Author Topic: eBay return help  (Read 3296 times)

Offline papabearjew

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eBay return help
« on: December 12, 2015, 09:06:54 PM »
After numerous emails back and forth I have a private seller not willing to do anything about an item I purchased that wasn't packaged well and arrived via UPS very damaged. How do I go about filling a claim through eBay. I sure can't figure it out.
Thx

OldiesButGoodies

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #1 on: December 12, 2015, 10:06:00 PM »
What was his return policy in the posting?   

Try using this link:

http://resolutioncenter.ebay.com/

You will need to know the item number for the transaction.  It is kind of hidden in the posting - in small font to the right as below..

Good luck,

Pepe

Offline papabearjew

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #2 on: December 12, 2015, 10:35:11 PM »
Pepe,
It says 30 day return. Money refunded, buyer pays return shipping

Offline mjam

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2015, 10:42:41 PM »
Hope I can help enough with this; there are a number of caveats...

Ebay isn't very public about this, and their "check the box" method of getting info out of them is circular and very inadequate.

Because of eBay's HIGHLY FLAWED feedback and DSR system, I usually start my quest by contacting the member through the eBay message system but NOT with a formal "not as described" message. I'll contact the member and let them know it wasn't as described first; you'll have plenty opportunity to escalate later. If the seller is smart, he'll realize you're not out to burn him, just wanting the deal you paid for. You'll quickly figure out the nature of your seller, but most sellers are honest and willing to work with you. I say that now, but have to admit things have gotten much worse on eBay over the last couple of years (I've been there 15 years and purchased over 3,000 items)

Rule number 1: Make sure any and all correspondence with your seller is done through the eBay message system! I cannot stress this enough; their customer service people have access to all of it in the system. Forwarding private emails from outside the eBay system won't do any good, and phone calls leave no record also.  Take pictures when appropriate and contact the seller. You can attach up to 5 pictures, and I forget how many characters you're limited to, but I have found it not to be enough more than once.

Rule number  @: Come across as the good guy, willing to work things out, even if your seller is truly a jack---. I always try to be polite and comprehensive in my discussion(s). Once you have established an exact impass, the easiest way to deal with this is to call eBay. Yes, you can escalate it, but there are a number of "tips and techniques" involved and if you hit a streak of bad sellers--as I recently have--eBay may consider you to be the problem and make matters even worse. They really prefer you do everything in writing, but I HATE typing and often days cannot do it well due to finger issues, so the current magical phone number to call is (866) 540-3229. You're much more likely to get someone in the U.S. if you call during normal U.S. weekday business  hours, otherwise the call center you're likely to hit is in the Philippines. Nothing against Philippinoes--I even have friends from there--but their English isn't quite the same as ours as the nuances of United States dialects have been known to create some issues for me.

I could probably write a book on this, but eBay's systems seem to change with regularity. You are welcome to p.m. me and we can set up a phone conversation where I can provide some better detailed info. The main trick to the whole process is to properly lay the ground work first, identifying the discrepancies in a matter that eBay's personnel can understand and verify your complaint. The are also caveats in returning the item to the seller, and there have been instances where I've had to accept the loss instead of potentially setting myself up for even bigger problems--that's happened also...

I know this isn't a complete answer, and it is not eBay's official recommendations either. That said, I've been through the drill enough times to discover what works for me. Hope that helps some.

Offline mjam

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2015, 10:55:32 PM »
Pepe,
It says 30 day return. Money refunded, buyer pays return shipping

If you, as the buyer, have done everything properly eBay is capable of paying the return shipping also--they'll take that shipping out of the seller also, so the seller would end up paying shipping both ways. It is tricky in that you really have to have your ducks in a row: how the seller described the item , what you received and it's condition, and especially how well you've "laid the groundwork" I refer to above. My last two returns were at eBay expense; I have a parts only M-400t that I'm eating (will soon be listing because I'm a man of my word, but that's another story) that I didn't even bother returning even though I could have and should have. Like I indicated in the previous message, it is a nuanced process. Preparation as soon as you realize you've been cheated is everything!

Offline mjam

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2015, 11:16:52 PM »
After numerous emails back and forth I have a private seller not willing to do anything about an item I purchased that wasn't packaged well and arrived via UPS very damaged. How do I go about filling a claim through eBay. I sure can't figure it out.
Thx

I will say this: UPS damage claims are a PITA. If you can demonstrate that the seller packed the item in a manner that was truly inadequate, eBay will support you. UPS seems to do anything to weasel out of a claim, even when they have clearly mis-handled it and the packaging was quite adequate. And it is by far worse at this time of year. I have more issues with UPS than I do with USPS and FedEx combined, both in terms of percentages and real numbers. I prefer USPS for smaller and less valuable items, and FedEx for larger and more valuable items. Not that any of that is a consolation now.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #6 on: December 12, 2015, 11:37:04 PM »

Rule number 1: Make sure any and all correspondence with your seller is done through the eBay message system! I cannot stress this enough; their customer service people have access to all of it in the system.

This is vital.   Lots of good advice already, I've nothing to add.

Offline MacGeek

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2015, 07:05:41 AM »
I will not use UPS and encourage anyone sending anything to me not to use them.  I had an amplifier damage claim denied by UPS.  The amp was in an original double boxed factory carton and UPS said the packaging was inadequate (when they probably let the box roll off the end of their conveyer belt).

By the way,  UPS does not adjudicate their damage claims, rather outsourcing it to a third party.  It used to be Crawford and Company.
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Offline papabearjew

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2015, 05:19:30 PM »
Thanks everyone. BJ was just here and he's taking care of it for me

Offline papabearjew

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Re: eBay return help
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2015, 12:16:15 AM »
BJ went through the eBay return process for me and within two days seller issued a full refund including shipping to my PayPal acct and told me to keep the item. A happy ending... But without the massage!