eBay

everard6920 · ‎20-12-2014

Today was the final straw. I received four chargebacks from an overseas buyer, for transactions dating back to October. Buyer left positive feedback and is claiming unauthorised transactions.

It's funny because the buyer has been a member of eBay for a VERY long time, buys VERY specific items in one category (mine), and today, filed these chargebacks and promptly changed their username to a phrase that reflects a popular character in my category. What I'm saying is, it's evidently the same person, or else it's a massive, massive coincidence that the "unauthorised" person buys exactly the same items in exactly the same category. They also leave the exact same feedback with the exact same wording.

Despite all of this, I will still lose the case.

They bought four items, and paid for each separately. Of course, I couldn't refund their payments and re-invoice, because I'd receive a defect for refunding their payments.

So I went ahead and posted all four of their items, using large letter (the items are only worth between $3 and $6 . . . so it was not worth it to post using registered/pack and track). So I can't prove postage, and because they paid for each item separately that means they were able to file not one but four chargebacks (and I will have to pay the $15 chargeback fee four times. $60 fee on four items that amounted to less than $20. Joy).

Merry Christmas to me?

I realise that this happens with domestic transactions too, but the postage cost is far less prohibitive and therefore it can be sent with tracking without it being too expensive. That isn't the case with international postage/buyers.

Anonymous · ‎21-12-2014

I will not post anything without tracking. I feel at times I am ripping off the buyer because some of my items would go in a large envelope but too risky to post without tracking. So all these great policies not so good for the buyer either. Ebay is just making me paranoid these days.

everard6920 · ‎22-12-2014

@phorum_junkie* wrote:
You will get nowhere complaining re the $15 fee if you contest the chargeback. It is a charge made by the bank who is disputing the payment and Paypal are perfectly entitled to pass that charge on to you if you have no defense against the chargeback because you have no evidence of posting. Just refund voluntarily and you will not have to pay the fee.

Sending with or without tracking is a choice you make in the full knowledge that you have no seller protection if you cannot prove you sent anything to the buyer.

Agreed, but one has to ask why proof of postage is required when the issue isn't that the buyer didn't receive the item. Unauthorised credit card transaction has nothing to do with whether or not the buyer received the item. Even if you can prove that she did receive the item, what does that change? It doesn't mean that the transaction was authorised. It is beside the point.

Anyway, I've been contacted by other sellers, and the buyer's feedback is now littered with follow-ups from sellers saying that she did this to them. It appears that she's claiming that ALL transactions made on this account were unauthorised. This amounts to thousands of dollars. An internet search reveals that the buyer's name is the same as someone who has previously been jailed for fraud and theft. Unsure if it is one and the same person, but it's an unusual surname.

I already contested it, as I was so angry. I've accepted that I'll lose. Whatever. Over it.

I already feel far less stressed to not be selling overseas. As I said, I realise that domestic chargebacks are also commonplace, but my main reason for stopping is the cost of postage.

All of my postage costs are included on my listings. The past month, I've had four international buyers buy multiple (cheap but heavy) items, and then want to cancel their orders because the combined postage is more than what they thought it would be (less than the cost of sending each item individually, but still more than what they thought).

When cancelling one of these two days ago, I stumbled upon eBay's new cancellation process, which requires you to log in to the BUYER'S eBay site to cancel the transaction. The buyer was Dutch. I don't read Dutch. So I rang eBay, and they told me to log in to eBay INDIA's site, because eBay India is still using the old system. What happens when eBay India updates? Good times.

It's just too much hassle for me to post overseas . . . especially considering that most of my international buyers are buying my add-on items, which are less than $10. Going to concentrate on the domestic market.

2014auswit · ‎22-12-2014

Forget about fair deals.Ebay and paypal are bloody crooks with their stupid rules.You can add to that thieves and the picture

is completed.The idea to buy and sell was good but only for ideal world.Unfortunatelly we live in a world full of rubble.

@everard6920 wrote:
Today was the final straw. I received four chargebacks from an overseas buyer, for transactions dating back to October. Buyer left positive feedback and is claiming unauthorised transactions.

It's funny because the buyer has been a member of eBay for a VERY long time, buys VERY specific items in one category (mine), and today, filed these chargebacks and promptly changed their username to a phrase that reflects a popular character in my category. What I'm saying is, it's evidently the same person, or else it's a massive, massive coincidence that the "unauthorised" person buys exactly the same items in exactly the same category. They also leave the exact same feedback with the exact same wording.

Despite all of this, I will still lose the case.

They bought four items, and paid for each separately. Of course, I couldn't refund their payments and re-invoice, because I'd receive a defect for refunding their payments.

So I went ahead and posted all four of their items, using large letter (the items are only worth between $3 and $6 . . . so it was not worth it to post using registered/pack and track). So I can't prove postage, and because they paid for each item separately that means they were able to file not one but four chargebacks (and I will have to pay the $15 chargeback fee four times. $60 fee on four items that amounted to less than $20. Joy).

Merry Christmas to me?

I realise that this happens with domestic transactions too, but the postage cost is far less prohibitive and therefore it can be sent with tracking without it being too expensive. That isn't the case with international postage/buyers.

everard6920 · ‎06-01-2015

Just an update on this: today, $60 (4 x the $15 chargeback fee) was taken from my account.

So I called Paypal. I was uh . . . pretty angry.

Paypal immediately credited me the $60, PLUS the funds being held for the chargeback. As previously stated, I did not have proof of shipment and I stood to lose the four cases. If this happens to you, it's worth giving them a call.

I feel like eBay should take a leaf out of Paypal's book, regarding customer service . . . the Paypal representative I spoke to gave me helpful advice (explained the "unauthorised" chargeback process, etc) and was very understanding. Whenever I speak to eBay, I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall (and half the time, I'm the one explaining their policies to them . . .)

Very happy with this outcome, albeit still quite annoyed that this scamming buyer is STILL on eBay buying the same items in the same category.

roseworthy11 · ‎06-01-2015

glad for you

es1989 · ‎07-01-2015

Good to hear that it worked out for you.

In the past I had a similar problem through another site, I reported it to the NZ police (after the site wasnt willing to assist me) who ended up charging the person for fraud. It turned out that they were doing it for years.

We live by the laws of these sites, and often not by the real laws of society. It can be worth getting the police involved, some international police can be very helpful with specialised internet fraud squads.