eBay - What should I do?

GEEGEE8

Hi there,

I purchased a car body panel from an eBay seller a while ago, anyhow, it wasn't the right one for my car so I recently relisted it and sold it to another eBay member.

He collected the part, paid by PayPal, said he was happy and away he took it.

He now says that it doesn't fit his car.

I listed it to fit the car but it seems that it fits earlier models and his is a newer model. I didn't state what year it would fit, just that it was for that model of car.

He wants to return it and I've said that is fine, but he has asked for petrol money for the inconvenience of it not fitting..

Now, I'm a pretty poor student and I can't afford my own petrol at the moment, so why should I pay his? It is the panel for that car, but neither of us thought that it changed over the years, and neither checked or would have known.

I feel really awkward about it now, especially as when he comes back how do I refund him? He paid via paypal and I don't want to be scammed by a paypal refund if Irefund him cash.

Arghh.. when I realised it was the wrong panel for my car I just aknowledged it was my error and resold it.

Any help?

BM-AK

I would only refund him upon receipt of the item via the original payment method i.e. Paypal. Personally, i never accept PayPal if people are collecting as they can always turn around and put a claim through. You are not obliged to refund his petrol money.

If he came and collected the item then he should have checked it before driving off to be honest. I often collect items and have walked away once or twice if they weren't as described and didn't pay!

With these sorts of auctions, Its best to state something like 'buyers responsibility to check fitment before bidding as no refunds will be offered'. It covers you off against any problems after.

GEEGEE8

BM-AK wrote: »

I would only refund him upon receipt of the item via the original payment method. You are not obliged to refund his petrol money.

If he came and collected the item then he should have checked it before driving off to be honest. I often collect items and have walked away if they weren't as described and didn't pay.

With these sorts of auctions, Its best to state something like 'buyers responsibility to check fitment before bidding as no refunds will be offered'. It covers you off against any problems after.

Thanks,

Is there anything I can do about it now?

I did tick the 'no refunds' box that automatically fills in for you.

The problem is that once he took the part (which took over 1.5 weeks for him to collect), I then used the money to buy wing mirrors for my car that needed replacing.

Only after 1 week did he then say the part doesn't fit, and that was another week ago. He was meant to return it this week but hasn't, and has just emailed to say he will have to bring it next week now and about the petrol money.

Just really feel like saying it's his problem now as he collected it, but he is saying it's not 'as described'.. but it is, it's just that his car is newer and I didn't state which year it would fit as I honestly didn't know that they had changed.

BM-AK

If you've already offered him the refund, then it would be a bit wrong to turn around now.

But I personally wouldn't refund the petrol money as it's not really your fault and despite stating no refunds, you are going out of your way to try and sort it amicably. Its not really 'not as described' in my opinion if its for that particular car.


Hope this helps.

botanical

GEEGEE8 wrote: »

Hi there,

I purchased a car body panel from an eBay seller a while ago, anyhow, it wasn't the right one for my car so I recently relisted it and sold it to another eBay member.

He collected the part, paid by PayPal, said he was happy and away he took it.

He now says that it doesn't fit his car.

I listed it to fit the car but it seems that it fits earlier models and his is a newer model. I didn't state what year it would fit, just that it was for that model of car.

He wants to return it and I've said that is fine, but he has asked for petrol money for the inconvenience of it not fitting..

Now, I'm a pretty poor student and I can't afford my own petrol at the moment, so why should I pay his? It is the panel for that car, but neither of us thought that it changed over the years, and neither checked or would have known.

I feel really awkward about it now, especially as when he comes back how do I refund him? He paid via paypal and I don't want to be scammed by a paypal refund if Irefund him cash.

Arghh.. when I realised it was the wrong panel for my car I just aknowledged it was my error and resold it.

Any help?

This is awkward. You're right about not refunding him with cash. He must be refunded by the method he paid, which was PayPal AFTER he returns the panel.

If he was to open a case, he would be required to return the item by tracked post at his own expense before getting a refund. Your situation is the same essentially. Because he had a chance to look at it, he cannot open a 'Not As Described' case, well, he can, but eBay tend to side with the seller because it's presumed with pickup that as the buyer has seen the goods and taken them away, he's agreed they're 'as described.

