ebay buyer returned damaged goods

irish_lad_1985

I recently sold a Playstation 3 on Ebay. Several weeks later the buyer opened a case against me claiming that the PS3 was no longer working.

I agreed to refund the buyer if they sent the item back to me. I received it back and when tested it wasn't working. I opened the console and seen that wires and cables had been damaged inside, even though everything was in perfect order before I sent it. The lid has also been damaged and now slides off.

The buyer is now expecting a refund but this is hardly fair since the console has clearly been tampered with?

Any help on how to proceed would be much appreciated

peter_the_piper

Was it definitely the same one which you sent? Serial numbers matched etc?

irish_lad_1985

yes the serial numbers matched. There was damage done inside that could only have been done by another person

deanos

Did they swap over the gubbins from a broken one ?

ess0two

deanos wrote: »

Did they swap over the gubbins from a broken one ?

More than likely,are the serial numbers on the outer case as well as mobo?

DON79

If you suspect they have tampered with it and swapped it around & given the broken bits back, did the buyer return the PS3 by a trackable method? If not, then they cannot claim for a refund in paypal. Which would be their own fault then.... unless you acknowledged to them in email that you had received it back?

irish_lad_1985

they sent it back via parcelforce so i assume it was trackable. They contacted me today to see if i had received the item but I havent replied yet.

pinkshoes

I would reply to the dispute saying that the item has clearly been damaged by the buyer, as the wiring inside has been tampered with, therefore the buyer now needs to send you £X to have the item returned to them, as it has not been returned in its original condition.

I would also PHONE ebay, and let them know that it has been tampered with and had parts changed, and ask them what you should do. One option (if buyer is given a refund) is to send a letter to the buyer saying that unless he pays for the damage done, then you'll be taking him to court for the money.

macfly

You opened the console? Was the security seal intact before you sent it? I sold a few of these last year, and always took a photo of the security seal and number. If not intact before you sent it, you may struggle to prove it ws working.

Smit1970

You have been had. This kind of thing is a popular trick.

Run the gauntlet with Paypal; its all you can do. You will most likely lose though, as they usually side with buyers. Chalk it up to experience and write the seller up here.

You can do no more. Its a risk of the eBay/Paypal system. You always risk giving it away.