eBay

sitonmycar · ‎10-31-2018

I sold an item I'd tested many times - OK. I reversed the battery in the item to protect if from beeping like a bomb and alerting Homeland security. It was a heavy package too. I emailed the buyer of this and to be sure to reverse the battery upon receipt. He said it was bad. I waited to see if he had taken my instructions to reverse the battery and get back to me. Instead I received notice he's shipped the item back to me. What if I get the item back and find it's ok, maybe even still has the batter reversed indicateing he either didn't read my email or didn't follow instructions. I can take having to refund the item, even lose initial shipping to buyer. But if I can prove the item is not bad as the buyer claimed, can I get out of having to pay return shipping? Also, can I get protection from negative feedback just becuase the buyer failed to follow my instructions to operate the item?

micoa-31 · ‎10-31-2018

Umm forgive the obvious but could reverse and the battery have caused the item to fry?

sitonmycar · ‎10-31-2018

No. The two 9 volt transistor battery contacts were only contacting plastic.

This was a heavy item and if the electronics item's button had been depressed, it would have started beeping. Call in the bomb squad time. Cutting battery contact is a very common method of preventing items coming on, battery drain, fire etc. in shipping many types of electronics items.

postingid7659 · ‎10-31-2018

Last item I shipped with a 9V battery I just kept the battery and let the buyer find one on his own. Saved a bit of shipping weight too. Outside of that I don't have much help.

luckythewinner · ‎10-31-2018

But if I can prove the item is not bad as the buyer claimed

You can prove it to yourself, but you can't prove it to eBay.

The fact that you possess a working items does not prove to eBay that you mailed that item to the buyer. You might have had two items and mailed the broken one to the buyer.

When you start thinking like a dishonest seller, you realize that eBay is powwerless to determine who is telling the truth. And since they cannot tell the truth, and cannot recover money from the buyer, they will almost always side with the buyer.

... can I get out of having to pay return shipping?

Even if you could get it back and somehow prove it to eBay, how would you get out of paying return shipping? You have already paid it.

Again, eBay does not have the power or authority to take money back from a buyer. And they certainly aren;t going to give it to you out of their own pocket!