eBay

ra_pro · ‎01-29-2016

I have been on eBay since 2001, have 199 all positive rating. I have heard stories about bad experiences of mostly sellers occasionally buyers, never understood them until now.

My story as a buyer is somewhat complicated but the outcome is really simple: I ended up paying $45 for an item plus $10 shipping from the US to Canada and ended up with nothing, the seller got the item returned to him by the post office and can keep my money according to eBay. If this is not a robbery what is? Regardless of any details how is it right that the seller pockets my money and keeps the item and it's all fine and dandy with eBay? The people who work for customer service and adjudicate these disputes, are they people are flying drones that Amazon keeps testing? They must be because not a iota of logic seems to seep into their so-called reasoning. eBay even blocked my negative comment about the seller. Why offer a comment then if you block it? I am really flabbergasted by eBay's behaviour. Again, I can't help but feel that they just officially sanctioned a theft by the seller without any consequences.

In any case I would like to get a suggestion at how to get back at eBay the most damaging way I can. I am not necessarily interested in resolving my dispute, this apparently has already been done according to eBay (I get nothing the seller gets my money and his item), all I want is to do some damage to eBay and the seller. I am not looking for a "postal solution" here, just something reasonable.

femmefan1946 · ‎01-29-2016

You bought and paid for an item.

For some reason it was returned to the seller by 'the post office'.

USPS or Canada Post?

Was the item Undeliverable? Was it an item that cannot be imported* into Canada?

Was the Global Shipping Program involved?

Does your eBay address match your Paypal address and are they both correct?

Did you receive a Delivery Notice from Canada Post?

Did you attempt to pick up the item within a few days and with photo ID?

Has the seller received the returned item? Return to Sender can be very slow.

If the seller has your purchase, have you politely asked him for a refund**?

Have you attempted getting a refund through Paypal which has a six month deadline-- about four months longer than eBay.

If you have tried Disputes with both eBay and Paypal, did you go to the credit card I hope you back your Paypal account with?

You would call the 1-800 number on the back of the card and politely ask the clerk about a chargeback,

EBay does not allow feedback after a Dispute has been resolved. The resolution of the Dispute is the end of the tran

* Like fireworks, some chimney cleaners, perfumes (alcohol based) or paintball supplies.

**He is unlikely to want to go to the expense of sending a replacement, both because he is out shipping and return shipping, and because you probably burned your bridges, from the tone of this post.

pierrelebel · ‎01-29-2016

" Regardless of any details..."

Of course "details" matter. How much of the problem is your responsibility?

Why blame eBay? They are only the venue where you purchased your item. Would you blame the newspaper or the magazine if you had purchased an item based on an advertisement published by them?

If you really want answers to your problem, why don't you provide full details of the transaction, instead of blaming eBay. Some experienced members here could then attempt to help you.

"how to get back at eBay the most damaging way I can. "

This is childish. Bashing eBay will not help you.

Anonymous · ‎01-29-2016

I think before we can help you, we need the rest of the story, ie: what did the seller say the reason for the return was?

There is always a reason and the seller has nothing to gain from an uncompleted/unsuccessful transaction so should be willing to communicate with you the reason as to why the item was returned.

dmil8030 · ‎01-29-2016

Okay, my turn.

Hello 'ra_pro',

You do not say what the item was. You don't have to, certainly not if it's private. But here is a list of prohibited items if it was

any of those. Many of the items have exceptions, like Plants and Seeds. Some types are permissible and some not:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/items-ov.html#prohibited

<<the seller got the item returned to him by the post office and can keep my money according to eBay>>

Was there any indication as to why it was returned? Or for that matter, where it was turned around? At the border?

At the post office in Canada? Did it make it into the country or did it not leave the US?

Did you get a tracking number? What did it say about when and where?

If not because of the package contents, then have you ascertained that your ebay mailing address and your paypal address

are the same and both full and complete?

I know that sounds like a dumb question but people often leave off a tiny thing or have some little discrepancy they overlooked,

rendering an item undeliverable.

<<how is it right that the seller pockets my money and keeps the item and it's all fine and dandy with eBay?>>

I can certainly understand your fury, but a lot will depend on what happened and how it was handled. If the item was turned

back at the border, once the item was back with the seller I am wondering why you would not have contacted the seller,

inquired and asked for a refund.

