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Ebay situation

xander8280

xander8280

Dec 29, 2011
463
4
#1
I sold a guitar head on eBay and shipped it out. The USPS tracking number says it was delivered on the 4th of this month. Today(the 13th)received a message from the buyer saying he wants a full refund because I didn't get a signature requirement on it. He says it never got into his house and somebody must have stolen it off his door step. I did not get insurance on it. And in reality I think it's not my fault and I should not pay for it.
He didn't ask for insurance on it nor did he ask for the signature requirement or post office hold on it because he lives in an urban area prone to thieves.
I don't think losing the head is worth the positive feedback, and I think he's lying.
 
#4
DirtyDeRock said:
File a case with Ebay immediately. Get them involved and save every message during the transaction.
Click to expand...

I have it all saved. Is it possible to not get negative feedback if I file something with eBay?
Because this dudes gonna want a refund and I will tell him no and then he's negative me.
 
#6
Stumbo said:
+1 to contacting eBay asap. Let them sort it out.

My question is "Why did the buyer wait 9 days before reporting it not delivered?"
Click to expand...

I asked him why, haven't gotten his reply yet. I will call eBay tomorrow when their customer service thing is open. It's too late to call tonight now. I just want them to view the messages and see the tracking information and not let this guy scam me
 
#7
xander8280 said:
I have it all saved. Is it possible to not get negative feedback if I file something with eBay?
Because this dudes gonna want a refund and I will tell him no and then he's negative me.
Click to expand...

Sometimes you can have negative feedback removed. In a case where you actually open a dispute I expect you will be able to get them to fix it.

I've always found them to be completely useless. I once had a guy give me negative feedback when I shipped something via courier (Faster, safer, insured) rather than using standard postage services. I opened a feedback dispute and ebay said that they couldn't do anything about it :eyebrow:
 
#8
Dude, your only protection from this type of scam is insurance + signature. I sincerely wish you the best of luck, but I'm not optimistic about your situation.

Unless you have the money in hand and don't care about the negative feedback. If the money is still in Paypal, get it out pronto.
 
#9
Before you do anything, log into PayPal and remove any and all bank accounts. PayPal has a vast history of seizing funds from linked accounts under the pretense of "investigating" cases like these.

I wish you all the best, but wouldn't really hold out much hope. Ebay's dispute resolution services are truly designed to protect the buyer. I have yet to hear a firsthand account of a seller prevailing in their claim.
 
#10
Thanks for the advice. I still have the guys money in my PayPal. I really hope they side with me. Otherwise I am out the money it costed to ship it and out the head itself.
The guys pissed, and it's obvious. He's mad that I didn't insure it or signature verification. I had a box filled with bubble wrap and the head(solid state). I shipped it the cheapest way.
Didn't even cross my mind somebody might steal it off his doorstep(he says he has no porch and that USPS probably left it on his side walk).

Does anybody here specifically request insurance on shipments?
 
#12
xander8280 said:
I have it all saved. Is it possible to not get negative feedback if I file something with eBay?
Because this dudes gonna want a refund and I will tell him no and then he's negative me.
Click to expand...

Yes. I had someone scam me and I was the one with the negative feedback from it. Buyer purchased an item, claimed it was used (it was not) then demanded as a refund MORE money than they paid. I refused and filed a complaint with eBay. They ruled in favor of the idiot and warned me to refund the buyers money. They buyer returned the item which was now of course missing pieces. I filed another complaint which of course fell on deaf ears. Not only that, but because I was now a seller with (a single) negative feedback (scam buyer did not like the fact that I fought and didnt cave in so left neg feedback), they instituted the penalty where any funds from sales would be held until any buyer of my item(s) left pos feedback or I went for something like 14 or 20 days with no disputes. After fighting like hell for weeks, I got that penalty lifted but they never removed the negative feedback. Fudge ebay. They are so buyer-slanted against all logic that it's not even funny.
Ok, now that I got that out of my system....

File a report with UPS, and eBay and have this person file a police report asap.
 
#13
Does he have a history of doing that? Check his feedback. I'd also contact the last 2-3 sellers he dealt with if the transactions are somewhat recent to see if they ran into that scenario with him too.

As for insurance, there's no way I'd ship without it and I mention so in every one of my auctions. Frankly, there are too many dishonest people out there for you to not cover your ass. If the winner balks at the shipping price *with* insurance, tell him it's with insurance or no sale. Because of a lot of that crap, I've taken to using CraigList and Kijiji for almost all of my gear sales.

Having said that, if you do go the eBay route, disclose everything with pictures. Now, I even go the extra mile and have a video of the item at the shipping office being packed and insured, and traded hands with at the shipping office (USPS, FedEx, UPS, whatever). I make a mention that this will be done on the auction as well.

