eBay Seller help please

nothingbuttrees1

Having a nightmare with eBay. I recently sold an Apple Watch and then an iPad to two different buyers. Then, the first buyer got in touch with me to say the Apple Watch wasn’t in the package, instead there was a pink jumper! Later the same day the second buyer got in touch saying that the iPad wasn’t in their package, but some hair clips! 

I tried to contact Ebay but it is impossible, everyone’s just AI nowadays, you just “speak” to a bot. Their recommendation was to issue refunds to both buyers which is what I did. Now eBay say that I owe them nearly £800. I just cannot speak to eBay about this and want them to investigate the buyers. I have sold on eBay for 15 years and have never had any problems. I contacted the police who gave me a crime reference number but said there is little they can do. Either the shop where I dropped the parcels off have interfered with the packages, or the currier drive, warehouse staff or (more likely to me) the buyers. 

I even paid extra to Parcel link to cover the cost of the items and they won't do anything either as they want pictures of the parcels that the buyers won't send me. 

eBay keep sending me emails saying I need to pay this amount but also not to replay to the email. Now I have an email from Debt & Revenue Services saying I now have to pay £850. 

Can anyone give me any advice please? Will I be taken to court so I can explain what has happened? Surely eBay should investigate the buyers who seem to have acted fraudulently? 

Anyway, that’s my eBay nightmare at the moment. Any advice from anyone will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

Lorian

who was the actual courier for both, and where were they left for the shipment. Were they dispatched on the same day.

pinkshoes

nothingbuttrees1 said:

Having a nightmare with eBay. I recently sold an Apple Watch and then an iPad to two different buyers. Then, the first buyer got in touch with me to say the Apple Watch wasn’t in the package, instead there was a pink jumper! Later the same day the second buyer got in touch saying that the iPad wasn’t in their package, but some hair clips! 

I tried to contact Ebay but it is impossible, everyone’s just AI nowadays, you just “speak” to a bot. Their recommendation was to issue refunds to both buyers which is what I did. Now eBay say that I owe them nearly £800. I just cannot speak to eBay about this and want them to investigate the buyers. I have sold on eBay for 15 years and have never had any problems. I contacted the police who gave me a crime reference number but said there is little they can do. Either the shop where I dropped the parcels off have interfered with the packages, or the currier drive, warehouse staff or (more likely to me) the buyers. 

I even paid extra to Parcel link to cover the cost of the items and they won't do anything either as they want pictures of the parcels that the buyers won't send me. 

eBay keep sending me emails saying I need to pay this amount but also not to replay to the email. Now I have an email from Debt & Revenue Services saying I now have to pay £850. 

Can anyone give me any advice please? Will I be taken to court so I can explain what has happened? Surely eBay should investigate the buyers who seem to have acted fraudulently? 

Anyway, that’s my eBay nightmare at the moment. Any advice from anyone will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

Did you physically package the parcels up yourself, writing the buyers address on? (there have been quite a few cases where parcels have ended up with the wrong labels using a parcel locker service).

Was there any sign from the outside of the packaging that it was an Apple product?

You absolutely should NOT have refunded without the buyer opening a dispute on eBay. Who told you this?? If it was eBay, do you have a copy of the transcript? 

You could try calling the buyer's bluff and insisting they send the incorrect items back (pay a returns postage label for them), and if they won't cooperate, then send them a letter before action telling them to send the item back or re-pay the money within 14 days.

It's a sizeable amount so eBay might take court action, but otherwise you'll just never be able to use eBay again if you don't pay the money. 

nothingbuttrees1

I think it was Evri. There was no Apple markings on any of the packaging. The buyer for the iPad sent me a picture of the box (the correct one) with a picture of some sort of pink jumper on it. The other buyer did not correspond with me. Since this has happened neither buyer will correspond with me. 

I have not been able to speak to anyone at eBay. I just followed their instructions which were to issue a refund. I did this then when eBay took the funds out of my account I contacted my bank and had the transaction reversed. I just think eBay should investigate the issue rather than just ask me to pay the money? 

Lorian

Did you put labels on the shipments or were they labeless

RFW

nothingbuttrees1 said:

I think it was Evri. 

Assuming all this is as you say then I'd ask if you dropped both parcels at a shop at the same time? If so I'd find a local Facebook group and ask if there have been any issues with anyone dropping off courier parcels at shops in your area. I wouldn't mention the shop or the courier in that post.

GadgetGuru

Assuming you recorded the serial numbers of both items - contact Apple and ask them to mark the items as stolen so that they cannot be activated/used.......

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

nothingbuttrees1 said:

I think it was Evri. 

I know this doesn't help you OP but just for others reading, 2 high risk items coming to £800 really should have been sent Special Delivery.

That might not help if the buyers are lying (although photo upon delivery might assist a bit) but if there has been an issue during transit I think that kind of thing is less likely to occur with Special Delivery. 

nothingbuttrees1 said:

eBay keep sending me emails saying I need to pay this amount but also not to replay to the email. Now I have an email from Debt & Revenue Services saying I now have to pay £850.

I'm sure @Soolin has said in the past they've never heard of anyone actually being taken to court for eBay fees.

Sadly eBay will do little to investigate the buyers, you could issue small claims against them but burden of proof is upon your self and it's very hard to show where an issue has occurred here. 

You could try Evri under 3rd party contract rights, best place to post regarding that is here:

https://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/183-postal-and-delivery-services/ 

Hoenir

nothingbuttrees1 said:

Since this has happened neither buyer will correspond with me. 

Speaks volumes unfortunately. 

If you've withdrawn the money and subsequently refunded it. Then you owe Ebay the money. 

nothingbuttrees1

Just paid eBay £783. Thanks for all your help. It's just not right. Some horrible people out there so be careful. 

RFW

nothingbuttrees1 said:

Just paid eBay £783. Thanks for all your help. It's just not right. Some horrible people out there so be careful. 

It's up to you, clearly, but I don't see why you would just walk away having lost nearly £800. I asked earlier if both parcels were sent at the same time from the same place.
It's not impossible but it is odd that this would happen with two items to two different buyers at the same time. I'd be looking at as many possibilities as I could to try and recoup some money.  You could even check with your MP as to why the police won't investigate a crime committed against you. Even if it's just to check your buyers against a database.