dispute with ebay

the_gardener_2

I bought a car part a while back from Ali Express.  The item was led screen for a car media display.  
By the time i got round to fixing it it became obvious I had ordered the wrong part.    I order another and fitted it and everything is working as it should.   I had left it too late for a return so I sold it on ebay for far less than I paid.   The buyer then complained and accused me of selling faulty parts.  

Item was sold as no returns accepted.   Ebay have taken his side and accused me of misdescribing the part.     The issue is that the buyer even sent me a photo the part working .   The screen image is upside down .   There refunding him and he is returning said item .  I have made it clear that i will not be paying a refund. 
I guess I will just have to open a new account with different info. 

Any thoughts   

cymruchris

The issue around where you ordered it from, what the reasons were etc etc aren't relevant.

You listed an item for sale - you sold the item - the buyer received the item - the display was the wrong way up. Therefore the unit isn't fit for the purpose.

We can't see exactly what you advertised or how you advertised it - but if it was something like 'Replacement screen for Ford XYZ 2010-2013' or something similar - then the buyer hasn't got what they asked for/you advertised.

If they tried to fit a screen that you'd advertised for a Ford XYZ to a Vauxhall ZZZ - then you might have a case.

If the original unit was actually faulty - that's for you to take up with AliExpress - but if time has passed you've likely missed your chance.

Ebay are pretty canny at spotting people that open a new account if their old one gets closed down. Better to deal with the issue rather than cut off your nose to spite your face as it were.

the_gardener_2

Yes thank you for that reply.     My suspicion is that the buyer saw something cheap and thought it would fit without doing his homework.    I did question if he had checked the part number.    No reply.    He accused me of deliberately
selling faulty parts.  I did check on a forum for owners of the vehicle in question   Vhall Astra.   It seems that they maybe be issues with software and an update required.     The official dealers  want over 1000 for a new unit.   Ali Express charge around 90 ish   
It is not the money or ebay .   I am just annoyed about his verbal abuse.   He is not getting a refund and ebay can err "go away".    I honestly do not think he has the knowledge or expertise to install said item. 

If it were defective it would be streaky or blank  or part images.               

soolin

Your buyer will get their refund, if you don’t pay it then eBay will and then chasing you for it. 

There is nothing stopping you removing access to all your bank details and running away from the debt. EBay will appoint debt collectors who will chase you for a while, but no one has yet shown any evidence of eBay taking anyone to court. You will lose your account though and so will anyone that eBay consider is connected to you. 

Opening a new account though may be problematic, no doubt someone will suggest stealth accounts, you might even get pms from people, and yes you might run a new account successfully for a while with all new details of course. However ultimately eBay will catch up and then any funds in that new account will be used to settle your debt plus you lose that account as well.

Before you do anything hasty remember this is an AliExpress cheap Far East item it is extremely likely it has a fault or died after installation. Stop and consider your future plans about wanting or needing to use EBay before you make any decisions. 

cymruchris

the_gardener_2 said:

the buyer saw something cheap and thought it would fit without doing his homework - potentially as you did? Had you been in time you'd no doubt have returned it - even though it wasn't faulty? (although it turns out it might be)

If it were defective it would be streaky or blank  or part images.   Not really - if it should display the image a certain way around, and it doesn't - then that's faulty. Defective isn't just part images/blank/streaky - it can be a number of things.           

How did you advertise the item? Did you say 'Part number 123456 to fit a Vauxhall Astra'? And if you did - and that's what they wanted - and it's displaying upside down, then they're entitled to their refund. As I say, if they were trying to fit it to a Ford Focus - or you'd advertised 'Generic screen for many modern cars 10 inch' then you might have a bit more to work with.

Ebay generally side with the buyer, so without a rock-solid case it's going nowhere.

If you're happy to lose access to your account - and likely not use ebay again - go ahead and pull all of your bank account details and ignore everything. As above, you'll start getting debt collection letters. Any new account you attempt to open, they'll likely find, and either dock the money from you that way or just close you down again.

For the sake of a screen that you ordered, was incorrect for you, but you didn't return, so you didn't really test it to know if it worked or not, that's potentially faulty - is it worth the hassle?

I understand that you feel like the buyer is likely trying to pull a fast one - and you could be right - but sometimes it's just worth processing the refund and getting on with life. Get the unit back, sell it again if you're happy it's not faulty.

the_gardener_2

Thank you all and I appreciate your comments.   

One comment
There is only one manufacturer of said product and as almost all electronic items they come from the far east. 
These are not like brake parts or exhausts where there are multiple manufacturers.    The part i eventually ordered correctly matches exactly the original as fitted originally.   
The manufacturers originals come as part of a bigger part and cost nearly 30 times more.   

Also   I have never liked ebay.   Are there any other platforms worth looking at.     FB Market place for instance

Question this returns process who instigates it ?   Do I just sit tight and wait for it to turn up ??  

soolin

the_gardener_2 said:

Thank you all and I appreciate your comments.   

One comment
There is only one manufacturer of said product and as almost all electronic items they come from the far east. 
These are not like brake parts or exhausts where there are multiple manufacturers.    The part i eventually ordered correctly matches exactly the original as fitted originally.   
The manufacturers originals come as part of a bigger part and cost nearly 30 times more.   

Also   I have never liked ebay.   Are there any other platforms worth looking at.     FB Market place for instance

Question this returns process who instigates it ?   Do I just sit tight and wait for it to turn up ??  

If the buyer wants to return the item they need to open a case within 30 days of the last estimated delivery date, and personally I’d do nothing at all until that happens. If they open a case the. EBay will charge you for a return label and you don’t have to refund until you get the item back. 

As for other platforms there isn’t anything like eBay really. I do use marketplace on FB but it’s time heavy as you get lots of enquiries and time wasters, plus all the scammers. I prefer eBay, they browse, they buy and pay and then I ship, on FB you answer the et message ‘is this still available’ all day, you get people wanting you to post but who then ghost you when you send payment details, you wait in for people to collect only to have no one turn up. 

cymruchris

You've mentioned that Ebay are refunding the buyer - and that the buyer is returning the item to you.  I'd hang on and do nothing more for the moment until you receive the item back. At that point, if all's well, and the item is the same one you sent, then that'll be case closed as it were, nothing more you need to do. If for some strange reason you receive a package containing something totally different - whereby the buyer is pulling the wool over your eyes - or that you receive nothing back at all, I'd then probably get on to the ebay helpline to ask them how to proceed considering you either didn't get the item back, or that the item received wasn't the item sent. Both unlikely scenarios but worth keeping in mind until it's all done and dusted.

As above, aside from ebay, the other platforms are worse with less protection. Facebook is a pain in the neck - many of the ads are fake, lots of scammers, and constant 'Is this item still available?' messages with no follow-up, and lots of general messing around. Gumtree less so, but also less popular. There's more cons with other platforms - so although ebay can be frustrating, sadly at the moment, it's still the best of the bunch (although that's not really praise as such!).

the_gardener_2

i have sold many things on ebay and never any aggro.  100 % positive.    but it is not my life

BTW i have a part time life in the  far east and a big fan of lazada which is owned by Alibaba .