Return missing items. Ebay refuses to help

[0523ag]

Hello everyone

I am having an issue with a return where my buyer did not return all the items he purchased and now Ebay refuses to step in and help. Please note that I am a novice seller, and still don't know all the ins and out of Ebay selling.

Some background:

About two weeks ago, I put up a cell phone for sale, which is in pretty good condition, but suffers from a manufacture's defect to its screen (it has red screen burn). Being an honest seller, I did mention this defect on my description. To sweeten the deal, I also added in a Boomstick headphone enhancer as part of the phone package. The phone sold and was shipped to the buyer immediately. Upon receiving the phone, the buyer emailed me a vulgar message implying that I was  trying to scam him. I responded that I was scamming no one and that the phones defect was noted on my description. Nevertheless, he went on a rant sent me a few more angry messages and finally requested a refund. 

The phone was sent back, but without the Boomstick. I immediately  sent the buyer an email informing him about the missing item and he began mocking me that he had the item. I then told him that I would not issue a refund until the issue was resolved by Ebay. I then contacted Ebay customer service and was told by the customer service representative (CSR)  to not issue the buyer a refund. He then said to wait until the buyer requested help from Ebay and once Ebay would refund his money, to call back and file an appeal to the refund. In addition, the CSR also said that he was writing notes on my file and stated that he saw no reason why Ebay would not issue me a refund for the missing item.

Once the buyer was issued a refund by Ebay, I did as instructed and called Ebay to file an appeal. The CSR that I spoke with was rude, seemed to be in a hurry and didn't really want to answer my questions. Nevertheless, she did state that she would file an appeal on my behalf.  About a hour or so later, I received an email from Ebay indicating that they had ruled in the buyers favor and that I had to deal with the fact that he kept the item.

Has anybody else had something like this happen to them? If so, how did you resolve it? 

Sound to me that with this type of policy, Ebay is giving buyers free reign to request returns, keep some items and still get all their money back. 

[ja-2149]

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@0523ag wrote:

1. I told him that I would not issue a refund until the issue was resolved by Ebay.

2. I then contacted Ebay customer service and was told by the customer service representative (CSR) 

a. to not issue the buyer a refund. He then said

b. to wait until the buyer requested help from Ebay and

c. Ebay would refund his money,

3. In addition, the CSR also said that he

a. was writing notes on my file and stated

b. to call back and file an appeal to the refund.

c. Ebay would issue me a refund for the missing item.

Has anybody else had something like this happen to them?  

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Oh yes, it's right out of the playbook. We hear this play over and over.

Seller with huge chips on both shoulders and the back calls eBay for help with a return. eBay says just allow the buyer to escalate, eBay will refund the buyer, and then eBay will refund the seller during the appeal.

Seller calls after earning the "case closed because seller was unwilling to resolve the return on their own" career-ending defect, eBay helpfully files the appeal, which immediately closes without a refund to the seller.

[cream_couture]

In the future - Whenever you file an appeal, it is best to do it on the phone with eBay while they are making the decision. You should also always get a call reference number. If you list something that isn't fully functional, the condition section should be denoted as such (as well as mentioning the defect in bold letters in the listing). 

For this transaction - I would report the buyer to my local police department for theft, submit an internet fraud report at ic3.gov, submit mail theft report with USPS and let the buyer know you have reported them to the police, FBI and USPS for theft. They admitted via eBay messages that they stole the item.  I would also report them to eBay for money back guarantee abuse.

Once I had all the report numbers, I would call eBay back again and ask them to review the messages from the buyer, the reports and the notes from the previous eBay rep telling you what to do. They can't reverse the decision of an appeal, but they can refund your money and remove related defects. It might be hard to get done now, but it is worth the try.