It sucks to have to do this, but you have to think like a scammer so you can cover your ass so well that nobody could even dare to file a claim against you. Because I'm in Canada, I make sure to state that any non-Canadian "winner" will be charged duty fees/taxes once the item gets to their door. Had one guy threatening to file a complaint unless I'd refund his charged taxes. Basically, this American was an uninformed twit who clearly had no idea he'd be charged importing anything into the country.

Cover your ass.
 
#14
Strat-Mangler said:
Does he have a history of doing that? Check his feedback. I'd also contact the last 2-3 sellers he dealt with if the transactions are somewhat recent to see if they ran into that scenario with him too.

As for insurance, there's no way I'd ship without it and I mention so in every one of my auctions. Frankly, there are too many dishonest people out there for you to not cover your ass. If the winner balks at the shipping price *with* insurance, tell him it's with insurance or no sale. Because of a lot of that crap, I've taken to using CraigList and Kijiji for almost all of my gear sales.

Having said that, if you do go the eBay route, disclose everything with pictures. Now, I even go the extra mile and have a video of the item at the shipping office being packed and insured, and traded hands with at the shipping office (USPS, FedEx, UPS, whatever). I make a mention that this will be done on the auction as well.

It sucks to have to do this, but you have to think like a scammer so you can cover your ass so well that nobody could even dare to file a claim against you. Because I'm in Canada, I make sure to state that any non-Canadian "winner" will be charged duty fees/taxes once the item gets to their door. Had one guy threatening to file a complaint unless I'd refund his charged taxes. Basically, this American was an uninformed twit who clearly had no idea he'd be charged importing anything into the country.

Cover your ass.
Click to expand...

Thanks man,
You go out of your way to document! LOL but yeah, hopefully I don't need to pay for stolen goods on the otherside of the country
 
#15
seventhson said:
Dude, your only protection from this type of scam is insurance + signature. I sincerely wish you the best of luck, but I'm not optimistic about your situation.

Unless you have the money in hand and don't care about the negative feedback. If the money is still in Paypal, get it out pronto.
Click to expand...

+1. I always insure and require a signature on ebay transactions to protect my interests not the buyers. It's worth the few extra bucks especially if something like this happens. People do steal packages off porches and doorsteps all the time in addition to pulling the "item never arrived I want a refund" scam. I'd prepare to issue a refund or receive a neg or worse on ebay.

Good luck.
 
#17
Relic said:
Yes. I had someone scam me and I was the one with the negative feedback from it. Buyer purchased an item, claimed it was used (it was not) then demanded as a refund MORE money than they paid. I refused and filed a complaint with eBay. They ruled in favor of the idiot and warned me to refund the buyers money. They buyer returned the item which was now of course missing pieces. I filed another complaint which of course fell on deaf ears. Not only that, but because I was now a seller with (a single) negative feedback (scam buyer did not like the fact that I fought and didnt cave in so left neg feedback), they instituted the penalty where any funds from sales would be held until any buyer of my item(s) left pos feedback or I went for something like 14 or 20 days with no disputes. After fighting like hell for weeks, I got that penalty lifted but they never removed the negative feedback. Fudge ebay. They are so buyer-slanted against all logic that it's not even funny.
Ok, now that I got that out of my system....

File a report with UPS, and eBay and have this person file a police report asap.
Click to expand...

I had the opposite experience!

Bought a lens from a guy who had 1000+ positive feedback, lens was described as mint and fully working.
Upon receiving it i noticed it was in really bad condition, had scratches on the glass, a beginning of fungus, really a POS.
Sent a the lens back.
The seller then started a dispute 10 days later saying i had sent him a different lens back, which was of course a lie.
He then sent me around 7 mails of insults and menaces.
I left him negative feedback and thought that was the end of it.

A week later i received a mail from ebay letting me know my feedback was unfair and had been removed.
I sent them a mail explaining what had happened along with copies of all the emails insulting me, etc.

They said that didn't mean anything and my feedback was still removed.

IMO they do not want to loose their power sellers and do anything to protect them.

Feedback doesn't mean anything anymore.
 
#18
Unless it's a low-priced item that I feel is not worth insuring, I insure for full value, require direct signature, and make sure I document every step of the way, including sending the tracking number via eBay messaging instead of by regular e-mail. It's a PITA, but worth it IMHO.

With all that said, I am not going to let someone blackmail me with the threat of a negative feedback. I haven't had one yet (knock wood) in over 600 transactions, but I'll take one before I will refund money that isn't deserved.

And let me say this about ebay's pro-buyer policies, such as holding funds temporarily: they do make it a hassle for sellers, BUT they make it possible for eBay to offer "buyer protection" refunds. That makes people more comfortable and willing to bid on my items, so ultimately it benefits me as a seller. Food for thought.
 
#20
Looks like after this is over I'm done with eBay and just doing TB classifieds and Craigslist. They said they'd have the answer to the dispute(Ebays verdict) within 72 hours.
So, *fingers crossed* by the end of the weekend I'll see what they say.
 

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