you don't you will get mark on your account and eBay can suspend your selling privileges if you get too many of these.

Cell phones are a HIGH scam item. I will not sell a phone here on eBay do to this.

labs118 · ‎08-08-2019

@cymru_mam
As already posted you can't ignore the case if you don't accept the return or ignore it ebay will close in the buyers favor & refund them from your account & let them keep that phone
I don't see it sold under this account, but also you are registered in the UK so if the buyer returns something different not sure who you contact as far as carriers, Police, etc.
You may try posting for more advise on the UK boards
There are Business selling boards & Private boards

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Selling-on-eBay/ct-p/11900000091

orangehound · ‎08-08-2019

@cymru_mam wrote:

I did not offer any warranty with the phone.
They have now opened an item not as described case - and want a refund.

Any help appreciated,.

Let me give you two options with thoughts.

Accept the return and move on. Despite whatever you might think, this is probably the easiest and least hassle. My guess is that the phone is working fine, and you'll just need to relist and resell. If the phone comes back OK or the buyer damaged the phone, then report the buyer as an abusive buyer so that it is on record that this buyer is abusing the Money Back Guarantee. This is what I would do ...
Fight the return based on a warranty claim. This may or may not work, and there is some risk. The eBay MBG policy specifically states that it is not a product warranty. Obviously, a buyer can turn on the product and use it for a reasonable time to ensure it is working properly, even putting it through a charging cycle and exercising the functions. But, if the dialog between you and the buyer is documented in eBay messaging, and the messages from the buyer CLEARLY indicate that the buyer has been using the phone for 2 weeks without issue, then this is a warranty issue and not a Money Back Guarantee issue. eBay has been known to support a seller in these situations.
But it is risky. eBay supports an incredibly liberal returns posture, and so they will tend to side with a buyer in any case where it could be argued that the product is defective upon arrival in the opinion of the buyer. If you should challenge the return and lose, then you will receive (a) a seller defect, (b) loss of eBay and PayPal fees, (c) forced refund to the buyer, and (d) sometimes, the item is not required to be returned ... that is, eBay will punish you. You can appeal the decision to have it reviewed by more senior customer service reps, and the decision can be overturned.

It is still risky with eBay, but you can prevail should there be a