eBay

psychecafe63 · ‎06-12-2018

A customer purchased a thousand dollar 110lb generator from me. I sent it to them. To an international location outside the contiguous U.S. The customer wanted a return because, supposedly, it's broken. Here are the photos they sent to me:

Now, you tell me, does this look broken to you? eBay support stated that

We have asked for more information from your customer to confirm the condition of the item received. If any additional information is needed from you we will request it through an email.

However, when I asked them to look at the photos to notice that nothing was actually damaged, they said this:

Please understand that since eBay is an online marketplace, we do not have any means to inspect the items physically. We believe that the best option that we have is to have the item returned to you so that you can inspect it upon receiving it back before issuing a refund. Once you receive the item, we encourage you to look over it carefully. We don't grant appeals for sellers based on the condition of the buyer's return, but we can discuss your other options if that becomes necessary.I trust that this information is much of a help. Thank you for choosing eBay and we really appreciate your business with us!

I told them I wouldn't be paying return shipping on this, but somehow an "AS IS WHERE IS" and "ALL SALES FINAL" listing is being forced to foot the bill on an international return for a heavy item. I keep getting the same cookie cutter reply:

All these replies don't address the fact that none of the images show damage. What should I do?

I know that you're not a large business, and that the return shipping cost being charged to you isn't easy to bear, however; at eBay we treat sellers as businesses; plus, by selling online you are competing with large businesses (both online and traditional retail stores). Buyers appreciate excellent customer service, so by providing great experiences you're making eBay a great place to shop. This is crucial for repeat business and overall selling success. I understand that this isn't what you wanted to hear, but I hope I've explained why we take this approach. Our experience is that a better returns experience for buyers will ultimately drive more sales for you as a seller.

2behappyall · ‎06-12-2018

@missjen831 wrote:
@2behappyall wrote:
Sue the buyer? forget about it, unless the buyer lives in the same city as you are.
How about suing the Ebay, yes of course, but you may lose your case for suing a wrong party. So who is the right party for you to sue? PayPal, because it manages your transaction and received money on your behalf and refunded to the buyer without your consent.
@psychecafe63 wrote:
If I can prove that the generator is a different generator than the one I purchased, and I have to pay the return shipping or if eBay forces an automatic refund, then what amount should I sue for?

It would just be the amount of the refund OR the refund and the return shipping? I guess that's my lawyer's decision. That, and whether it's eBay, the buyer, or both.

Sue the buyer? forget about it, unless the buyer lives in the same city as you are.
How about suing the Ebay, yes of course, but you may lose your case for suing a wrong party. So who is the right party for you to sue? PayPal, because it manages your transaction and received money on your behalf and refunded to the buyer without your consent.

It’s actually eBay that refunds the buyer here, not PayPal and it is with the sellers consent 😉

Ebay refunds with what?

2behappyall · ‎06-12-2018

@missjen831 wrote:
@2behappyall wrote:
Sue the buyer? forget about it, unless the buyer lives in the same city as you are.
How about suing the Ebay, yes of course, but you may lose your case for suing a wrong party. So who is the right party for you to sue? PayPal, because it manages your transaction and received money on your behalf and refunded to the buyer without your consent.
@psychecafe63 wrote:
If I can prove that the generator is a different generator than the one I purchased, and I have to pay the return shipping or if eBay forces an automatic refund, then what amount should I sue for?

It would just be the amount of the refund OR the refund and the return shipping? I guess that's my lawyer's decision. That, and whether it's eBay, the buyer, or both.

Sue the buyer? forget about it, unless the buyer lives in the same city as you are.
How about suing the Ebay, yes of course, but you may lose your case for suing a wrong party. So who is the right party for you to sue? PayPal, because it manages your transaction and received money on your behalf and refunded to the buyer without your consent.

