eBay

1049susanm · ‎01-30-2016

Hello,

I paid for a multi item purchase by e-check. I told the seller about it; but then they opened individual cases of non-payment. We had a death in the family and I had not checked my messages. Now all cases are closed and each item is a strike. eBay say to contact the seller; in response to my multiple messages, they just say "not to worry everything will be okay". They add to contact them if I am worried! Well, contacting them does not result in any help at all! I don't know if I am being being fobbed off i. e. attempt to satisfy someone by making excuses or giving them something of little or no value; or they just do not understand e-checks and unpaid items cases.I am getting no where!

I am trying to put a stop on the e-check via my bank; as Paypal says they cannot stop the e-check. Also, I read that to appeal a case, one must show proof of payment etc. So how is one to do this if eBay has no email? Fax it? But no fax number. This is all very frustrating. Just when I think I have it figured out, eBay throws a curve ball at me.

I have no problems like this from other sellers, who respond quickly and politely to my messages, and often come up with solution to my concern. And with the majority of sellers, no problems arise. It seems that a minority of sellers fall back on the we have no control excuse; which as an entrepreneur us pretty bad!

So I may get the check stopped (for a bank fee); but I will have tons of "strikes" against me. This is a mess. I guess if I ever order again, from Asia, I will do it one item at a time. I have been ordering from that part of our world and had no problems; but after this I will be gun-shy about doing so. That is supposing that eBay does not pitch me off for too many no payment strikes!

PayPal says that they suggest sellers wait for the e-check to clear; so I know that both myself, and PayPal, have contacted this seller, If an e-check is not acceptable, then eBay and/or the Sellers should clearly say so. If all they say is pay by PayPal, then they should wait for the e-check! I had money in the bank but PayPal only offered the e-check--something about having too many purchases paid by instant $$. A day or so later I could have paid by instant transfer. I should have just waited; but I did not know when the switch would occur and PayPal could not say! Also, many sellers say one has seven days to pay and others The whole thing is like a through the looking glass world. I feel like a mixture of the Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit and am being chased by a completely mad Red Queen!

Is the answer to build up a substantial $$ amount in my PayPal account. Seems a bit dumb! I almost feel like say good-bye to eBay; but I have met so many great sellers and been able to purchase such neat stuff that it is not in my heart to do so.

However, my head is saying, "Go with God; but go!" Sorry it is a long message; I did not have the time to make it shorter. 😉

Thank you for reading it. Any help or advice is appreciated

Sincerely,

The Mad Hatter_White Rabbit Clone 😞

dmil8030 · ‎01-31-2016

<<If the seller MISTAKENLY opens the unpaid item cases, how can eBay "find" for the seller.>>

I'd suggest not putting too much stock in the word "mistakenly". The seller did not have payment, only a promise of payment,

and you did not enter proof of having paid with your echeques. The system automatically closes in favour of the seller.

<<would you mind defining making my buying on eBay "more difficult for the next 12 months"?>>

Sellers can set up their ebay selling accounts to block prospective buyers with 2 or more unpaid strikes on their account in the

last 12 months. Most sellers do this, so it will be a challenge for you to find a seller who is still 'open' because those strikes

will block you. So there is another good reason to appeal the strikes.

On the bright side, since Asian sellers are least likely to block for unpaid strikes, and since you like shopping from there

anyway, well, you'll be alright then. . . . .

The thing is, if you get the payment stopped (good idea) it will in fact mean you have not paid. Perhaps if you can show ebay

that whilst you fully intended to pay with echeques, the seller filed the cases and now you have had to stop payment because

clearly the seller is not going to send items on a closed case, not when he doesn't have to.

If you have all the facts, transaction details, payment information, etc in front of you when you call, you will be more useful to

the ebay telephone attendant than if you simply arrive at the call with your indignation and little else. Make sure you can offer

ebay something visible to bolster your assertions that these strikes should be removed, and that it was only necessary to stop

payment (assuming that is successful) because the seller filed his cases prematurely.

I wish you well with it.

View solution in original post

pjcdn2005 · ‎01-31-2016

I didn't think that a seller could open an unpaid item case when an echeque is pending, I guess I was wrong. Personally, I don't mind echeques and even if I did, we are required to accept them if we take Paypal. So in my mind, the seller basically cancelled the transaction when they were supposed to wait for the cheque to clear. They should be the one penalized, not the buyer. Perhaps the seller didn't realize what was going on as echeques aren't that common these days but it is the seller's responsibility to understand how the site works.

There is a possibility that ebay will remove the strikes for the buyer but it may take a few phone calls and explaining what happened -- more than once.

For the posters that mentioned the buyer should have entered the payment number in the unpaid item case....that wouldn't have been possible as the only way to reply to an unpaid item claim is to pay. There is no place to submit any information when a uic is opened and assuming that the story is accurate, the buyer is not at fault here in any way imo.

I do wonder what happens if the payment actually goes through. I don't know if the strikes would disappear. I do think that the seller would have to refund or send the items but I don't know how it would all be handled by ebay and/or paypal....it's not a typical scenario.

View solution in original post

1049susanm · ‎01-30-2016

Sorry I ment to say some sellers say one has seven days to pay and other say three.!

craftycanadianarts · ‎01-30-2016

The paypal transaction is the proof of payment.

