Item is not real estate but cannot be returned as it is listed in real estate.

[idss1]

I bought a shopping trolley and it is faulty and cannot be used. I am unable to return it, as it was incorrectly listed in the real estate category. 

Blue Foldable Shopping Grocery Carts Trolley Bags Luggage Wheels Basket AU STOCK | eBay

eBay item number:

362037163399

How does a buyer return a faulty item in this case?

[countessalmirena]

@idss1

Please don't rely on email; in all honesty, it will be useless. Emails to eBay are as a rule dealt with by bots that pick up text which will "herd" your email into the particular truck of that bot-derived classification.

Your reply, when you eventually get one in a few days, will be a generic response built up from cut-and-paste sentences and paragraphs which will have nothing to do with your issue.

If you respond to that email, annoyed and frustrated by the response that seems to have very little, if anything, to do with what you asked, you will eventually receive a second email, one which will probably still be off target.

From what I understand, it's not until you have undergone several back-and-forths that you may - and I stress the "may" - get someone human replying.

You need to contact eBay during business hours, by requesting the call back. Now is a good time. Here is the direct link: https://www.ebay.com.au/help/call_me

I won't cross my fingers for you (I don't believe that to have any efficacy!) but I will be wishing you success.

[idss1 · Accepted solution]

Ebay has not replied to my email.
I left negative feedback for the seller, which warned customers that the seller changes the category to Real Estate after the sale. 
The seller contacted me and offered half a refund, which I refused. Then the seller offered me a full refund, if I removed the negative feedback. I told the seller, I would remove the feedback AFTER I had received a refund.
The seller is a top rated seller and negative feedback can cause the seller to lose this rating.
I have now received a refund and have revised the feedback for the seller.
Thank you to all who have assisted me with this 🙂

[merfar2107]

I'm so pleased for you, idss. I'm really curious though - how can a seller change a listing once it's been sold? I didn't think you could.

[*tippy*toes*]

If it's a multi listing the seller can make changes after you've bought the item. However, those changes don't affect the item you bought. If you click on the active listing, there should be a link to show the listing how it was when you bought it. If it was listed in the correct category when the OP bought it, then the seller changed it after sale, then the OP's transaction would go through being listed in the correct category.

The OP should click on the link in the active listing to see how it looked when they bought it. The seller did make several category changes on March 19, so if the sale was before that, then the OP should be able to see what the category was when they bought.

Great outcome though! So pleased the OP got a refund.

[countessalmirena]

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@idss1wrote:

Ebay has not replied to my email.

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Yes, there is unfortunately no surprise there. It's quite an issue that eBay do not respond satisfactorily to emails, either in terms of swift response or content/genuine attempt to fix the problem. We're accustomed to an email being a better approach than a phone call in most situations, because emails give us room and pace to lay out the problem in an easy-to-understand way, and to include evidence as attachments, and because written communications are the obvious choice for business situations where it's important to be succinct or clear while also being courteous. A lot of people don't like to phone customer service for precisely these reasons, and of course it's not unheard-of for people to lose their cool in a phone call and bitterly regret it after they hang up.

While you're waiting for eBay replies to emails, do not forget to take the time to buff your fingernails, build a house, take a trip to Ittoqqortoormiit, and you may have time for coffee upon your return before heading to your inbox and seeing the first response from eBay!

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@idss1wrote:

I left negative feedback for the seller, which warned customers that the seller changes the category to Real Estate after the sale.

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A seller's feedback is definitely read by some buyers on eBay. It's equally definitely not read by all. There are also those buyers who read feedback but don't really take it into account if the seller's items are the cheapest. Weird, isn't it, how humans can differ in their eBay buying approach, given the same information!

I am one of those buyers who does take note of feedback. If the number of negs gives me an initial qualm, I click onto the negatives for the last 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, as appropriate, and look at the sort of complaints made. The type of comment, the tone of those comments, and any common factors are important, in my view.

I also consider the seller's reputation and my own dealings with the seller on any previous level. Sometimes the negs give a picture of a one-off issue with the seller... or of unreasonable buyers... or of a seller whom I wouldn't trust with a bar of goat milk soap. If there's an endemic and consistent issue, and if my instinct says "no", then I resist the temptation to click that rectangular blue button!

I suppose to some extent leaving negative feedback for large sellers does not function truly effectively as a warning to other buyers. It doesn't prevent bad sellers from continuing to have purchasers, at any rate! Yet there are certainly sellers who will woo and blandish unsatisfied buyers to change negative feedback, so it must have some effect.

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@idss1wrote:

The seller contacted me and offered half a refund, which I refused. Then the seller offered me a full refund, if I removed the negative feedback. I told the seller, I would remove the feedback AFTER I had received a refund.

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You were so right to reject that partial refund! By sticking to your guns, you managed to negotiate a full refund which it truly seems you deserved. It was so wise of you to make it clear that it would be a case of refund first.

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@idss1wrote:

I have now received a refund and have revised the feedback for the seller.
Thank you to all who have assisted me with this 🙂

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Your revised feedback looks fair. You mentioned that there was an issue, but that the seller fixed the problem.

I hope you have managed to find a good quality shopping trolley!