Aaaargh Ebay!

[Nova]

I sold a box of Polaroid film in late March. The buyer was a guy from the Netherlands who paid for Airmail.

According to an email he sent today, the films haven't arrived.

Does anyone here know what my rights are? Even though I sent the item, do I have to now pay him back the money?

Cheers in advance.

 

[mali]

If you sell commercially, you are liable for shipping. If you sell privately, you aren't liable. In any case, you should request an investigation at the shipping company, if it wasn't sent with shipping insurance.

 

[icurafu]

Does airmail mean not registered? If it is registered, just get the consignment number and see where it ended up.

Also, with payments. Paypal and ebay favour the payer so if you really don't want to honour a refund, get your money out of the account. I've only been on the other side so I can't give any advice. Best to sort it out in a friendly way if you wanna keep your perfect ebay record.

If you send by registered post and you give the number to them, it becomes their problem. If it is not delivered, they need to chase it up.

 

[Nova]

Unfortunately I don't think it is registered. It's basically like sending with a stamp, except it goes abroad.

Bloody mail companies. This is why I hate sending abroad.

 

[mali]

^ Contact the shipping company and request an investigation, then you did your part.

 

[kingoddball]

It doesn't matter about doing his part.

If the buyer paid with PayPal and he didn't receive it, then you're screwed. I hope it wasn't very expensive.

There is something called 'seller protection' in PayPal - I'm not sure what it is, but it pretty much says send all articles via registered signature mail.

 

[sam fisher]

Unless you had a legally binding agreement with the buyer that you are in no way liable for shipping fallacies then I do believe you are indeed screwed.

 

[Fishbong]

This is why i only send with insurance when i sell something on ebay. Uninsured works 99% of the time but if it doesn't, the buyer thinks you want to screw him over.

 

[notaz]

Uninsured works 99% of the time

For me it's something like 30%. The very first GP2X Craig sent me back in 2006 was lost, one Wiz sent by ED was lost, laptop replacement keyboard I bought from some Chinese seller was lost..

 

[Nintendo]

Nova, mate...Unfortunately...eBay is biased towards buyers, meaning buyers have the most rights and sellers have virtually zer0 rights.



e.g. I buy (paid using PayPal) something from you, which you then send to me via cheap 'n' nasty standard international post (no tracking obviously)...
Then I receive it in perfect condition (and in good time too), but tell eBay that "item was not received as described" (I tell eBay that it was broken or a fake)...Now guess what?

I get A FULL REFUND, and am entitled to give you a big fat negative.




e.g. I buy (paid using PayPal) something from you, which you then send to me via cheap 'n' nasty standard international post (no tracking obviously)...
Then I receive it in perfect condition (and in good time too), but tell eBay that I still haven't received it yet...A month passes and now guess what?



You're fucked and I get a FULL REFUND, as well as what you sent me, which was/is in PEEERRRRRRFECT condition.


Bottom line is...



eBAY are cunts!!! I hate eBay!!!

 

[slaanesh]

It's not really eBay's fault. Yes, they diminished the Seller's cause of action.

I sold an RC Plane about a year ago.
I strictly specified local pick up only. Some numb-nuts from inter-state bought it.
I reluctantly agreed to send it anyway on the promise that he organize postage (ie. courier).
So he organizes the courier and doesn't tell me.
So the courier rocks up and I am at work.
I ring him up. Tell him that he has to let me know so I can be there for the pick-up!
Finally get it sent to him. Packing this big RC plane is a nightmare too.
Then he gives me NEUTRAL feedback (my first ever) stating that the plane was a bit dirty even though my auction clearly stated it was pick up only and the plane had not been cleaned.

After all that I couldn't even leave any feedback on him as sellers can only leave positive feedback (or no feedback).
I so badly wanted to give him "positive" feedback and write some nice comments about him.

 

[WizardStan]

After all that I couldn't even leave any feedback on him as sellers can only leave positive feedback (or no feedback).
I so badly wanted to give him "positive" feedback and write some nice comments about him.

On the flip side, as a buyer it has always bothered me to receive emails from sellers saying "leave positive feedback for me and I'll do the same for you"
It's a broken system. As soon as I've made the payment, as buyer, my duty is done. You as the seller should leave positive or negative (except you can't leave negative) based on how my payment, not on whether I give you positive or not. Those that ask for positive feedback automatically get a neutral saying "item was ok, but requested positive feedback, which is rude". Otherwise I judge my feedback based on how good the shipping was, and if the item is as described. I don't care if the seller gives my positive feedback or not, why should the buyer care the other way?
But I can't see any way to make it absolutely fool proof and effective, not without radically changing the mentality of many people that use it.