Ebay Question -- How would you handle this?

[pixie921]

I received an item in *very* bad shape but was represented as mint on the auction. I paid very little for it, but way overpaid in shipping fees, figuring it sort of evened out because I got such a good deal on the item.

Anyway, item is unusable, but sending it back would practically cost more than I paid, and it wouldn't recover the majority of my money, which again, was spent on highly inflated shipping. The seller offered to refund my purchase price, but not the shipping.

So, now I'm stuck with an unusable item and out the money. I'm annoyed that the seller sent me such a piece of junk, and while he did offer to refund the item cost, I'm still out the majority of my money.

What kind of feedback do you think is appropriate in this situation? I'm definitely not leaving positive, and I feel others should be aware that the seller is perfectly willing to send out junk to people and overcharge for the shipping to boot.

 

[dhdozier]

That is just terrible! I don't know what else you can do besides leave neg. feedabck and get back what you can in refund. I am pretty sure you can't recoop your shipping loss.

 

[Shreggor]

What kind of feedback does the seller have? If it's all positive and he's willing to give a refund of what you paid, I would leave positive and comment that there were problems and he refunded you. What more can he do?

I sell on Ebay and one bad feedback on a seller can really damage them, I would only leave bad feedback if the person was not willing to work with you.

 

[pixie921]

That is just terrible! I don't know what else you can do besides leave neg. feedabck and get back what you can in refund. I am pretty sure you can't recoop your shipping loss.

That's what I'm thinking. He's not offering to reimburse the shipping that I paid, which I feel *should* be refunded because the item never should've been put up for sale in the first place.

What kind of feedback does the seller have? If it's all positive and he's willing to give a refund of what you paid, I would leave positive and comment that there were problems and he refunded you. What more can he do?

I sell on Ebay and one bad feedback on a seller can really damage them, I would only leave bad feedback if the person was not willing to work with you.

Seller has some past negatives, but nothing too recent. IMO, what he can do is offer to refund my item cost and the shipping on the crappy item that he sent fully knowing it was damaged to begin with. But that's not what he's offering to do.

I sell on eBay, too and would never have dreamed of sending out an item in the condition that I received. As I said, I'm definitely not leaving a positive when I have an unusable item and can't recoup my costs. My question is whether to leave neutral or the (more deserved) negative. If I didn't appreciate the consequences of negative feedback, I wouldn't be hesitating at all about leaving it.

 

[Shreggor]

So he is only offering to refund the item cost, not the shipping? I'm not even sure how one does that. WHenever I've issued refunds it's been the whole amount they paid.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

I would leave negative feedback - the item was listed as mint and clearly was not. Why should you be out money (any money including shipping) if the item is truly 'trash'?

 

[DianeV]

If you paid with paypal then file a not as described with them and if you win you should probably get it all back

 

[zoemurr]

trying to work with you I would be honest and tell him what you told us:

You don't think his solution is fair and if he doesn't refund all of it you are going to open a paypal dispute and leave negative feedback.

Was there a photo of the item in the auction?

Start out by being nice and see where that gets you.

 

[PrincessMama605]

File a dispute with Paypal if the item was not in the condition described in the auction listing. You should be able to get a full refund, but you will probably have to return the item at your own expense. But since the shipping cost was so inflated, it won't cost as much as you paid for the original shipping.

I wouldn't leave feedback until the claim is resolved.

 

[Minniemama350]

If the seller is not willing to work with you on this you can open a claim through ebay. I had to this last January. I bought an item the seller said they already had. Then, when I didn't receive it and inquired they said that someone had stollen their paypal money and therefore I was out of luck and $89. After investigating, ebay sided with me, gave me my money back, and closed that seller's account.

 

[OceanAnnie]

trying to work with you I would be honest and tell him what you told us:

You don't think his solution is fair and if he doesn't refund all of it you are going to open a paypal dispute and leave negative feedback.

Was there a photo of the item in the auction?

Start out by being nice and see where that gets you.

I'd do the above too.

 

[nunzia]

I received an item in *very* bad shape but was represented as mint on the auction. I paid very little for it, but way overpaid in shipping fees, figuring it sort of evened out because I got such a good deal on the item.

Anyway, item is unusable, but sending it back would practically cost more than I paid, and it wouldn't recover the majority of my money, which again, was spent on highly inflated shipping. The seller offered to refund my purchase price, but not the shipping.

So, now I'm stuck with an unusable item and out the money. I'm annoyed that the seller sent me such a piece of junk, and while he did offer to refund the item cost, I'm still out the majority of my money.

What kind of feedback do you think is appropriate in this situation? I'm definitely not leaving positive, and I feel others should be aware that the seller is perfectly willing to send out junk to people and overcharge for the shipping to boot.

Sems to me with new ebay policies that just started this month, original shipping IS refundable. Check it out. I can't stand the overpriced shippers...

 

[jagafen]

What kind of feedback does the seller have? If it's all positive and he's willing to give a refund of what you paid, I would leave positive and comment that there were problems and he refunded you. What more can he do?

