<< Doesn't Ebay require that you provide some measure of proof that you did not receive the item as described? >>
No.
How can ebay demand proof? Moreover, who would sort out all the tiddly discrepancies about what is
or is not "significantly not as described", . . . and at what cost?
All ebay can pragmatically do is offer general guidelines in a "one size fits all" format. Think about it, -
if a seller lists a cardigan as "emerald green", and the purchaser insists it is "lime green", -
why would ebay get involved?
As long as the item is returned in the same condition the buyer received it, - that's about all ebay can ask
of users.
Thus, it is very important for sellers to be as accurate as possible describing their items, particulary when
pointing out any irregularities, defects or damage.
You can see from the following link that ebay simply tells buyers to mail the item back at their own
expense if they are not happy.
http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/item-not-received.html
In sending an item back, the buyer loses a shipping fee, - and Delivery Confirmed mail services are
expensive. No one will mail something back unless it was expensive to begin with and quite unsuitable
when it arrives.
People shop on ebay because they want to have certain items, not because they want to mail items back.
In ebay's words:
PayPal will generally require the buyer to ship an item that the buyer claims is Significantly Not as Described
back to the Seller (at the buyer's expense), and PayPal will generally require a Seller to accept the item back
and refund the buyer the full purchase price plus original shipping costs.
from: http://ocsnext.ebay.ca/ocs/sc
Ebay simply cannot waste resources quibbling over definitions of "significant". So basically, if an agreement
cannot be reached between seller and buyer, buyer can return the item at his/her own expense. The cost of
doing so, however, usually makes the practice prohibitive.
<<doesn't this effectively mean that anyone can return for full refund anything as long as they claim item is not as described>>
Yes. 
Hello 'bondjames',
<<This makes me loose faith in the entire buyer protection policy.>>
Oh no, a loss of faith would be a terrible thing. Well, you phoned in your complaint so at this point
there is not much more you can do.
Ebay is not going to do anything more for you about it. That promise to "investigate" is just patting your head
and saying "There, there". It would be beastly expensive for ebay to conduct any type of inquiry, particularly
with a vendor who has all that positive feedback. Ebay is not going to hassle an ostensibly good seller on your
say-so.
Is there any chance your payment came from a credit card? If so, you could try calling the 1-800 number
on the back of the card and inquire about the card company's consumer protection plan. You would be
required to mail it back at your own expense using a Delivery Confirmed service.
If this is an option, have all the transaction details and card statement in front of you when you place the call.
Life is full of learning experiences and these are rarely ever fun and often uncomfortably expensive.
In future you must be very careful when choosing a vendor. I must say, to spend $2,000 on a watch from
Mexico, -- gosh, you're a lot more courageous than me.
Now that you know about timelines and deadlines, in future always have your item authenticated the second
you get it in your hands.
Does the watch work? If it keeps good time, your only consolation may be that the transaction has not been
a total loss. Sure, you know it's a fake, but all those people you want to impress with your "Breitling" will not.
(That is, after all, why you bought that thing. If you simply wanted to know at any given moment roughly what
time it is, you could have found a far less expensive piece to suit the purpose.)
Best wishes
"You can see from the following link that ebay simply tells buyers to mail the item back at their own
expense if they are not happy.
http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/item-not-received.html"
???
I did not read that. Not sure where you find "if they are not happy".
The policy deals with "goods not as described" and then gives you specific deadlines to meet.
If you failed to meet those deadlines, you may be more successful with your credit card issuer and a chargeback. However, here again, there is no "if the buyer is not happy" refund policy. This is not WalMart or The Bay..
Your credit card issuer may require you provide evidence (from one or more experts) the watch is not genuine.
For those of us not familiar with the transaction, what was the eBay listing number?
<< ??? >>
That's really one of your favourites, isn't it.
I was not quoting the ebay page, -- I provided the link so that the reader could get the official ebay
version for himself. Nowhere did I say, 'note where it says, "....".
<<The policy deals with "goods not as described" >>
Right. And if a person is unhappy with the purchase it is as easy as filing a Not as Described claim,
and ebay/paypal is not going to say, "Really? How so? Prove it."
<<and then gives you specific deadlines to meet.>>
Yes, I know that, -- and it is a point that was made abundantly clear earlier in the thread.
<< However, here again, there is no "if the buyer is not happy" refund policy.>>
Not officially, of course not! I assume the reader to whom I was speaking has sufficient intelligence
to sort that much out for himself.
He whose inquiry I was addressing was wondering "doesn't this effectively mean that anyone can return
for full refund anything as long as they claim item is not as described within 45 days of purchase"
and if you have read the entire thread you will see that the answer is "Yes". It may not be Walmart, but it
is still retail.
Bored, are we?
???
"in reply to blue_wister"
My post was clearly NOT addressed to you. Not sure why you feel it was.
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