Hi. If anyone sells on ebay also, is there any way to better protect yourself from fraudulent buyers. I have just sold older items from a 2009 hp, but after selling a tv tuner for just 15 dollars the buyer got a refund. He opened a case when I clearly stated I would refund minus the shipping charges. The item was working fine, and he said It was not as described. Is there any way to avoid this in the future?
Scammed over ebay.
- Thread starter schau314
- Start date
Solution
geofelt
Titan
- Oct 9, 2006
- 54,388
- 4,187
- 174,240
On occasion, I do sell my used stuff on ebay.
Your reputation is everything so you want to keep your buyers happy.
1. You absolutely must describe used parts accurately. Particularly document anything wrong. Good photos if needed.
2. Offer a no questions return of the purchase price paid. The buyer should be responsible for return shipping, but not the original cost of shipping to him.
3. Take a photo of the item before you ship. Put a mark somewhere so you can identify your particular part. When you get the return item, you will be able to tell if it was your original part or a substitute. Some scammers will return their defective part for your good part. A good digital photo of both will prove your case to paypal.
4. If there is a dispute, be courteous in all communications.
5. When in doubt, give in to the buyer. Your reputation is all.
Your reputation is everything so you want to keep your buyers happy.
1. You absolutely must describe used parts accurately. Particularly document anything wrong. Good photos if needed.
2. Offer a no questions return of the purchase price paid. The buyer should be responsible for return shipping, but not the original cost of shipping to him.
3. Take a photo of the item before you ship. Put a mark somewhere so you can identify your particular part. When you get the return item, you will be able to tell if it was your original part or a substitute. Some scammers will return their defective part for your good part. A good digital photo of both will prove your case to paypal.
4. If there is a dispute, be courteous in all communications.
5. When in doubt, give in to the buyer. Your reputation is all.
I understand. It is my brother's account, and I did mark the item well. I offered a refund minus the shipping price. The asking price was 20.00. I settled for 15 to get it out. I did not put a mark on the item. I already gave into the buyer, I think I might switch to craigslist, they are much more reliable. It just seems mind bending that ebay would respect a buyer with around 50 items over a seller with over 400 with no complaints so far. I just feel sad that someone can rip you off no questions asked without having to return the item. I guess that is a great way to make a living, and to scam others out of money. Its only money though, but I wish the person would have specified what was wrong, or asked a question before buying. Thanks for the help, have you dealt with this fun experience before? Right now I have to deal with another item in which the shipping labels were switched, although the buyer speaks broken english. This is going to be fun!
Me and my dad have had a few bad experiences on ebay over the years, mainly with laptop and camera parts.
Recently they have gone in complete favor of the buyer, they are doing this to keep people shopping there, at whatever cost to the seller, because they know there is no good alternative for us.
We keep a spreadsheet of all items, and take pictures before we send them out.
Sorry it happened to you man,
Recently they have gone in complete favor of the buyer, they are doing this to keep people shopping there, at whatever cost to the seller, because they know there is no good alternative for us.
We keep a spreadsheet of all items, and take pictures before we send them out.
Sorry it happened to you man,
I guess computers are just a bad spot. I wish i just put in on craigslist, they seem to have gotten rid of most of the killers there. It seems unfortunate. I just thought wow a free computer for my use and another for parts. Maybe I could spend money from the parts to get better parts for my own. It has been roadblock after roadblock. Well Caveat Emptor, something I can recollect from economics class, does not apply to ebay. Thanks for all the support guys. I hope that ebay adds a selection for the language spoken for sellers, for it seems that I found a non english speaker in America who buys and never sells. You know what this is though, a great lesson, and the best never come cheap.
jitpublisher
Splendid
- May 16, 2006
- 8,747
- 2
- 31,960
A viewpoint from the other side.....
I have never sold, but have bought many items over the years on eBay. I also ran a large, successful print and distribution business for over 20 years, shipping anywhere from dozens to thousands of packages a day globally, as well as importing printed materials, binders, and packaging products by OCC container from China.
If what I bought is not as described, and you want me to pay returned shipping, then you are going to be waiting a long time for it to ever come back, sorry. I will be glad to return the unwanted item immediately, at your expense. This is simply good business practice. Why should I incur extra expense if did not get what I thought I ordered? There is a lot of gray area here for sure though, and of course there is a difference in a $15 item and a $150 dollar item, or a $1500 dollar item.
Be honest, do everything in your power as a seller to rectify the situation at once. Not tomorrow, not next Wednesday . Offer a call tag, so the buyer does not have to pay return shipping, or even leave his house. FIX THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT RIGHT NOW. A bad transaction will happen from time to time. And I would much, much rather deal on eBay than Craigslist. The only time I buy on Craigslist is if the item is close enough for me to go see it in person, and then I make sure I take a friend with me. (although I am 6' 2" and weigh 245 pounds) Its just good sense to be prepared this day in age.
I have only ever had 1 bad transaction on eBay, where an item was broken in shipping. The seller did exactly the right thing. He had purchased insurance, and made all the arrangements to get the item back, all I had to do is wrap it back up and drop it at the Post Office. My money was immediately refunded in full, even the shipping, and I left him very positive feedback for his professional attitude and immediate fix. Will this always happen? Probably not, but its a small chance you take selling/buying on line.
I have never sold, but have bought many items over the years on eBay. I also ran a large, successful print and distribution business for over 20 years, shipping anywhere from dozens to thousands of packages a day globally, as well as importing printed materials, binders, and packaging products by OCC container from China.
If what I bought is not as described, and you want me to pay returned shipping, then you are going to be waiting a long time for it to ever come back, sorry. I will be glad to return the unwanted item immediately, at your expense. This is simply good business practice. Why should I incur extra expense if did not get what I thought I ordered? There is a lot of gray area here for sure though, and of course there is a difference in a $15 item and a $150 dollar item, or a $1500 dollar item.
Be honest, do everything in your power as a seller to rectify the situation at once. Not tomorrow, not next Wednesday . Offer a call tag, so the buyer does not have to pay return shipping, or even leave his house. FIX THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT RIGHT NOW. A bad transaction will happen from time to time. And I would much, much rather deal on eBay than Craigslist. The only time I buy on Craigslist is if the item is close enough for me to go see it in person, and then I make sure I take a friend with me. (although I am 6' 2" and weigh 245 pounds) Its just good sense to be prepared this day in age.
I have only ever had 1 bad transaction on eBay, where an item was broken in shipping. The seller did exactly the right thing. He had purchased insurance, and made all the arrangements to get the item back, all I had to do is wrap it back up and drop it at the Post Office. My money was immediately refunded in full, even the shipping, and I left him very positive feedback for his professional attitude and immediate fix. Will this always happen? Probably not, but its a small chance you take selling/buying on line.
So he refunded the original shipping and the return shipping. All i feel is if I'm not getting my item back, the seller did not try to contact me, or resolve the issue due to a problem is quite strange. I meant that It doesn't make sense to ship back, but I lose money for a perfectly good item including the original shipping price. I received the item for free so it is not that bad, but it is was a very expensive graphics card and I didn't even get it back I would be mad. I feel if I was in that situation I would have asked or told the seller about the problem in the item such as (Item was broken, or did not fit in motherboard etc...). I feel that I could use this valuable information to improve my new sales, but at the same time being denied the problem will not help me find a solution for any other items sold. Also I do understand the whole deal, I have also been scammed the other way around by a misleading picture on ebay. Never trust a stock photo, but I also learned from that lesson. Thanks for your input!
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