Ebay...fooled again

power-ranger

For me, ebay is quite simply a nightmare.

I am new to selling on the site and I genuinely believe that buyers are making a fool of me. I posted a few weeks ago with regards to 'missing items' and now after only seven sales, another 'problem' has occurred.

Two weeks ago, I sold a small collectible item. Its a kids toy, nothing to it, just some plastic, an LED screen and a couple of watch batteries. Approximately 10-12 years old. Perfect working condition, been well looked after.

The buyer emailed straight after winning and asked could I get it to them ASAP as they were off on holiday at the end of the week and would like to take it with. No problem I replied.

I posted at extra cost to make sure they got it on time.

Last night I received an email from them. Apparently it has just stopped working. I have been informed that they received it a few days ago (when I know they received it 10 days ago) and it has been sitting on the table and it just stopped working. They have changed the battery, but to no avail. They say that I didn't mention in the listing that it was faulty and they don't want it, can they have a refund.

It was in perfect working order. The picture on the listing shows it working. They have received it, taken it on holiday, used it and now they don't want it or it has been damaged.

So I assume I have no option but to accept the return. Despite the item being fully functional when it left me and functioning when they received it.

Fooled again by an ebay buyer...giving it up, really not worth it.

melliott1963

In all fairness, an electrical kids toy that is 10 - 12 years old could easily be on the verge of failing and just because it worked when you sent it, doesn't mean it would work when received.

Was it well packed? The way that post gets thrown around could mean that a connection could have worked loose.

Of course, it could also be that they bought yours to replace one they already had that had broken. Unless there's anything like a serial number, which you've taken a note of, there'll be no way of you know or proving this. You can keep thinking of senarios, but it's not going to help.

This is why I personally wouldn't sell this type of item on Ebay.

I know from your point of view it looks like the buyer is pulling a fast one, and they could well be, but as you have no proof, all you can do is offer a refund on return.

iltisman

If I sell electrical items I always list them as "spares or repair" with a picture of them working if possible .I get a bit less for them but I get great feedback as the buyer finds that the item works ok.

pulliptears

melliott1963 wrote: »

In all fairness, an electrical kids toy that is 10 - 12 years old could easily be on the verge of failing and just because it worked when you sent it, doesn't mean it would work when received.

This.
A 12 year old electrical toy could fail at any point I imagine. Just because its failed doesn't mean your buyer has 'fooled' you, equally they could feel you have 'fooled' them by selling them an item that worked for a few days and packed in!

Items don't always show signs of failing, what worked perfectly on Monday could fail on Tuesday with no warning. The fact that it was working when you listed it is of little consequence to the buyer, its not working now.

A good seller should give the benefit of the doubt in cases like this I feel.

Crowqueen

Ditto for me only selling spares/repairs/faulty electric/electronic items, and no longer buying s/h electronic items, on eBay or anywhere else. The thought of taking £60 for a secondhand item and then having the buyer end up with a dud is more than my conscience can allow. The thought of paying same and ending up with a dud and a snotty seller is more than I can really stomach.

There is a lot of incentive to think a buyer is scamming you - virtually everyone has a 'gut feeling' - but this is not always the case - it's fair to say there are cases of fraud but there are also cases of people getting an item on its last few cycles. There is no way for you to tell but you remain liable so you can't refuse a return.

If they don't send your item back there is a way to report the buyer for claim abuse and appeal the dispute (in order to be reimbursed by eBay for the value of what you had to refund), so you don't miss out entirely.

power-ranger

Thanks CrowQueen however, after emailing the buyer, apologising and asking them to send it back, miraculously it now works.

The buyer is happy to keep it, but slightly concerned that it may fail at a later date and can they please have a 50% partial refund (£16.00).

It was very well packaged prior to being posted and apparently there was no damage when it arrived by courier.

Crowqueen

Dislodged components wouldn't show on the outside, but could still be gammy on the inside.

Case in point - the hot weather is playing havoc with my laptop screen. There is no damage outside, but the screen goes blank if it gets overheated. I bought myself a fan cooler which is helping moderate the temperature but it was worrying and I was looking up warranties and wondering just how much a new one would cost.

But there is no outward signs that it has a loose wire in the screen, which is what my friend said was probably the problem and therefore suggested I took care to make sure it was kept at least able to vent a lot of the heat.

So asking for signs of obvious damage is a bit futile because nothing will show. The way I'd go about it is ask what the specific thing wrong with it was. If the buyer were to say 'It doesn't turn on, the power light is flashing and I think the power button has a loose connection', I'd have enough detail to think that they knew what they were talking about. If they just said 'it don't work, i wanna partial refund pls' and couldn't be more specific I'd be a lot more sceptical.

Likewise when I listed my faulty iPod I made sure I could explain the correct fault with it - it was a little bit scuffed but the software was making it continually reset itself so that it would not even start to play a single tune.

You don't sound like you are approaching this the right way - I wouldn't refund either without getting the item back but just to blanketly assume things without proof is not going to be good in the long run. To a large extent you get the customers you deserve - try not to take the attitude you're taking and things might seem better. Also by being aggressive because you think the buyer is scamming is only going to put off not only the blatant scammers but also the people to whom you are liable at least through eBay buyer protection if not in law. They can always use the dispute procedure or even the courts, which means you have to take things at face value until they do reveal themselves to be after something.

ess0two

power-ranger wrote: »

Thanks CrowQueen however, after emailing the buyer, apologising and asking them to send it back, miraculously it now works.

The buyer is happy to keep it, but slightly concerned that it may fail at a later date and can they please have a 50% partial refund (£16.00).

It was very well packaged prior to being posted and apparently there was no damage when it arrived by courier.

You wont get any sympathy in here regarding ebay many would be happy to be scammed and not complain.

Its amazing since you asked them to return the item,that its suddenly working ok.

Dont entertain a partial refund.

2+4

Sounds a chancer.
Either they send back for a full refund or they keep at the price they paid.
I guess you didn't advertise this item with a guarantee? Buyers should be aware of these things happening.
There are a lot of dodgy sellers out there but likewise the same can be said for some buyers.
Its just unfortunate that you are new and relying on your feedback but you if they give bad feedback you can reply to this and future buyers from you can view this and hopefully realise you have tried to resolve this matter.
Good luck and don't let this incident put you off earning that wee bit extra cash

Abbafan1972

Ok, the buyer bought the item as used, was fully aware of how old the item was. Took it on his hols, used it etc and then expects a refund?

Surely if the item fails so long down the line then that isn't your fault? It's the risk you take with buying used items.

techspec

No doubt crowqueen would say that this new ebay scammer was just a victim of another pair of nasty snotty sellers - despite the sellers having 100,000 feedbacks between them

http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=ldorota-2012&ftab=FeedbackLeftForOthers