It’s actually eBay that refunds the buyer here, not PayPal and it is with the sellers consent 😉

Ebay refunds with what?

dasm-2785 · ‎06-12-2018

@2behappyall wrote:
@missjen831 wrote:
@2behappyall wrote:
Sue the buyer? forget about it, unless the buyer lives in the same city as you are.
How about suing the Ebay, yes of course, but you may lose your case for suing a wrong party. So who is the right party for you to sue? PayPal, because it manages your transaction and received money on your behalf and refunded to the buyer without your consent.
@psychecafe63 wrote:
If I can prove that the generator is a different generator than the one I purchased, and I have to pay the return shipping or if eBay forces an automatic refund, then what amount should I sue for?

It would just be the amount of the refund OR the refund and the return shipping? I guess that's my lawyer's decision. That, and whether it's eBay, the buyer, or both.

Sue the buyer? forget about it, unless the buyer lives in the same city as you are.
How about suing the Ebay, yes of course, but you may lose your case for suing a wrong party. So who is the right party for you to sue? PayPal, because it manages your transaction and received money on your behalf and refunded to the buyer without your consent.

It’s actually eBay that refunds the buyer here, not PayPal and it is with the sellers consent 😉
Ebay refunds with what?

The permission granted by the seller when they ignored the user agreement.

psychecafe63 · ‎06-12-2018

How do you get to this return prompt. My eBay platform is different than yours I think. What is the click series on this, i.e., This > Then this > Then click this > Now click that

dasm-2785 · ‎06-12-2018

@psychecafe63

Did you ship it in just the the original box without a second box and padding in the second box?

The reason I ask is because while those original boxes are great when they're put on a pallet and shipped several at a time, because they sort of shield each other from damage.

When shipped alone, items inside are more easily damaged.

pburn · ‎06-12-2018

@psychecafe63 wrote:
How do you get to this return prompt. My eBay platform is different than yours I think. What is the click series on this, i.e., This > Then this > Then click this > Now click that

Have you tried creating a return label for your buyer via eBay? Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and uses USPS as their mail system. It's just like returning something to Hawaii or Alaska or Kansas. It is not an international shipping destination.

Please tell me you know how to process a return and print a label . . .

psychecafe63 · ‎06-12-2018

Actually, no. I've never done a return with DHL. Does it cost money?

psychecafe63 · ‎06-12-2018

http://www.dhl.com/en/express/shipping/ship_online/ereturn.html

psychecafe63 · ‎06-12-2018

Pretty helpful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn9_aQwxRzk

hafoster · ‎06-13-2018

Are you in the final two days of the 5-day period --

where you got an SR# ultimatum from eBay --

after you/buyer asked eBay to step in it?

@psychecafe63

Ergo you have just one button in the case -- "Issue refund":

http://community.ebay.com/t5/7/9/m-p/24092785#M127604

and your three options are:

1. Refund without return,

2. Send money via PayPal to buy a return label,

3. Or eBay will force a full refund when the gong goes bong.

Better hurry and make a choice.

myangelandmyprincess · ‎06-13-2018

@psychecafe63 wrote:
I don't fail to see. Post office applies to more than one courier. I was implicitly excluding USPS when I said "post office."

But your screen shots showed you were on the United States postal service site trying to do a label. If it was international you wouldn’t be able to create a label the buyer could use from USPS.

But since now you’re saying US territory that could use USPS. That’s not international like you said originally

“Birth certificates show that you were born. Death certificates show that you died. Photographs show that you have lived.” -Unknown

sam9876 · ‎06-13-2018

" For particularly expensive items, I would definitely consider documenting the item's operation (that is, of the device actually running) as a preemptive measure against potential fraud."

How would that prevent fraud?

sam9876 · ‎06-13-2018

"Have you tried creating a return label for your buyer via eBay? Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and uses USPS as their mail system. It's just like returning something to Hawaii or Alaska or Kansas. It is not an international shipping destination."

The USPS only handles packages up to 70 pounds.