'No returns' is meaningless on eBay I'm afraid, as there are clear return policies.

You've already agreed to a refund, but my feeling is that he's trying it on for the petrol money. You have no duty as far as the eBay transaction goes to pay for buyers extra costs for returning, so I would advise being firm about it.

The worst that can happen is that he opens a case and will have to pay petrol or whatever to return it to you to get his refund anyway.

The only reason you'd give him petrol money is to avoid a neg, so it's up to you-the money or bad feedback-which can you afford least?

GEEGEE8

I'm not too fussed about the negative really as I only use eBay mainly to buy things, only sell a couple of bits now and then to clear space and not really to make money.

I was okay with him returning it (at his own expense), but the tone of his emails has changed a bit and to be honest it's kind of annoyed me a bit as he did collect it and look at it before taking it away.

It's left me with a bit of a cash shortfall, which I know isn't his fault but as he collected it I thought everything was done and dusted.

Also, he seems to be messing about with returning it and the refund thing is going to be awkward, he will obviously not want to hand it over without his refund, so do I do it whilst he is here? lol - I'm giving up on eBay, had a few things not as described myself, but just put it down to experience rather than complaining.

botanical

GEEGEE8 wrote: »

I'm not too fussed about the negative really as I only use eBay mainly to buy things, only sell a couple of bits now and then to clear space and not really to make money.

I was okay with him returning it (at his own expense), but the tone of his emails has changed a bit and to be honest it's kind of annoyed me a bit as he did collect it and look at it before taking it away.

It's left me with a bit of a cash shortfall, which I know isn't his fault but as he collected it I thought everything was done and dusted.

Also, he seems to be messing about with returning it and the refund thing is going to be awkward, he will obviously not want to hand it over without his refund, so do I do it whilst he is here? lol - I'm giving up on eBay, had a few things not as described myself, but just put it down to experience rather than complaining.

I'm so sorry that you're being messed about like this.

No matter how much he might insist on cash, you simply must not give him cash when you paid by PayPal.
You've said you realise you'd be wide open to a scam by doing this and you're right.

And it's not an option to refund in PayPal before you have the panel back again, unless you want to write it off and have done?
(from your other remarks this eBay lark is causing you grief)

If you're not too bothered about the neg and he's starting to mess you around with the return, then maybe you should just stop communicating with the guy and let him take his case out if he wants to?

He may lose a 'Not As Described Case'

If you did that you'd probably have much more security since it would then become obvious to him what he could or could not do.

But a case would also give you time to get money into your PayPal account, just in case he does return it. And there's another five days on top of that for a Bank Transfer to PayPal.

GEEGEE8

Thanks for you great reply botanical

I haven't replied to his latest message so I might just leave it now and let him take it through the proper channels as to a refund. I really have tried to accomodate him as best I can so far, but I'm in my last 4 weeks of Uni and I have loads of work to be doing and this is a big distraction, especially when he never says when he is going to be returning it. I said what days I am at uni and to message me before he comes over, so this week I've stayed in waiting for him to message and say is it okay to come over, but now it's Friday he emails to say it will be next week. Well I can't stay in another week, I need to go to the library and have a couple of small exams next week too.

Anyhow, rant over, I'll leave him to go through the proper refund system and go from there.

Thanks for the help, thought I would get a telling off for not offering his petrol money..

hermum

If he opens a Paypal case he will have to send it back tracked which could cost more than his petrol depending on how far away he is obviously.
When you listed it did you say that you had bought it & it was the wrong one etc? If so perhaps you could suggest that he also sells it on himself. That way he won't have the expense or trouble of sending it back.
Try not to annoy him though as he could still put in an INR claim with Paypal and you can't prove that he's actually had it. Paypal won't take into account the messages you've received saying that it doesn't fit.

GEEGEE8

Yeah, that's true about PayPal, he has 5 feedback, so I guess he is quite new to eBay, or doesn't use it very much.

Hmmm.. I'm in two minds, I don't want to lose my item and my money. I shall see what his next move is.

botanical

good luck with Uni!