PAID REFUND ITEM NEVER RETURNED

[alexfacit]

I've sold to buyer a beautiful sealed record-mile davis....For $90.00.Buyer asked for some discount as he claimed a bend occurred in shipping.I ship in brand new boxes fitted for lp's with bubble,etc.I've asked for picks he never sent any.I gave the alternative of returning it for full refund,he did not act on it.Aprox.10 days later he came with some new bogus problems and said,he wants full refund.I said no problem,just go through claims with Paypal and I will pay right away.I thought on doing so I will have the lp returned before Paypal pays the buyer....Paypal paid the buyer!!never asked for proof of shipping,I never got my lp back!!

I've sold a lamp to buyer for $250.00.I packed it as usual in such a heavy bubble and reinforced double wall box,you could through it 10' in the air and wouldn't break.The Post Office manager whom processed  the package complimented and later on when became a claim she offered to testify-to Paypal.

The problem was....this guy received the package-lamp signed for it Sept.4/14,no problems.A week later Sept.10/14 he sends a message that he picked-up the box and the lamp was broken inside!I knew he lied about picking it up then as I had the tracking with his signature on Sept.4.As I asked many specific questions,he changed the story,that he did pick-it up on Sept.4 but was away and didn't open the package till Sept.10/14  !!??

First I said I will take another hit....but decided to fight the claim.No questions asked Paypal decided for the buyer.Same time the buyer gave me a negative feedback,calling me a lier and horrible seller.I'm top rated and power seller 1600 fb.This guy has given 5 fb out of which, 2 are negatives.

I've lost aprox.$450.00 with fees,etc on 2 sales,based on eBay buyer bies and subjective discriminating policy!

Today 've canceled all my active sales over 125,I will try to find alternative sale venues as Etsy,etc.I hope more top sellers on eBay will protest in some manner.This giant eBay it is an Autocracy which has become the breading ground for sophisticated(or not to much)buyers-thieves!

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

Never encourage a buyer to file a paypal dispute. Just tell him to return the item for a full refund.

If he refuses, don't refund.

Did Paypal refund the first buyer and then take the money from your account? Quite often they will refund from their own pockets.

On the second item, if there is a claim that it was broken, you can ask for a picture of the broken item. Why would you want a broken lamp back? And you look like a reasonable seller who accepts the word of his buyer rather than some suspicious grouch.

Again, you don't want to get Paypal involved.

For the second item, I think you should call Paypal (not eBay, go to the PP site) and ask that the dispute be reviewed based on the number of negs the buyer has already accumulated. You may win.

Don't worry about the feedback, unless it was matched with trashed DSRs. But if the second guy really was a newbie, he may have decided to be really mean and leave you no stars at all.

[inkwellwriting · Accepted solution]

I agree! When it comes to Ebay selling, the BUYER is ALWAYS right. I was scammed out of a hundred dollars today by a total scam artist. I had a $300.00 lot of NHL cards and collectibles listed. I had a best offer of 100.00 and since my funds were running low, I accepted the best offer. Well, the buyer got the package and emailed me and asked me for a partial refund because he claimed the cards were "broken". These cards were in a heavy duty binder and were in plastic covers. The package was mailed in aheavy cardboard box completely enclosed in celophane tape. I refused to give him a partial refund. He filled a claim with Ebay. They told him to return the items to me and he would get a refund. Well he provided them with a tracking number and he did indeed send me a box--that was missing all the valuable signed cards and pictures. He simply returned to me only a couple of the lesser value items and he kept all the collectibles. But Ebay claimed since he provided a tracking number, he did indeed return my items. I phoned Ebay and Paypal 5 times regarding the situation, explaining what this buyer had done. I checked the buyers previous feedback and he has pulled this scam on numerous other sellers, including me! Yet, he got away with it. What was left for me to do. Well I went to the police station today and filed a claim of theft. They are looking into the situation. I hope he gets caught in auction before he scams anybody else..It is not the money I am out of, it is the confidence I have in dealing with Ebay. This leaves a very bad feeling about doing future business on this site. I wonder how many other sellers have been scammed and feel cheated by the notion that the 'buyer is always right" even when this kind of abuse is going on....

[canadian.tree · Accepted solution]

 @ inkwellwriting

  very interesting Guess sellers need to look into a way to stop this.. Very hard to do so but there must be a way, maby if you're a trusted seller and you are selling an item you could take pictures of it at you're post station beside recipt But then again ebay i'm assuming always gives buyer benefit of the doubt but I think you could win an ebay case against this guy and get you're money back based on you're rating. there has to be a fix for this i feel you , I'm very new at ebay selling in the limits of 10 items 😄 have lots of hockey cards to sell, video games,other cards etc because I have collected it all for years with my dad for decades as a long term investment that paid off.

 Good luck

[canadian.tree · Accepted solution]

 and @ alexfacit

   You say he changed his story try to gather all the proof and messages with him, show ebay he is changing what he is saying and making things up as he goes. Even with every retail store don't they give money / return item when they receive the money back because people are crooks? When you buy online at amazon at least they ask if you send the item back they will pay you when it is received should you not do this as well?

good luck to you as well! I think 'm in for a big surprise when my limits are lifted and I start selling lots of items. This is just a suggestion as you can see I have 8 sales so haven't been here for to long!

[inkwellwriting · Accepted solution]

Thank you for your reply. I wish you lots of good luck selling your items on Ebay and on a positive note, there are many, many wonderful buyers out there who are a real pleasure to do business with! I have met a world full of great people on this site. So it is a shame when a rotten apple comes along and leaves a bad taste in your mouth! But...the good people make the experience enjoyable and fun. Good luck to you

[alexfacit]

First item,Mile Davis,sealed lp,I've paid from Paypal and I had  negative balance(this happens)Paypal took the money from my bank account as echeck.I was surprised,but was ok.They waited for the check to clear and paid the buyer never asking for a proof of returned item!

Thanks for your good advises overall,Alex