not enough coverage for buyers through paypal

[lacd]

Has anyone else had problems with Sellers agreeing to something prior to purchase and then not being covered by paypal because the advertisement covers all options?

For example; an advertisement that specifies selling 2 colours shipped randomly, you contact the seller prior to purchase to see if they are open to sending your preferred colour. They agree- so you proceed to purchase and then dont get that colour. Paypal advise that the seller is covered because they specified both colours?

So basically if a seller advertised 2 exact items one big and one small and you request the big one and they agree- but you recieve the smaller item, seller is still covered?

Why do Paypal not consider or have access to Ebay Communications between Seller and Buyer to review case accurately?

[2011.narelle]

Buyers get plenty of Paypal protection,the seller gets very little.

You said the listing stated that colour is selected randomly & this is probably a high volume seller from China who is very busy with packing multitudes of $1 items.In your case it wasn't the difference between bigger of smaller,which would be a valid issue.Your problem is colour,which is well a preference of not so much importance & the seller already said random.

Next time chose an item with a drop down menu for colour preference.

[digital*ghost]

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@lacd wrote:

So basically if a seller advertised 2 exact items one big and one small and you request the big one and they agree- but you recieve the smaller item, seller is still covered?

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It would depend on a couple of different factors - in order for an item in two different sizes to be advertised in one listing, but with out a selectable variation to purchase a specific size, the items would have to be the same price, and if the description stated  something similar (random one will be sent) then it's most likely that a buyer couldn't win a Not As Described claim. (Honestly, though, if there was a difference in value between two items, and the description said a random one would be sent, I'd personally presume the potential to receive the higher value one was bait and the lower value item would be sent 99.9% of the time, if not every time). 

Some of these types of listings do require the buyer to message a seller with a colour preference, and that can be done via checkout with the message to seller function. Those messages appear on the PayPal payment receipt / notification, and such a message coupled with a listing instruction to select a preference, would put a buyer in a better position to win a SNAD case if the wrong variation was sent. 

[lacd]

Hi Narelle,

The seller was actually a local based business and prior to purchase when I raised the question about the colour options and if my preference could be met, they agreed and requested that I list the colour in the message section they just did not read the "Add Message" section. Which was my arguement. One I contacted them and we made the agreement prior to purchase and two the "add Message section is there for Sellers to be read.

I felt that I did the right thing by contacting the seller prior to purchase to ask if I could select the colour, I never would have purchased if my needs could not be met and would have opted for another seller (irrespective of whether its colour, size etc).

Anyway thanks for your opinion, lesson learnt for future 🙂

[lacd]

Hi Digital*Ghost,
You are correct, that is exactly what happened- I contacted Seller prior to purchase to request my choice in colour, seller agreed, I then added comment in the Add message section and emailed back the seller to let him know the sale had gone through with the note in the message section and still received the wrong colour.

[zanadoo_56]

Even if you don't get any joy from PayPal, you can always say something in the feedback.

I bought two items of different colours (admittedly I had a choice, it wasn't random) and got one in the correct colour and one wrong. I complained to the seller who asked to see a photo of what I received.  That was a challenge in itself - I don't have a mobile phone, my old digital camera was OK but the thingy to transfer the photo to the computer wasn't...so in the end I had to scan in two very odd shaped items on my old flatbed scanner, save the pic, transfer it to a USB stick and load that on to the laptop.  Then I added the photo to my reply to the seller.  Phew.  There was the evidence in glorious colour. I got another one in the colour I wanted and was told I could keep the 'wrong' one.

As you should have an email trail about what was agreed, it might pay to remind the seller that they had agreed to send what you ordered rather than a random selection.

[2106greencat]

Also keep in mind that if the seller had agree to refund or exchange, you would have had to pay for the incorrect colour item to be returned to them.

Not sure the $ value involved, but may be best to take this one as a learning curve, but by all means leave factual feedback regarding your disappointment with the seller.

IMO if you agree to supply something, you supply it correctly.