Buyer aware of 2-3 month wait, doesn't pay extra for tracking, opened an INR before messaging me?

[thunder_hawk]

I'm genuinely sick and tired of shipping to South America because of this constantly happening (them getting the item and not paying me back after closing a case on me has happened twice now, and been scammed another time). This time it was for a 130$ figure.

I'm in the middle of poverty and cannot afford this loss, if this tries to come out of my bank account I'm definitely stopping the charge and forcing it back on my eBay account. The buyer was told tracking was extra and he paid for surface mail - which was 30$ CAD, and takes around 3 months with the COVID delays.

Instead of contacting me as I literally beg all my buyers to do if there's a problem (I've never had any actual problems that I couldn't resolve before either), he opens an INR instantly, ignoring my "please contact me" that I have literally everywhere and send in messages before items are shipped out.

He was aware of the 3 month wait and has opened a case before the start of the second month wait.

Is there anything I can do, or am I, in *actual poverty* over here, **bleep**ed out of 130$ because a SA buyer has once again scammed me? Does eBay have any protection for their buyers when they've made things explicitly clear, or am I **bleep**ed? It's literally one week before my birthday too and I can't afford to take this hit. I hate people lol. eBay's fees are already borderline scammy enough anyway and they just raised them not too long ago, I guess I can just move to another platform at the absolute worst.

I wish eBay had real seller protection because this is getting ridiculous. What's with the trend of South American buyers ignoring everything you say and opening cases and scamming you lmao? 

[femmefan1946]

Well here are the lessons you should learn.

Never ship Surface.

Never give the option of Surface.

Never give the customer a choice- if he can't afford Air Mail Tracked, he can't afford to buy from you.

Never ship Surface.

EBay gives a window for delivery. It's up to you to meet that window.

Never ship Surface.

Don't ship to South America.

Never ship Surface.

[esclyons]

I don't see where you sold a 130$ figure, but that is not important..

Don't ship anywhere other than North America, change your shipping, to USA and Canada only..

Best advice i can offer up here...

[t_bjarnason]

Does eBay have any protection for their buyers when they've made things explicitly clear

eBay does not take into account what you have written in your ad description for shipping times/selling policies and nor should they.

eBay does have seller protections, given that you have met your obligations as a seller (which is written out in eBay's policy HERE ). The biggest one of those obligations is that you have provided tracking. 

For an item valued at $130, I cannot imagine any reason why tracked shipping wasn't used, especially shipping to Sount America and because you've mentioned you've had problems selling there before.

This boils down to a valuable lesson which is "don't send it lettermail unless you can afford to lose it."  @femmefan1946 already mentioned the other lessons.  

[thunder_hawk]

Yeah the "lessons I should learn" doesn't help the mental breakdown I had or the fact that a lowlife scammed me.

I can't afford to eat this, especially with a 2000$ hydro bill and my birthday being in a week which that's already ruined lmao. If eBay tries to go after my bank account after I pulled all my listings down b/c I'm sick of the 20% fees and scamming I'll just file non-consentual charge :shrug: 

[thunder_hawk]

It wasn't lettermail, I shipped it surface and I had even messaged them prior and they said it was okay. I can't afford to pay extra out of my own pocket for tracking when they had the option and didn't choose it, because... groceries are a necessity, sorry.

Also, the seller protection thing is absolute bull**bleep**. I've seen people scammed and screwed out of thousands including an Alienware monitor in an eBay community group I'm in even though he had tracking, proof of sending it out with a video of him packing it and everything - the dude forced a return, sent him an empty box and eBay shrugged it off like "uhhhhh ok lol". eBay isn't going to do jack **bleep** just like the other times I've been scammed.

I'm not sure why eBay doesn't have anything better because even Mercari outdoes them in every single way, it's just a shame it's US-only. 

I was more so asking if there was anything I could do, not to be told by snooty people that "YoU LeaRN A vAluAblE LesSon" which is basically "lol don't be poor and eat the tracking cost even though you need groceries lol!" when it's the customer's fault for ignoring everything I said including the message I contacted him with prior to shipping asking him if he was okay with a 3 month wait. He didn't wait the 3 months and just decided to **bleep** me.

TL;DR - people who run eBay and apparently the community too just like to poke fun at people in poverty I guess. Classic "I know there's not much I can do but even though I told the dude it'll take THREE MONTHS and outlined that specifically and he didn't wait after saying he was okay with the wait how am I being INR'd lmao"

[thunder_hawk]

Also considering eBay is okay with illegal items on their platform (bootlegged games from China they never take down despite dozens of reports) I don't think they actually give two **bleep**s about the amount of scammers they have either. I'm putting a block on them from accessing my account if they ever try and will file a motion if needed, idc I'm not taking **bleep** from a company that censors out swear words like an E for Everyone rated children's game. Censors swear words but doesn't care about scamming or people trying to actively ruin others' lives rofl.

I appreciate the advice about not shipping to South America, but it was *really* difficult to find the option to exclude shipping locations (I had to dig and dig and even my friend whose been using this site to sell for years couldn't find it) and couldn't find it before when I was selling, so idk. Can definitely say for sure this isn't a site for people like me who can't risk a loss. I'm done with the platform, 20% fees are already enough of a scam and taking a 100$ hit (30$ shipping btw tracking was 40$ extra and I wasn't about to out of pocket that when I could use it for food) is not pretty for those who *can't survive* without extra incomes like this.

[thunder_hawk]

Also, additionally, nice snottiness with the "eBay gives a delivery window" we're in the middle of a global pandemic, Karen. I'm dead lmao.

[clemowbooks]

When a customer requests a lower cost (and usually untracked) service, he plans to cheat you.

If he can't afford Tracked Air Mail shipping, he can't afford to buy from you.

The buyer is paying for shipping.

Even Free Shipping (which I use*) just means that the cost of shipping has been included in the selling price.

Which is cheaper?

A $10 item with $5 shipping? Or a $15 with Free Shipping?

But, of course, overseas shipping is always charged for.

*Although most of my items are under $20 and can ship letter rate.

[kh-leslie]

Hi everyone,

This topic has been closed at the request of the OP.

Thank you for understanding.