Ebay refunds -post your tips, stories, and questions

[galeteia]

Considering the popularity of ebay, and the number of people who are making ebay transactions only to have the situation devolve into drama with sellers, ebay, and paypal, I thought it would be helpful to have a thread where people can share their stories and things they learned the hard way - so that others can learn from their mistakes!

Currently, I am going through a refund drama myself with an international seller. I've learned a lot by blowing up ebay and paypal's customer service line:

- Everything through ebay messages is key. Your seller has 1-2 business days to respond to your message. If they don't, involve ebay immediately. Ebay will always review the messages in their system for confirmation of anyone's story.

- I had 13 (not business) days to indicate if there was a problem, so you've got to move fast if you want to return it.

- You have to get permission from the seller to ship back an item. Once the seller has agreed to the return and the refund (via ebay messages) you may then ship the item back. If the seller doesn't agree to the return/refund- contact ebay asap.

-If the seller requests you return it to a different address than it was shipped from, no problem- as long as they said it in ebay messages. If they make strange demands of you re: insurance or declared value, DON'T listen to them. It may invalidate your case with ebay.

- If you return it, GET A TRACKING NUMBER. Delivery/signature confirmation is key. Ebay will need that number to protect you.

- Once the item is shown as returned via tracking number, the seller has 48 hours max to either refund you or contact you with refund details. Business days are not a factor. If they do not refund/contact you in the 48 hours, contact ebay immediately. They will want you to open a case.

-If you open a case, the seller has 7 days (not business days) to get their act together and refund the money. If after the 7 days, you have no $$, Ebay's buyer protection will complete their own investigation and refund you the money in 3 days.

-DO NOT go through paypal for a payment dispute instead of ebay's buyer protection. It will take FOREVER, whereas Ebay will be 10 days max. (see above)

-Ebay can look at the seller's paypal account/payment history if the seller starts giving excuses about any delay! (Paypal is owned by Ebay) This was key for me because the seller, once I opened the case, claimed that he had refunded someone else TWICE by accident and was trying to get the money back from him to refund to me. Ebay was able to confirm this was a lie, because they checked his history themselves.

- If the seller marks the refund as returned, but the money is not in your paypal, check with paypal to see what method of payment it was. If it was e-check, you are not out of the woods yet- it takes 5-7 days to process and they can still cancel/stop payment the check, or it can bounce. If that's the case, contact ebay for them to flag your case because then they will be notified if the seller flakes on the money. This means you will still be covered by buyer protection. Paypal told me that they will only take action after the check bounces 3 times!

Please chime in with other stories and tips from your returns experiences!

 

[galeteia]

Other things I would recommend doing:

Video tape/take pictures as you open the item if it's a high-ticket item. That way, you can document how it was received. No one thinks of this in the frenzy of OMG IT'S HERE IT'S HERE! But honestly, if you spent 1k+ on it, it's it worth it to cover your butt?

Ditto when you are packaging it for return. That way, the seller can't claim that you sent them back a missing/different item. Luckily, the seller didn't fight me on the return, but I wouldn't put it past them.

 

[daintyG]

I'm so sorry to hear about your trouble returning on Ebay. Thank you very much for sharing what you've learned. I've bookmarked your thread to continue reading in the future and if I ever need it! I've never done an Ebay return, but I will come back to see what other people contribute.

 

[Rhea]

Thank you for this! I've recently returned two items - one to the US and the other within the UK. Both sellers aren't pleased but gave permission for the return. I know I'll be out shipping money even though I'm returning both because they weren't as described. It can be so frustrating to deal with rude sellers. It's often pointed out to me that they have great feedback. It's easy to have great feedback when a transaction goes smoothly, it's when it doesn't that's the real test.

 

[ruby59]

-If the seller requests you return it to a different address than it was shipped from, no problem- as long as they said it in ebay messages. If they make strange demands of you re: insurance or declared value, DON'T listen to them. It may invalidate your case with ebay.

Excellent post. The only thing I would have issue with is the above. If a seller asks you to return back an item to a location other than what was listed at the time of purchase, I would ask them to first officially change it on their paypal and ebay accounts, as it may void your protection.

 

[ruby59]

Video tape/take pictures as you open the item if it's a high-ticket item. That way, you can document how it was received

Good idea and someone on ebay did report doing it. Unfortunately, ebay said that there was no way to validate the chain of command, and would not consider it as evidence.

 

[galeteia]

-If the seller requests you return it to a different address than it was shipped from, no problem- as long as they said it in ebay messages. If they make strange demands of you re: insurance or declared value, DON'T listen to them. It may invalidate your case with ebay.

