***eBay Workshop: New Item Not Received Process 3-4 PM ET, Wednesday, January 26, 2005***

[carly@ebay.com]

Topic: eBay Workshop: New Item Not Received Process
Host: eBay Staff
Date: Wednesday,January 26, 2005
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Location: Canada Town Square

Description: This January, buyers will be able to initiate the new Item Not Received process when they have not received an item they paid for or the item they’ve received is significantly different from what was described in the listing. During this online workshop, eBay staff will answer questions about how buyers and sellers will be able to use this new process.

You can also leave your questions here in advance if you are not able to attend, and then we can answer them during the workshop.

Hope to see you there!
Carly

[cornerstone*]

All it is designed for is to make sellers HAVE to accept paypal. Coincidence that the same time eBay introduces this they make a function blocking nonPayPal registered users? Not a chance.

eBay has no right to interfere with a sellers customers. How does eBay plan to prevent a buyer who takes 9 days to pay via Cheque from filing a INR? How does eBay account for the postage delays? Where does eBay have the time to look after INR complaints when it doesn't have time to answer valid ones through customer service? So many questions that eBay does not seem to have an answer too.

Buyers are the Sellers customers eBay. Your customers are the sellers. This does not help the sellers or the buyers this will just cause an uneasy trust between them.

[fae122]

wish you guys did that sooner.

[lor1492]

I have to agree with cornerstone, every word is accurate.

[articrelativity]

I have tried to use your new item not received service, and it doesn't work. Keeps asking me to select a valid transaction even though i select it.

[sundin@ebay.com]

Hi .CA Community,

If you are unable to make it to this INR Workshop, please feel free to leave a question or state your concerns in this discussion thread.

If you are having a problem with the process, please describe the problem as clearly as possible so that we provide you with an effective response.

In the meantime, here is a FAQ for your review:
http://pages.ebay.ca/securitycentre/faq/itemnotreceivedprocess.html

Thank you and see you online at the INR Workshop!

:: Sundin

[moira@ebay.com]

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Item Not Received Workshop. I would like to introduce you to a few folks who will be here to answer your questions.

From eBay US, we have pal@ebay.com, crule@ebay.com, butler@ebay.com, and vera_j@ebay.com.

From eBay Canada we have moira@ebay.com, carly@ebay.com, and sundin@ebay.com.

We'll start with a couple FAQ posts and then continue with your questions.

Kind regards,
Moira
eBay

[moira@ebay.com]

Welcome to today’s workshop on the Item Not Received process. As many of you know, we recently launched this process to replace the ‘Fraud Alert’ and help buyers communicate with sellers and resolve issues when a problem has occurred with their transaction. Since the process is now up and running, we wanted to take the opportunity to answer your questions. So, whether you are a buyer trying to understand the process, or a seller trying to understand how the new process fits into your business, we hope you’ll find the information in this session helpful. We’ll start out this session with our top Frequently Asked Questions, and then open up the floor for questions.

Moira

[3*canadian*angels]

Hello everybody!

[crule@ebay.com]

Hi, everybody!

Happy to be here with you guys this afternoon.

Colin

[moira@ebay.com]

Why did eBay create the Item Not Received process?
We created the Item Not Received process for two reasons…
First, to help facilitate communication between buyers and sellers when a buyer has a transaction problem and normal communication methods (such as email and/or telephone) aren't effective. From everything we know today, communication is the most important thing a buyer and seller can do to resolve their transaction problems.

Buyers who think they are having a problem with one of their transactions may jump directly to serious measures like chargebacks and negative feedback if their perception is that there's limited or no recourse on eBay, and their seller is not responding to their emails and phone calls.

Second, to replace the Fraud Alert system. Frankly, the Fraud Alert system was not as effective as it needed to be. The only action a buyer could really take (other than continue trying to contact the seller through email and/or telephone) was to wait 30 days from the end of the listing to initiate a ‘Fraud Alert’ on the site. This alerted eBay to a problem, but it didn't do enough to help the buyer resolve the situation with the seller. It’s important to note also that the very name “Fraud Alert” inappropriately cast the seller in a bad light. The new name for the process helps to get the conversation off on the right foot.

Moira

[moira@ebay.com]

As a buyer, under what circumstances should I initiate the Item Not Received process?

This process is for two scenarios:
• You paid for an item but didn’t receive it, or
• You paid for and received an item, but it was significantly different from the item description.

Before initiating this process, you should:
• Check the item listing. Review the seller’s item description and shipping and payment terms. Have you allowed enough time for the seller to receive and confirm payment? Have you read the seller’s shipping terms?
• Email your seller. If you are still concerned, email the seller with your questions. If you don’t have the seller’s email address you can request it from eBay or use Ask Seller a Question.
• Check your email spam filters for messages from the seller. It’s possible that spam filters on your email system are blocking emails from your seller.
• Check your own contact information. It’s possible that your contact information is incorrect, preventing your seller from contacting you. Go to My Account in My eBay and click on Personal Information. Make sure your email address is correct.
• Call your seller. Request your seller’s contact information and give him or her a phone call. Many issues are just simple misunderstandings that can be resolved with a single phone call.

