As a seller (difs) since 1998, and long-time buyer for company items (launchagency) I am distressed by the total subjectivity and lack of fairness in the resolution process.
I purchased four OEM toner cartridges for our office workhorse printer from a seller - total cost, over $500. I also stocked up on several more of the same type from additional sellers. Although these items are readily available on Amazon and major office supply sites and, quite frankly, priced similar or better, I do try and make an effort to buy from small business owners as I am one myself. We use a ton of toner, and end up buying thousands of dollars' worth from ebay sellers every year.
As it turns out, I received the 4-pack mentioned above about the same time as the individual units from the other sellers. Also during this time, I got an unsolicited voicemail from the seller offering to supply me with toner off ebay. That afternoon, one of my employees alerted me he tried to install a yellow cartridge, but it caused an error message. After some research, he uncovered that we had received a version of the toner that only works with printers signed up on a manufacturer's automatic subscription plan. This comprises a small fraction of printers on the market, rendering them useless except to the small number on those plans. I sent a note to the seller, inquiring about the situation and asking if he had a replacement. He immediately snapped at me, requesting pictures of the boxes (which struck me as strange) but I went back to the supply room with my camera phone to take photos per his request. When I got there, I realized that my employee had actually opened the yellow from another seller. The carton with the box of four had not been opened. I went ahead and opened the outer carton to check on the serial numbers, to see if they were usable in our machine. They were not - same issue as the yellow from the other seller. I wrote back "Mr. 4-Pack" - including multiple images of his toners as requested - and explained that we actually had never opened any boxes. We did check the serial numbers, however, and knew they wouldn't work either. I reiterated my request for a replacement or refund.
An email chain ensued, with the seller continually "reminding" me that I had opened his yellow toner and therefore rendered a refund impossible. I responded multiple times, carefully explaining that although I originally thought the toner we tested was his, it belonged to a different seller (who, BTW, graciously refunded us on the spot) BUT that the serial numbers on his matched the unit we tested, so we knew his wouldn't work either.
The seller then switched tactics, saying that my photos showed a crease on the corner of one of the boxes that wasn't there when he shipped it. Therefore he couldn't refund me because the product would have to be in perfect condition, just like the photo in his listing. I explained that the boxes were never tampered with, and if there was a "crease" it happened in transit (although I couldn't see one at all, and the boxes came shabbily shipped in a makeshift carton with a couple piece of packing paper inside...). In the meantime, I went back to the listing to check on the photo he was referring to, and discovered that the same exact image was used for all items that matched mine! I called this out to the seller, and he went radio silent.
Last night at 10 p.m. I finally went to the help section on ebay to request refund assistance, as this was a very large puchase. I'm CST, and as I was going through the reporting process, I hit a dead end: I'd have to wait until January 19th to contact a representative - about two hours away at this point. I couldn't keep my eyes open that long, so decided to retry again today. Before I had the chance, however, I was greeted with a "Case is closed, we have decided in favor of the seller," email from ebay. What?! I clicked on the appeal link, and called the number to discuss. I provided an abbreviated account of the above, and the rep paused to read over our email chain. He said that although I did explain in a subsequent email that the seller's carton had never been open, they judged in his favor because my first communications said that the toner opened was his. The seller's policy states products may not be opened to qualify for a refund, so sorry - you're screwed. I was incredulous. I said, "you mean you don't look at the entire conversation in making a determination?" to which he replied, "no, you said you opened the toner, and therefore we ruled in his favor." Reminder - he admitted that I did correct this in the next email, but he said it didn't matter - ebay can't reopen a case when it's been decided.
I am disgusted with the seller and so disappointed with ebay. The site was three years old when I became a seller - I know the rules, and have been a loyal member, contributing generously to their GNP. It's sad to see the decline of the marketplace - a community that was founded on trust, for those oldies among us who remember how we used to do business.