Excellent post. The only thing I would have issue with is the above. If a seller asks you to return back an item to a location other than what was listed at the time of purchase, I would ask them to first officially change it on their paypal and ebay accounts, as it may void your protection.

This was my concern as well, but when I contacted ebay about it, they said that it was a common thing and that as long as the address was documented in ebay messages (they checked his message while on the phone with me) they confirmed that it was fine to do so, which surprised me!

That's how the rep found out the seller had asked me to insure/declare it for a lesser value, by reading the ebay message to me asking it to be sent to X address.

 

[galeteia]

Video tape/take pictures as you open the item if it's a high-ticket item. That way, you can document how it was received

Good idea and someone on ebay did report doing it. Unfortunately, ebay said that there was no way to validate the chain of command, and would not consider it as evidence.

That's disheartening, but good to know- do you know if there is a recommended method for confirming the contents of the package you received?

 

[ruby59]

This actually happened to a someone on ebay. She mailed out a package of jewelry items to a person in Italy. That person contacted her and said the items were not as described. Seller said for her to return package for refund. Buyer sent package back. Seller noticed that the weight of the package was signifcantly different than it was when she sent it. She brought it home and had a friend videotape the opening of the package. In it, was bathroom tile and pasta sauce. She sent the videotape to ebay, but they would not consider it as evidence. They will not even take the word of post office personnel watching you open it. Ebay took the money out of the seller's account and refunded the buyer, who also kept the jewelry. (You do know that for new and small sellers, paypal puts an up to 21 day hold on a seller's account before they can get their money.)

This seller then started what was to become a very long thread where many sellers got together to pool ideas on how to try and prevent something like this from happening again. The conclusion was there was no absolute way, other than 1 longshot -


What did work -- the seller put up a very big stink. She went to every agency she could think of to let them know what was happening on ebay and documented it. The very long thread came to the attention of the right people, and someone finally took notice -- of her. She got her money back. Unfortunately, for many others, the scams continue.

 

[ruby59]

Just one more warning about ebay as I am going through it now.

I have 100% rating and have been selling since 1999. But I am just a once in a while seller.

I sold a piece of jewelry, and the buyer promptly paid. I mailed it out the next day through Fed Ex and sent him the tracking number. Ebay still put a 21 day hold on the funds. Ebay is now doing this to all low volume sellers.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

What a wonderful wealth of information you have put together here! Such a great idea.

I'm trying to open a dispute with eBay, but because I paid with paypal, they are trying to direct me to open the dispute there. Is there any way I can bypass paypal and stick with eBay?

My dealings with my seller so far have been fine, she is very polite but it is taking so long that tomorrow is the last day that I can open a dispute so I want to open it to protect myself.

My returned package is stuck in customs in the UK. They want her to pay £350 tax and she is refusing. She is going through all the right channels to get it reversed but it is taking so long! I just want my money back.

Any other tips would be most appreciated!

 

[galeteia]

What a wonderful wealth of information you have put together here! Such a great idea.

I'm trying to open a dispute with eBay, but because I paid with paypal, they are trying to direct me to open the dispute there. Is there any way I can bypass paypal and stick with eBay?

My dealings with my seller so far have been fine, she is very polite but it is taking so long that tomorrow is the last day that I can open a dispute so I want to open it to protect myself.

My returned package is stuck in customs in the UK. They want her to pay £350 tax and she is refusing. She is going through all the right channels to get it reversed but it is taking so long! I just want my money back.

Any other tips would be most appreciated!

I'm sorry that you're having to deal with ebay drama!

Did ebay give you solid reasons why they want you to go with paypal? I would call them again and find out exactly what their reasons are for wanting you to go that route (write them down, and then post them if you are willing). Did you get the seller's permission to return the item? If so, contact ebay and tell them that the seller is trying to renege on her agreement to accept the return and that you want assistance under buyer protection.

Once you find out the exact reason (maybe due to the fact that the seller hasn't actually received it yet?) they want you to go through paypal, I would open the case anyway to cover your tail- that way even if ebay closes the case, they can't come back later and claim that you failed to open it within the time window. Once the case opens, ebay has 10 days to make a decision. If they do decide you need to go through paypal, at least you've tried the ebay route and didn't have to wait forever for paypal first.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Thank you Galateia!

I spent half my morning on the phone with eBay and paypal. eBay wanted me to open with paypal because it was a financial issue and they are the ones that handle the finances. I checked my eBay account tonight and it seems that dispute is open there also, or the one dispute is interlinked.

