Ebay Seller-Buyer since 2013, scammed on Ebay by Buyer . . .
Summary: recycle-repurpose-2007 shares their experience of being scammed on eBay, where a buyer falsely claimed the item was "not as described," received a full refund for two Coach belts, and left negative feedback, impacting the seller's 100% positive rating. Other participants responded by enquiring more details about the process followed and sharing general eBay policies on returns and feedback. pjcdn2005 and others discussed the standard procedures for handling returns and the importance of responding appropriately to buyer claims to avoid losing both the item and the money. femmefan1946 and byto253 speculated on potential oversights that might have led to the buyer retaining the items. brettjet38 provided detailed insights into eBay's policies on returns and feedback misuse, emphasizing respecting rules and not giving biased feedback. Several participants provided advice and questions to help recycle-repurpose-2007 understand the situation better and prevent future incidents.
"1st time scammed on Ebay by Buyer claiming "not as described" & gaining the system" . . .
Just want to put a warning out there to Sellers who have been through this, as well as getting negative feedback, my 1st time with that as well & say that because of this experience, I have had to both report & block this Buyer.
I did everyone possible to avoid this, an Ebay Agent also confirmed that my ad met Ebay standards, but some buyers continue to abuse the Ebay refund policy, in this case, the Buyer got a full refund & kept my 2-Coach belts & then ruined my 100% positive feedback score by leaving false negative feedback, thereby lowering my feedback score to only 80% ! I was able to have the negative feedback removed, because Ebay stated it wasn't my fault, but the 'Red' negative feedback symbol / icon is still present & will be for another year.
Happy New Year everyone !
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoDid you demand the return before refunding? Did you send return shipping?
Do you know we can buy USPS shipping labels through Shippo or Pirateship?
brettjet38
·2 years agoAs you did not mention anything about the items (Two Belts) that you sold or what transpired between you and the buyer and what the issue was, there is nothing to offer you other than a few observations and the rules that apply to EVERYONE on eBay & that you agreed too when you joined the club, 2007 btw...
Your options for responding to a return request
Your options for responding to a buyer's request depend on the reason they're returning the item and the return policy you stated in your listing.
The buyer received the wrong item, it arrived damaged, or it doesn't match the listing description
If a buyer received the wrong item, it arrived damaged, or it doesn't match the listing description the purchase is covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee policy, they can return it to you, even if your return policy states that you don't accept returns.
If you don't respond to the return request, we may refund the buyer and seek reimbursement from you, without requiring the buyer to send the item back.
Here are your response options:
Accept the return: The buyer will send the item back to you for a full refund, including the original shipping cost. You'll also be responsible for covering return shipping costs. If the item is returned used or damaged, you may qualify to deduct an amount from the buyer's refund to cover the loss in the item's value.
How to accept a return
Give a full refund: You'll issue a full refund to the buyer, including original shipping costs, and they'll keep the item. This is a good option for low-value items.
How to issue a refund
Offer a partial refund: You'll issue a partial refund to the buyer, and they'll keep the item. This can be useful when the buyer isn't completely satisfied with their purchase. For example, if an item arrived with a minor scratch, but the buyer is happy to keep it.
How to issue a partial refund
Send the buyer a message: If you have any questions regarding the buyer's request, you can contact them directly.
How to send the buyer a message
Offer a replacement or exchange: You may offer a replacement (another of the same item) or exchange (a different, but similar item) instead of a return.
How to offer a replacement or exchange
If you respond to the request but don't come to an agreement with the buyer after 3 business days, you or the buyer can ask us to step in and help.
If we step in to help, we may ask the buyer to return the item to you. If the item is returned used or damaged, you will no longer be able to deduct from the buyer's refund to cover the loss in value.
https://www.ebay.ca/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handling-return-requests?id=4115
As for the FALSE positive Feedback you left for your Buyer, you might want to read those RULES, also
Leaving conflicting feedback and comments is not allowed. Feedback should only be related to the transaction.
To help protect our members, we have rules to make sure feedback can't be misused.
What is the policy?
Any misuse of feedback is not allowed. Feedback comments should be consistent with the rating given to describe the overall experience. Positive feedback should accompany a positive transaction rating, and negative feedback should accompany a negative transaction rating. For example:
Follow-up or reply comments must also match the overall rating and can't be used to change a rating.
Feedback content should only be related to the transaction. We don't allow:
Any pictures left in feedback must accurately represent the item purchased and must follow our policies, including the Offensive materials policy, the Adult items policy, and the Illegal explicit content policy.
Activity on eBay is required to:
If activity doesn’t meet these requirements, eBay may take action consistent with applicable laws and the eBay User Agreement, and may even be legally required to do so. Such actions may include, as an example only: administratively ending listings or cancelling transactions, hiding or lowering the placement of listings in search results, lowering seller rating, restricting buying or selling, forfeiture of fees, loss of buyer or seller protections, restricting access to member communication and rating tools, removing feedback, and account suspension.
Why does eBay have this policy?
This policy helps protect both buyers and sellers, and the integrity of the eBay feedback system.
https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/feedback-policies/feedback-misuse-policy?id=5030&st=3&pos=1&query=Feedback%20misuse%20policy&intent=false%20posative%20feedback&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1566
As for your WARNING, maybe you want to rethink that advise...
byto253
·2 years agoAmazon has trained the masses well to just say there is whatever kind of problem and get a return paid for. Not sure what happened in this case where the buyer did not have to return the item before getting refunded. Perhaps disputing the return and deadline dates slipped by???
femmefan1946
·2 years agoBuyer reports Not As Described.
Seller demands return - whether the Seller has a No Returns policy or not.
Buyer does not return purchase.
Buyer opens Not As Described Claim.
EBay instructs Seller to send return shipping.
Seller sends return shipping.
OR
Buyer does not return purchase
OR
Seller does not send return shipping
Which scenario did you follow?
pjcdn2005
·2 years agoA little more information from you on how everything happened would be great. Normally when a buyer files an item not received claim the seller has the option of accepting the return and paying for return shipping or of refunding without a return. If the seller refuses to do either and ebay steps in, they almost always side with the buyer as they have no way of proving whether or not the item was as the seller described. In those cases, the seller also gets an unresolved claim defect on their seller performance level as ebay wants sellers to settle problems on their own.
It is almost always better to accept the return and refund once the item has been received back. In some cases you can appeal the decision at that point and you may or may not get a courtesy refund from ebay but once they step in before a refund. But at least the seller has their item back. The system isn't always fair but that is the way it generally works.
A no return policy on ebay means that the seller does not have to accept a return if a buyer changed their mind, found a better price...reasons that are considered buyers remorse. But if they open a return for a reason that makes the item not as described, ebay expects sellers to handle the claim and refund or accept a return and then refund.