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Original poster

To never want to sell on ebay because it brings disaster into your life?

211 replies

PuffinNose · 01/09/2017 22:47

In the last month, I've bought 12 things from ebay. However of those sellers:

  • 1 had an unexpected bereavement so couldn't post for ages
  • Another's partner was rushed into hospital so couldn't post for ages (must have ruined the holiday they told me they had planned a few days after I paid).
  • 1 was flooded and hasn't had a computer so couldn't post (but thankfully they had their phone of something because they could reply to feedback)
  • 1 of them had a pesky dog who damaged the item. I was a bit disappointed because the item went for much less than it should have done.
  • 1 of them has posted it but it's gone missing but darn it, the post office printer wasn't working so she has no proof but she did post it so no won't refund (don't worry, I know my rights).

So, ebay sellers seem to be an unlucky lot.

What are the best lines you've had from ebay sellers/buyers?

For the record, I'm generally not bothered about delays as long as they tell me. I've replied nicely to all the messages and symphasised as apprpropriate.

OP posts:
Miserylovescompany2 · 02/09/2017 09:54

Never let a buyer arrange their own courier - as you found out - its a recipe for disaster - cash on collection only for large/costly items! Some buyers know exactly how to play the system...

Both ebay and PayPal have automated services - I don't even think an actual human sets eyes on the cases for the most part?

I sold a brand new pair of boots from Next - buyer states they are torn on the inside the only place I hadn't photographed I paid return postage fees only to get a worn pair of boots back! Evil bint must of had herself a night out wearing them at my expense!

She was also a seller - so I returned the favour I didn't damage the item though just opened a SNAD case and won!

FetchezLaPhoque · 02/09/2017 09:56

Tiddlywinks I had similar with a bag that was listed "like new" but absolutely stunk. Luckily they'd also listed it as leather and it wasn't so eBay refunded me. The seller had been abusive when I'd initially contacted her so I was pleased that eBay were so good. But I've been on the other side as a seller and had to issue refunds for ridiculous reasons. I've not sold on there for a while now.

BWatchWatcher · 02/09/2017 09:59

I bought a Pokemon card album that arrived with a pubic hair from the seller.
Eww

CakeNinja · 02/09/2017 10:01

OhMrBadger, exactly the same thing happened to me. Purchasers can be just as scummy as sellers.
I don't use it anymore - was put off by my brief use of it, how low can people get?

IClavdivs · 02/09/2017 10:13

JaneEyre70 FILs battery operated bath raiser chair. Sorry to hear about your annoying experience in ebay, but your post piqued my interest in another (completely self-centred) way.

I have RA, and been unable to have a bath for years as I cannot get up from a position sitting on the ground, or in this case in a bath. When it first started, I looked at adapting the bath, but the cost was thousands.

Can you tell me how they work? Do you just put it into the bath, sit on it at chair height and it lowers you into the tub, where you stay on the seat and relax or whatever in the water, and then it raises you again? How high is the seat initially? I prefer seats to be slightly higher than my knees, so that when seated my hips are higher than them, so that I can stand straight up - this was the main criterion for my last car purchase. Would you recommend it, or is it more trouble than it's worth? i googled it, but that doesn't really give the reality of actually using it.

It sounds stupid, but how I yearn to lie in a hot bath and read for an hour.

Thanks very much.

SukiTheDog · 02/09/2017 10:29

If you pay with PayPal can't you automatically get a refund?

crazycatgal · 02/09/2017 10:36

I sold some new hair extensions once that got lots of bids and one woman won. Days later she still hadn't paid so I contacted her on the phone number she had provided on ebay. When she answered she was fine until I explained who I was and then she suddenly couldn't speak English. By this point it was too late to contact the next highest bidder. Angry

Pearli · 02/09/2017 10:44

I find Facebook selling sites or gumtree a lot better/easier. I used to be a business seller on ebay but couldn't cope with the stress of the customers, honestly some of the situations, you couldn't write it.

pisacake · 02/09/2017 10:45

I bought some Sennheiser headphones, they were fine but broke quickly. Looked at the packaging, found they were fake (spelling errors and what not). I pointed these out to seller, he went mental saying I had damaged his headphones. Opened a claim to ebay they said to send them back, I said no, not sending back fakes, they are going in the bin.

I then opened a case with credit card company who I submitted a document showing all the signs that the headphones were fake. Money was refunded by them. Ebay just don't care. They are responsible for billions in fraud which they don't care to investigate or try to restrict.

Distractotron · 02/09/2017 10:48

Bought a pair of nearly new MBT trainers. Have had them before and loved them. Wore them to work (hospital). The rubber foam bit between the sole and the bottom of the shoe part, gradually disintegrated and I left trails of black bits everywhere. Tried to tape them but didn't work. Really embarrassing.
I contacted the seller, who was very rude and said the shoes had 'been in his family for years'. He offered a partial refund as he didn't want a defective product back. I should have asked for a full refund, but thought I could fix the shoes somehow.
Turns out MBTs age badly, and the rubber foam bit that cushions your feet when walking, starts to break down when a few years old. And nobody repairs them Sad I can't afford a new pair so am really disappointed!

