So I thought I'd really the story of this recent experience I had with eBay as it may help some if they sell there and run into trouble. It all started 6 weeks ago when I sold a watch that was also listed on this forum here http://forum.replica-watch.info/vb/showthread.php/241416-Offshore-Limited-Force-4-OFF004B-Chrono
I thought it was a little strange as the buyer was a woman in her 60's and this piece is totally inappropriate for her, anyway, each to their own. Everything was fine until 27 days later, thats right TWENTY SEVEN, when she submitted a return request claiming there was heavy wear to the underside of the strap and I had desribed it as new (used same photos here as on eBay so take a look and decide for yourself). I knew this was impossible as I'd only ever worn the watch twice and it was sitting in the box for years. I responded that I'd refuse the refund on the basis the description stated pre owned and she'd had it too long. Also attached the photos I took pre shipping to prove the point.
we exchanged further messages for two weeks and that went nowhere. In the meantime I was constantly talking to eBay and getting advice on how to handle the situation and every advisor I spoke with was on my side so I felt pretty secure about holding onto the funds.
eventually I had enough of the stalemate and escalated to eBay myself to make a decision thinking I'm in a strong position. Within hours I got a message stating they had awarded a refund to the buyer and asked them to return the watch. Obviously I was livid and called them straight away. Spent an hour on the phone screaming at their customer service people and eventually got through to the appeals department which is when I finally spoke to someone with some sense. He sided with me and said he would close the case immediately, remove any negative feedback, and I would keep the funds. This was a great result, but five minutes later I recieved a confirmation telling me the same thing but also that eBay would be refunding the buyer themselves.
I shouldn't complain about it really but I felt pissed that the asshat buyer got their money back AND got to keep the watch too.......until today.
Today I got a message from the buyer with a tracking number. She is shipping the watch back. I can only assume she got the refund and thought it was from me so she's sending it back. Whatever the case, the main lesson to learn here is that ebay policy is policy so ridiculous that no matter what you do with accurate descriptions, quality pictures, and communication eBay will almost always side with the buyer and even if you do get to keep your money there is a good chance the buyer will get theirs too.
Getting the watch back is an unexpected bonus but the best part of all is that eBay have had to shell out themselves because their returns policy sand procedure is so stupid.
If anyone runs into this issue with a return and is confident they have a good description and photos then don't mess around trying to resolve with messages. Escalate at the earliest opportunity. Demand to speak to the appeals team before the item is returned. Receiving it back is the worst thing to do!!
I thought it was a little strange as the buyer was a woman in her 60's and this piece is totally inappropriate for her, anyway, each to their own. Everything was fine until 27 days later, thats right TWENTY SEVEN, when she submitted a return request claiming there was heavy wear to the underside of the strap and I had desribed it as new (used same photos here as on eBay so take a look and decide for yourself). I knew this was impossible as I'd only ever worn the watch twice and it was sitting in the box for years. I responded that I'd refuse the refund on the basis the description stated pre owned and she'd had it too long. Also attached the photos I took pre shipping to prove the point.
we exchanged further messages for two weeks and that went nowhere. In the meantime I was constantly talking to eBay and getting advice on how to handle the situation and every advisor I spoke with was on my side so I felt pretty secure about holding onto the funds.
eventually I had enough of the stalemate and escalated to eBay myself to make a decision thinking I'm in a strong position. Within hours I got a message stating they had awarded a refund to the buyer and asked them to return the watch. Obviously I was livid and called them straight away. Spent an hour on the phone screaming at their customer service people and eventually got through to the appeals department which is when I finally spoke to someone with some sense. He sided with me and said he would close the case immediately, remove any negative feedback, and I would keep the funds. This was a great result, but five minutes later I recieved a confirmation telling me the same thing but also that eBay would be refunding the buyer themselves.
I shouldn't complain about it really but I felt pissed that the asshat buyer got their money back AND got to keep the watch too.......until today.
Today I got a message from the buyer with a tracking number. She is shipping the watch back. I can only assume she got the refund and thought it was from me so she's sending it back. Whatever the case, the main lesson to learn here is that ebay policy is policy so ridiculous that no matter what you do with accurate descriptions, quality pictures, and communication eBay will almost always side with the buyer and even if you do get to keep your money there is a good chance the buyer will get theirs too.
Getting the watch back is an unexpected bonus but the best part of all is that eBay have had to shell out themselves because their returns policy sand procedure is so stupid.
If anyone runs into this issue with a return and is confident they have a good description and photos then don't mess around trying to resolve with messages. Escalate at the earliest opportunity. Demand to speak to the appeals team before the item is returned. Receiving it back is the worst thing to do!!
