Ebay threatening me with Debt collectors

superflygal

Hi MSErs,

I sold 2 event tickets a few months ago. I advised buyer that tickets were posted on 9th september. The day before the event (21st september) the Buyer sent an agressive email saying his tickets hadn't arrived and demanding a refund, he sent a further 3 the same day threatening me with reporting me to Ebay.

My DH had sent a few items at the same time and all the items were received.

He mistakenly threw POP away, thinking they had all received items.

Since I had no proof of posting, they event was for the following day, and I was certain he was scamming me, I replied to the first email, saying I would look into it, and then didn't bother replying the the nastier ones since I had a million other things to do at the same time.

Now ebay have sent me a debt collection letter for the £37 out standing.

Wondered if anyone can advise? Have I got grounds to fight, or should I just pay?

Thanks a million!
SFG x

astrata

Can you clarify - is it that PayPal refunded the buyer and your account with them is now overdrawn?

Or is that eBay refunded the buyer and added the refund to your seller account?

Without proof you sent an item I don't think you have many options.

janiebquick

If you diidn't send the tickets by trackable means then you will have to refund the buyer. However, I am puzzled by a lot of your post. Has the buyer followed the correct procedure for an item not recieved? Also (and I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wrong), I thought Ebay insisted that sellers registered a card with them so they could collect seller fees, so I don't understand why they have called in the debt collectors.

soolin

astrata wrote: »

Can you clarify - is it that PayPal refunded the buyer and your account with them is now overdrawn?

Or is that eBay refunded the buyer and added the refund to your seller account?

Without proof you sent an item I don't think you have many options.

Proof of posting would never have been sufficient to fight an INR claim, only tracked delivery and tickets would only have been covered by special delivery anyway. As for who has refunded, that is the OP and that is why ebay are chasing them to put their paypal account back to zero, rather than being overdrawn.

janiebquick wrote: »

If you diidn't send the tickets by trackable means then you will have to refund the buyer. However, I am puzzled by a lot of your post. Has the buyer followed the correct procedure for an item not recieved? Also (and I'm sure someone will let me know if I'm wrong), I thought Ebay insisted that sellers registered a card with them so they could collect seller fees, so I don't understand why they have called in the debt collectors.

If ebay /paypal have issued the refund then it must be assumed the correct procedure has been followed. The OP could never have defended this claim unless they had online proof of delivery. If they ignored the open case then OP also has a strike on their seller dashboard. Ebay cannot take this amount from a card, only from the paypal account, and that is almost certainly what the debt collectors will now chase.

shaun_from_Africa

I've never understood this logic:

superflygal wrote: »

My DH had sent a few items at the same time and all the items were received.

Whether you post 1 item on its own or 20 items together, the chances of one particular item getting lost is exactly the same.
From the moment that the items are dropped in a post box or at a post office, they will get separated and what happens to one piece has no bearing on what happens to any others.

chancesare_2

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I've never understood this logic:


Whether you post 1 item on it's own or 20 items together, the chances of one particular item getting lost is exactly the same.
From the moment that the items are dropped in a post box or at a post office, they will get separated and what happens to one piece has no bearing on what happens to any others.

It's the logic of eBay sellers with no clue how couriers/postage works.

OP as you cannot prove delivery how do you have the audacity to say the buyer scammed you?

RFW

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I've never understood this logic:


Whether you post 1 item on it's own or 20 items together, the chances of one particular item getting lost is exactly the same.
From the moment that the items are dropped in a post box or at a post office, they will get separated and what happens to one piece has no bearing on what happens to any others.

It's very rare that more than one item sent at the same time to the same address arrive at the same time. Even courier deliveries often get separated.
So often on here people are quick to call buyers/sellers and Ebay/Amazon scammers when an item has not been received. In reality the fault can lie anywhere from an incorrect address at registration to a pound shop envelope falling apart in the post box.

superflygal

chancesare wrote: »

It's the logic of eBay sellers with no clue how couriers/postage works.

OP as you cannot prove delivery how do you have the audacity to say the buyer scammed you?

Quite rude! and not at all helpful, unlike some of the nice people on here who genuinely tried to help.

I have 700 feedback and have ebayed since 2004, so I do 'Have a clue' I also am a really busy person, and have other things in my life to worry about, Ebaying is not a job for me, its just a way I get rid of unwanted stuff.

I have the audacity to say he scammed me, as he didn't reply or acknowledge my friendly email to say I had sent the item and then he waited 10 days to contact me, on the day before the event, since Ebay were promoting their Buyer protection scheme every time one logged in, it would seem to me he chanced it for free tickets.

Ebay contacted me, as the card I had registered wouldn't work. Rather bizarre, since it worked perfectly well in shops and other online stores, and still does.

Thank you to Soolin and all the other people who are genuinely interested in helping.

SFG x

theonlywayisup

superflygal wrote: »

Quite rude! and not at all helpful, unlike some of the nice people on here who genuinely tried to help.

I have 700 feedback and have ebayed since 2004, so I do 'Have a clue' I also am a really busy person, and have other things in my life to worry about, Ebaying is not a job for me, its just a way I get rid of unwanted stuff.

I have the audacity to say he scammed me, as he didn't reply or acknowledge my friendly email to say I had sent the item and then he waited 10 days to contact me, on the day before the event, since Ebay were promoting their Buyer protection scheme every time one logged in, it would seem to me he chanced it for free tickets.

Ebay contacted me, as the card I had registered wouldn't work. Rather bizarre, since it worked perfectly well in shops and other online stores, and still does.

Thank you to Soolin and all the other people who are genuinely interested in helping.

SFG x

Busy or not. If you cannot prove delivery you cannot prove the buyer has the item.

Job or not, if you sell then you are liable until the buyer receives.

I also think it wrong you call a buyer a scammer when you can't prove receipt.

Unfortunately you chose the wrong method of postage and now you want help. That's fine, but don't slate what could be a bonafide buyer in the process, it helps no one. We deal in facts here not wild accusations.

Your "logic" on how parcels were delivered is what gave cause to these subsequent posts. It reeks of inexperience.

SlowCooker

superflygal wrote: »

I have the audacity to say he scammed me, as he didn't reply or acknowledge my friendly email to say I had sent the item and then he waited 10 days to contact me, on the day before the event, since Ebay were promoting their Buyer protection scheme every time one logged in, it would seem to me he chanced it for free tickets.

Ebay always promote their Buyer Protection; it's the way they attract buyers to the site. Your buyers don't have to reply to your initial email and their waiting 10 days is not unreasonable.

The unreasonable thing that might make one suspect the buyer is a scammer is, for instance, contacting you the very next day to claim item not received when it's sent second class.

techspec

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

I've never understood this logic:


Whether you post 1 item on its own or 20 items together, the chances of one particular item getting lost is exactly the same.
From the moment that the items are dropped in a post box or at a post office, they will get separated and what happens to one piece has no bearing on what happens to any others.

I had a buyer last week.

"Hi, i bought and paid for an item from you and another seller at the same time - how come only one has arrived".

Derr, cos we don't live together and have absolutely nothing to do with each other, will live in different areas, the parcel will be travelling different routes and we may have dispatched different days via different post.