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The eBay Customer Guarantee as it stands mainly protects dishonest buyers
Summary: tephraphile expresses concerns about the "eBay Customer Guarantee," which they believe favors dishonest buyers at the expense of sellers. They share scenarios in which buyers could abuse the return system. Several participants acknowledge that these abuses are nothing new and express doubts about the possibility of change on eBay’s side. tephraphile reiterates their desire to provoke a response that could eventually lead to a reform of eBay’s policies to better protect honest sellers.
Let me explain:
In principle, eBay provides:
- The item received by the buyer does not match the listing, for example:
- The seller sent the wrong item, or
- The item arrives broken, damaged, or defective
the buyer requests a return for item not as described
The seller is obliged to accept the return and send the buyer (so at the seller's expense) a return label (Mondial Relay or other)
In reality, here is what can happen:
- I'm a buyer, and when I unwrap the item I ordered, I drop it (oops!) ..... no big deal, I file a claim under the guarantee, I send the seller photos, I explain to them that the item arrived broken, and I ask for the item to be returned and refunded. The seller is forced to give up the sale and I get a refund ... not bad, is it?
But the previous case was accidental - that is, not premeditated at the time of purchase - rest assured, premeditation at the time of purchase exists too, let me explain:
- I have at home a nice advertising ashtray which - while not rare - has some value, but it has a big crack or a chip or something else ..... no problem, I order the same one on eBay and once my order arrives I claim that it was broken in the package and I ask for the item to be returned and refunded. The seller is forced to give up the sale and I get a refund ... not bad, is it?
This can work for records (scratched ...), comic books (damaged spine ...), and so on, not to mention many other examples, which I'll leave you to list.
What's more, eBay does not allow the seller to dispute the buyer's claims when they invoke the "eBay Money Back Guarantee"; the seller is forced to comply (refund or offer a discount if the buyer accepts), which is why:
The eBay Money Back Guarantee as it stands mainly protects dishonest buyers ...... and leaves sellers with no recourse
What do you think?
lingma85
Mentor2 years agoHello @ everyone and @tephraphile
Looks like this comes from experience... recent...?
A little need to be understood and supported in this misadventure...
but some buyers have no empathy for sellers if they can trick them....
Best regards
tephraphile
OP2 years agoas I told koalagris, I'm not posting to get sympathy but to try to shake things up and get the community to react and why not ebay 😉
lingma85
Mentor2 years agore.. @tephraphile
Your message from 10:23 p.m. should be intended for December 25.... Christmas...
We must not lose sight of something that matters.... If the customer is king and is “always right”.. there’s a good reason for that..
It’s all a matter of accounting... the buyer’s payments make it possible to calculate commissions, fees and other charges that are ebay’s revenue... whether the buyer is honest or not doesn’t come into it on that level..
On the other hand, disputes, refunds etc... go into the “expenses” and therefore into costs, which doesn’t impact the site’s “profile” commercially or in the eyes of the partners... The accounting results are then handled behind the office walls, knowing that the figures are flexible...
So trying to get ebay to react on this point seems like a utopia to me... (sorry.. but I couldn’t find any other words..) - we have to be realistic because we live in a mercantile society hungry for $
Kind regards
tephraphile
OP2 years agoSo what then? Do nothing? Let ourselves get fleeced without reacting?
That’s not how I am, and it’s not good for selling sites either
I know 2 platforms (D......E and C.......I) that are in the process of heading down a slippery slope to hell for (among other things) not having listened to their buyers as well as their sellers.
The more it is said that Ebay is lax when it comes to handling disputes and favors buyers (even unintentionally), the fewer sellers there will be willing to risk getting scammed
If it’s not for Christmas 2023, it’ll be for Christmas 2030!
Meanwhile I have on my dresser a little chipped Daum candlestick and I’ve just spotted a really beautiful one for sale, I’m going to try the exchange thanks to the Ebay Customer Guarantee!! 😉
*miss-tigri*
Mentor2 years agotephraphile
OP2 years agoIt’s true that I’ve only been using Ebay for 14 years, which allows me — with hindsight — to highlight practices that have been on the rise lately. I’m also talking about it to shake things up, in case Ebay decides to give sellers the right to defend themselves.
It’s true that saying nothing and doing nothing is a lot more comfortable
koalagris
Mentor2 years agoThis kind of abuse has been known about for a long time.
it's unavoidable, and unfortunately not just on eBay.
you just have to run into a dishonest buyer.
Not sure that posting this kind of "tips" won't give ideas to those who hadn't heard of them yet.... 😕
tephraphile
OP2 years agoI'm posting to shake things up, and all the better if other buyers become dishonest ..... that may perhaps make sellers react, and why not Ebay itself