Ebay Vent

[DisneyMomJen]

I have been selling on Ebay for the past 8 years which provides the funding for our Disney trips. That is always what has kept me motivated to keep selling. December 15th I sold a brand new Louis Vuitton check book holder that my DH bought me years ago. It has been sitting in the original box, packaging and shopping bag in my closet ever since. The seller received it and left positive feedback on December 17th. Around January 25th (over 5 weeks later) I get an email from the seller that it is fake and she filed a complaint. There is absolutely NO WAY this is fake since I was there when my DH bought it at the LV store at our mall here. I would never sell a fake item since I would not want to risk my 100% feedback rating. I somehow was able to find a number and called Ebay. They said that I had to accept the return, but if the item did not come back as I originally sent it, than they would not find in favor of the buyer. I get the item back and it is now used and scratched up. I notified ebay and they just emailed me back that they are not changing their mind in this case and I have to pay back the $153 which was the buyers original purchase price. I responded to this agents email, but I am not sure if it will matter or even get to them. I cannot find the phone number I originally called.

I am so upset with Ebay and will no longer sell through them. I just want to close my account if I can and am thinking about not even paying the $153 since it is so unfair. I know it may affect my credit rating, but I do not care at this point. Can ebay go after my paypal account? There seems like there is not any protection to Ebay sellers, from not being able to leave negative feedback for buyers down to a situation where a buyer can pull something like this. I think the buyer in this case just has buyers remorse or her Christmas bills were coming in and she does not have the money to pay them.

 

[jgates]

If you can find someone at eBay that will listen take the pics you had of the item from your auction & take new pics to prove it was not returned in the same condition. Keep fighting. However, this is the new eBay. The buyer has all the protection. Sellers are basically hung out to dry.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

I have been selling on Ebay for the past 8 years which provides the funding for our Disney trips. That is always what has kept me motivated to keep selling. December 15th I sold a brand new Louis Vuitton check book holder that my DH bought me years ago. It has been sitting in the original box, packaging and shopping bag in my closet ever since. The seller received it and left positive feedback on December 17th. Around January 25th (over 5 weeks later) I get an email from the seller that it is fake and she filed a complaint. There is absolutely NO WAY this is fake since I was there when my DH bought it at the LV store at our mall here. I would never sell a fake item since I would not want to risk my 100% feedback rating. I somehow was able to find a number and called Ebay. They said that I had to accept the return, but if the item did not come back as I originally sent it, than they would not find in favor of the buyer. I get the item back and it is now used and scratched up. I notified ebay and they just emailed me back that they are not changing their mind in this case and I have to pay back the $153 which was the buyers original purchase price. I responded to this agents email, but I am not sure if it will matter or even get to them. I cannot find the phone number I originally called.

I am so upset with Ebay and will no longer sell through them. I just want to close my account if I can and am thinking about not even paying the $153 since it is so unfair. I know it may affect my credit rating, but I do not care at this point. Can ebay go after my paypal account? There seems like there is not any protection to Ebay sellers, from not being able to leave negative feedback for buyers down to a situation where a buyer can pull something like this. I think the buyer in this case just has buyers remorse or her Christmas bills were coming in and she does not have the money to pay them.

OH my, I am so sorry that you have to go through this. Unfortunately, in Ebay's eyes, the buyer complied with Ebay's policy and returned said wallet (used) and therefore they will go after the $153.00 via Pay Pal. You as a seller, it is now your obligation to refund the buyer their money even though the whole thing is wrong, months later, this is Ebay's rules and their way of keeping the buyer happy. As a seller, you have no protection whatsoever. They will freeze any pay pal funds that you have to cover the $153.00. Also, if the buyer used a credit card they can then have their cc company process a charge back. If it were me, I would try to plead my case that the item returned was not shipped in this condition and it is now damaged and unsalable. If you have the original pictures from your auction and new pictures of the returned wallet, this may help your case. You can only hope that Ebay would side with you.

We have heard these horror stories happen almost 18 months later. It's truly unfair to the seller in every respect of the word.

I truly hope that Ebay will see that the buyer is a fraud and take your side. Good Luck.

