getting screwed by ebay

xkos35
Community Member

i sold a commercial dishwasher on the 13th of november,the buyer saw the photos of the item,with serial number and model number,tells me it's perfect,everything documented thru ebay emails.I pay 700 canadian to ship it to new jersey,starts giving me a response saying it's steam operated,which it could be,but also works with electricity,again all documented thru ebay emails,ebay accepts his demand to return item,even though it is buyers remorse,he uses the item not as described,i never used the item,it was brand new.Ebay refunds his full amount,I'm trying to contact him twice thru ebay to pickup my machine,he doesn't respond,and to top it all,Ebay charges me 1121 canadian dollars for selling fees,so i'm out 700 dollars beginning my 5000 dollar dishwasher and 1121 can for selling fees,this is how they treat a client of ebay since 2010,and who has purchased over 30000 dollars worth of goods,CONGRATULATIONS EBAY,YOU'RE DOIUNG A SUPER JOB.

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49 REPLIES 49

Re: getting screwed by ebay

the truth hurts sometimes,but it doesn't change.

Message 21 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

would you prefer,i got robbed?

 

Message 22 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

You may be a seasoned buyer on eBay, but you are an inexperienced seller, who unfortunately sold a high-dollar item without creating a proper listing.

 

At this point, I'm not sure there's anything else eBay can do to help you, as they have provided the buyer with a refund as per their money-back guarantee. None of us will ever be privy to the communication between you and the buyer, but I can only assume that you 'fought' the return at every step instead of properly communicating through eBay messages and arranging a return of the unit within the return window specified by eBay. If you had followed the proper steps, eBay would have never refunded the buyer without proof that the dishwasher had been returned to you.

 

At this point, you have the name and address of the buyer, so you might want to consider legal action if it's worth it for your business. Regardless of how this all came about, at the end of the day the buyer should not have both your dishwasher and your money.

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

"Regardless of how this all came about, at the end of the day, the buyer should not have both your dishwasher and your money."

 

Technically you are correct, but with the eBay Money Back Guarantee the Buyer is kind of told they get to keep the item and do not need to return it, due to the fact that eBay ruled in the Buyer's favor and I am sure the communication back and forth between the Seller, Buyer & Seller, eBay was not "smooth or hassle-free".

 

And, I suspect the Seller contested resisted every aspect, step of the "Request" and add to that the simple fact eBay issued a full refund before the item was returned also says the Seller did not respond to the dispute within the deadline.

 

So yes, there is very little the OPer can do other than take legal action, but at the end of the day will it be worth the effort and all the costs if he is in Canada, and the Buyer in the USA.

 

Message 24 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay


@xkos35 wrote:

. . . he could've just as easily done his homework before buying


It cuts both ways, though.  You could have done your homework before selling the dishwasher on eBay.

 

What it boils down to for me is that this is a Craigslist or Kijiji-type item/listing that wound up on eBay.  With sites like Kijiji, the buyer has the opportunity to see the item in-person before purchasing, so a thorough description isn't really all that necessary.  Buyers generally can't do that on eBay, so it's up to the seller to be as thorough as possible when it comes to providing information on the listing page.  The listing page is where a lot happens.  Buyers make their decision to purchase an item based largely on what's on that listing page, and listing pages with very little information will lead good buyers to hit the "back" button, leaving not-so-bright or not-so-honest buyers as your potential customer base.

 

If I were the one doing my seller's homework, I would have found that while there are lots of listings for commercial dishwasher parts and used commercial dishwashers being sold for parts, new commercial dishwashers just aren't a "thing" on eBay and that would have given me pause.  Just because something can be sold on eBay, doesn't mean that it should be sold on eBay.  I'm not familiar with restaurant trade publications, but if any of them have classified ads sections I would think that would be the place to list something like this.

 

Just be glad that someone from Venezuela didn't purchase the dishwasher.  That country was on your list of "ships to" locations and you would be responsible for getting it to them somehow for $35 in a USPS flat-rate envelope.

 

 

Message 25 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

Valid points...

 

If I was going to list a multi-thousand $$$ item on eBay I would make sure I had all my information about the item before I listed it, which includes real pictures, not a stock image taken from the internet.

 

"Just be glad that someone from Venezuela didn't purchase the dishwasher." 

 

Venezuela, how about...  

 

US $25.00
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
USPS Priority Mail International Flat Rate EnvelopeTM
 
Estimated delivery within 8-27 business days

 

And, yes the onus is on the Seller to put as much detail into the listing as possible for a whole bunch of reasons...

