eBay not as described case - seller protection?

[*kazumi*]

After some 16 years with no problems somebody opened "significantly not as described and not matching the photos" case.  It was an eight hundred dollars item, for which I accepted $700, and it went to UK.  The buyer messaged me that it arrived in UK, and they are about to pick it up, and asked how much did I declare.  I thought that was weird, as obviously they knew how much it was that they paid.  I gathered that they were not happy with sum they have to pay, but I always have a clause in item description, that it is the buyer's responsibility to find out how much import duty they have to pay.  

Anyway, they then decided the item was not as described, and they want $200plus refund.  Interestingly, that is about the sum they had paid out for the duty. 

They opened eBay case.  There are only 4 options for me to respond to:
1 - send them shipping label; you are responsible for the cost of shipping (it was $110 to send to UK)

2 - Give a full refund and the buyer will keep the item

3 - Offer a partial refund

4 - send the buyer a message

There is no option to say, I do not agree with the claim.  There is no option to escallate.  I have heard that sellers do lose cases with eBay and the buyer keeps expensive item and gets full refund. 

When ever I as a buyer I had a problem with an item, I had to send it back at my expense to get a refund.  Few months ago I bought $300 jumper, and it had one armhole 3 inches ( 7.5cm) bigger than the other.  I had to send it back and ended up $70 out of pocket.  I had photos which did clearly show the disaster that the jumper was. 

How can I fight this claim against me?  My mistake was that I listed the item as new, but it is few years old, which I disclosed in the description.  However it is not used, it was stored in a box.  It's a collectors item.  Is there any way to protect myself?  I have 100% FB, with full stars, the only little chip one of my stars ever had was for shipping time, which is a joke, as I often post the same day, next morning at the most.  Can I expect any seller protection from eBay after all these years?

[11dustyattic · Accepted solution]

Well that's good news though. Don't forget to block that buyer.

I doubt they would allow a refund on credit because the seller could then do a chargeback. I could be wrong but they also can overdraw any account no problem. They're Ebay, they rule the world

Good result. I think you handled this really well

[davewil1964]

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@*kazumi* wrote:

 I was waiting the whole day yesterday for the buyer to agree to the partial refund, and then I found out the refund was already issued, without asking me where to take the money from!!!  So they used my account I only opened for PP and never keep any money in.  Was it too much to expect to be given the option how the refund was going to be paid?  Fortunately, this bank has never (so far) issued dishonor fee when on occasions I accidentally paid for something from that account instead of CC. 

Few years back I had a chargeback issued against me for "unauthorised transaction"  and then my PP account went into negative and I was told to transfer the money in.  I never found out what happened, but I was reimbursed for that money few weeks later under the seller protection. 

I am really angry.  I like to be in total control of my finances. 

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They would normally take the money from the funding source used for the original payment. It seems that is what they have done in this case.

[countessalmirena]

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@*kazumi* wrote:

[...]

I am really angry.  I like to be in total control of my finances. 

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I am nodding in agreement with this sentiment of financial control.

It's unfortunate that the buyer's unreasonably-demanded refund was actioned, but I suspected that would be the case once you agreed to it within the dispute.

I hope you've now blocked that buyer. It's not much of a lustration for the feeling of having been defrauded by an unscrupulous customs-fee worm... but I'm sure you have some good ways to expel any lingering negative emotions.