Falsely called an abusive buyer/Abusive byer policy

[evgbary_75]

Dear members of the eBay Community! I have little experience with eBay and I mostly buy things here, and I need your help today. Recently I won a wool sweater off an auction, as a matter of fact I was the only bidder. The description stated: "Excellent Vintage Condition with lightest to no signs of wear. No holes, stains or odors". The sweater I received is in overall poor condition with stains and at least two holes (I felt too disgusted to keep looking at it closer). The flaws are not easy to get on a camera due to nature of wool if you are not a professional photographer, but I tried to do a good job and took some photos outside on a deck under a daylight. I filed a return and submitted my photos with it. I haven't heard from a seller in two days since submitting a return, but this morning I received a no-reply e-mail from eBay stating that "activity on your account isn’t following policy: Abusive buyer policy", they specified that it was for "Filing excessive returns claiming the item is not as described when the seller described it accurately. " I assume the seller reported me to eBay as an abusive buyer instead of taking responsibility for their mistake. What am I supposed to do now? Thanks for all opinions and advice. Disclaimer: I have bought sweaters off eBay before, and I had to file returns a few times due to not as described items, and those sellers always admitted their mistakes upon receiving my proofs and returned my money. I never got to keep those items (and never intended to), in one case the seller asked me to destroy the sweater and prove it with photos, and with other case the seller didn't ask for anything as the sweater had been already severely destroyed by moth long before it arrived to me.

[fab_finds4u]

I don't think sellers intentionally overlook a flaw.    They know if they have to take it back they lose the original shipping and the return shipping money.  And the return counts against them. 

It may be true it's not your fault but buyer protection claims are like filing insurance claims.  File too many and they'll drop you.  Buyers getting warnings and losing buyer protection has been around for years.  

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Not-covered-anymore-by-buyer-protection/qaq-p/23449195

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/What-do-I-do-about-Ebay-saying-I-have-requested-too-m...

Look at it from another angle.  If you kept getting faulty products from a store would you keep going back for some more bad products or hope you get lucky?  Or would you start shopping in person where you won't be disappointed and you haven't tied your money up and wasted your time?  

[ed8108]

some good & wholesome advice

When contemplating a purchase, you may wish to first consult a fortune teller, before you commit to buy.

[nickelsanddimes2015]

Hmmm interesting. How many returns have you filed say in the last 6 months?

[coket_41]

She admits to 3, and she's only got 7 buyer fb...holy Hannah I just realized how bad that sounds

[creoleorchid]

By the way, can someone clarify how many returns are considered to be too many per total items purchased?

That question has been asked many times and no one has ever been able to answer it. I suspect that it’s some algorithm that takes into account ratio of buys to returns, type of items, if you also sell, so many possibilities.

I remember a lady in Mexico that had her buying privileges revoked because  she filed too many non receipt claims. There was a serious mail theft problem in her area and so many packages never got to her. Yet she kept buying and kept getting refunds. Finally, eBay just cut her off. 

Obviously your case is somewhat different yet the idea is the same. Returns cost money. At least you got a warning. From this point on, you should get your sellers very well before you buy anything else. And stop giving the bad reviews, that might also be adding to the mix. 

[airsheep]

Be very careful about taking anything a CS rep says as gospel on anything. Too many times we have heard about CS reps giving completely wrong advice and costing both buyers and sellers whatever protection they might have.

[mesodude]

"The flaws are not easy to get on a camera due to nature of wool if you are not a professional photographer, but I tried to do a good job and took some photos outside on a deck under a daylight."

If you're finding it difficult to photograph flaws, I'm guessing that it's at least as difficult for you to see those same flaws before you purchase the items, right? And if you're not able to see the flaws before you buy the item, is it possible that, rather than being dishonest, some sellers are simply assuming that if the item's flaws aren't easily photographed, they aren't worth mentioning? Just a thought...

[jennieaa]

Sellers are told....if the return reason does not match reality, report the buyer for abusing the return system.

I have had 2 returns in 2019.  Neither buyer contacted me, they instituted a return request.  Both buyers stated the reason for return "does not fit".  One was a vintage ad the son misunderstood - he thought he was getting the actual item, not an ad.  " does not fit" does not mean 'does not fit what I thought I was buying because I don't understand the work AD".   The second one - again an ad.  "does not fit"  Buyer never even opened the envelope.  In the 3 days between when he bought the ad and it was delivered, he sold the vehicle that matched the ad and no longer needed it.  "does not fit" does not mean "I don't want it any more".   eBay's instructions to me :  file an abusive buyer report on each one.

So OP, you have found the only response a seller is allowed if there is a disagreement on what actually is the problem.   And there are brick and mortar stores who have placed limits on serial returners.