Ripped off by yet another buyer! Ebay's Buyer Wins no matter what policy.

[esell-resell]

Has this happenned to anyone else?

I sold a Computer Server to a buyer on Ebay, this guy phoned me, we discussed everything about the server and shipping. Now this guy was cheap I could tell just by him whinning about how much the shipping would be and how long it would take.

So me being a nice person and I know what it is like to have to wait and wait for my package, I told him to send me $90 and I would express ship it out to him and he would have it in 3 - 4 days. He agreed and sent me the extra $90 plus I gave him a deal on the server $169.99 , when I could have easily got $200. The server weighs 70lbs and is 26"longX19"highX9"wide and has to be shipped in it's proper sitting place so I had to label it with THIS SIDE UP stickers and also HEAVY stickers (70lbs) and alot of FRAGILE AND HANDLE WITH CARE stickers. It cost me $280.00 to ship it to him (no lie I have the receipt from UPS on my account) and only charged him $90. When I packaged the server I did it at the UPS office that I go to all the time and the UPS agent helped me actually. I wrapped it in packing cardboard and used a bubble packing envelope for extra cushion on the back of the tower server so that none of the conections would be broken. It was then triple wrapped with cardboard boxes customly made top fit tight around the server and several layers of red Tuck Tape were used to seal it all up.

The buyer received it I believe 6 days later because some of the paperwork for the border ( Canada to USA) were not proper so it took a few more days. When his even NORMAL shipping, like the cheapest from Winnipeg Manitoba Canada to New York USA would have been $133.00 and would have taken 2 - 3 weeks to get there. Remember he only paid $90?

Anyway 3 days after he received the server he sends me a message that it was damaged during shipping because it was not packaged properly and he wants all his money back and also the shipping money. In my listing I had listed no returns or exchanges. I want all of you to know that I have sold many of these units and I always, ALWAYS run a system check on them before shipping them out and I have never had a problem. So I replied to him that I most certainly did package it properly and I asked him to send me pictures please and I also asked him why he would accept a package that was damaged. He would not respond or nor did he send any pictures.

Yesterday I received a buyer complaint thing from Ebay and Paypal puts a $179.99 hold on my account. I responded to the complaint and explained everything in detail and informed the buyer that I would be contacting Ebay and UPS this morning.

This morning I woke up a little later than usual 11am and noticed that the buyer had already escalated the complaint with Ebay at 6am. I immediately phoned Ebay and spoke to someone in the Ebay Buyer Protection department and I explained everything to the rep and also that I packed it in front of the UPS agent who helped me and that the buyer would not send me any pictures, and I expressed to the rep that I think what the buyer did was buy a different server locally because I noticed on his account that a few days after he bought my server, he was buying Tape drives for a completely different server, and after speaking with him on the phone he had said that he was in need of a server badly because they did not have one.

So here is what the Ebay rep did during the phone call I had with him. He ruled in the buyers favor and now the buyer can take 7 - 14 days to ship it to me and he can send it anyway he wants, so I will be waiting for 4- 6 weeks at the very least to get back a BROKEN server that has now cost me 280.00$ in shipping and is probably now worth nothing because here is what I believe happenned the buyer found a server locally and then read the buyer protection policy and then damaged the server ON PURPOSE then filed the claim. I know I cannot prove it 100% but I know that is what happenned.

So now I am out over $550.00 and apparently there is nothing I can do about it. I am sooo tired of getting ripped off on Ebay by buyers that LIE and Ebay rules in there favor all the time. I have 2 kids and this is christmas time and this extra money is for gifts for them, I am so UPSET right now with Ebay that I am about ready to quit selling on here completely.

I go out of my way to ENSURE that items are packed EXTRA well so that damage does not happen, and now I get ripped off by some goon that uses the policy to get away with it.

BEWARE SELLERS this can happen to you.

I think Ebay needs to wake up and change some of this NON-SENSE policy loop holes that these scammers use to scam you out of money. Oh and get this that buyer can now leave me NEGATIVE feedback but I cannot do the same to him, I can either leave positive or no feedback!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Has anyone else had this happen to them?

[mcarnet]

So do what other buyers do, claim the item received was not as described.  If you do it timely, you qualify for the buyer 30 money back quarantee.  Easy as that.  Buyer's do it to me all the time.  That is why I stopped selling on ebay is that the buy is never questioned when they lie about item "not as described".  just don't give any additional information that can contradict your statement.  Ebay makes all sellers look like Walmart.

