More eBay outrage...

Braindrain

Well, their CEO resigned so the board knows something's wrong.

I've only bought low value items (with the highest being $300ish for a pen) off Ebay. Had no idea I could return stuff without abandon!

BradleyJ.

I sold 2 old cell phones that were sitting around. Both were perfect working condition except one wouldnt charge but you could swap out the battery (Note4). I clearly listed it as such and also listed it as for parts or repair. Buyer complained it was non working and demanded a refund...... basically same as your story. The kicker is I had to refund his money and then he had to send back the phone. Apon opening the box, he shipped me back a VHS tape....... wtf. Ebay wouldnt do anything for me. The whole platform is a joke and I refuse to use it anymore.

Side story.. looking into the guys ebay store, he sells all cell phone parts........ so hes blatantly scamming people and has Ebays full support to get away with it. what a joke.

CaptainWinsor

How is there no recourse for this?

mjb

the fees are getting ridiculous.

Braindrain

Well, their CEO resigned so the board knows something's wrong.

I've only bought low value items (with the highest being $300ish for a pen) off Ebay. Had no idea I could return stuff without abandon!

Tony C.

I'm much more active as a buyer than seller, and am broadly aware of what seems to be a bias on the part of the company towards buyers. I was also, to be fair, once the beneficiary of a fairly substantial refund from eBay on an item that was supposedly, but actually not delivered (long story).

Having said that, this recent episode made my blood boil, and has me seriously questioning whether I will continue to use the platform. I sold a vintage watch, and described it as not having been timed, and requiring a service for regular use. I also stated no returns. Well, three weeks after it had been delivered, the buyer requested a return because it was running fast. I explained that there were obviously no guarantees of accuracy for a ~70 year-old watch, and that I had stated that a service would be required. He escalated, and I naïvely assumed that the facts would speak for themselves.

Well, to shorten the story a bit, without any further (email) discussion eBay simply authorized the return, and said that if I didn't refund the purchase price, they would on my behalf. I spoke to a supervisor on the "Premium Services" team, and, after a long conversation, came away with this basic understanding: if a buyer claims an item to be defective, eBay will authorize a return and force a refund, irrespective of whether or not the claim is valid or reasonable. In fact, it will not look into the details at all!

It made no difference that I had accurately represented the watch, nor that I stated "no returns".

So, in summary, and a twist on an old cliché, let the seller beware.

Grrrr...

Rasputin

eBay despite its shortcomings still is one of the largest online markets in the world. Many on this forum have attested to finding wonderful deals on vintage watches that they likely wouldn’t have found elsewhere. It’s also a major avenue for sellers who can’t easily sell their timepieces on collector forums like ours.

I think most who’ve used eBay long enough have had bad experiences both as buyer and seller. At least in these situations you have eBay or PayPal available to help mediate. Yet who’s available to mediate when sales on collectors forums go horribly wrong esp during a trade or bank wire transaction?

Obviously one can mitigate against unscrupulous buyers/sellers during private transactions by checking references if available. With eBay one can consider limiting sales to those who’ve achieved a certain degree of positive reviews.