Unfair return case closed in favor of the buyer without any chance to defend myself
Summary: The discussion focuses on a case of an unfair return closed in the buyer’s favor with no chance to defend oneself. Several people, including zeinstore, marioelegio, heavenwelkin, cizeta1964, and daxsisko, take part in the conversation, expressing their frustration and trying to understand the possible next steps. Although the specific contents of the replies are not given, it is clear that the central topic is return management and the fairness of the process for sellers.
Hello everyone,
I want to share my recent experience as a seller, because I find myself in a very unpleasant and, in my opinion, unfair situation.
I sold a PSA 10 Pokémon card for around €600. At the time of shipping I documented everything with photos and videos of the packaging and the handoff to the courier, so I am 100% sure I sent the correct item. The buyer, once they received the package, opened a dispute claiming that there was only a piece of wood inside. By mistake, thinking that was the correct way to respond, I accepted the return request. It was not my intention to confirm acceptance, but only to reply to the dispute. I immediately informed eBay support, explaining the mistake and asking to be able to submit the evidence (photos and video). Despite this, eBay closed the case today in the buyer’s favor, without giving me any real chance to defend myself or upload the documentation.
The result? I am left with a loss of €600 and no possibility of getting the card back.
I shipped it insured with packlink, and besides asking myself about the report I will be filing shortly, they asked me for photos of the delivered package, because just two photos were not enough; want to know what happened? Magically the buyer no longer responds to my messages.
I understand that eBay has to protect buyers, but in this case I believe a seller should have had the chance to provide evidence before a final decision.
This not only creates a serious financial loss, but also calls into question sellers’ trust in the platform, which I think is already well known
I called support when I got the email and they told me they would take care of it as soon as possible...
I’m asking you:
Is there a way to request a review of the decision or a more in-depth check of the case? What real protection tools do we sellers have when incidents this serious happen?
Thanks in advance to anyone who wants to give me advice or share their own experience.
zeinstore
OP1 year agoIt doesn’t work the same way in all online sales, absolutely, on all the others you’re entitled to a minimum of protection. And if you have proof of everything, maybe they’ll even side with you. Here they absolutely didn’t ask me anything at all. They immediately sided with the buyer even though I wrote to support saying I had photos and videos. Why was I supposed to send it back? What logic is there in that? Do you think I’m going to consider sending back a piece of wood after I lost €600....
Now I’m waiting for Packlink to reply, I’ve provided all the necessary documents except the police report they asked me for, if I’m covered by the insurance fine, otherwise there’s not even any point in continuing. After that I’ll appeal to eBay even though I think I won’t solve anything.
That said, if I’m not compensated by one of the two parties, eBay and I are done.
cizeta1964
·1 year agoIt doesn’t work the same way in all online sales, absolutely not; with all the others you’re entitled to a minimum of protection.
If the buyer claims the item isn’t as described, yes.
Why would I have to get it back? What logic is there in that? According to you, do you think I’d go and ask to get back a piece of wood after I lost €600....
You’d force them to arrange a shipment that had exactly the same weight as the one you sent, which is anything but easy, and with proof in hand you could appeal to eBay.
If the item isn’t as described (according to the buyer) it always has to be taken back, whatever it is and within the expected time frame; it’s the only way for the seller to try to get protected by eBay.
marioelegio
·1 year agoIf you're paid via credit card or PayPal, it works exactly the same way.
If the platform rules in your favor, the buyer moves to a PayPal dispute or does a chargeback on the credit card.
The only platforms that can protect you are the ones Heavenwelkin told you about, where the goods are handed over in person with cash payment.
hi
mario
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoBut do you really think another marketplace would refund you when a buyer claims to have received a piece of wood?
Then I’ll organize something with an accomplice, where I’m the one who ships the item and he’s the one who receives it and claims to have received a piece of wood.
I provide all the proof you say, video and everything else, (even a possible complaint, since it’ll be filed anyway because it’s your word against theirs; if it ever went to trial, it’s not even certain that he’d be the one to lose out) the marketplace refunds me 600 euros and then my accomplice and I split 300 euros each 😁
From direct experience I can tell you that eBay sometimes refunds small amounts; if it’s a regular seller who’s always behaved honestly, sometimes eBay does cover those 50 or 60 euros.
But for amounts that high ......
I truly hope so, but honestly I see it as very, very difficult.
Will you stop selling on eBay?
You won’t be the first or the last; by now there are plenty of people who’ve realized that distance sales (and sometimes even purchases) are full of pitfalls, and the problems that can arise after handing the item over to the courier/post office/parcelforce point are quite numerous.
Good luck.
And if you’d like, keep us updated.
Best wishes.
zeinstore
OP1 year agoIf there really is nothing that can be done, that makes me not want to sell on ebay anymore...
cizeta1964
·1 year agoIt works the same way in all online sales... Rather, why didn’t you get the piece of wood in question returned to you anyway? Maybe it weighed more than the paper, and that could have ruled out the possibility that you had sent it to him.
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoebay isn’t the only one with these problems....
All buying and selling transactions where payment is made with a credit card and its derivatives are at risk of fraud.
Set a maximum price limit for remote sales and choose the items you could easily sell even through sales platforms with hand-to-hand exchange handled directly by the seller with the buyer.
If you could still sell an item worth 600 euro in person, why take on all the risks that a remote sale involves?
Unfortunately, that’s how it is, and depending on the items being sold, you need to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of any remote sale.
For items that are in very high demand and easy to resell, the risk of running into similar situations is high.
I’m sorry for the inconvenience.
daxsisko
·1 year agoselling on the various online platforms (whether it's Ebay or something else doesn't matter much..... ) where nowadays everywhere you pay with electronic payments (potentially reversible if something goes wrong.....), involves risks....
in your case I would ask myself whether it's worth continuing to sell items of a certain value on these platforms, considering the related risks, or whether to sell with the "old-school" hand delivery with cash payment......
heavenwelkin
·1 year agoDistance sales of good have the price (usually lower than what you would find in a shopping center) and the possibility of finding items from sellers who are very far from us.
Beyond these aspects, distance sales are full of pitfalls and usually it is the sellers who have to take care of all the post-sale issues.
Before or after, a seller will realize that distance sales have RISKS.
Once aware of these aspects, as I see it a seller could decide to:
- Keep selling while accepting these risks because all in all they happen rarely and the profits are greater than the risks.
- Start doing what many sellers do, selling all sorts of random cheap Chinese stuff; any attempts at scams have no weight in the overall sales.
- Decide the game is not worth the candle.
Or
- Consider setting a maximum price threshold above which they are willing to lose the item and the money, choosing to sell the more expensive and valuable pieces through other sales methods (see in-person exchange) on other platforms.
As for your situation, if the buyer stated that they received a piece of wood, there is really nothing you can do.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Best regards
marioelegio
·1 year agoYou can appeal eBay's decision, but I doubt it will have any effect ...
https://www.ebay.it/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/fai-appello-contro-la-decisione-di-ebay-su-una-restituzione-un-oggetto-non-ricevuto-venditori?id=4369&st=3&pos=2&query=Fai%20appello%20contro%20la%20decisione%20di%20eBay%20su%20una%20restituzione%20o%20un%20oggetto%20non%20ricevuto%20-%20venditori&intent=appello&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1306
Consider that the “proof” you say you have is of no value; they would object that you could have packed the card properly and then shipped an identical package with the piece of wood.
Unfortunately, this is part of the risks inherent in all distance sales with guaranteed payment (credit card, paypal, klarna,....), whatever the platform.
ciao
mario