I sell on Ebay and one bad feedback on a seller can really damage them, I would only leave bad feedback if the person was not willing to work with you.

As a buyer, shipping is at times, ahem, seriously inflated. Granted "the shipping is clearly stated in the auction" but we all know that those costs are bundled with other things like supplies and handling charges. OP did not state what he paid in shipping, so we really can't speak on that matter. OP is stuck between a rock and a hard place. If it's not worth his time and money to ship it back, there's no use seeking a refund or filing a SNAD dispute with paypal. Sellers NEVER refund return shipping. I think in the cases where they are found to be responsible/at fault, they should automatically be responsible for those costs incurred by the buyer. But this isn't a perfect world, and Ebay will never see things my way. IMO, if a seller was truly worried about their feedback, they wouldn't sell shoddy merchandise and then hide behind ebay's policies. Or, they would admit their mistake/overlooking of an issue and do what's RIGHT, not what Ebay tells them is the limit of what they NEED to do. Feedback should reflect the ENTIRE transaction, including the condition/quality of the merchandise as it was recieved.

I understand that seller's hands are tied in the feedback process..and that scammers use that to their advantage. I feel sorry for sellers that get taken advantage of. But on the otherhand, just offering a refund does not mean a seller "deserves" positive feedback and glowing star ratings...if they made a mistake, they should make it completely in the right. With that said, I also understand that there's no way to make some people happy.

OP, it's really up to you, and what you think is worth it re:knowing you have to ship it back and won't get reimbursed for those costs. Then either file SNAD, or let it go. Either way, appropriate feedback should be left. Unfortunately, in your case, I'm not sure if it'll will be "worth" it given the implied high shipping costs you will incur. I'd try and work something out with the seller, but IMO, if you sell crap, you deserve a crap rating. Even if a seller refunds in a effort to "make right" you still sold crappy merchandise...at best, OP, I'd leave a neutral if you decide to return and go through that hassle...good luck!!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I would let them know that they falsely advertised the condition of the item, and if they want it back they will have pay to ship it to them. If they don't want to do that, I would state that you also want the shipping back, because this was not in any way your fault. I would tell them that you will leave good feedback if they resolve this to your satisfaction. If not, I wouldn't have one regret in leaving bad feedback about the misrepresentation.

I received a defective electronic item and called them about it. They said don't send it back, we will refund your account. There was free shipping on the item, but at least they didn't make me return the item.

 

[sjs314]

If you paid with paypal then file a not as described with them and if you win you should probably get it all back

I agree about fileing a claim with paypal, I had to once because the seller said they would refund $ due to her shipping the item to someone else in error but 2 weeks later still no refund and she would not reply to my emails, I did end up getting my money back but I felt like the seller was trying to run some kind of scam.

 

[LuLuO]

I agree that filing a complaint with paypal may be the best way to go.

Once I sold a camera that ended up having a defect that I wasn't aware of. I refunded the auction price + original ship + return ship and asked the buyer to send it back to me. It did indeed have an issue, but I'm still not 100% convinced that it was that way when I sold it. It just wasn't worth a hit to my feedback to challenge the buyer.

I buy less and less from ebay because of stuff like this. I much prefer CL where I can inspect the item before paying for it. The last thing I bought on ebay wasn't as represented. The seller did send me an additional item to make up for it but I would have rather been told of the defect before she shipped it and gotten my money back instead.

 

[pixie921]

Thanks very much everyone for the replies. I am going to see what eBay can do to assist, since the item is definitely not in usable condition. And I definitely won't be leaving any type of feedback 'til everything is resolved, one way or the other.

Thanks again!

 

[nunzia]

ah..here it is..in the Ebay Buyer Protection info:
<<<Reimbursements from sellers
We require eBay sellers to comply with our resolution process. Sellers permit us to make a final decision, in our sole discretion, on any claim that a buyer files with eBay under the eBay Buyer Protection Policy. If we resolve a dispute in the buyer's favor, we will refund the buyer for the cost of the item and the original shipping, and we will require the seller to reimburse us for the refund. >>>

 

[ajh88]

You've gotten a lot of good advice, I would just say that I always think it is best to work it out with the seller unless he has clearly indicated that his offer is a final, take it or leave it.

And just to be devil's advocate, shipping PRICES are outrageous - I've sold items, charged my best estimate of shipping, had to pay out of my own pocket to make up the difference, and still gotten comments of "high shipping" fees. I don't know what you bought or how much he charged, so I can't comment on your specific case - I just wanted to make a case that it is possible (perhaps not likely, but possible) that the inflated shipping wasn't really *that* inflated.

That said, I personally think he should refund at least part (if not all) of the shipping to you. Good luck in getting in worked out!

 

[richmond282]

Sounds like you've already made a decision, but I def second the filing a dispute with ebay. This guy will continue to do this if no one complains through ebay. Take pictures of the item in case ebay wants proof of the condition. If you paid through paypal or w/ a cc you can always go through those channels to get a refund as well.