eBay closes a dispute IN MY FAVOR, confirms it 3 times in writing, then changes its mind without explanation — Need help
Summary: me-7750 shared their experience with eBay, where a sold graphics card listed 'for parts or repair' led to a dispute. Despite eBay initially siding with them, eBay reversed the decision and refunded the buyer without prior notification, leaving me-7750 at a financial loss. Another participant, frelonverre, commented that international complaints often have little effect and suggested skepticism about successful outcomes. me-7750 expressed willingness to seek legal action, believing French consumer protection laws might support their case.
Hello everyone,
Longtime eBay seller, never had any problems until now. I’m laying out the facts in the exact order, because the timeline is what makes this so outrageous.
The sale:
Graphics card sold "FOR PARTS OR REPAIR - UNTESTED" for €500. Backplate damage disclosed in the listing + photos. No returns accepted. Everything is written black on white in the listing.
After the sale, not before:
The buyer made an offer on June 25. He then took several days to pay — I followed up with him in writing about the payment. It was only after winning the auction and committing to buy that he started asking questions: extra photos, a video before shipment, and above all whether the GPU die and video memory were actually present.
I answered honestly: I’m not a professional, I can’t certify anything about the inside, the card is sold untested for parts, components may be missing — exactly what the listing already said.
He then wrote, verbatim: "I can accept that the graphics card is defective." Bought, knowingly, after the fact.
And right after writing that, in the same exchange: "Since I’ve already bought it, can you tell me if the die (GPU) is still there?"
So: he buys, accepts the risk in writing, then regrets it and starts worrying again about the very same risk he had just accepted. All of that before shipment even happened.
Shipment:
I filmed it before shipping (video kept), packed it carefully, sent it at his logistics expense — well, mine actually, €100 out of my pocket for international shipping to China. Customs, I helped him track the parcel, everything went fine on my end.
The return:
Once received, he claims it arrived damaged. No proof provided: no photo of the damaged box, no carrier report, nothing. Just the allegation with a bent piece of foil in hand, easy enough to fake.
The decision — and the reversal:
On July 24, eBay agent Karan closes the dispute, reviews the case, and confirms to me three times in writing: the buyer will not be refunded, I get the full amount of the sale, final decision.
The next day, without any notification or explanation: eBay reverses everything. The buyer is fully refunded (€500 + €20 shipping), and I’m charged an extra €75.
Bottom line: -€595 for me. I did everything right — accurate listing, defect disclosed, no returns, video as evidence, honest answers even before payment, shipping at my expense — and I end up losing money after a decision eBay itself had made in my favor.
My question to you: has this kind of thing — post-sale agreement that turns into regret, then into "damage" with no proof, then a dispute you win getting quietly reversed a few days later — ever happened to you? How did you get out of it? Ebay is complicit in this scam.
I’m preparing DGCCRF + a complaint for the buyer side and Ebay + a formal appeal for the eBay side, but I want to know whether this is an isolated case or a known pattern here.
Thanks in advance.
me-7750
OP3 weeks agoHello,
@frelonverre
As I am not a professional seller, I am considered a consumer of the Ebay France service. They are the ones complicit in this scam through their dispute system. If a moderator / manager can step in to resolve the situation.
frelonverre
·3 weeks ago@me-7750
don’t kid yourselves, the moderators only come by to “smooth out” what we say, not to pass it on to the site
you sold to a Chinese buyer who is registered in China, he opened a dispute on eBay China and they made the decision, so your “complaints” would have to be taken to the DGCCRF to challenge that decision (which they won’t do, what weight would they have against a power like that)
so forget it, you lost the item and the shipping
there are countries where you shouldn’t sell
me-7750
OP3 weeks agoRest assured, eBay has a subsidiary in France and the justice system is very protective of consumers, it will be more than happy to side with me.
frelonverre
·3 weeks ago@me-7750
I’m not worried, because I’m not affected, and if you trust the justice system, "very protective of consumers," see from what point they act
besides, legal action can only be brought against the decision-maker, not against its subsidiaries
frelonverre
·3 weeks ago@me-7750
I’m preparing DGCCRF + a complaint for the buyer side
an international complaint has no chance of succeeding, especially since it will be handled by eBay China with their own rules