EBay sent a buyer who lodged a return request a return sticker without giving me a chance to respond

[dtrezi]

I have been a 100% EBay seller for many years. I sold a camera and lens  to a buyer on a No Return Auction.It was photographed and listed completly and honestly.

However did not mention that the lens was missing a lens cap in the listing, as I thought it was on the lens all along as it had been left in the box for awhile. Once I kenw of the missing lens cap, I offered to replace it.

The seller complained and lodged a return request.

EBay sent the seller a return sticker and the buyer sent the camera back before I could offer a partial refund.

Despite my protests to EBay, they say that the missing lens cap is grounds for the buyer to return the goods.

All EBay will say is that once the camera and lens is returned (after the buyer has had it for close to a fortnight) , I can lodge an appeal.

That is next to useless as if the Buyer will take it back and I will be paid out.

EBay have acted in a manner biased towards the buyer without any opportunity for me as a seller to resolve the dispute.

Are there any Consumer Bodies such as ACCC that I can lodge a complaint about EBay's manner of handling my case ?

[collect247]

A blocked buyer on your blocked list isn't the same as a seller that's been given the boot and then goes and opens another selling account now is it? 

[springyzone]

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@dtrezi wrote:

The only issue was the missing lens, which was replaced by a more expensive filter. That is such a trivial matter, that I offered $100 in compensation, despite being abused and threatened by the buyer. EBay were aware of this fact and saw the evidence.

Circumstances in many cases should be taken into account when decisionas are made by EBay, and nothing is always in black & white. Despite one's 100% EBay standing, it means nothing in cases such as this.

Then there is the issue of Feedback. I gave a positive Feedback to the buyer once I was paid, which should be wiped off as there has been no sale and likewise any feedback left for me.

As EBay is a community, we as community members should be able to have some input into the policies and T&C s of EBay. 

While I understand that EBay also run Gumtree, the rules there are even worse.

I have had some very bad buyers and sellers on Gumtree ( some have been charged and jailed for fraud).

I no longer use Gumtree for anything such has been my experience.

I have asked the ACCC to look at my EBay case and I am confident that they will take up the matter with EBay after speaking with their operator.

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Do you mean that there was a missing lens, or just the missing cap on the lens (which is what i understood by your opening post)?

If i were in your place, my main concern would be that everything was returned in exactly the condition it was sent off in.

I see you charged $20 postage, so if you factor in that you'll be up for return postage costs too, you'll be out of pocket at least $40.

That's a downer, I know. But look at it this way-you were willing to offer the buyer a $100 rebate.

If it all comes back properly as it should, you can then relist it, making sure you mention the missing cap etc. You had a lot of bidders last time. You probably won't get the same people bidding but it is obviously a popular type of item so if you sell for a similar price you may end up better off than if you had given $100 rebate.

[dtrezi]

A missing lens cap, worth about $10, not the lens. It was substituted with an expensive lens filter with a note added to the box that in order to save time, I would send on after Christmas a lens cap at no charge. When the buyer put up a fuss I offered $100 refund, but before they could respond, EBay arbitarily sent them off a sticker to send ther item back without telling me.

I had a buyer who changed their mind, and got all Mummy over it, with EBay siding with their WAAAAAA WAAAAAA !!! 

Fellow forum members have been helpful, but NOT EBay, thank you very much.

Thjey will probably have the hide to charge me fees on top off everything else !!!! They owe me !!!

If only they had an office where I could go in and squat until they listened !!!

[springyzone]

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@dtrezi wrote:

A missing lens cap, worth about $10, not the lens. It was substituted with an expensive lens filter with a note added to the box that in order to save time, I would send on after Christmas a lens cap at no charge. When the buyer put up a fuss I offered $100 refund, but before they could respond, EBay arbitarily sent them off a sticker to send ther item back without telling me.

I had a buyer who changed their mind, and got all Mummy over it, with EBay siding with their WAAAAAA WAAAAAA !!! 

Fellow forum members have been helpful, but NOT EBay, thank you very much.

Thjey will probably have the hide to charge me fees on top off everything else !!!! They owe me !!!

If only they had an office where I could go in and squat until they listened !!!

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Had I been the buyer, I would have been perfectly happy with that set up, especially with the fact I got an expensive lens filter as a bonus & you were going to post out a cap anyway. I would not have, in all conscience,  been able to accept a $100 rebate on top of all that.

I understand you had a difficult buyer but I am astounded they weren't doing a happy dance as it would have meant getting everything they bid on at $100 discount plus a free lens.

We can only conclude they had a change of mind or had over spent and decided to use this as an out to get money back.

Ebay does have a policy that items have to be as described but you would think that in the circumstances, they could have given you eg 2 weeks in which to get the missing part to the man before okaying a refund/return.

I suppose the problem for ebay in cases such as this is they don't know how vital or urgent a part might be to someone or if that buyer is going to have to go out to buy a replacement in the meantime so needs a refund. I don't think that is what happened here at all, but have read cases where people have ordered eg clothes that have been faulty but can't afford to wait for replacements as they have an event to go to etc

I hope that camera comes back to you exactly as it left & with the expensive extra filter you sent & i hope you get a higher price when you resell. That would be the best revenge.

[davewil1964]

Check your settings.

You might be opted in to automatic returns. In which case no input from you was required.

[dtrezi]

No,that was not the case.

The problem has been I feel that an EBay operator in their service centre has acted in haste and left me in the lurch.

There was no consideration given to the circumstances or the explanation.

It was just simply, the Buyer made a moan, the operator accepted it and has given them a return get out.

No good will on the part of EBay at all towards the sellers ( and it is the sellers that contribute to their $$$$$$$ income with hefty fees. The buyers pay zilch !!! )

I have no longer any confidence in the EBay system,after paying them many $$$$$$$ over the years in fees, only to be given the shaft in this case.

Thanks anyway for the suggestion.

[lyndal1838]

Actually it is the buyers who pay the ebay fees.

Any seller worth their salt should be pricing their items to include the ebay and paypal fees.

[brerrabbit585]

Grovelling to buyers by offering them partial refunds for more than what the discrepancy is worth will only invite them to walk all over you because you've revealed your vulnerability.  

As far as the missing cap goes, if a part was missing when I received an item, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, I'd start to wonder whether the seller was telling the truth about everything else.  When that happens it's really hard to be objective and perhaps the buyer decided they'd rather not keep it and risk there being something else wrong that you hadn't mentioned, or that you'd used it more than you said. 

I'm no camera expert but could they have wondered whether the lens had been damaged from not having a cover on it, and the damage not been immediately obvious?  This would tend to make me want to return it because $800+ is a lot of money to pay for something with questions hanging over it.

Bottom line is that prevention is always better than cure, so it's imperative that things are checked properly before listing.  This is important for all items but doubly so for more expensive items.  In this case it could have eliminated a lot of angst!

[lyndal1838]

A lens cap only prevents the lens from getting scratched.....scratches would be immediately obvious if not on sight then by running your finger over the surface.

[mbselections00]

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@springyzone wrote:

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I hope that camera comes back to you exactly as it left & with the expensive extra filter you sent & i hope you get a higher price when you resell. That would be the best revenge.

On that score, I would be opening the parcel in front of a witness, with a video camera rolling

And I agree, hope OP sells for a higher price