eBay authorizes INAD after an Authenticity Guarantee inspection

[bulldogwatches]

Foreign buyer purchases watch through a proxy buyer, with missing medallion on caseback, clearly photographed and lesser sale price than complete version. Watch passes authenticity guarantee now buyer starts what I imagine is an INAD claim as an overseas buyer that I never intended to sell to in the first place. eBay authorizes it as a return!! Now it’s going BACK through inspection for return! What was point of AG!?! and I sold as a NO RETURNS Item. At what point do sellers ever get to claim some moron buyer never looked at pictures and forces aand I refuse return or can counter claim against ebays AG!!! If it is inspected than it’s legit against photos.  

[dryophelia]

@bulldogwatches 

When did they buy it? 

Are you sure the item qualified for AG? 

From the eBay Help Page about the Authenticity Guarantee.

... Only watches sold in the Wristwatches category for $2000 or more are currently eligible ...

Proxy buyer? Do you mean you sold it to someone who turned around and sold it to someone else. That buyer returned it to them and they in turn are returning it to you?

[luckythewinner]

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@bulldogwatches wrote:

Foreign buyer purchases watch through a proxy buyer, with missing medallion on caseback, clearly photographed and lesser sale price than complete version. Watch passes authenticity guarantee now buyer starts what I imagine is an INAD claim as an overseas buyer that I never intended to sell to in the first place. eBay authorizes it as a return!! Now it’s going BACK through inspection for return! What was point of AG!?! and I sold as a NO RETURNS Item. At what point do sellers ever get to claim some moron buyer never looked at pictures and forces aand I refuse return or can counter claim against ebays AG!!! If it is inspected than it’s legit against photos.  

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Authenticity Guarantee is a guarantee of authenticity, not a guarantee against INADs. It does not guarantee against shipping damage between the authenticator and the buyer, for instance. 

What did the buyer claim was the issue when he filed the INAD? You never told us that in your post. 

[gracieallen01]

It would seem that if for any reason the buyer isn't happy, there is always the Money Back Guarantee to cover those loose ends.  Perhaps the 'authenticator' had a bad day'?  However, being ebay, the buyer wins. 

Please let us know if you get back what you sent.

[eunster1313]

(Authenticity Guarantee is not a guarantee of authneticity, not a guarantee against INADs. It does guarantee against shipping damage between the authenticator and the buyer, for instance.)

So what you are saying is that eBay is lying about the new program that they are bragging about?

Announcing “Final Sale” option for Authenticity Guarantee luxury watch transactions

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/Announcing-Final-Sale-option-for-Authenticity-Guarantee-... 

Authenticity Guarantee Sell your watches confidently

https://pages.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee-watches-seller/ 

[ittybitnot]

So what you are saying is that eBay is lying about the new program that they are bragging about?

I would not particularly say they are "lying", but there are likely issues/instances where ebay will try to avoid taking a monetary hit for the seller in a SNAD instance.  What the policy "spin" might be, will not always be how it actually works, regardless of any statement and forwarding to the buyer by an "authenticity agent". 

For instance,  op states there was something "missing" on the case back, which may negate the requirement of "New with tags or new without tags".   In addition,  with the buyer likely being out of the US as alluded to in the OP (use of a freight forwarder perhaps?)  Seller protection may be denied due to the following condition found in the link provided: 

 However, items that ship to a buyer address outside the continental U.S. are not eligible for the program.

This also may be a simple case of the ebay algorithm not detecting that this is an AG sale, and simply plops the claim in the lap of the seller like they do with the GSP issues of INR and Damaged in Shipping.  Thus the need to contact ebay customer service is going to be necessary with a good chance of them making the situation worse.  

Hopefully, @bulldogwatches  will be forthcoming as to how the process is playing out.  Presently, at this point it doesn't sound like "Final Sale" is all that FINAL. 

[luckythewinner]

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@eunster1313 wrote:

So what you are saying is that eBay is lying about the new program that they are bragging about? 

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No, I was talking about this: 

Are authenticated items protected by the eBay Money Back Guarantee?

