eBay let buyer return an item and it was sent to a wrong address and it was lost!

[roy8765]

Around a month ago, I sold a used laptop on eBay, clearly mentioning in the item description that the battery was not good and it could hold only about half an hour of charge (to the best of my knowlege) and that returns were not accepted.  The buyer claimed that the battery was bad and requested a return which I declined.  However, eBay let the buyer return it and they even provided a return address to him which was 11 years old without asking me first and the laptop was sent to a wrong address.  I never received the laptop and for all practical purposes, the ~$250 laptop is lost!  I appealed eBay's decision multiple times and they always rejected my appeal and forced me to fully refund the buyer plus shipping.  Eventually I asked for their legal department and I'm considering suing eBay in a small claims court.  What are my options and chances of success here?  Any advice from the community and the sellers who have been in this situation?

This is a pretty clear mess up on eBay's part....  They turned a long time customer into an active enemy!  Any lawyers who would like to take this case on my behalf?

[roy8765]

Yes, this was my first major bad transaction in more than a decade partly because I only sell and buy occasionally on eBay (maybe 4-5 times per year.) But the loss here is too large and I'll stop selling on eBay going forward. (Of course buying on eBay is apparently still chill!)

[jason_incognito]

The buyer would have to either repair the battery or replace it. Was in need of repair to be used as intended.

[auventera]

I've been selling and buying on eBay for 15 years. I used to sell $1,000 pieces of horse equipment (saddles and tack) like it was nothing. Never had a single problem. If I needed a little extra cash, I'd throw a bridle up for $250 and have my spending money in a few days.

NOT NOW. OH GOD NO. NOT NOW! If I can't afford to give it away for free than eBay is not the right selling platform.

Back in the day eBay was more user friendly and intuitive. Now there are protections, policies and agreements to cover the tiniest fart that a buyer squeezes out while clicking buy it now. Maybe that same verbiage existed back then but buyers didn't return items or request refunds hand over fist. They do now!!

Ebay is big business turning a profit and really don't care about Joe Blow Seller Schmoe loosing 300 bucks on a sale. They care that buyers keep coming back because they feel safe and covered.

Ebay sucks. Absolutely sucks horribly in just about every way imagined. A few years back I listed a used western saddle for $150. I uploaded 10 photos from every angle. My description clearly stated the saddle is old, shows wear and tear, is good for training and breaking a young horse because they're so hard on tack, you won't be risking your expensive show quality equipment, would be good for a wall decoration in a cabin,  etc...... The person that bought it tried to get a refund because "It is missing a Concho and the leather is old and dry." I told her to **bleep** off! Thankfully she just went away and left me alone but eBay could have forced me to refund her. I knew right then that ebay is now too risky to mess around with.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@roy8765 wrote:

But it was clearly mentioned in the item description that the battery was bad.  The buyer just didn't care to read it carefully. Why do I have to suffer ~$300 loss for buyer's mistake particularly when I chose to sell under the "No Returns" policy? eBay is at fault here and I don't agree with your defenses. I suspect that either you're eBay employees, agents or otherwise financially benefiting from it. Also, eBay can easily confirm the return addresses just like it confirms the shipping addresses.

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Sorry, no Ebay employees or agents are here; nor is anyone financially benefitting from it.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@roy8765 wrote:
No, eBay deceived me by the name "No Returns Accepted" policy. They should have said "Limited Returns and Refund" policy. Also, Used doesn't mean perfect. If I mention the battery is bad, they buyer should not be able to return it because the battery was bad and that's why I declined!

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The definition of used, if you check the listing and use the drop down provided, says the item is working.  If it is not working, then it should be listed under for parts/not working.

[roy8765]

Only a new battery is "fully functional". Any used battery obviously is not working at full capacity. For example, this battery originally had 6 hours life span. When I sold it, it was at ~5% capacity. So, you're saying that the whole laptop was not functional because of this? You have to buy new batteries just to be qualified as Used?!! This defies logic. Any way I was honest about this issue and the item description was accurate. It was not like I tried to deceive anyone or get money for more than what the laptop was worth....

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

It doesn’t matter who is telling the truth. They try to undo the transaction. Item goes back to seller, money goes back to buyer. If anyone is out of pocket it should be the professional.

If buyers really won they would get their money back without the hassle of returning. Buying something and jumping through hoops to get your own money back is not a win. At most it’s an even.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@roy8765 wrote:
Only a new battery is "fully functional". Any used battery obviously is not working at full capacity. For example, this battery originally had 6 hours life span. When I sold it, it was at ~5% capacity. So, you're saying that the whole laptop was not functional because of this? You have to buy new batteries just to be qualified as Used?!! This defies logic. Any way I was honest about this issue and the item description was accurate. It was not like I tried to deceive anyone or get money for more than what the laptop was worth....

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I'm sorry but you said that the battery was bad and that you listed this in the description.  Bad doesn't come under used, fully functioning, and by your explanation here, you state that the battery was at -5% capacity, thus not fully functioning.

No one said you weren't honest or that the description wasn't accurate.  They said that the condition and category chosen were inaccurate.

[yuzuha]

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@roy8765 wrote:
Only a new battery is "fully functional". Any used battery obviously is not working at full capacity. For example, this battery originally had 6 hours life span. When I sold it, it was at ~5% capacity. So, you're saying that the whole laptop was not functional because of this?

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A portable computer that is only portable for 30 minutes is not fully functional under any definition.

[castlemagicmemories]

It's sad that your address was never corrected after  your move of eleven years ago.

[roy8765]

Well, that shows that I never needed to receive a return, until this case happened. Now I know very well that selling on eBay is extremely dangerous and I'll actively caution as many people as I can to refrain from doing business on eBay. At least I am sure I can convince my friends to only sell locally for cash just like old good days! After all, who likes to pay 10-15% fees for such poor service to eBay?!!

[roy8765]

@castlemagicmemories wrote:

It's sad that your address was never corrected after  your move of eleven years ago.

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The real sad part is that eBay still got its fee on this "sale"! It amounts to robbery in broad daylight... 

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

eBay put together the sale. It’s not their fault you didn’t understand the item condition rules or keep your info up to date. Why should they be out their fees when they did exactly what they contracted to do?

[castlemagicmemories]

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@roy8765 wrote:
Well, that shows that I never needed to receive a return, until this case happened. Now I know very well that selling on eBay is extremely dangerous and I'll actively caution as many people as I can to refrain from doing business on eBay. At least I am sure I can convince my friends to only sell locally for cash just like old good days! After all, who likes to pay 10-15% fees for such poor service to eBay?!!

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Op, if you had the correct address on your account, you would have received the item back.  It's sad that you didn't but that is not Ebay's fault.  

The computer did not work and you chose the wrong condition and category.

That is not Ebay's fault.

The buyer felt they got an item that was not as described because used states fully functioning~and you were unaware of how the MBG works.  That is not Ebay's fault.

I understand that you feel all your problems are because of Ebay, but they are not.  

Ebay's fees are for listing your item.  You listed your item. 

Not everyone can sell online; good luck to you whatever you decide.

[roy8765]

So, even if the battery was say at 50% capacity, I couldn't sell it as Used even though it was mentioned in the item description?! I call this a scam! And I reiterate, here is full of eBay cronies. Real sellers don't defend eBay so unreasonably and fervently....