 

[horseshowmom]

That is absolutely awful (and very much of a concern to anybody who is interested in selling on ebay). I used to sell some, and some of it was fairly expensive (for example, a show saddle that was almost $1000). I can't even begin to imagine how scared I would be to do that now. I guess the truth is that I probably wouldn't after hearing stories like this. At some point, ebay is going to find their average sellers (which is where buyers get some of their best deals) deserting them.

Is there any way that you can get an affidavit from someone at the mall store that identifies this as a legitimate item? Since she filed her claim based on it being fake, that should stop that.

 

[comicguy]

This is why I no longer sell on ebay. unethical buyers, lack of ebay support, and paypal confusion to boot.

 

[kmvand1]

I agree! Ebay and Paypal are both horrible!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Everyone here that says ebay is unfair and it is not worth the hassle of selling there, is absolutely correct. Ebay is a buyer's paradise and a seller's H E L L.

I'm not sure this is good advice, but if you can clean out your paypal account and make sure you don't leave much cash at all in the bank account it is connected to, they will not be able to take anything from you, BUT ebay WILL freeze your paypal account if you clean it out when they want to refund her money. If you have no use for paypal any longer, I might try that, but you might need paypal down the line, especially if you decide to sell on etsy or elsewhere.

In the meantime, keep up the fight and fight it out as long as you can.

Ebay is the absolulte pits! I sell maybe a half a dozen items per year only out of desperation.

It was totally unfair what happened to you. Good luck!

 

[DisneyMomJen]

I'm so sorry this happened to you. Everyone here that says ebay is unfair and it is not worth the hassle of selling there, is absolutely correct. Ebay is a buyer's paradise and a seller's H E L L.

I'm not sure this is good advice, but if you can clean out your paypal account and make sure you don't leave much cash at all in the bank account it is connected to, they will not be able to take anything from you, BUT ebay WILL freeze your paypal account. If you have no use for paypal any longer, I might try that, but you might need paypal down the line, especially if you decide to sell on etsy or elsewhere.

In the meantime, keep up the fight and fight it out as long as you can.

Ebay is the absolulte pits! I sell maybe a half a dozen items per year only out of desperation.

It was totally unfair what happened to you. Good luck!

Tonight I unlinked my paypal account from my ebay account, removed my charge card and unlinked my bank account from my paypal account. I am not sure if they can still get into these accounts. My paypal was linked to my checking account which we pay all of our bills from. Can they freeze that account if it is unlinked? My DH will freak (and I guess I will also)!

I posted something on an ebay discussions board which I never knew existed. The expert over there said I should file a complaint with the Sante Jose BBB which usually gets results. I guess that is where Ebay is located.

 

[sweetsusannah]

This happened to me too. I sold a Coach handbag, which I bought from the Coach store. The buyer received it and a couple weeks later said it looked old and used and the Coach hangtag was missing and claimed it wasn’t authentic. It was a couple years old but still in great shape which I indicated and I included like 6 pictures of it, close up, the authentication number, etc.

Anyway, PayPal made me give the refund even though she returned it without the hangtag that was absolutely on the bag when I shipped it. I vowed to never sell on eBay again and I too removed my credit card and checking account information. They then couldn't take the money out but it put my PayPal account into "bad status" and wouldn't let me close the account.

 

[DianeV]

Yup that is the new ebay. I even remember seeing a statement from them that they want all buyers, any kind. Well they are getting them for sure and the sellers are suffering.

If they want the buyers to be ones who get everything then maybe the buyers should pay some fees to buy or something. Its ridiculous to pay ebay to sell and then be treated like you are guilty no matter what. And you cant even warn other sellers anymore about buyers because you are not allowed to leave them bad feedback! But they can for you!

 

[Disney-Kim]

What is amazing is that Ebay believed the buyer that it was fake....Louis Vuitton stores will confirm authenticity in person but will not provide it in writing. So its her word against yours....

this is very unsettling to read because I sell LV all the time and always say all sales final...no way in hell would I take a return...what if they used (as in your case) it OR switched it for a fake...there are people who would do that.

I do have the receipts and can back up my purchases but this terrifies me as a seller of legitimate lv's....wow....