For authenticated items, eBay Money Back Guarantee only covers items returned within the seller’s return window and items that satisfy the eMBG eligibility requirements and are not received or that arrive damaged.

https://pages.ebay.com/authenticity-guarantee-watches/

But that is just speculation, because you did not answer my question ... what did the buyer claim was the issue when he filed the INAD? 

[ittybitnot]

No, I was talking about this: 

Are authenticated items protected by the eBay Money Back Guarantee?

For authenticated items, eBay Money Back Guarantee only covers items returned within the seller’s return window and items that satisfy the eMBG eligibility requirements and are not received or that arrive damaged.

So, the question remains:

Does the use of the Authenticator program, that authenticates the product, exempt the seller from SNAD claims or not as the announcement in the screen shot suggest?  Is the "word" of the authenticator final as to the item being "as described" ?  What happens if the seller's policy is NO RETURNS and there is no "return window"?   What if the buyer simply files a chargeback? 

I can understand the OP's frustration here for whatever reason this transaction is not going as planned.  The policy seems to have a few contradictions as to who is responsible, and for what.

[luckythewinner]

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@ittybitnot wrote:

So, the question remains:
Does the use of the Authenticator program, that authenticates the product, exempt the seller from SNAD claims or not as the announcement in the screen shot suggest?

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I would say that the detailed policy pages always take precedence over the announcement. 

Here's more, from the link the OP posted: 

Lost, Damaged, or Items Not Delivered.
Items that are lost or damaged during the Authenticity Guarantee process are protected by eBay’s Money Back Guarantee, subject to the eMBG guidelines.

[gracieallen01]

So, if the buyer files INAD because of damage and sends back something else that isn't quite like what was described, what is the use or validity of the Authentication program?

If ebay doesn't see it, handle it or evaluate it, it seems like, once again, it is a 'he said/she said', where the buyer seems to generally win.

[mam98031]

@bulldogwatches 

What was the reason on the INAD?  That is VERY important for this process.  You just need to look at the claim to find the reason they chose when they filed it.  

Is the item coming back from a different address than you shipped to?

A no return policy does not protect you from INADs.  All sellers have to have return policies that meet or beat the MBG.

[1tuna]

.................general reply..............

the reason for the INAD was the missing medallion on the back.Many good watches will have a screwback and a gold medallion in the center such as an Omega constellation or Longines Conquest.The medallions are pried out and get scrapped or lost.The OP mentioned that in the description that it was missing 

the authenticity program will make sure there is no swithcheroo and just return it to the seller.The program explains that this is within the buyers rights.  

I think the program is a great one because ebay indemnifies me from game players who claim I sent them somthing different.

the reduced rate of 4.5% fee from anything over $1000 is a real game changer in MP and watches.

I thinks its a great incentive to list some nice watchs in the USA without worrying about shipping to the seller

[1tuna]

the above rate of 4.5 % pertains to TRS sellers who have a store and are in MP and sell in category 31387 or watches and applies to the amount over 1000

[ittybitnot]

A no return policy does not protect you from INADs. 

It is basically a requirement (as posted in the announcement SPIN etc) for the seller to have protection against SNAD when they use the AG program.  or the suggestion of "immunity for MBG Snad claims" is just not true. 

[maros9416]

Perhaps the AG job is to evaluate a brand new watch through visual inspection and just say yes or no. Maybe they don't pull up the listings and read through for any nuances as they are only looking at brand new items. Experienced watch guys can tell right away, especially with a supposed brand new watch if it is fake or not...The seller said that his watch was missing a piece, so I guess it would be listed as new with defects, if it was new, which may be out of the reach of the AG. They probably opened the package, seen the watch was authentic, and closed it back up without ever looking at the seller's listing. If everything is all legit and the seller didn't look at all the photos and just clicked buy it now, then unfortunately that is on the seller. When buyer's look on their phone, they see the first photo, the price, and an abbreviated description. The buyer probably said ' Wow the cheapest price for this watch ' and bought it without ever looking in to why it was cheaper than the other comps.