Get contact details of seller for warranty claim

[phigru_7879]

I've bought a small electronic item on ebay from an Australian seller around 10 months ago.

Now the item stopped working recently and it's clearly an issue that would fall under warranty. I sent the seller 2 messages on ebay, but they won't reply at all. Given that it's more than 180 days, it's too late to open a case on ebay or Paypal.

Since I have no contact details of the seller other than an ebay username, I'm not sure what to do here.

Sending a letter, filing a complaint or applying to small claims court would be the logical next steps, but for all of this I need any sort of contact details.

Is there a way to get these from ebay? I couldn't find anything on the site.

[papermoon.lady]

Unfortunately, if you look at old threads here, warranties are only valid if the seller is an authorized reseller of the item they sell. Somebody recently managed to get a refund from PayPal, but it was less than 6 months.

Was it an expensive item and it the seller an authorized reseller?

[jellybirddesigns]

Warranties are not worth anything on Ebay unless they are sold by an authorised distributor within Australia.

Any seller can put what they want in a listing to make it more attractive, but unfortunately they cannot back up any repairs or replacements. This is a common complaint on the boards.

If it's a genuine item and not a knockoff, you can maybe take it to a b&m store and see if they can help you.

Out of curiosity, where is the seller REGISTERED, not the item location.

You can see this info on their feedback page. 

[phigru_7879]

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@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Warranties are not worth anything on Ebay unless they are sold by an authorised distributor within Australia.

Any seller can put what they want in a listing to make it more attractive, but unfortunately they cannot back up any repairs or replacements. This is a common complaint on the boards.

They didn't state any warranties on the listing. But they are required to give 12 month warranty by law, regardless of whether they are authorized distributors or not.

The seller is registered in Australia and the item location is Sydney.

I'm pretty sure they are liable for warranty, but I need a way of contacting them about it.

[countessalmirena]

Can you post the item number of one listing that the seller is currently selling?

That will enable the posters here to check a few things.

[sugar249]

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@phigru_7879 wrote:

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@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Warranties are not worth anything on Ebay unless they are sold by an authorised distributor within Australia.

Any seller can put what they want in a listing to make it more attractive, but unfortunately they cannot back up any repairs or replacements. This is a common complaint on the boards.

They didn't state any warranties on the listing. But they are required to give 12 month warranty by law, regardless of whether they are authorized distributors or not.

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Are you sure about this fact, or are you just trying to satisfy yourself

[jellybirddesigns]

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I'm pretty sure they are liable for warranty, but I need a way of contacting them about it.

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How, exactly, are they liable? They are neither the manufacturer nor an authorised distributor.

As everyone here will tell you, warranties are not enforceable on Ebay.

If you had bought from a b&m store, you could go back to them and have recourse.

OP - something else to consider. If I was selling something new, and you bought it from me, would you expect me to cover warranty, even though it might have been something I was just selling from around my house?

Ebay has limited guarantees. If you buy something on the platform, you have approx 30 days to test it and be satisfied. The only bonus is if you pay via Paypal as you then have 180 days to open a dispute. Amazon has the same criteria. If something fails months down the line.... too bad.  And Amazon doesn't even offer Paypal as an option for payment.

The only way around this is to only purchase from b&m stores so you will have the warranty.

Although another alternative is to contact the manufacturer directly and explain the situation to them and hope that they will help you out.

[springyzone]

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@phigru_7879 wrote:

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@jellybirddesigns wrote:

Warranties are not worth anything on Ebay unless they are sold by an authorised distributor within Australia.

Any seller can put what they want in a listing to make it more attractive, but unfortunately they cannot back up any repairs or replacements. This is a common complaint on the boards.

They didn't state any warranties on the listing. But they are required to give 12 month warranty by law, regardless of whether they are authorized distributors or not.

The seller is registered in Australia and the item location is Sydney.

I'm pretty sure they are liable for warranty, but I need a way of contacting them about it.

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I was a bit puzzled by that because as far as I am aware, items can vary from no warranty at all to one month, 3 months, one year, 2 years etc. It depends on the product and individual manufacturer.

As the item was not advertised as having any warranty, I don't like your chances.

It's one thing to have a law but quite another to enforce it. Often the cost and effort outways the benefit.

[jellybirddesigns]

In summary:

1) Warranties aren't eBay's concern, their concern is that the item arrives as described.
2) You have 30 days to check out the item
3) If you want a manufacturers warranty, buy retail

[phigru_7879]

Thanks everyone, but that isn't exactly helpful.

I was merely asking about how I can get a sellers contact details to file a complaint or take them to small claims court.

Of course a commercial seller needs to provide warranties as specified by law. If anyone is actually interested, you can find all details about this here:

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees/consumer-guarantees

But to answer some of your questions:

Are you sure about this fact, or are you just trying to satisfy yourself

Yes, I am sure, see my link above.

If I was selling something new, and you bought it from me, would you expect me to cover warranty, even though it might have been something I was just selling from around my house?

No, but this is a commercial seller and not a garage sale. Private sales are explicitely excluded from guarantees, but only for one-off sales. This does not apply here as the seller has sold hundreds of this item.

Ebay has limited guarantees

I'm not asking for remediation from ebay, but from the seller

Amazon has the same criteria. If something fails months down the line.... too bad

Again, this is not correct. Every commercial seller in Australia has to provide a warranty against defects. There is no such thing as a 30 day rule by law. Amazon will very well honour warranty for as long as required.

I was a bit puzzled by that because as far as I am aware, items can vary from no warranty at all to one month, 3 months, one year, 2 years etc. It depends on the product and individual manufacturer.

As the item was not advertised as having any warranty, I don't like your chances.

Again, warranty is specified by law, you can't just not offer it.

It's one thing to have a law but quite another to enforce it. Often the cost and effort outways the benefit.

I know exactly how to enforce it, but I'll need the sellers' contact details to do it.