I am very upset at eBay. On May 4, I sold an item. May 5, I purchased a shipping label right through the eBay shipping portal. I then put the item in the mailbox. My post office picked up the item and sent it to the address, which was the same exact address the eBay system supplied to me.
May 11, I get a message from the buyer asking me why he isn't getting the item and why it is going to back me. By the nature of his question, I could tell it was going to a claim on me, because the tone implied I was behind it, yet at the same time he noted in his very question that it was going back to me, which means he saw the tracking information.
That was news to me, so I went to look up the tracking information myself. I noticed the post office at the delivery address failed at two attempts to delivery the package, and then marked it down as return to sender. So I replied to the buyer (not impolitely, but matter of factly). I explained that was something he should inquire with his post office about, that I didn't have the package, that I sent it to him using the same address supplied to me.
The next day, May 12, buyer opens an "Item Not Received" claim on me. Of course, eBay wastes no time putting my funds on hold without regard to any facts. And, of course, I was compelled to respond. So I respond by saying I have no problem with issuing a refund.....once I receive the item back. Merely by looking at the tracking information, one could easily see I hadn't even received the item back. I would have been foolish to have issued a refund at that point.
I received the item back yesterday. Right on the package was a label the post office for the buyer's address placed on it. It reads: "Insufficient Address, Unable To Deliver, Return To Sender". Totally on the buyer's end. As a seller, I did everything right. So I called eBay and I tell them I will issue a refund, but being I am expected to refund the full amount and this is all because of a bad shipping label I was sold through the eBay system, that it would only be fair for eBay to refund me the $3.51 shipping label fee. Agent even tells me once I issue the refund, they could do that.
So I go onto the case and I issue a refund. There was NO option to withhold shipping charges. This means eBay COMPELLED me to refund the ENTIRE amount. I then call eBay to request the refund for the shipping label. I got passed from one agent to another, some becoming very rude and condescending, and some were too ignorant that I just had to pay to ship something to myself because of this bad label I was sold.
The last agent I got was the only one who spoke English as a first language. And every response some kind of almost deliberately sarcastic/rude in nature by not answering the central issue. For example, the agent would repeat things like: "eBay doesn't refund shipping labels" or "eBay couldn't have foreseen that would happen" or "That isn't eBay's fault it didn't get delivered". Complete red herrings and non sequiturs.
The issue is I PAID FOR THE SHIPPING LABEL. I SENT THE ITEM. I USED THE EXACT ADDRESS INFORMATION SUPPLIED TO ME BY EBAY. THE ITEM GOT SENT BACK TO ME. EBAY COMPELLED ME TO REFUND THE ENTIRE AMOUNT TO THE BUYER. If eBay didn't require me to refund the ENTIRE amount to the buyer, eBay has a point. But then I wouldn't be sitting here writing. By requiring the seller to refund the FULL AMOUNT, as if a bad shipping label is the same thing as the buyer not sending the item at all, eBay then became responsible for the shipping label I was sold. THAT'S THE ISSUE! I never claimed eBay could have foreseen it, or that eBay caused the post office to be unable to deliver the item.
Very funny how eBay holds me to a higher standard than it holds itself to. As a seller on eBay, I have to refund the buyer the FULL AMOUNT for a bad shipping address the buyer put down on the order. But eBay won't refund me for what I paid for the shipping label.
And to think eBay is like this over a measly $3.51.