My seller now has 20 days to try and fix it before I escalate it to a claim with Paypal. eBay notified me tonight that she has requested that the transaction be cancelled as I have returned the item, or am going to. I haven't looked into what it all means as far as my refund goes but it seems as though she has received the paypal dispute notification.

I feel bad because it's not really her fault but at the end of the day I just want my refund!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Well here's a twist that didn't go in my favour...

After I lodged the paypal dispute the seller lodged her own cancel transaction request via ebay. I declined the request to cancel the transaction because a don't have my refund (as per ebays advice).

She got a bit uppity in her message and was going on about how the item was as described and that is not why i sent it back.

I explained in my email to her that that was the only option that i had to choose in order to start a dispute but if she wanted to know the truth, the reason i returned the ring was because the diamond was not an OEC but i never elaborated becasue she was happy for me to return it.

I called paypal and asked what i should do since she had ignored my paypal dispute and opened her own ebay cancel transaction notice.
Papal man said that i am up the creek no matter what really. They can't make her pick up the article for customs (obviously). They are holding onto the funds and if she does pick it up and they release the funds back to her she gets to keep both ring and money. They wont be able to make her pay me the money because they did not authorise for me to send it back.

He said my best bet would be to get hold of UK customs and have them return the ring to me and start an appeal process, but how on earth with that work since it is already past the 45 days AND the item has not been lodged as significantly different?

I don't think paypal will even see the item as being significantly different form the description either. It was a ring and it had a diamond in it. Was it an OEC? I guess that will be her word against mine.

Oh man!! Looks like I'm probably going to have to suck it up and exept that i just lost $1600 over a stupid ring.

 

[galeteia]

Well here's a twist that didn't go in my favour...

After I lodged the paypal dispute the seller lodged her own cancel transaction request via ebay. I declined the request to cancel the transaction because a don't have my refund (as per ebays advice).

She got a bit uppity in her message and was going on about how the item was as described and that is not why i sent it back.

I explained in my email to her that that was the only option that i had to choose in order to start a dispute but if she wanted to know the truth, the reason i returned the ring was because the diamond was not an OEC but i never elaborated becasue she was happy for me to return it.

I called paypal and asked what i should do since she had ignored my paypal dispute and opened her own ebay cancel transaction notice.
Papal man said that i am up the creek no matter what really. They can't make her pick up the article for customs (obviously). They are holding onto the funds and if she does pick it up and they release the funds back to her she gets to keep both ring and money. They wont be able to make her pay me the money because they did not authorise for me to send it back.

He said my best bet would be to get hold of UK customs and have them return the ring to me and start an appeal process, but how on earth with that work since it is already past the 45 days AND the item has not been lodged as significantly different?

I don't think paypal will even see the item as being significantly different form the description either. It was a ring and it had a diamond in it. Was it an OEC? I guess that will be her word against mine.

Oh man!! Looks like I'm probably going to have to suck it up and exept that i just lost $1600 over a stupid ring.

Woah! Okay, you need to get back with Ebay and let them know that she is now refusing to complete the return that she already agreed to accept. You did contact her through ebay to ask to return it, and she did accept the return through ebay as well, via messages, yes?

Tell them what is going on with paypal. If it's no longer a matter of the funds being tied up and just a flat out refusal to pay you funds, that should count under ebay protection. They can see her paypal account so they should be able to look into it.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Thanks Galateia

Yes all transactions have been made through ebay messages. I'm going to contact them now and see what they say about the paypal issue.

I only did what ebay instructed me to do and it's still not right!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Another tip for people who want to return an item and you purchased it through paypal...

Even if the seller has agreed for you to return the item, don't send it until PayPal authorises it also.

 

[pregcurious]

Hawaiianorangetree, that is so frustrating. Stories like this make me wary of Ebay. If/when you are comfortable, can you post the seller?

 

[galeteia]

Another tip for people who want to return an item and you purchased it through paypal...

Even if the seller has agreed for you to return the item, don't send it until PayPal authorises it also.

Good to know! This is exactly the reason I made this thread ... so we could help protect one another.

 

[Rhea]

I don't understand why she hasn't picked the item up from customs, and then filed the correct information to get her £350 in tax back from them. It's a long process, but it can be done. Honestly, if that's what she's waiting on then the item will end up returned to you or forever in customs - it's a couple months to get that money back!

Did you pay by credit card? If paypal won't help I'd go through my credit card. Can you prove you sent the item back? Was it insured?

