Ebay advice needed

motion · 10-27-2011, 04:45 PM

I bought a Randy Owens framed serigraph titled "Rain Man" on Ebay for $325 with free shipping. Paid immediately through Paypal. After 10 days, nothing. I contact the guy and he says he's just now sending it out. It arrives about 6 days later via USPS. The packaging was crap. He wrapped it in cardboard with some peanuts. No bubble wrap. It shows up and the glass is shattered into a million pieces, some of which have sliced the serigraph, matting and dinged up the black frame.

I tell him about the situation via Ebay Respond and he goes ballistic, claiming its USPS's fault, calling me a liar, then claiming he doesn't have the money because he had to use it on his little brother's funeral.

I open an Ebay dispute. I tell him to refund the money back to me, then I will send the serigraph back to him. He refuses. Now he's responded to the Ebay dispute saying he will refund once he receives it. I don't believe him. Also, who is going to pay the $30 to ship it back?

Anyone with any experience with this sort of thing? I've been on Ebay for something like 12 years and have hundreds of transactions without any issues. This is the first one. I had a guy receive a monitor I sold once who claimed it was "dusty" and he wanted his money back. I told that guy to ^*(&(ing clean the monitor and go pound sand. Never heard back from him. LOL.

dad911 · 10-27-2011, 05:00 PM

Start a dispute with paypal, and with your credit card company if the paypal purchase was funded by the credit card.

Include pics of the packaging and damage in the disputes.

artplumber · 10-27-2011, 05:10 PM

Unfortunately, USPS prob will get involved too as they were the carrier. Your implication of packaging notwithstanding, everyone will get involved eventually

motion · 10-27-2011, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dad911

Start a dispute with paypal, and with your credit card company if the paypal purchase was funded by the credit card.

Include pics of the packaging and damage in the disputes.

I tried to start a dispute with Paypal, but it wouldn't let me, since I started the Ebay dispute. I think they're linked and one in the same. Paid with Paypal balance, not a card.

I thought the buyer always had the advantage in these situations?

speeder · 10-27-2011, 06:05 PM

You do have the advantage. You will get your $$ back but you might have to send the item back first. He will not be able to keep your $$ once he receives it, Paypal has the $$.

I had an identical situation recently. Make sure to leave him appropriate feedback to warn others. He cannot retaliate w/ feedback.

sammyg2 · 10-27-2011, 07:21 PM

This won't help you this time but when buying on e-bay, I always always always use a credit card.

Call evil-bay and paypal, try to talk to a person. They MIGHT be able to help.
USPS will probably not help because they'll say it wasn't packaged right and wasn't insured, but try to talk to them anyway.

The system is designed to make you frustrated so you go away.
I'm betting your only chance is to take to real people who give you hints how to win. Smooze them, even if they're in India.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I won a similar dispute with eBay for an amp that arrived trashed. Seller told me to pound sand. EBay's insurance paid me, but there was a $200 deductible, so I got a little more than half of what I was out and it cost plenty more than that to fix it.

JoshB · 10-28-2011, 05:41 AM

You are in the driver's seat. Just take pics of the damaged item/packaging and ship it back to him signature required. Add that to your case details on ebay and be sure and escalate it as much as their system will allow. You will get your money back for sure.

scottmandue · 10-28-2011, 07:07 AM

Don't want to be a negative Nelly but I have done away with my PayPal and thus most eBay purchases. (seems like everything I see on eBay is PayPal only)

I have found most things can be bought on Amazon or direct from the vendor with a CC.

YMMV

svandamme · svandamme's Garage

just send it back and then wait for the complaint to work out.

nynor · 10-28-2011, 07:30 AM

its a shipping issue. i don't think ebay is going to do anything about it. was it insured with USPS? if not, you are out the money.

sc_rufctr · 10-28-2011, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nynor

its a shipping issue. i don't think ebay is going to do anything about it. was it insured with USPS? if not, you are out the money.

That's true but the vendor didn't pack the item adequately.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

That's true but the vendor didn't pack the item adequately.

Probably at the seller's mercy on this. On another amp deal I did on eBay, I asked the seller to take the tubes out and ship or at least pack them separately. He put them all loosely in a zip lock bag and taped it to the top of the 80 lbs. amp. It arrived as a bag of sand and glass shards. He refunded $150 for new tubes. What an idiot.

t-tom · 10-28-2011, 07:40 AM

Thats too bad. That was a great looking serigraph. You should be fine. Ebay will have you send it back, they will ask you for the tracking info (make sure you track the return package) once it shows it was delivered ebay will refund your money. You will have to pay the return shipping. The guy has a pretty low rating on ebay, I wont buy from someone unless they have at least 100 feedback rating. Here is paypals number 1-888-215-5506 you can call and talk to them, they will walk you right through everything you need to know.

nynor · 10-28-2011, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

That's true but the vendor didn't pack the item adequately.

it probably doesn't matter. unless ebay has changed drastically from when i worked in the 'fraud department' there, damaged in shipping is not fraud and ebay doesn't get involved.

t-tom · 10-28-2011, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nynor

it probably doesn't matter. unless ebay has changed drastically from when i worked in the 'fraud department' there, damaged in shipping is not fraud and ebay doesn't get involved.

Ebay has changed ALOT. I'm an ebay seller its what I do for a living. He'll be fine. The item he bought is "ebay buyer protected" He will have no problem getting his money back once the item is returned.

nynor · 10-28-2011, 07:59 AM

well, that is a change for the better. there is that pesky $200 'deductible', however.

t-tom · 10-28-2011, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nynor

well, that is a change for the better. there is that pesky $200 'deductible', however.

There is no deductible now

nynor · 10-28-2011, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t-tom

There is no deductible now

really?! i am out of the loop. i just bought a mirror, $30, for the subaru that was damaged due to POOR packaging. i just wrote it off. the seller was completely uninterested in making it right.

t-tom · 10-28-2011, 08:09 AM

One other thing Motion, be very nice in all the emails you send him. Don't be harsh or threaten him. Ebay can see every email you send to him, and they will look at them.