The Wholesale Forums

[Eklipz]

Well, a few weeks back, i sold an Xbox 360 + Intercooler and a handfull of games (mix of original xbox and xbox 360 games)

I got a message that the 360 was not working, the strange thing was the day before i sent it, i tested it and it worked absolutely fine. So now after a exchange of emails, the buyer complains there are red lights, but didnt tell me how many after i asked 5 times, then the buyer says that the console keeps turning off, this could have been due to the intercooler which i told the buyer use at your own will as I never used my self but just included in the auction. Then the buyer requested a refund and said they would report me to eBay, now although i stated no refunds/returns in the auction, I thought well its not fair in that sense so I offered a refund her the money once she sent it back. She later emailed me and said that it started working (strange, miracle?) but that the original xbox games wouldnt work, and once again, she had a right go at me saying that I must have known they wouldn't work, I mean come on, how stupid can you get when you specifically tell some one that to Play the original Xbox games, she would need to update.
I haven't heard from the Buyer for about 2 weeks, but if he/she emails me again about the 360 not working, although she told me it did then should I refund? I mean, the xbox was in perfect condition, now i know paypal are a bit iffy with chargebacks and really skim over them and i dont want a situation where by the buyer still has the 360 and files a chargeback

I am more than certain that it did not get damaged during delivery.

[MustHaveMobiles]

Paypal will require a proof of return (ie. recorded mail number) in order to process the refund, so as long as it went recorded then there should be no issue with her keeping the goods.

It may simply be someone trying it on, I recently sold a transformers collection for quite a substantial amount and the listing listed all the different models as to their condition. The buyer then complained that two of the models that were clearly listed as incomplete were incomplete and that they thought they would be perfect and as such wanted a refund, they also filed a claim with Paypal.

Paypal required the postage return as recorded (actually it required Special due to value of the whole lot not simply the ones that they were complaining about), miraculously they realised they hadn't "read the listing properly" and ceased the complaint.

Don't just assume that Paypal will auto side with the buyer, follow the rules and they are surprisingly fair compared to some of the ***** that you read about on the net.

[anotheruser]

Well, a few weeks back

When? Vague is no good to you.

I got a message that the 360 was not working

When? The day she received it? A week later? The day after? You need tobe precise.

Did you take the serial number of the console? Did you mark or label the games yuo sent with it?

Then the buyer requested a refund and said they would report me to eBay

When? How long EXACTLY after the end of the auction? How long EXACTLY after she received the goods?

Check the ebay rules and see if there is a time limit beyond which you can block any comment or feedback from the buyer. Somebody more used to ebay will be able to advise, but I would have thought it would be better to put the full report together - forget it if you've destroyed all the emails and other evidence - and tell ebay what's been going on, including copies of all correspondence, so her untoward actions are less likely to harm you.

Take a look at Paypal's terms and conditions for the contract you have with them. If in any doubt, do the full report before she gets to them so they can see what has transpired.

In other words, get your retaliation in first.

<edit> Ignore what I've said and take MustHaveMobiles' advice. He knows a damned site more than I do about ebay and paypal. We must have been typing at the same time.</edit>

[D M]

Looks like you've found yourself an average ebay customer (completely stupid).

Ebay makes me want to cry sometimes!

[Eklipz]

Well honestly, it pains me to say but sometimes you deal with the biggest idiots.
I mean this was a second time selling this i.e relist. The first time i stated that any with feedback lower than 5 should not bid, it was bold, big and in red, you could not miss it, yet some one came a long and bought it and when i messaged them to say, do not send the money, as i will not send the item, the buyer then went to say to me, "i dont want it any way, you said 9 games, its only 4 Xbox 360 games and the other 5 are Xbox games" buyer than reported me to eBay, threatened to call police and take me to court. I am a student, but I have enough knowledge to fight these kind of things, so I sternly replied if they wanted to take this matter outside of eBay, here is the contact for my lawyer and i just explained that the item listing which clearly stated the games involved in the auction as well as the feedback requirement would be sent to his/her lawyer. A few minutes later, the buyer responded and said "Sorry, my Teenage son bidded on the item in a Hurry and has informed me that he has got him self in bother"

Just out of curiosity, because I did not state a return policy, and also stated in the listing no returns, if in case the buyer does take this up with eBay, would that be point to proove, although I did offer to refund her money once the item returned which she never replied to

and how long do you have until you can file a charge back? is it 60 days?

[anotheruser]

Eklipz, Mike (MustHaveMobiles) has already told you they need the return proof to claim on Paypal so stop worrying about that one. To find out the time scale, read their terms, which are on their web site.

Similarly, there are guidelines and tutorials all over the ebay web site. if you are nervous, read through them a couple of times.

Here, you can get other people's opinions. Not legal advice. just opinions from lay people. That will not help you in a court of law. There is no substitute for having a good handle on the terms of business of the people you are going to deal regularly with. In your case, might I respectfully suggest, that would include ebay and paypal.

[Eklipz]

Yea, i have taken into account as to "if" the situation did go as far as the buyer opening a dispute then I will take some of steps mentioned in this thread, good advice

my last query is, in general, since I am looking to get back into selling on eBay, I have never come across any help on the eBay regarding a situation where the buyer has returned the item faulty. Now the complications of this could be that they could claim that they received it faulty nor is there a way to prove that they didn't, any advice on this?

[anotheruser]

If you ship faulty goods, having told the buyer they are OK, you are wrong. It is illegal. If they get broken in transit, that is another matter. Are you taking out adequate carriage insurance?

What happens more often, though, is that a scammer will buy from you, then return a faulty, similar item bought elsewhere.

You need to make sure you note the serial number of each item before you send it out and record who you send it to. Along with te paperwork you send, make sure that serial number is on it for the recipient to see. Or, for smaller items, get a marker of the type greedyboy sells and mark everything you send out. When you receive a return you then know damned well whether it is something you sold or a scamming attempt.

Make it clear in your terms you only refund or replace on returned goods which you sold in the first place. Those few scrote scammers who can read will not be quite so quick to try it on then.

[Pete]

You can also have people buying good unitxs from you and swaping defective internal components.

If you only sell electronis occasionally, just print some small labels on your PC. Put them over the seperation point that needs to be opened to access the inner works, as many computer dealers do.

Put your own serial number and it would help to include a barcode, any barcode, since many scammers won't be able to duplicate a label with the exact barcode.

If you sell electronics regularly, yo can buy "tamper resistant" and "tamper evident" tape that will tell if the units have been opened. Cost per sticker is maybe 35 or 35 cents, not much to ensure you are getting your own unit back.

You can find such stickers with "warranty void if unit is opened" or similar wording.

When I was building systems for point-of-sale and GPS vehicle tracking everything I delivered had such labels. And I know who I was selling to.
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[Eklipz]

oh that sounds good, i guess i will do that next time,
thanks pete