[mcarnet]

If you are a buyer who got screwed by a seller, then you are simply missing ebay's strategy to make ebay look more like Walmart.  As a buyer, all you have to do is claim the item received was not as described or was defective.  Do it in a timely manor, and you instantly qualify for the buyer 30 money back qarantee.  Even if the seller says no refunds.  The seller has no choice but to give you your money back and pay for high priced return shipping as dictated by ebay.  Buyer's do it to me all the time, and just one bad buyer will take out all my profits from ten sales.  Buyers will sometimes send back some junk instead of what was sent to them.  It is total theft that the seller has no control of.  Word must be getting out as this abuse is ramping up.  That is why I stopped selling on ebay.  It is simply not profitable anymore.

[topdownallyearround]

YES.  EVERYONE HAS HAD THIS HAPPEN.  SELLING ON EBAY IS LIKE GAMBLING IN A CASINO.  YOU ONLY GET LUCKY ONCE IN AWHILE  - LUCK BEING AN HONEST ETHICAL BUYER PURCHASING YOUR ITEMS.  THERE IS NO SUPPORT FROM EBAY FOR SELLERS.  I RECOMMEND SELLING ON ANY OF THE OTHER AUCTION SITES.  HAVE YOU TRIED iOffer Ebid or Amazon?  OnlineAuction.com...

[bbexpress1213]

This happened to me on a $200 item. eBay is a rip off. I'm done

[0426sheila]

Did you have insurance for this server? Anything over 50 bucks I insure. I have had to use it twice. In both cases the USPS paid me within two weeks. Why would you pay for shipping over the amount he was willing to pay? third, I have stopped sending anything to Canada because it was always costing me more money. Sorry this happened to you. Ouch. Every listing has to be super clear or they WILL get you.

[0426sheila]

No tracking? Trackingis free. I had this happen to a very expensive broochthat went to an ad agency in NewYork. Said it never came untill the post office told them what day,time,and who received it. It was to be forwarded to a model overseas...seems like a receptionist liked it too. As a seller the watch words are CYA.

[schoolofvenus]

No! It is NOT "Damaged in Shipping". That is a SCAM. They REPLACE the new item with a broken one and get a refund and thus have a new one for FREE. When shipping internationally, always use the eBay Global Shipping Program. Yes it is more expensive for the buyer, however, you are totally protected. Anything goes wrong, eBay handles it. The countries that are not eligible are blocked for a reason. The buyers will beg and plead for you to send it to them direct but after being burned a few times, I don't budge. I tell them sorry, that's how I ship internationally, nothing I can do for you. I had one who falsely damaged a $300 crystal dog collar with water base paint, like kids paint, and claimed "damage." I fought it tooth and nail and won with eBay, THEN they (Ukraine Buyer) opened another case with PayPal so they ruled in their favor but they had to send back the collar and I got the box and guess what was in it? An old belt. So I showed that to PayPal and they refunded me. This WASTED two weeks of my time though, but I knew this person was a scammer. I just knew it.

Just be aware of the scam they pull of replacing the item they bought from you with an already broken one and claim damage OR the fake damage they do for photos with washable paint. So they get the item that is in perfect condition in the mail, they put the broken or smashed one in the box or half out of the box and they then photograph it and use that as evidence in the case they open against you. It's the oldest trick in the book. As long as you stick with the GSP, you will be fine for internaional sales. For domestic, for expensive items buy insurance, but I'll tell you, getting that insurance is a pain and a long process as well. When they say they never recieved it, that they think the package was stolen, force them to open a police report. If they are a theif they will not do that. Badger them in the notes inside the case on eBay. Ask them a million questions. Make them answer who, where what, when. Look up the address on google street view and see if they are telling the truth. Call their local post office. You have to be relentless in fighting these in order to win. 

Photograph the item as you are putting it in the box, make sure you have the serial # if it is electronic and extensive pix of the item in good light from all angels. This will help you win a case later if anything happens. They can also removed the serial # from the good item you sold them and put in onto the one they are replacing it with, that is broken so make sure you have tons of pix and that the serial number is securly attached to the item. Etch into it the serial # with a dremmel, if you can and photograph that. Insure it and make them pay the insurance. (good luck collecting however) Anyone who balks too much about the expense of insurance or of the GSP, is probably intending to scam anyway. When I run across the would-be scammers, first of all they always act like it is this big rush and they need it ASAP like "yesterday." Then they balk about the shipping price and try to get you to send it to them outside the GSP. They always choose the most expensive item you have. Electronics are their favorites but I have had them attempt it with other stuff too. Always expensive stuff of $300 or more. Most of these scams can be avoided if you take precautions of using GSP, insurance and lots of pix AND cancel the sale if you have a bad gut feeling. I have won several cases with eBay and with PayPal that were opened by buyers trying to scam me. It's a matter of principle. I fight them like it's a federal case when I know they are scamming because if they successfully scam one seller, they will move on to scam others. It is theft and I do everything in my power to combat it. PS: Do not sell to the Ukraine. 