 

[tink713]

If you unlink your bank account and close your paypal account there is no way they can get the money. If the money was already pulled from your bank account, you can just go down to your bank and tell them that the charge was unauthrized and your bank will do an investigation. Good luck, this happened to me when I sold a Juicy Couture bag on ebay years ago. The buyer was happy with it but about 3 weeks later told me it wasn't authentic (which it was, I got it from Nordstrom) but said she couldn't return it since she had already resold it. So she wanted a refund even though she couldn't return the purse. Luckily, paypal ruled in my favor that time.

 

[ceecee]

Ebay and Paypal always side with the buyer! It is so unfair, I'm sorry that happened to you.

 

[pixiewings71]

Ebay and Paypal always side with the buyer! It is so unfair, I'm sorry that happened to you.

No they don't, I had a package that was not received by me at all and paypal found in favor of the seller. Since I had not recieved the package I filed with my cc and they found in my favor.

OP I'm sorry this happened to you, I hope you get it worked out.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

What is amazing is that Ebay believed the buyer that it was fake....Louis Vuitton stores will confirm authenticity in person but will not provide it in writing. So its her word against yours....

this is very unsettling to read because I sell LV all the time and always say all sales final...no way in hell would I take a return...what if they used (as in your case) it OR switched it for a fake...there are people who would do that.

I do have the receipts and can back up my purchases but this terrifies me as a seller of legitimate lv's....wow....

Here's what I was thinking last night as well. The OP sent the buyer an authentic LV wallet. Said buyer emails almost 1 1/2 months later stating it's fake. What happens if the buyer then sends a fake one back to the seller and now the seller is out of an authentic wallet as well as the money. This is so wrong in every way to be thinking like this but there are people out there that will do this and ruin the reputation of a terrific seller.

OP it truly breaks my heart that you have to jump through hoops to prove that you are the innocent one in this case. I hope the buyer gets what's coming to them which is nothing. Now they sent the wallet back to you and you wiped out your PP account. Keep us posted, Please.

 

[OceanAnnie]

DisneyMomJen, All you are going to get with e-bay customer service reps are canned responses. I think they have a "reply tree", lots of "if, then" statements the customer service reps refer to, which is beyond frustrating. It doesn't seem as though you are talking to a person! You won't get anywhere with the customer service people.

I would scour the e-bay forum boards for a contact name within e-bay. Look closely at the dispute threads. There are people within e-bay that will listen to reason and act on your behalf. I have seen a name or two mentioned in the past (it's been a long while) on the e-bay forums that have helped people with issues similar to yours that seemed deadlocked. It might take a lot of research, but it would be worth it.

Don't give up! Good luck. I hope you get it resolved in your favor. Please keep us posted.

 

[Purseval]

Here's what I was thinking last night as well. The OP sent the buyer an authentic LV wallet. Said buyer emails almost 1 1/2 months later stating it's fake. What happens if the buyer then sends a fake one back to the seller and now the seller is out of an authentic wallet as well as the money. This is so wrong in every way to be thinking like this but there are people out there that will do this and ruin the reputation of a terrific seller.

Ebay was successfully sued by LV to the tune of $63 million dollars for all of the fakes it allowed to be sold. Since Ebay doesn't actually sell anything who do you think gets the blame for that? The buyers? So now when someone claims fake, especially when LV is involved, Ebay is hypersensitive. Thank unscrupulous sellers for that.

I have 127 feedbacks on Ebay, 100% rating atm, but I have bought hundreds more than that and I also have had a few negative feedbacks. The hundreds of extras were the feedbacks not left by sellers who were only interested in the money, not the process, and the negatives were retaliatory. In fact so many negatives from sellers were retaliatory it was the main reason the option was eliminated. If sellers have a problem with Ebay they can look in the mirror for someone to blame.

OP it truly breaks my heart that you have to jump through hoops to prove that you are the incident one in this case. I hope the buyer gets what's coming to them which is nothing. Now they sent the wallet back to you and you wiped out your PP account. Keep us posted, Please.

So the buyer obviously feels strongly enough to mail the wallet back and you feel they should get nothing, as in not even the wallet back if Ebay rules in the seller's favor? Buyers have also been leaving Ebay in droves. Read your statement again and wonder why.

