Seller Support is Worthless

[yourneighborjames]

eBay has absolutely no protection for sellers and they will try to milk you dry.

I’m just a guy trying to sell my stuff to make more money during COVID. But a scammed took advantage of eBay’s horribly flawed system.

i opened a “case” and provided much correspondence that supports my claim, but within TWO MINUTES they close the case in the fraud buyer’s favor. How did you review all of my provided documents is only TWO minutes eBay? You can’t. You didn’t. 

The scam buyer still has my item and my money. eBay has deducted hundreds from my PayPal as part of a fraud laptop return, then they have the audacity to attempt  to charge me for “seller return fees” as part of a return which never happened. 

All the while they avoid or don’t have any human customer support. I’ve been trying to get a hold of eBay for weeks to no avail. The app portal And help center  is worthless. 

Dispicable. Shame on you ebay. 

Where is my money eBay? Where is my item?

[corvettestainless]

There is no 'proof' you could have presented. Buyers have a 30 day MBG. They open a case, you must answer the return case (either clicking 'provide return label if a 'Not Working' 'Not as Described' type return).. and once tracking shows it returned, you have to refund, or ebay will do it for you. If you do not answer the first request, ebay will refund and have the customer 'keep' item. 

[jdoman@tpa.ebay.com]

Hey there,

I'm sorry to hear about your experience I know myself would be frustrated too.

eBay has human phone support available 24/7 and you can find the number via the contact us button on the page below.

https://www.ebay.com/help/home

Kind regards, J

[retailtechoutlet]

You're not going to win, we've gone through a case of a guy who bought a keyboard and sent back an old, dirty, used one with different serial number. Pictures + police report didn't do anything, Ebay doesn't care about sellers it's plain and simple. You'll have better luck on another platform.

[albany_sellers]

Welcome to eBay where all sellers are just uncaught scammers or thieves. Remember, there is no such thing as winning a case as a seller, it's not something that happens on eBay, regardless of proof or evidence supporting you.

If a buyer says it, it is the word of God and unchallengable. Think before you EVER sell anything expensive, if someone wants to steal it, they can with zero risk. 

[luckythewinner]

eBay has absolutely no protection for sellers

Seller protection on eBay is extremely limited. Last time I checked, it consisted of:

a) protection from "Item Not Received" claims if you provided the correct delivery confirmation in the correct way in the correct timeframe; 

b) protection from having to refund twice, if the first refund was done in the correct manner; and

c) removal of feedback in a few specific cases

Buyt when it comes to disputes, right in the eBay user agreement you agreed to let eBay whatever final decision they want. 

they will try to milk you dry

I don't think ebay is trying milk sellers dry. I think they just want to rig the system so that seller gives the refund instead eBay. 

The scam buyer still has my item and my money. 

{snip}

Where is my money eBay? Where is my item?

The buyer stole your item and his theft cost you some selling fees and the price of postage. If it is your item, it is not your money. If it is your money, it is not your item. You were never entitled to the item and the money. 

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, very sorry you got scammed. If you feel you have a strong case, then an appeal (where a human reviews the case) is your next move. Below are the instructions on how to appeal the decision. Carefully read the requirements to maximize your chances of success. You have 30 days to do this. Reversals of eBay's rulings have been known to happen.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/appeal-ebays-decision-return-missing-item...

There are seller protections in place, but you have to know what they are in order to prevail. Right now it seems you need to bone up on how to best protect your interests on eBay. You found out the hard way that eBay looks out for the buyer's interests first and foremost. With the Money Back Guarantee, there is little protection for sellers, save for an Item Not Received claim where a seller need only show delivery via a tracking number to win the case. Unfortunately, Not As Described cases do not have such an advantage for the seller, not until an appeal is filed. That is where your evidence will be reviewed. Good luck with it and hope you find some satisfaction in the results.

[randyshotrods]

I thought with the new managed payments ebay will in house review your case and decide however they feel (most likely in the buyer's favor and you will have to accept it with no chance for an appeal.  All decisions it stated will be final. ). Just some of the new fun fine print in managed payments.

[jojitsusensei]

All I ever here anymore are seller horror stories just like yours.

Eventually eBay will run out of sellers as they slowly leave.

[jojitsusensei]

• Sad but that's what eBay has turned into.

[luckythewinner]

---

---

All I ever here anymore are seller horror stories just like yours.

Very few sellers come here to simply post "my transaction went smoothly" even though I suspect that the vast majority of transactions are uneventful. 

