Selling on ebay warning

chris78

Ive just fallen victim to an ebay policy i wasn’t awareness of so I wanted to share. Apparently a buyer has 6 months to return an item, regardless of whether or not the seller said theyd accept returns if paypal was used as the payment method.
In my case, the guy has had a guitar I sold 3 months ago, is returning it and nothing I can do about it. He’s basically used it for a project, doesn’t want it anymore and can send it back for a full refund.
So, for anyone looking to sell on eBay, be very careful. I think it’s rare but if a buyer knows the policy, you will get ripped off.

Brize

I won't accept PayPal for items of any value. I have a ceiling of £100 and I know that I may just have to write off the amount if I fall prey to one of these chancers.

dbphoto

When it is returned it may well be damaged or not in the same condition as when you sold it though, maybe with parts removed, so a partial refund of say 50% might be in order ;-)

Moominpapa

That's a ridiculously long time to allow a return with no penalty. Are PayPal going to reimburse you for six month's worth of depreciation on the asset, or your lost opportunity cost for losing six months of time when it could have been on the market? They damned well ought to.

Paul7926

I know it's no help to the OP but these sort of arbitrary rules is why I won't buy/sell anything on Ebay any more apart from really cheap stuff.  That coupled with the fact that the last time I did sell something on Ebay PAYPAL decided they had the right to hold onto my money for weeks before allowing me to have it.  

Instead of creating a safe marketplace they have created a scammers paradise where they cream off a percentage of all sales.

Vast majority of people are genuine but when things go wrong, intentionally or not, it turns into a real mess very quickly.

chris78

dbphoto said:

When it is returned it may well be damaged or not in the same condition as when you sold it though, maybe with parts removed, so a partial refund of say 50% might be in order ;-)

I will be checking the condition very carefully. It’s had 3 months of use. I’d hope the buyer hasn’t totally taken the mickey and removed, say, the pickups as they were damned expensive. It will have had 3 months fretwear etc though and that’s tough luck on me from what they have said

leerocker

What reason is he using to return it. Certainly can't be not as described after 3 months. If you don't accept returns on eBay the only reason a buyer can request a return is if it's not as described 

DB1

Paul7926 said:

I know it's no help to the OP but these sort of arbitrary rules is why I won't buy/sell anything on Ebay any more apart from really cheap stuff.  That coupled with the fact that the last time I did sell something on Ebay PAYPAL decided they had the right to hold onto my money for weeks before allowing me to have it.  

Instead of creating a safe marketplace they have created a scammers paradise where they cream off a percentage of all sales.

Vast majority of people are genuine but when things go wrong, intentionally or not, it turns into a real mess very quickly.

That's a terrible policy, and obviously open to abuse. I do sell a few things (guitars) on there, but will only deal face-to-face, even if that means a long drive (which I don't mind) and deal in cash or transfer there and then. I will talk to the buyer or seller first and try and get a feel for them (fnaar).

As they're relatively expensive guitars, it's worth the extra effort and I've met some nice people along the way, as well. I wouldn't courier anything and I wouldn't use PayPal - I hear too many stories about scammers to get involved in that. Gumtree has been pretty bad for that, and there have been a few attempts, but luckily I haven't been 'done' so far (on the selling side anyway - I've bought a couple of cheaper guitars online that weren't as described) and I think I'll stick to my policy of 'face to face' buying and selling, even if it makes it a bit more difficult in the short term.

chris78

leerocker said:

What reason is he using to return it. Certainly can't be not as described after 3 months. If you don't accept returns on eBay the only reason a buyer can request a return is if it's not as described 

Not as described!

fendergibson

Thanks for the info, I certainly wasn’t aware of that. 

robgilmo

I would seek legal consultation on that, terms and conditions mean nothing if they are contrary to actual law.

leerocker

chris78 said:

Not as described!

Then I would actually call ebay and talk to a human rather than their automated bull I think they will stop this claim  because 3 months is far too long to have a look over something and decide that it's not as described.  

chris78

leerocker said:

chris78 said:

Not as described!

Then I would actually call ebay and talk to a human rather than their automated bull I think they will stop this claim  because 3 months is far too long to have a look over something and decide that it's not as described.  

I did exactly that. eBay simply say they aren’t guitar experts and their policy is to allow a return. Their justification is that if the buyer had paid on a credit card, they have similar rights, or in the case of Amex, even longer.

leerocker

Then call again I had a similar experience and eBay actually came good 

Modulus_Amps

leerocker said:

chris78 said:

Not as described!

Then I would actually call ebay and talk to a human rather than their automated bull I think they will stop this claim  because 3 months is far too long to have a look over something and decide that it's not as described.  

Agreed, you need to get a person on the case.

What is he saying is not as described?

dbphoto

Everything I am finding online says 30 days?

Either way he is taking the piss, so personally I would return the favour.

You might just receive a guitar shaped box with bricks in it........

mort

PayPal have a 180 days protection policy which is in place mainly to cover fraudulent transactions.

It is not intended for the purpose described by @chris78 - so you need to phone PayPal and argue your case. It is likely that this will get this reviewed in your favour. At the moment this is all being dealt with by PayPal ‘bots’, not humans, so you need to speak to them directly (not by email either). If the guitar was ‘significantly not as described’, this should have been noticed by your buyer when they received it, not after 3 months. 

(This is a PayPal issue, not EBay)

Babones

Sounds bonkers. Is this for all items ie new, too? If so, what about all the shops selling their new guitars through ebay? 

Dan_Halen

It's not an eBay policy, it's a PayPal one from a couple of years back. There are some horror stories online about it being abused as well.

Modulus_Amps

I wonder if you can contact paypal and report it as fraud, i.e. he never intended to keep the purchase.

Unless you really did do a dirty and sell something that is is not, and it has taken him several months to find out, he has maybe found out that you sold him a dud when trying to sell it on. we need more of the story.

ThorpyFX

I'd firstly speak to eBay today during working hours, you'll get through to the irish side of their customer service and they seem to make decisions based on facts rather than following a cue card to the letter. If you are forced to accept the return, definitely check the pickups..... sounds like the guy has no moral compass to speak of......



tbh even if they are still the same as when you shipped it...... might be worth getting tad of revenge... say you are unsure if they are the same model.... etc just to cause some grief back the other way..