If you have taken all these steps and still have not resolved your problem, you may initiate the Item Not Received process anytime between 10-60 days after the listing ends.

Moira

[moira@ebay.com]

Ten days seems extremely short to allow the buyer to start the Item Not Received process. Why did you select 10 days?

Based on feedback we received from the Community, we chose 10 days. We did this for two reasons. First, it provides a way for the buyer and seller to communicate with each other when other methods (such as phone or email) aren’t working. By giving trading partners an effective communication process right on the eBay site, we hope to help keep buyers from panicking if they do not receive their item and leaving undue negative feedback. Second, we think it is reasonable to expect that the buyer will have heard from the seller within 10 days of the listing end date.

It’s important to note that the 10 day threshold does not mean that the buyer should expect to have received the item within 10 days. It means that a dialogue between trading partners should have occurred within that time period if a problem occurred. We make this very clear to the buyer at the start of the process through extensive educational content. In some cases (such as cross-border transactions, or when payment is close to the filing date) we even present an additional page to the buyer explaining that transactions can take time and they may want to wait a bit longer before filing.

Moira

[moira@ebay.com]

As a seller, what happens if a buyer initiates the Item Not Received process? Do I have to respond?

The seller will be informed by email, at sign-in and in an “open dispute” link in My eBay that the process was initiated. The seller will then be able to respond to the buyer’s inquiry. The seller is not required to respond, and no action will be taken against the seller’s account as a result of the dispute being filed.

That said, though sellers are not required to respond, we strongly encourage it. Remember, most of the issues buyers are concerned about can be resolved through simple communication – for example, a single response with the shipping method and expected delivery time may allay a buyer’s fears.

Another reason we encourage sellers to participate in the process relates to the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program. If the buyer files an eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program claim, the communication between buyer and seller in the dispute will be one of the factors that help us determine whether the claim is valid or not.

Moira and friends

[vera_j@ebay.com]

Hi articrelativity,
I would be more than happy to work with you on this. You should be able to start this process if you are meeting two conditions: (1) you are initiating a dispute between 10-60 days after the listing end date and (2) you are the buyer of the item. If you are meeting these two criteria, and are still having problems, please email me at vera_j@ebay.com.
-Vera J.

[moira@ebay.com]

As a buyer, do I have to initiate the Item Not Received process within a certain time period?

Yes. The window for buyers to open a dispute is between 10 and 60 days after the listing closes.

Moira and friends

[moira@ebay.com]

Why isn’t there a “payment not received” option for sellers to respond to open disputes?

We tried to find a balance between content and functionality and felt that most reasons other than “I already shipped the item” and “I’d like to offer the buyer a (full) refund” would fall into the “I’d like to communicate with the buyer about this transaction” text box. This may need to be fine-tuned later on. We’ll keep an eye on this.

In the meantime, if a buyer initiates an Item Not Received dispute and you are still awaiting payment, please select the “I’d like to communicate with the buyer about this transaction” and then write in the text box that you are still awaiting payment or waiting for the payment method to clear.

Moira and friends

[moira@ebay.com]

Why is eBay evaluating Significantly Not as Described claims?

Since 1999, we have covered misrepresented or not-as-described items through our buyer protection program (now called the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program). The Item Not Received process does not change this at all – not-as-described claims will be evaluated in exactly the same manner and against the same standards they have been evaluated against for the last five years. In fact, the new Item Not Received process makes no changes to the eBay Standard Purchase Protection Program and eligibility requirements, though the way a member files a claim has changed from fax/postal mail to online submission.

Moira and friends

[moira@ebay.com]

Is the Item Not Received process available on all eBay sites?

The Item Not Received process applies to all purchases made on:
Canada (eBay.ca),
Australia (eBay.com.com.au),
Belgium (eBay.behl.be),
France (eBay.fr),
Germany (eBay.de),
The Netherlands (ebay.nl),
Spain (ebay.com.es),
Taiwan (eBay.com.tw),
United Kingdom (eBay.uk.co),
United States (eBay.com) and
eBay Motors.

This process does not cover Half.com purchases.

Moira and friends

[moira@ebay.com]

As a seller, most of my buyers pay with PayPal. Will these buyers use the Item Not Received process?

Buyers who pay with PayPal will use the dispute resolution and buyer protection processes on PayPal. A buyer who starts on eBay with the Item Not Received process will be automatically brought over to the PayPal Resolution Center where the claim will be assessed by PayPal. This “hard refer” to PayPal should reduce frustration among buyers who historically have had a tough time figuring out where to go when they have a problem.

Moira and friends