Eventually eBay will run out of sellers as they slowly leave.

eBay introduced the Money Back Guarantee in 2008, which is when sellers started having to regularly refund buyers for disputes.

According to third-party websites that tracked listing counts at the time, eBay's listing count in early 2008 was around 150 million. That number has steadily increased to around 1.5 billion today. So history shows a tenfold increase in listings, despite the Money Back Guarantee.

I'm not saying fraud does not exist, or that buyers are not ripping off sellers. I'm simply pointing out that despite this fraud the site seems to have no trouble finding sellers willing to list here. 

[aldente28]

I'm sorry this happened to you.

The advice above about reading and understanding ebay's policies is good. I suggest that too. It may help to keep these things in mind:

1. Ebay has a Money Back Guarantee that allows buyers to get their money back if they are unhappy for any reason.

2. When a buyer opens a case for item not as described, defective, missing parts, etc, that is not a challenge to you. It's a fact. Why? Because it doesn't matter what the reason is. It only matters that they are unhappy, and when they are unhappy, they can get their money back.

3. What does matter, however, is what they claim and how you respond. Ebay has a process, and rather than responding instinctively (for example, by saying "the item is fine" and denying the return), you should read about your options and their consequences, and respond accordingly.

4. The advice I give for INAD claims, for example, is always the same: Accept the return and refund as appropriate when you receive the item back. If you don't accept the return, ebay will refund the buyer and allow them to keep the item, and you will be out both the money and the item. My point is this: it doesn't work how most people think it will. It doesn't matter if you're right, or you have a good case. What matters is the process.

You can get good advice here, if you decide you want help with the process. Many people who post here have seen and heard it all before, and they know the rules very well and can help you navigate the process with the least amount of aggravation.

[kensgiftshop]

---

@yourneighborjames wrote:

i opened a “case” and provided much correspondence that supports my claim, but within TWO MINUTES they close the case in the fraud buyer’s favor.

---

That's when you lost the item and money.

As a seller, you never want to open a case on an INAD, you'll loose every time.

When a buyer files an INAD, accept the return, pay return shipping and refund buyer once something is returned.

Once the buyer is refunded and the case is closed, then you can call and complain and give what evidence you have.

Once the buyer files an INAD and you try fighting the return, Ebay will find in the buyer favor and they can refund the buyer from your account and let them keep the item.

When Ebay has to get involved, you don't get your FVF's returned, plus you get a defect for not handling the return.

[mauvesk3]

Is happen to me as well , this buyer bought a watch soon he paid  paypal, i received an email asking me to send the item to a different address, i send a email to the buyer  telling him that i will send the item to the address that I have from Ebay,  after my mail to the buyer i received from this buyer asking me more pictures which i did, he asked  me if the watch was for a man or a woman. i  reply that the watch is for a woman, soon after this email, he ask  to cancel telling me that he need  a women watch. the problem was my pictures show that it was a woman watch  delicate but still almost 33 gram of gold, bracelet, back everything was solid gold, on top of this the watch description was for "women".      Then all my replies  to this buyer were link to a  NEW menber  who was no more a menber after 2 days. A menber who is willing to pay $1,600, could you please tell me if this menber will not check if the watch was for a woman or a man? this buer i could tell you more about but is link to a fraud and scam, i received again an another email from someone else just after i sent an email to this buyer saying that he bought the watch to send to a different address. The 2 emails  have  almost the same address, How  the other buyers knew that the watch was sold? how and why  the 2 emails were send  after a reply to this buyer? is obvious to me that this buyer is connected, Ebay took side with this buyer giving him all his refund. Could we sue Ebay, is there  lawsuit action? this is for ALL THE GOOD  sellers who were hurt by Ebay decision, when Ebay should have investigate this buyer after sending them proof from the 2 other emails asking me to send the watch to a fifferent address, But Ebay is turning his cheek and side with this buyer knowing that something is not right there. IS  not for me is for EVERYONE here who have been burn by Ebay. and to get the right person is IMPOSSIBLE.   please forgive my english , i am from France. Thank you for your insight

[bargainnation]

It is disheartening to read/hear about stories like the one that happened to you on the eBay platform.

It is widely known that eBay is almost a haven for scam artists who know they can run their scams on eBay without fear of serious consequences, if any at all.

The lesson I have learned is not to sell anything too too expensive on eBay. Scam artists know if you're an individual seller you might not have the resources or time to go after them especially if they live in a different state or region of the country than you do.