What to do when wrong item received, seller requesting to send to other buyer.

[bjmonty28]

Hi E1,

    I know I have been on eBay long enough to know this one but i dont want to fall victim if i do it wrong.

I bought a Laptop at auction and the seller sent me a tablet, i called the seller and he said he is sorry and must have got the items mixed up and my laptop went to a different buyer. Easy mistake.

So, the seller asks if i can just forward the tablet onto the correct buyer and that buyer will send me the laptop at the smae time. He has provided me the name and address however has asked me to wait until he has gotten a tracking number from the other buyer to ensure it has been sent.

Any ideas?

[cathy1971]

Is the seller going to re-im ruse you for the postage? If so I don't see a problem with doing it. It is annoying but easier for seller as long as he reimburses you.

[bjmonty28]

He did say he will send me the return postage amount however I am worried that the other buyer will just send me an empty box or who knows, send me nothing. It is not nice i know but why do i have to trust someone i dont know?

PayPal would require me to open an INAD dispute for a refund.

[phorum_junkie* · Accepted solution]

If it were a cheap clothing item I would be happy to try and accomodate the seller and the other buyer but not when you are talking about laptops and tablets.

I would tell them you have been advised to go through the Paypal dispute process and if they wish to provide the other buyer's address as the one Paypal tell you to send to then you will be more than happy to oblige. A seller can nominate any address for a return. However you proceed be sure you post it correctly in line with AP policy, it must be sent parcel post only, not in a pre paid satchel, and it must have a road only sticker on it as it contains a lithium battery. You also need to pay the extra for signature on delivery to ensure you qualify for Paypal protection.

[bjmonty28]

Wow, that is awesome advice !

Thanks so much P-J.

I am so glad I came here 🙂

They are the steps I will take.

[bjmonty28]

Just a quick update.

I followed the advice from P_J and the seller is not putting the other buyers address and emails me stating the other buyer paid by bank deposit and he wants to wait until she has sent me my correct item before he gives me her name and address because he doesnt want her to end up with both items.

Hmmm, its getting more and mroe difficult by the minute.

I know I have been on eBay for years and i should know what to do in this case however it pretty has me stumped to work out exactly which is the ideal safe way for all parties involved.

[jerryman12a]

I think warning signs are starting to appear , I would ignore what the seller has told you ( in any case your not responsible for the sellers mistake so you should not have to participate to rectify it)

and now lodge an item not as described with PayPal and make sure you follow their instructions and keep a record of all receipts etc and follow AP guidelines for the method needed to post it back as suggested because of the battery.

The seller will then need to refund you although you'll be paying for the return postage unless they are decent enough to refund that to you .

But wait till someone with more knowledge then me confirms this , 

Take date stamped photo's if the item to proof it's condition in case the seller tries a swifty on you and be prepared to phone PayPal to discuss the issue so your fully informed.

While it's possible to make such a mistake ( done it myself and have helped out a seller who did the same) for such an item I think to avoid it getting messy just go via PayPal.

[phorum_junkie*]

Just open an item not as described dispute and then the seller can please themselves which address they give you, be very specific in the dispute, just say that you did not receive what you paid for but a completely different article. In  the event that Paypal find in the seller's favour (and it does hapen for something as obviously a mistake as this) then you will have to phone Paypal.

If you win then just remember to post in the way I described before, road only and signature required.

If the seller did not refund my return postage when it was their mistake then I would definitely leave them a well worded, factual neg with no mention of Paypal dispute.