BTW, Ebay just lost another lawsuit over LV:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10451818-38.html

This suit was just the latest in a series of legal battles between eBay and LVM. In June 2008, the Commercial Court of Paris fined eBay for failing to stop the sale of counterfeit handbags and other products claiming to be made by LVM. The auction site promised to do more to crack down on fake goods. But in November 2009, the same court again fined eBay, ruling that the company had failed to live up to its promise.

 

[nunzia]

Tonight I unlinked my paypal account from my ebay account, removed my charge card and unlinked my bank account from my paypal account. I am not sure if they can still get into these accounts. My paypal was linked to my checking account which we pay all of our bills from. Can they freeze that account if it is unlinked? My DH will freak (and I guess I will also)!

I posted something on an ebay discussions board which I never knew existed. The expert over there said I should file a complaint with the Sante Jose BBB which usually gets results. I guess that is where Ebay is located.

I say just suck it up and pay it back..they will hound you. My son went under in his Paypal account and there were collections people calling and everything. They WILL go after you. I've been selling for 12 years and have had a few icky experiences, but I sure don't know how else to sell. The thing I don't get is how buyers can come back after a long time and try to do a switcheroo or just use the item and send it back. There should certainly be a limit and it should be no more than a couple weeks after receipt. Ebay policies clearly state the item must be returned in original shape, so I'd sure fight on that point.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

Ebay was successfully sued by LV to the tune of $63 million dollars for all of the fakes it allowed to be sold. Since Ebay doesn't actually sell anything who do you think gets the blame for that? The buyers? So now when someone claims fake, especially when LV is involved, Ebay is hypersensitive. Thank unscrupulous sellers for that.

I have 127 feedbacks on Ebay, 100% rating atm, but I have bought hundreds more than that and I also have had a few negative feedbacks. The hundreds of extras were the feedbacks not left by sellers who were only interested in the money, not the process, and the negatives were retaliatory. In fact so many negatives from sellers were retaliatory it was the main reason the option was eliminated. If sellers have a problem with Ebay they can look in the mirror for someone to blame.


So the buyer obviously feels strongly enough to mail the wallet back and you feel they should get nothing, as in not even the wallet back if Ebay rules in the seller's favor? Buyers have also been leaving Ebay in droves. Read your statement again and wonder why.

BTW, Ebay just lost another lawsuit over LV:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10451818-38.html

This suit was just the latest in a series of legal battles between eBay and LVM. In June 2008, the Commercial Court of Paris fined eBay for failing to stop the sale of counterfeit handbags and other products claiming to be made by LVM. The auction site promised to do more to crack down on fake goods. But in November 2009, the same court again fined eBay, ruling that the company had failed to live up to its promise.

I do understand what you are saying about ebay being "hypersensitive" to items such as LV. So as far as all the lawsuits go, I completely understand but there comes a time when an honest seller gets screwed.

As far as the buyer goes, red flags go up when you hear that they waited over 1 1/2 months to contact the seller to advise them that they say the wallet is a fake. Then the seller receives a damaged/used wallet back. Don't you see something wrong with this? So, there are honest buyers and not so honest buyers.

I too am a power seller with 19500+ positive feedback, 1 neutral and no negatives.

 

[penn19]

have 127 feedbacks on Ebay, 100% rating atm, but I have bought hundreds more than that and I also have had a few negative feedbacks. The hundreds of extras were the feedbacks not left by sellers who were only interested in the money, not the process, and the negatives were retaliatory. In fact so many negatives from sellers were retaliatory it was the main reason the option was eliminated. If sellers have a problem with Ebay they can look in the mirror for someone to blame

I don't agree with this. As a seller it is my job to get you the item that you won. I can either leave feedback or not, but my choice, as well as your choice as to whether you want to leave feedback. My feedback was 100%. I didn't need anymore feedback and it drove me NUTS when buyers would hound me to leave feedback. I used to read the sellers forums and there were sellers on there that if they were pressed to leave feedback, would leave a NEG stating, buyer asked for feedback. Here it is!.
I don't sell on ebay anymore at all. It definitely became slanted towards buyers. I had to cross my fingers everytime I sold an item that it wasn't going to be someone who was going to either dispute, or reverse the charge. Wasn't worth it anymore, which is a shame because it was an excellent source of extra income.