 

...the primary one being to avoid this kind of unfortunate situation.

 

 

 

 

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

byto253
Community Member

If there was a refund, should the fees not be credited back, regardless of the refund reason?

 

It does not sound like the refund was handled well.  Even if claiming the item had a problem, the obligation is on the buyer to return it before issuing a refund.    I, and most sellers, have had that come up from time to time.

 

I am guessing that the OP was unwilling to pay for the return shipping, and tried to make the case that the buyer was a scam artist and he would not take the return.   You will never win that case.   Like it or not, the only way you may win an item not as described is to get it back and check condition and if it is fine you can try to make a case.  At least you would have the selling fees back, though the return shipping makes that almost a wash you get your item back.   

 

No 3rd party marketplace, Amazon, Walmart marketplace, etc., will just refuse to refund a buyer that claims an item is not as advertised.   A physical return would be required to claim that the refund request for that reason was not reasonable.  

 

There is also a very good chance they just won't bother returning it.  I had a case where I offered to pay the return shipping  amount but as they were in the US, I could not create a return label through Ebay so the Ebay rule is that you send the funds.  The buyer held out for a label, and did not return the item.  I kept the proceeds for the sale, as in the end his claim was rejected for not returning the item.

 

It is unfortunate that you did not post in this forum when the claim was made, there would have been good info on how the claim system works and how to minimize the impact. 

 

Message 27 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

As the seller had a "no returns" policy for the listing, I suspect they tried sticking to their guns and referred back to that policy in the claim process, unaware that this opened up the possibility of the buyer getting a refund without necessarily having to return the item.

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Re: getting screwed by ebay


@byto253 wrote:

If there was a refund, should the fees not be credited back, regardless of the refund reason?


Unfortunately, if eBay has to step in to settle a dispute, they do not credit any fees.

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

tl;dr - a very inexperienced seller selling a large appliance on eBay, did not make the attempt to make the listing as informative and clear as possible, and now is getting upset that he had to refund and pay eBay fees. 

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

If you agree to the return and refund, eBay will credit you back the fees, as soon as eBay gets "involved" you have lost your fees, the items, and your $$$

 

It pays to play nice...

 

It costs to be confrontational...

 

This particular member said in one of his outbursts "look at my FB" so a few people have and he has a lot of questionable FB as a Buyer.  And, as I said before the words "Scam, Scammer" are thrown around like a "wet rag", no actual detail about the "Purchase/Issues".

 

So it is easy to figure out what happened with his Buyer, this transaction, and all the communications surrounding the dishwasher machine that must have transpired before eBay ruled in the Buyer's favor.

 

Also, the fact that he has not actually replied to any questions asked, shows that this post was more of a rant than an attempt to "solve" any issues...

 

Remember, eBay ruled in favor of the Buyer after the return request was approved and the Seller had to arrange the shipping return details, he evidently did not, hence the reason he is here, to rant about all the injustices done to him, and "getting screwed by ebay"

 

That was the title of the post "getting screwed by ebay" this was not a request for any assistance, it was an emotional outburst, nothing more, nothing less...

 

And judging by all the replies this member has received, we all seem to have the same "Idea" about what happened in this very unfortunate tale...

 

 

Message 31 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

i'll pay 1000 dollars again to get it back,just to make sure that he doesn't get it for nothing,that shows it's not for the money.

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

how can i when i never used it and never saw it,i bought it on ebay 2 years ago,its in storage since then,the buyer had all the info before pressing the buy button.

Message 33 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

who are you talking about?i have 100% feedback.

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

and another thing you don't seem to understand,there are alot of scammers on ebay,whether you believe it or not.

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Re: getting screwed by ebay

xkos35
Community Member

insinger5.jpginsinger.jpginsinger2.jpginsinger3.jpginsinger4.jpg

Message 36 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

these were the photos he received before hitting the buy button.

Message 37 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

Your pictures are irrelevant, they were not in your ORIGINAL LISTING nor were all the specs and details about the item you were selling, you are at fault for all this mess.

 

eBay bases all decisions based on what the ORIGINAL listing stated, the messages between you and the Buyer are not a "contract" or the Listing specifics.

 

You did the lazy man's listing, and it came back to bite you...

Message 38 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

ALL BUYERS HAVE 100% feedback, your FB is pointless and of no value other than to show you are a "problematic" shopper...

Message 39 of 50
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Re: getting screwed by ebay

ALL the INFO was not in your ORIGINAL LISTING, it is of no value in messages going back and forth...

 

...the ONLY thing that matters is the ORIGNAL listing.

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