Trust in eBay
I used the 'Report a Seller' facility, but this could just as well be a 'Report eBay' attempt.
I am calling eBay attention to two important issues:
1) Seller <Removed> from Germany who may well have skilfully gamed the system features to defraud me.
2) Irresponsiveness of the eBay system as a whole and, in particular, for the page of item 254733189386 (which contained detailed records of what happened).
Item 254733189386 from Germany was bought in Australia on 4 October 2020.
Its mailing was delayed for 37 or 38 days WITHOUT NOTICE and on 13 November, just when I was getting seriously concerned about the item not having arrived yet, I received first notice of its dispatch, including its tracking number that was RC601275453DE.
There was no advice of any difficulties soon after purchase, so that an alternative currier or the option of cancelling cold have been chosen.
On 2 December, conscious of possible further delays due to COVID-19, I made a precautionary request to the seller for a refund, prepared to wait for as long as eBay would allow it. [As justification, I made the silly mistake of telling the seller about a bad experience I had once, much earlier, concerning a similar case where a seller had managed to delete the item details prior to the 90 days allowable time span].
On 2 December, the seller asked for patience and made assurances that the package would certainly arrive (as I and him knew very well, he said). It again provided the Deutsche Post tracking number RC601275453DE already advised on 13 November. Tracking read 'In transit' on both 13 Nov and 2 Dec. Strange but credible.
On 16 December, I advised the seller that the item had not yet arrived and that I believed there was still another 3 weeks allowable by eBay, without my being sure about it.
On December 16, the seller advised that, APPARENTLY, due to COVID-19, packages to Australia were being sent via sea freight.
On December 26, I advised the seller that the item had not arrived 12 weeks after purchase, it seemed most likely lost, and please consider a full refund.
On 27 December, the seller stated that "the package was still in transit, it will arrive, packages like this do not get lost unless someone wants them lost, I see now in my records that you have pulled exactly this type of stunt on me before".
On 27 December I replied by ignoring the innuendo and sticking to the facts, adding that this was day 85 from purchase date, only a few days prior to item details being automatically deleted, and that the issue needed to be resolved within a few days. I suggested options including refund, extension of deadline, a refund-back arrangement, if allowed by eBay.
One hour later I checked the feedback page and the item number had disappeared on day 85, soon after my email. IT WAS THERE JUST BEFORE MY EMAIL! At that time, I also realised that the seller had not left feedback for me.
I then checked the Resolution page and there was a message across the top of the page stating that, if no resolution had been reached by 1st January, I could ask eBay to step in and help, or words to that effect. This message was there 3 and 4 days earlier as well.
On 31 December, I sent a message to the seller stating that the item had not arrived 88 or 89 days after purchase.
On 1st January, seller asked if I did remember that I had agreed the item to be shipped weeks late due to interruption of the service. Seller again questions my intentions, he had found a similar situation with me in his records, and calls for me to review the email flow again.
I checked my entire records and found no PREVIOUS transaction with klassikx over more than 15 years of eBay transactions. My records in eBay are exemplary. Certainly, I am not in the business of pulling up stunts, fraudulent or otherwise.
On 1st January, I responded that there was no record of such an advice in October (the item was bought on 4th October 2020). The only advice received was on 13 November when the item had been posted.
On 2nd December, just as I had advised the seller regarding a previous case, my request details were automatically DELETED from eBay, but the more extraordinarily unexpected surprise was the reason given: BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN NO MOVEMENT OVER THE PAST 21 DAYS! Wrong!
And that is not all: Having lost the electronic records, lost the chance of recouping any money, and lost the possibility of entering a feedback, I thought, nevertheless, if it was in fact in transit, the item might still hopefully arrive. I went to the Deutsche Post Tracking website and entered tracking number RC601275453DE. The result: "THIS ITEM DOES NOT EXIST".
Nowadays, navigating eBay is a nightmare. Policies and procedures look initially simple, but it doesn't take long into them to realise how confusing, unfriendly and useless they are for a buyer. I have just read online about how much the services from this company have deteriorated and how difficult it is, if not impossible, to communicate with eBay. I was unable to communicate in time to resolve the problem, despite many attempts. And I was unable to include this account in full when I finally managed to get through to the 'Report a Seller' facility (but this procedure is secret, so I will not hear about it, and eBay will not refund or compensate).
I do remember the good days when there were humans behind the eBay services provided if they were needed. Currently one is taken for a ride of the stupefying, circular kind. All services offered end up in automated, minimalist options which do not lead anywhere. In this particular case of item 254733189386 from 'klassiksx', for instance, I made numerous attempts at making a connection with eBay to obtain some advice, and the only thing I achieved was sheer frustration, spinning around in vicious circles.
There are lessons here for every buyer to learn, certainly myself.
I wish eBay start its system from cero all over again. At least reset the system back to 2018 or earlier: at that time it was still working perfectly well. Ebay has frankly gone from a friendly, trust-worthy, reliable and recommended buying system to an unresponsive, unreliable and unaccountable fiasco. Such a pity! I think it's time for a replacement.