[schoolofvenus]

I had one from Canada beg me the other day to sell one of my higher priced items to them outside of the Global Shipping Program. Having been burned shipping direct to internaional buyers, I told them NO, they would have to pay whatever the shipping was through the GSP or buy from someone else. I wanted to sell it to them and ship direct, but I remembered what happened before and how I got robbed by international buyers. So I told her flat out, nope, sorry, no can do. She msgd me again saying oh Please Please, Please...she needed it for a gift blah, blah, blah. I fought the urge to give in and said, sorry I only sell through the GSP so if that doesn't work for you, sorry, I can't sell to you then. She disappeared and did not buy the item. They search for someone they can convince to sell direct to them with the intention of claiming "Not as Described" or that is never arrived or was damaged in transit. They pic expensive items only. They always act like they are in this big rush too. That's one of their tactics. So they need you to get it to them asap they claim. Watch out for the ones in some huge rush. Then they say they can't afford the shipping through the GSP and to please send to them direct. I did it before and got burned. JUST SAY NO to selling to internaional buyers without GSP! 

Also to some countries, the tracking ends at the boarders of the USA and THEY KNOW there is no tracking in their country so it is SO EASY for them to claim they didn't get the package. Ukraine is one of those countries. They are pro con artists there too. I didn't know about Canada but I have an eye out for them now too. 

[premium-audio-tubes]

I AM SURE YOU ARE AWARE THAT ANY SALE OVER $250 YOU MUST HAVE A SIGNATURE AS WELL AS A TRACKING NUMBER.THAT WILL HELP WITH THOSE %$$? AT PAYPAL.

[palmer_co]

sounds like this person is ebay!

Point of everything is That ebay allows buyers to rip sellers off.

So far untouchable.

[mr.hillcrest]

ebay have done the same to me. sold fully working graphic card packed in antistatic bag, bubble rap and boxed. buyer messaged me saying cant get it working. turned out he was trying to work it with no pcie power cables and using a cheap psu with no pcie cables on it. he said he was going to order a adapter thing. to plug into what i dont know. two weeks later he wants refund and ebay are making me refund him and pay return postage when it was working when i posted it to him and i put no return. what the point of have no returns when they cän return it all the messages he sent through ebay point to him braking it.

[drrock710]

This literally just happened to me. **bleep** ebay. After this transaction clears, I'm out.

[vintageindiana]

Just got ripped off/scammed by Ebay buyer as well .....    

Lady purchased a brand new with tags $200 Eddie Bauer coat from me.  She said it was really cold so could I send as soon as possible.  Being a good seller (100%) and wanting to meet customer expectations (my mistake!) I sent it priority mail ($15).  She then opens a not as descibed case saying the pockets were not double entry.  The coat of course had double entry pockets and the original listing even included a picture of the manufacturer's tags showing this feature.

I called Ebay customer service for assistance and followed their recommendations on how to proceed.  Of course Ebay then found in her favor (without any proof of not as described) and I ended up having to pay another $15+ in return shipping.  Once the coat showed delivered, Ebay took the money out of my PayPal account and closed the case.

It doesn't end there .... when I opened the package with the returned coat there were no tags and the coat had obviously been worn (i.e. deodorant residue, hairs, etc.).  It isn't even the original coat that was sent as it is dated 2012. So now I have an old, used, wornout coat instead of the brand new one with tags that I sent the buyer.

I called EBay customer service again and was told the case was closed and they would do nothing. Tried Paypal and they wouldn't help out either.  

I think that Ebay should do a better job at protecting sellers from scammers who know how to play the system.  Rather than always siding the buyer, EBay should put in place a process where items not as described should be handled more fairly for both parties (i.e. buyer should have to provide proof of item not as described).  EBay should not let the buyers return an item that is not in the original condition or the original item without some recourse for the sellers. Sellers are the ones paying all of the EBay and PayPal fees after all.  

Sounds like this is a huge problem with EBay and based on conversations with other resellers needs to be addressed. 

Thank you for your time reading this post!

[hcorpe92]

i agree i had problems with ebay to basicaly the same thing i solde the item exceped i never got the ittem back its **bleep** and i have solde several things on ebay but they never pay me and i only have a 5000 doler limet wen i donte sell the ittems they make it wear i can only sell less and less its **bleep** then ime not able to sell any more stuff couse it happens over and over i have had nothing but **bleep** luck with ebay so i agree a hundred persent with u i am also about to stop selling on ebay all together they r crukes sorry ime a lil up set ime sick of getting screwd over on ebay .\