Or did you simply ignore the human aspect and go straight to filing a claim? Why it was returned and from where could

make a difference in an automated claim in which no persons are involved. Moreover, if you did not even bother to call

ebay and ask what to do in a case like this, it is quite likely the seller called ebay to offer his perspective.

Or did you call? If so, what was their response to which inquiry? Those details can affect the outcome. It would help

others here to sort through the situation if you offered some of those details.

<< I would like to . . . get back at eBay the most damaging way I can. I am not necessarily interested in resolving my dispute, . . .

all I want is to do some damage to eBay and the seller>>

Even though I completely sympathize with the indignation you feel at losing money, I believe this is entirely the wrong

approach. If you attempted to leave a negative and it vanished, quite likely the seller called ebay and had it removed.

For the matter of that, I am surprised a lot of your other feedbacks have not been removed as well. Frequently you comment

on import charges, - which is removable. Also, as sellers cannot leave negatives for buyers all that 100% buyer feedback

is not worth much, not unless it truly is riddled with comments telling how exceptionally wonderful you are to deal with.

It is not up to sellers to choose mail options for you, it is up to you to ask if they will send items through the post and if they

decline, find another seller. Moreover, any item brought into the country with a declared value of $20 or more is subject to

import charges, as you appear to have discovered:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/postal-postale/duty-droits-eng.html

I hope this wasn't an instance where you yourself did not pick up the item and it was returned to the seller for that reason.

At any rate, you might try to ask the seller if you could at least get the item price back. If the returned item was in any way

your fault the thing to do is forego the shipping fee so the seller does not lose money for that in which he is blameless.

None of this is ebay's fault. Ebay is just the venue in which people post their listings.

Clearly the seller mailed the item. So why would you wish to hurt him? A kindly worded note steeped in contrition might

get you back the item price. You have nothing to lose by trying, since the money loss is certainly bothering you.

There is nothing reasonable about wanting to damage someone else because you are hurt, not on ebay and not in

real life. I urge you most strenuously to find a healthful positivistic solution and let the rest go.

And what's a "postal solution"?

pierrelebel · ‎01-29-2016

"And what's a "postal solution"? "

I think it comes from an old American expression: "going postal".

"The expression derives from a series of incidents from 1986 onward in which United States Postal Service (USPS) workers shot and killed managers, fellow workers, and members of the police or general public in acts of mass murder. Between 1986 and 1997, more than 40 people were gunned down by current or former employees in at least 20 incidents of workplace rage."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_postal

dmil8030 · ‎01-29-2016

<<"And what's a "postal solution"? "

I think it comes from an old American expression: "going postal".

"The expression derives from a series of incidents from 1986 onward in which United States Postal Service (USPS) workers

shot and killed managers, fellow workers, and members of the police or general public in acts of mass murder. ...>>

Ah, okay, great, thanks! I have heard the expression "going postal", and even without knowing for sure, based on

context I figured it meant behaving like a lunatic. I'm never sure about American idiomatic expressions and so I rarely

use them. One word out of place and we can end up saying something shockingly inappropriate.

So here, the OP does not want to "go postal", he simply seeks a "reasonable" way inflict injury on not one but two

innocent parties and supposes other members will be willing to offer relevant suggestions.

lucitabby · ‎01-29-2016

I would suggest you stay away from sellers who are shipping with UPS or GPS to Canada - buy only from those shipping with USPS.

In response to your post, as others have mentioned, more details are needed if

you want help.

mcrlmn · ‎01-30-2016

If you've never received the item and resolution with seller is futile, why didn't you initiate an Item not received claim?

ra_pro · ‎01-31-2016

Mine was a philosophical rant. If in a commercial transaction one party gets to keep the money and the item purchased ( which is already relisted on eBay) and the other party gets nothing then common sense would dictate (at least to me) that this is not fair in any sense regardless of the specific details. It's not that I don't want to divulge the details, my point is that the basic point about my case shouldn't hinge on details. I am still trying to get my head around the fact that somebody at eBay customer service thinks it's all right when in a transaction on their site one party gets everything and the other one nothing, sorry for repeating myself.

I offered to pay for a reship to the seller, the seller jacked up the shipping by 40% so I refused. But the seller must know how eBay works and how to play it. He contacted them before I did claiming what I have no idea. And he was confident eBay would back him.