I was Frauded, need some help.

[canadian-collectables]

Hi all, I sold some stamps to a customer and they cliamed it never arrived. They filed a case andd i had to refunded the money because it was sent letter mail, no tracking . I get a positive feedback now from them with a "late shipment" defect showing they actually got it and frauded me. So, i tried contacting Ebay and the AI won't let me actuall talk with someone, sooo frustrating. Anybody have any ideas how to contact them?? I tried to appeal the case and Ebay says i can't. No reasons given. Ebay makes it too easy for fraudsters to commit these petty crimes.

[marnotom!]

At any point did you send the buyer a message to thank them for the positive feedback and to let them know they can repay you for the stamps?

[canadian-collectables]

Hi, Yes i did. The positive and the late shipment defect as well saying it showed she actuallt got them.  I told her i would like to get paid for the items now, no response as of yet.  Aslo filed a dispute with Ebay on the defect strike, hope it goes somewhere.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Create a listing, call it something like 'Private Listing For (Person's First Name)'. Make sure the listing is for the same amount as the original one, with the same shipping price. You can simply include a generic photo of the eBay logo. The reason you want to make the listing generic is because you don't want a random person browsing eBay to buy it.

Message the buyer from your original transaction:

Hello,

I am glad to see through your positive feedback that your refunded item  did arrive. (case ##### - item ##### - order ####)

Because you opened a case with eBay, I was required to issue a refund. Unfortunately, eBay does not have a mechanism to reverse refunds. To re-pay for the item, you can feel free to checkout using this private listing: (paste direct link here)

If you have any questions, feel free to get back to me. I sincerely apologize for Canada Post not delivering your item on time. I am glad to hear that it did ultimately arrive.

Regards,
(your first name)

------

You have to make it as easy as possible for the person to pay you back. 

If you have Twitter or Facebook, eBay's for business customer service pages would be the way to go. You have to be as clear and concise as possible when explaining the situation to them. You may have to also explain how common not using tracking is in Canada, because they may just go into a speech about how you aren't covered, etc. They will likely instruct you to report the buyer. You probably won't get your money back. 

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

The other point of advice, change your shipping method for your lettermail items from Canada Post Lettermail to the generic Economy Shipping method. 

The problem you had is very common because eBay's Lettermail shipping designation is broken. It doesn't account for reasonable variances in lettermail shipping time due to Canada Post not guaranteeing lettermail estimates. 

The buyer sees that the item is supposed to arrive by x date, and they have no reason but to assume it is lost. Your average buyer is not an expert on Canada Post shipping methods, they don't know that lettermail can sometimes take 15+ days. 

Go to account settings in the upper left corner of your main eBay page, under Selling click Business Policies, then either create or edit your shipping policy. 

The policy you want is 'Economy Shipping 1 to 15 Business Days', not 'Lettermail 2 to 6 Business Days'.

Economy Shipping is a generic term, you can still send lettermail. What this does is it gives the buyer a more honest and accurate shipping window. It will decrease shipments marked late, and it will decrease these accidental refunds where a buyer assumes their item is lost because it didn't arrive in 6 business days. A lot of lettermail does not arrive in 6 business days, especially this time of the year with inclimate weather.

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

You do not want to talk to a person. Those phone clerks are subcontractors with poor training and no authority.

The phone reps have a terrible reputation for getting you off the phone as soon as possible even if that means giving you the advice you want to hear instead of the advice you need to have.


https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.

https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/


https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.



These social media Chat accounts are covered by trained eBay employees with some authority.
And you get a transcript so you can compare what you heard with what you were told.

They are slow because they read and consider your problem before making a fast answer, getting you off the phone and finally getting a pee break.
 

[femmefan1946]

I get a positive feedback now from them with a "late shipment" defect showing they actually got it and frauded me. ..Anybody have any ideas how to contact them??

First, because it annoys me, the word you are searching for is "defrauded".  Thank you. I feel better now.

Use Messages  as suggested  to flat out ask the buyer for the return of the refund. Setting up a private  listing is a simple way to help the buyer do the right thing.

But having done this myself occasionally over the decades, your chances are at best 50/50.

Remember that when your shipment arrived late, you did not fulfill the contract you had with the buyer.

You are asking based only on their goodwill.

[byto253]

THIS!   Never choose the Canada Post Lettermail option, even if it is called  "Economy Shipping (Canada Post Lettermail)" for Canada or  "Canada Post USA Letter-post" for the US.

I get a good number of my Canadian items purchased from remote locations in B.C.  or northern locations and the time parameters from eBay are ludicrous. 

And the US only gives 10 business days, which is right on the edge for a lot of shipments and a good number will not make it there in time.  For something bought today it requires delivery by Feb. 7.    "Economy Shipping from outside US"  requires delivery by Feb 29, so lots of breathing room. 

Lettermail can also be pretty random with the great majority making it is as they should, but there are enough times that mail will take an extra week or more.

[canadian-collectables]

Thank you for everyone who has helped with the replies)