Something is wonky here in this. When you pay e-cheque the item is supposed to be marked as paid and payment pending in the individual paypal of the seller.

I have never heard of something like this happening.

1049susanm · ‎01-31-2016

Thanks crafty canadian iarts!

I agree that something is wonky! But I do not know what to do about it. You see that I have been trying all the ideas that I could come up with. I feel it is too complex to explain over the phone to a front line eBay employee.

I have found them to be often enthusiastic, but quite limited in their ability to help. If this case is so weird, I doubt that any help will come from eBay customer help.

I am hoping for some help here. I can cancel the check and reorder the items over time, to make it less complex. My big concern is my account having all those unpaid strikes.

Would eBay consider lifting them? If they would do that, I would be ok with having to reorder the items....

Thanks,

Susan

femmefan1946 · ‎01-31-2016

You bought 40 items from a seller in China.

You paid through Paypal, from your bank account (e-cheque).

While the payment was being processed, the seller opened (40?) Unpaid Item Disputes.

You did not respond (personal reasons).

The (40?) claims closed in the seller's favour.

So.

You have (40?) Unpaid Item Strikes.

That's going to make buying here more difficult for the next 12 months.

I am trying to put a stop on the e-check via my bank; as Paypal says they cannot stop the e-check.

The payment is slowly being cleared through the Canadian and the American banking systems. (Because PP is American.)

Your bank should be able to cancel the payment and repay it into your account.

You may have to pay a fee to the bank for this.

So how is one to do this if eBay has no email?

Well, you put the PP payment number into the Dispute when it is open. Now that it is closed, there is no transaction.

That door is shut forever.

Is the answer to build up a substantial $$ amount in my PayPal account.

No.

That would instantly transfer the money to the seller, true. But once there, PP will not retrieve it in cases of Disputes.

Instead, attach a credit card to your PP account and pay from there.

Instant transfer of funds and you not only have eBay and PP Buyer Protection, but also the card's chargeback service in case of problems like this one.

And here is where we see THE REAL PROBLEM.

When the seller (mistakenly) opened those Unpaid Item Disputes, you did not respond with the Paypal transaction number.

So eBay, with no other information to consider, found for the seller.

Talk to your bank manager about a Stop Payment. The payment will be to Paypal , btw, not to the seller. PP is an anonymizing payment service.

Best wishes.

1049susanm · ‎01-31-2016

Thank you! I appreciate your reading and thinking about my problems.

I have a question or two. If the seller MISTAKENLY opens the unpaid item cases, how can eBay "find" for the seller. If the cases were wrong in the first place, they should be null and void. As you noted I had extenuating circumstances for not checking my email; but really, if the cases were a mistake, that should not come into play! Will eBay be willing to listen to such an appeal and how would I get all this complex info in a phone message to a front line employee?

Also, would you mind defining making my buying on eBay "more difficult for the next 12 months"?

I feel that this is a miscarriage of justice and I have been incorrectly put in the wrong. The seller is simply sending nonsensical replies. Is eBay just an uninformed, uncaring, juggernaut that smashes its way through with no intelligent thought?

Sorry if I come across as angry in my response, I am angry; but not with you. You are just trying to help and I do appreciate it. I just wish eBay would copy your way of dealing with problems!

Thank you again and please just answer the questions about the "more difficult for the next 12 months" and how invalid cases can be opened and closed against a buyer?

Yours sincerely,

Susan

dmil8030 · ‎01-31-2016

Hello 'susanm',

If you have not already done so, you must get your bank to stop payment on the echeques. Paypal cannot do it because they are simply a conduit for the transfer. If they were to do this, people would constantly be asking paypal to 'stop payment' after having changed their minds about the purchase. Similarly, ebay cannot stop payment either.

It almost seems as if you have gone to your bank about this, -- is that right?

<<eBay say to contact the seller; in response to my multiple messages, they just say "not to worry everything will be okay".>>

Who's the "they", ebay or the seller? No matter, your reaction ought to be the same, -- to know that you are being fobbed off with nice meaningless words. Never accept that response from a stranger in business, be it an ebay telephone attendant or an Asian seller. It's a polite way of getting you to go away so that the person does not have to contend with your problems.

<<Is the answer to build up a substantial $$ amount in my PayPal account.>>

Not a substantial amount, no, but when buying from an Asian seller it is best to transfer sufficient funds from your bank to your paypal account to cover the cost of your purchases. The money is not lost. If you never use it you can transfer it back to your bank. If you need to file a claim, the refund goes back to your paypal account.

No sellers 'like' echeques because they are not allowed to ship the item until the $$ clears which can take 10 days. Asian sellers are far too familiar with scams and the one you bought from quite likely assumed you were hoping to get the items without paying at all. If you go to them looking for human compassion you are going to the wrong place.

The reason the Unpaid cases went through is because the seller did not have the money and you did not respond with the transaction numbers showing payment in the claim.

That would have saved you.

If you want to see the sellers' take on Unpaid Items, ebay says this:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/sell/unpaid-items.html

And if you are considering appealing your unpaid cases, you may want to have a look at this:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/appeal-unpaid-item.html

dmil8030 · ‎01-31-2016