Broken items, seller never responded when I tried to contact

[ndzamonja]

Hi!

In 2018 I purchased a pair of earrings from bayamjewelry, they were gold and cost a decent amount. In 2019, less than a year later, they broke. I contacted the seller and they offered no options for return, refund and said my only option was to buy another pair. I begrudgingly did that as they were not very cheap, and within another 6 months those broke as well. I contacted the seller again and this time received no response. I tried emailing them multiple times, as well as calling, and they ignored all my messages regarding the issue. I looked up how to get eBay involved, but that button/option was never listed anywhere for me. I had an issue in the past like this where the seller just ignored my messages and eBay didn't do anything to step in.

Does anyone know how to get eBay to escalate a return issue outside of the return window when it's clearly a defective product? 

[wesk_36]

"Does anyone know how to get eBay to escalate a return issue outside of the return window when it's clearly a defective product?"

Too late. You are not protected for returning things 6 months later or almost a year later on ebay.  Paypal may give you that option if it's less that 6 months.

[dandfmarinesalvage]

Defective after 6 months or longer? There is no recourse for such an issue. Would a standard brick and mortar retailer accept a return on an item after 6 months? As you already mentioned it is outside of the return window so no viable option will exist. What would make you think that you should be able to return an item after 6 months that isn't covered by a manufacturers warranty in which case you'd take it up with the manufacturer themselves? As a side note, I'm sure a moderator will be along shortly to edit your post as naming sellers generally is not allowed in the community forum.

[corvettestainless]

as others have stated, your expectations are not realistic; Refunds/returns have a timeline, even in a Walmart store and that amount of time, twice, is beyond normal expectations, not to mention outside the timelines of any return system. 

After 3-4 months, consider the item is yours (except a new car).

Did you take them to a local jeweler for repair? 

[donsdetour]

After breaking a pair you purchased again???

If these are gold your local jeweler may be able to fix them.

EBay is not going to get involved, over 30 days.

You might try PayPal or your  credit card if that is how you payed for the second pair.

[debad4042]

Maybe it's user error not defective product

[lightlily_arts]

With eBay you only have 30 days after delivery to open a claim. With PayPal you have 180 days. After that there isn't any recourse and that includes your brick and mortar stores.  Your purchases are over a year.   Your only option is to pay for a repair with your jeweler.

[grasshopper512]

It's not different here on eBay as it is in a brick and mortar store; most stores will not refund your money if the purchase was months ago. If you had purchased through a brick and mortar jeweler, they would most likely would have repaired it for  a nominal fee (if you kept your receipt), but how do you prove that you didn't accidentally break it yourself (you bear the burden of proof in most cases).  If it is equipment or electronics, you might have been able to have them repaired under warranty, but jewelry and clothing, etc, don't come with a warranty. 

As donsdetour suggested earlier, if they are gold, take them to your local jeweler. If you like them and wear them a lot, it will be worth it in the long run, and may not cost a whole lot anyway, depending on the repair.  Get the other pair fixed while you're there and then you could sell them here on eBay, to help you recoup some of your repair costs (or just keep them as a back up spare pair, should you lose one or something). Good luck!

[lamber9347]

@ndzamonja - These types of experiences become lessons for us to learn from. I'm afraid your expectations on a pair of earrings is too high. Earrings don't typically come with warranties. They are for show not a utility item. If they are in fact gold then you should sell them at a jeweler. Just use this as a good lesson for future reference. Be aware of the price of earrings as they may break or get lost at any time. Jewelry comes apart after too much use, it happens. Best of luck to you.... 

[ed8108]

Why would eBay get involved & step in ?

Even when you have a lifetime product warranty,  what do you do when the company that issued the warranty happens to no longer be in business ?

You pay the cost of a repair.

[voguevintage]

After six months!? Yeah. I wouldn't have refunded you either. After 6 months of use, yeah, things break. Not the seller's fault. The terms of how long you can return are clearly shown in each listing. 30 days is pretty much the maximum. When you purchase, you agree to the terms and that's that.