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Does eBay still always side with the buyer?
Summary: ciclope_fr shares their experience selling a camera on eBay, where the buyer, with no previous feedback, claims the item is defective 17 days after receipt. The photos provided by the buyer do not match the item sold, and despite the buyer not responding, eBay decides in their favor. madelodie and francois-o advise disputing the decision and checking the returned item. lingma85 suggests contacting an eBay representative for possible help. After waiting for the item to be returned, ciclope_fr discovers that the dispute was automatically closed without the item being returned and wonders about the process.
Does Ebay still always side with the buyer?
Let me explain:
- I sold, on August 9, 2023, to M {Inconnu}(substitute name so they can't recognize him) who had just signed up on Ebay - so (0) on the counter, with no feedback at all, a compact digital camera in its original packaging, with all its accessories, checked, tested, and fully functional. Seventeen days after receipt, 17 days! the buyer "the device is defective" returned the item, stating, very tersely, "the device is defective", and providing a photo that does not match the item sold, and that shows a disassembled item.
I sent three emails asking for clarification about what had happened to the buyer, while providing him as well as Ebay with photos taken just before shipping (I always do that, for years, just in case); no reply.
I called Ebay three times by phone to tell them that I had received no response from the buyer, despite my requests for clarification. They assured me that there was buyer protection, but also seller protection, and that I had nothing to worry about.
Then they informed me of their decision: they ruled in favor of the buyer, and asked him to send the item back to me, with a shipping label paid for by Ebay, after which they would refund after receipt, if there was no problem.
So I am waiting for delivery, and of course I will examine the item carefully. But I am very surprised that, in the absence of any response from the buyer to the logical questions asked (how did the item arrive? What happened during the 18 days? What does the photo sent correspond to) the disputes team just brushed them aside, right?... Bravo, common sense!
In any case, I have been registered on Ebay for 23 years, with 100% positive feedback today (score of 443), and I repeat to Ebay that I have at their disposal the 1500 photos of the 500 items I sold, painstakingly taken as proof, just before shipping, over dozens of years, up to the last one, proving that the items are functional and that there has never, absolutely never been any problem with any of them, except for the one item that is the subject of my message, where the photos did not catch the attention of the disputes team, the height of it.
As they say, what's the point of "Ducros" going to all that trouble?
francois-o
Hello @ciclope_fr ,
I'm sorry to read that you're having a bad experience on eBay. eBay's guarantee applies for a period of 30 days after the item is received. So your buyer can open a return dispute on the grounds => the device is defective 17 days after receipt.
When a buyer opens a return dispute on the grounds :
- The item is defective.
- The item does not match the listing description.
Then the seller is required to accept the return. Once the item is received, the seller must issue the refund.
This is an essential buyer protection measure on eBay; otherwise sellers could put whatever they want in the packages and we would not be able to intervene.
If the buyer opens the return under the wrong reason, you can contact us so we can change it and in that case, your return policy applies.
As indicated by @madelodie , there are dishonest members. We know that sometimes some buyers do not send back the right item or send back a damaged item that has become unsellable. If that happens, you can appeal the dispute decision under seller protection.
If you win the appeal, you will be reimbursed by eBay.
I can assure you that this type of return is always reviewed by our trust and safety team. In the event of abuse of our return policy, the buyer is exposed to various sanctions.
I don't want you to feel abandoned by eBay, I invite you to contact me directly on our social networks : Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
I can then look into all this in more detail for you 🙂, because I won't be able to communicate any personal information related to your eBay account from this post.
Best regards
François
ciclope_fr
OP2 years agoGood evening, thank you for your message. I will get back to you a little later. I am indeed very disappointed.
I will wait a few days for the item to be returned, and I will be especially attentive. As a former photographer and collector, particularly careful, even meticulous, concerned about buyer satisfaction (my ratings prove it), I have never, truly never, encountered such a caricatured situation in my more than 500 sales over 23 years on Ebay.
A buyer, who only indicates "defective" as the reason for a return request, 18 days after receipt, does not respond to my questions, asked 3 times, remains silent and provides only one photo of an item similar to the one sent, but stripped down, out of order.
The Ebay disputes department, which had nevertheless reminded me during our 3 phone exchanges that there was also seller protection, no longer mentions it, and wrote to me bluntly: "After reviewing the buyer's return request, we have decided to ask them to send the item back.(...) We will track the buyer's return, then deduct the amount of the refund and the original shipping costs from your funds as soon as you have received the item."
ciclope_fr
OP2 years agoGood evening, I sent you a private message on FB with a few items directly from my account; in fact, the item in question was not returned to me at all, as requested by Ebay, and today I received the following cryptic message with no other explanation: " The request no. [Reference] has been closed. Hello, due to no recent activity, this request was automatically closed. You don't need to do anything else."
What does that mean ??? I think I understand that this dispute, based on no photo, no explanation and/or argumentation, which cost me several hours, was a pain for a month, and led me to suspend my sales, making me almost doubt myself, this dispute, I was saying, has been closed, with no apology or explanation whatsoever? Please reassure me...
lingma85
Mentor2 years agoHello @ciclope_fr
You could try contacting francois@ebay
He may be able to do something about your problem. (with no guarantee on my part..)
Best regards
madelodie
·2 years agoHello,
unfortunately in this case you will not have any grounds for appeal.
It’s the buyer’s word against yours.
No point taking photos.
Who can prove that you sent the right item?
wait for the item to be returned but even then will it be yours in good condition or damaged?
There are dishonest members out there...
You can try to contest eBay’s decision, that will be your last chance.
When you refund the buyer, do not refund the shipping costs.
Regards.