Seller breaks £2k item then wants refund. Private sale.

MyRealNameToo

ChrisFN66 said:

WIAWSNB said:

This is a strange one. 

2nd-hand, I understand the item has to be as described. It was, and you can evidence this.

There are multiple reasons why a second-hand item could subsequently fail. 

And what on earth is the point of the buyer protection fee? It covers eBay doing what - telling you to refund?! Nice earner. I thought it was an indemnity for just this sort of issue, but clearly not.

I'd definitely seek advice from CAB, or - ideally - your Legal Protection on your house insurance. Simple Q - if you sell a second hand item, and the buyer acknowledges on receipt that it was as described, are you liable if it subsequently goes faulty for an unknown reason (ie one that cannot be demonstrated to have been present at the time of sale)? If the answer is 'no', then it should apply to eBay too. 

If the buyer, say, found evidence of a previous repair, one that had failed again, that would be a different matter - they could 'evidence' that the fault existed or was likely to fail again at the point of sale.

It literally was in perfect working order and hadn't had a previous fix or anything. Honestly, the whole situation is utterly bizarre! It's no different to buying a car, pushing it off a cliff, demanding a refund because it no longer worked whilst expecting the dealership to pay to recover the vehicle. 

What evidence do you have that they pushed it off the cliff, rather than say the handbrake failing and it rolling off the cliff? 

FFHillbilly

RedImp_2 said:

Just to put the other side, for sake of argument if I’d spent £2k on something and it stopped working within 3 weeks I wouldn’t be happy either.
Although I think as a private buyer then caveat emptor I guess.

you wouldn't be happy, but don't forget you also didn't pay full retail price did you?
do people really not realise that there is a risk when buying second hand goods?

Uriziel

Did the buyer have any reviews? How many stars?

soolin

Uriziel said:

Did the buyer have any reviews? How many stars?

Buyers don’t get stars , just positive feedback. If they have any stars showing it will be because they are also sellers. 

WelshPaul

FFHillbilly said:

RedImp_2 said:

Just to put the other side, for sake of argument if I’d spent £2k on something and it stopped working within 3 weeks I wouldn’t be happy either.
Although I think as a private buyer then caveat emptor I guess.

you wouldn't be happy, but don't forget you also didn't pay full retail price did you?
do people really not realise that there is a risk when buying second hand goods?

I've been an eBay member for over two decades, during which I've bought and sold countless items. While I've encountered very few problems personally, like most sellers, I've had to accept the occasional return. Unfortunately, I did once lose £500 on a parcel that went missing due to Evri.

If I buy an item on eBay and it breaks or develops a fault within a few weeks, I’d expect to return it—regardless of whether the seller lists it as “no returns” or “sold as seen.” Sellers don’t set the rules; eBay does. If you’re not comfortable with those terms, whether buying or selling, then eBay might not be the right platform for you.

ChrisFN66

An update on this: Despite speaking with two Ebay reps on the phone, a review process AND an appeal process, Ebay decided to side with the buyer and took £2k from my bank account. 

MattMattMattUK

ChrisFN66 said:

An update on this: Despite speaking with two Ebay reps on the phone, a review process AND an appeal process, Ebay decided to side with the buyer and took £2k from my bank account. 

Send an LBA to the buyer, follow it up with small claims.

Boohoo

MattMattMattUK said:

ChrisFN66 said:

An update on this: Despite speaking with two Ebay reps on the phone, a review process AND an appeal process, Ebay decided to side with the buyer and took £2k from my bank account. 

Send an LBA to the buyer, follow it up with small claims.

Can you explain to me and others if the transaction was through eBay how does LBA to the buyer work as I thought it would be eBay that LBA should go to.

Another option is that the OP picks up broken item and tries to repair it and resell it and recoup some of the losses. Saying that it is a big item.