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Ooh I can't remember if I paid via theCC or through my account. I have a bad feeling it was through the account.

Good news and bad news, she has finally got customs to bring the balance to zero and will be calling the parcel company later. Bad news is that she is VERY ANGRY with me because I didn't accept the cancel transaction request, eBay has charged her £180 in fees. I'm on my way home now to call eBay and hopefully can get them to reverse it since the item of interest is already in dispute.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

I got a delivery status email from my package to say it has been delivered! but I haven't heard from the seller if it is all fine. I'm guessing no news is good news?

Once she verifys she has the ring and it's fine I have to get Paypal to return the funds back to her and wait for her to refund me the money. Fingers crossed. I don't have any reason to believe that she won't do the ring thing. I hope.

 

[VRBeauty]

Galateia - thanks for starting this thread, and for sharing all your hard-won knowledge! I opened it now because I'm just starting a dispute with a seller. In my case fortunately, it isn't a high-value item - it's a supposedly vintage Mexican silver bracelet, that appears to be a silverplated bracelet instead - but I have every intention of getting a full refund anyway. I realized this piece was not solid silver almost right away. The seller seller moves a lot of vintage silver jewelry, I'm sure they knew that it's plated and they should have identified it as such.

I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[galeteia]

I got a delivery status email from my package to say it has been delivered! but I haven't heard from the seller if it is all fine. I'm guessing no news is good news?

Once she verifys she has the ring and it's fine I have to get Paypal to return the funds back to her and wait for her to refund me the money. Fingers crossed. I don't have any reason to believe that she won't do the ring thing. I hope.

PHEW! That means that you are definitely covered under ebay buyer protection!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

The seller has notified me that she has requested paypal refund me the money. Paypal has notified me that my request for a refund was granted. it will take up to 5 working days for the money to appear in my account, but I'm nearly there.

Galateia, I just wanted to say a huge THANKYOU for all your help and support. I really appreciate it!

 

[galeteia]

The seller has notified me that she has requested paypal refund me the money. Paypal has notified me that my request for a refund was granted. it will take up to 5 working days for the money to appear in my account, but I'm nearly there.

Galateia, I just wanted to say a huge THANKYOU for all your help and support. I really appreciate it!

I love a happy ending! You're very welcome, I'm so glad that it all worked out!

I would hold off giving her feedback until the payment clears, because it took a week for my refund to apply to my account, because it was done via e-check. He could still cancel the transaction, so I wasn't out of the woods until the funds were in. However, if they fail to release the funds to you, get ebay involved, because paypal gives them 3 tries to clear the funds before paypal will refund you themselves and then take it out of the seller's hide.

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

The seller has notified me that she has requested paypal refund me the money. Paypal has notified me that my request for a refund was granted. it will take up to 5 working days for the money to appear in my account, but I'm nearly there.

Galateia, I just wanted to say a huge THANKYOU for all your help and support. I really appreciate it!

I love a happy ending! You're very welcome, I'm so glad that it all worked out!

I would hold off giving her feedback until the payment clears, because it took a week for my refund to apply to my account, because it was done via e-check. He could still cancel the transaction, so I wasn't out of the woods until the funds were in. However, if they fail to release the funds to you, get ebay involved, because paypal gives them 3 tries to clear the funds before paypal will refund you themselves and then take it out of the seller's hide.

The money came through! Thanks again for all of your help. Hopefully the info on this thread can help out other people if needed (hopefully it's never needed! )

 

[rosetta]

HOT

Was this a UK based seller?

Would you mind sharing who it was? I would like to avoid buying from her!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Sure Rosetta, it was captain6antiquediamonds and yes she is based in the UK.

Honestly she did go above and beyond to get the customs fees reversed even if it did take a long time.

BUT there stuff isn't that nice anyway. I took a punt on a ring and lost. It was listed as an Old European Cut and when it came it had a huge table and shallow crown. I tried to argue with her that is wasn't an OEC as it didn't have a small table and high crown and she responded that it was an European Cut (which I agree with, but it was listed as Old European Cut, huge difference IMO) and that diamonds with small tables and high crowns are referred to as Cushion Cuts. so yeah... Stay clear! Lol.

 

[Rhea]

I find the OEC vs EC vs transitional cut so hard! I bought a ring off of diamond bistro that was listed as an OEC and there's a very very small open culet, no high crown, and a large table. It's in a 1920s looking ring and I'd guess the seller was either told it was an OEC or assumed. I think it's an early round brilliant. The lines of all this stuff gets blurred.