Ebay buyer / seller dispute

bigbill

I sold a high value item on Ebay sold as unopened and brand new in box which it was.

I stopped one zero feedback buyer from bidding three times and blocked them from bidding further as they had been on Ebay 10+ years never bought or sold before

Once sold and delivered the buyer with 120+ feedback left me feedback saying happy with item bought for the above friend who I refused to allow to bid on this item HaHa.

I was very suspicious and rightly so as now almost 28 days later they have opened a return saying faulty and item no longer working.

So far I have refused to accept a return and told them to get Ebay involved and I will follow there decision.

The money from the item was going to a local charity and after the 14 return period I did indeed give the charity the money, I am a private seller who is also a volunteer with this same charity.

I am worried that Ebay will side with them and make me refund the sale amount which I no longer have, for an item that more than likely still works fine but has been well used for almost a month so no longer new.

I do not feel it would be right to ask the charity for this money back.

Any thoughts?

theonlywayisup

bigbill wrote: »

I sold a high value item on Ebay sold as unopened and brand new in box which it was.

I stopped one zero feedback buyer from bidding three times and blocked them from bidding further as they had been on Ebay 10+ years never bought or sold before

Once sold and delivered the buyer with 120+ feedback left me feedback saying happy with item bought for the above friend who I refused to allow to bid on this item HaHa.

I was very suspicious and rightly so as now almost 28 days later they have opened a return saying faulty and item no longer working.

So far I have refused to accept a return and told them to get Ebay involved and I will follow there decision.

The money from the item was going to a local charity and after the 14 return period I did indeed give the charity the money, I am a private seller who is also a volunteer with this same charity.

I am worried that Ebay will side with them and make me refund the sale amount which I no longer have, for an item that more than likely still works fine but has been well used for almost a month so no longer new.

I do not feel it would be right to ask the charity for this money back.

Any thoughts?

Just a few.

Has the buyer said the item has failed on first use or after a period of use - eBay specifically don't offer a warranty and if you can show them the item has been used and wasn't faulty when it arrived, it could help.

Has the case already been escalated, and if so, what evidence have you uploaded or how have you challenged the claim from the buyer - wording is key.

Was this a charity listing or are you saying you donated the funds yourself - it does sound like the latter to me.

bigbill

I sold it as a private seller but as a charity listing as I am registered on Ebay by this charity as an authorised charity seller who donates a % of my sales to them via Ebay / Paypal.

It worked fine when they got it this is clear from their feedback.

Not at the Ebay stage yet as I think 8 days need to pass first without being resolved.

theonlywayisup

bigbill wrote: »

I sold it as a private seller but as a charity listing as I am registered on Ebay by this charity as an authorised charity seller who donates a % of my sales to them via Ebay / Paypal.

It worked fine when they got it this is clear from their feedback.

Not at the Ebay stage yet as I think 8 days need to pass first without being resolved.

My understanding of a charity listing is that you receive x and the charity y. If there is a dispute then x is held from your account and y from the charity. I will add the caveat I don't have any experience of charity listings on eBay so I am not sure if eBay cover the charity amount (in this case the y amount) or not.

Feedback has no part of the case.

Have they said anything in the case or messages to say the item was working on arrival and that the failure is later?

bigbill

Yes they have said it worked for a few weeks then stopped, I am very suspicious that they have used and abused it and now want to send it back.

theoretica

Is it still in the manufacturer's warranty period and do you have the receipt to offer them?

theonlywayisup

bigbill wrote: »

Yes they have said it worked for a few weeks then stopped, I am very suspicious that they have used and abused it and now want to send it back.

Did they say this in the case or in a separate message?

This is important and could be the difference between you losing or winning the case.

bigbill

They said it worked for a few weeks then stopped, this was in their return request via Ebay message.

No receipt as I won it in a raffle but had no use for it so put it on Ebay it was 100% new in box.

Thanks for you help by the way.

theonlywayisup

bigbill wrote: »

They said it worked for a few weeks then stopped, this was in their return request via Ebay message.

No receipt as I won it in a raffle but had no use for it so put it on Ebay it was 100% new in box.

Thanks for you help by the way.

Ring ebay and ask them to review the message. The eBay Money Back Guarantee is not a product warranty and the item has been used for a few weeks and therefore cannot be returned in the same condition as it was sold. These are two key points.

The issue is, that unless you are prepared to battle hard with eBay they will likely rule in favour of the buyer.

Do you have any form of warranty on the item? It seems hard luck for the buyer, but that's the risk you take buying an item "secondhand". If you had a warranty they may be able to get it repaired.

theonlywayisup

Here is the policy

https://www.ebay.co.uk/pages/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html

Buyers can use the eBay Money Back Guarantee process when:
An item isn’t received
An item received doesn’t match the listing

Clearly the item matched the listing as the buyer was able to use it for a period of weeks.

The buyer must return the item in the same condition in which it was received.

He/she cannot do this as they have been using it for a period of weeks.

eBay Money Back Guarantee is not a product warranty.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

bigbill wrote: »

I sold a high value item on Ebay sold as unopened and brand new in box which it was.

I stopped one zero feedback buyer from bidding three times and blocked them from bidding further as they had been on Ebay 10+ years never bought or sold before

Once sold and delivered the buyer with 120+ feedback left me feedback saying happy with item bought for the above friend who I refused to allow to bid on this item HaHa.

I was very suspicious and rightly so as now almost 28 days later they have opened a return saying faulty and item no longer working.

So far I have refused to accept a return and told them to get Ebay involved and I will follow there decision.

The money from the item was going to a local charity and after the 14 return period I did indeed give the charity the money, I am a private seller who is also a volunteer with this same charity.

I am worried that Ebay will side with them and make me refund the sale amount which I no longer have, for an item that more than likely still works fine but has been well used for almost a month so no longer new.

I do not feel it would be right to ask the charity for this money back.

Any thoughts?

So many things wrong with this.

First off using another ID to get around a block is against eBay policy

Second the person who purchased it isn't actually the person who has it.

Plus the points that theonlywayisup raises.

Problem is that getting eBay to recognise any of this may be unlikely, by all means try but don't be too hopeful, and they will likely refund regardless if the return reason was that the item is defective and then it's down to you to appeal which means eBay will either fund it themselves, which again may be unlikely if it's very expensive or recharge the buyer but they might just say it's not their place to decide what is what and basically tough luck.

If you are very lucky and they've opened a change of mind return and the listing said no returns you should be OK.

As a private seller your obligation is basically that the goods are as described, they do not need to be fit for purpose, etc. As long as it was brand new and worked upon receipt your obligation pretty much ends.

A little detail on what the item was and what the buyer claims is wrong with it may help clarify the above.

If I was you I would accept the return, get the item back, resell and then sue the buyer for the difference.

Advising them you are going to do this may stop them returning anything, if it doesn't it may well be an expensive lesson on why you shouldn't use your eBay account to buy expensive things for other people.

You'd start with a letter before action, there are a couple of companies that will send one on your behalf for a couple of pounds, and if that letter doesn't result in payment you can file online to start the small claims process.