BWatchWatcher · 02/09/2017 10:55

My mother has a battery operated bath chair. It lowers you into the bath and then brings you back. She loves it.

jennielou75 · 02/09/2017 11:04

My mum has one too. I think she spent £1000 on it but she loves a bath and it meant she could have one without fear of falling.

MargaretCabbage · 02/09/2017 11:05

I bought a storage system that fixes to the wall from eBay and when it arrived the biggest and most important piece was missing, but the seller insisted it had never been opened. I could see that the box had been chopped down so it would be less than 1 metre long so the courier would take it, and the missing piece was well over that. I think they must have taken it out to ship. Hmm I got a refund from eBay and returned it.

Recently sold some bulky baby items as collection only because I couldn't be bothered to post and someone bought something and asked for it to be posted. I said I'd try and find a box big enough but they'd have to wait, and then they sent multiple harassing messages every day about it until I sent them a link to purchase a box and have it posted to my house, and they decided they'd leave it.

CountryMouseCityMouse · 02/09/2017 11:06

Ah this is a great thread!

I sold a designer bag for a lot less than it was worth but sent it on as promised. The person who received it claimed it was a counterfeit. I explained that it wasn't & provided proof of this but if she wasn't happy she could send it back for a refund as it had sold for so much less than it was worth so I'd be happy to have it back. She said she wanted it, but she wanted a refund for what she'd paid & to give me £20 for it. Hmm I suspect she knew it was authentic but was trying her luck trying to get the bag for much less than it was worth as she didn't want to return it!

Recently I've bought my 2 month old baby a coat from a seller (new). A huge looking coat arrived in the post (size 2 years). Messaged to query it & the seller said she didn't have the right size in stock so sent another size to avoid "delay". It'll be delayed because it'll be 2 years until she can wear the thing!!

JaneEyre70 · 02/09/2017 11:10

Iclav it uses a car type battery, and you fix it to the wall and a support leg type thing on the side of the bath. FIL bought it from one of those awful catalogues that send a salesman round and he paid around £2k for it, but to be fair, it was great and you just sat on the seat, and lowered yourself to the height you wanted to be. It gave him great independence from having to have someone in the house just in case he couldn't get back out, and they are fitted quite easily. Just try a local firm rather than one of the national ones.

RedBlu · 02/09/2017 11:12

I won something on eBay the other day, won it really cheap as she had listed it as collection only but I asked her via message if she would post and she said she would.

I needed her to send me an invoice with the postage, never did. Chased a few times with no response so opened a disputed and the item had magically been damaged in storage and she cancelled the auction...

Now stalking her eBay page to see if it gets re-listed!

Pigflewpast · 02/09/2017 11:15

I stopped using ebay after several nightmare transactions and now use a local Facebook selling page. It's amazing how many people are suddenly ill, or children start vomiting, at the time they are supposed to pick up the item. Or who take "collection only" to mean I'll be happy to deliver to address several miles out of the sites area for no fee. Have decided it's not worth the hassle unless it's an expensive item now, everything else goes to charity shop.

bitemytoenails · 02/09/2017 11:24

i think as a seller you just have to put things on there eso cheap that you would be happy with a small amount or take things to charity shop instead as it's just not worth the hassle ime.

Ellisandra · 02/09/2017 11:28

I sold a PS3 once. I'd bought it on eBay from Tesco Warranty - never opened it, missed the 28 day return.

Explained all that in listing.
Photos showed it had clearly never been opened (Tesco security stickers).

Went for a fab price to buyer on a BIN.

Could I please send it next day delivery oh and before 09:00 because it was to work and he went off shift later. It would arrive Thu, it was a birthday present for his daughter on Sunday.

It was listed as free P&P. I decided to just take the hit. My fault for knowing before 09:00 is eye watering your expensive!

I also had 2 games not in the listing. I stuck them in with a card saying "hope your girl has a lovely day".

I also explained in the listing and firstly, that it was from Tesco Warranty, unopened and I'd never checked it. So please, check it works.

On the Monday I get a shitty message that one of the controllers didn't work, they'd spent her entire birthday trawling town before finally finding a controller in the same colour in CEX, and now "my wife is just fed up with it all so we want to send it back for a full refund and you pay postage and btw I want £20 for the controller".

I told him no.

Fortunately, he went away.

Logans · 02/09/2017 11:35

Ellisandra

You were far too generous agreeing to do that!!

Ellisandra · 02/09/2017 11:38

Stupid more like Shock
I thought "sod it, postage will be a tenner" - it was more like £30 Shock

But I found that out at the PO, having said yes to it...

It could easily have been true than one controller was damaged, but I'd messaged him about checking everything. And I pointed out that if he had, I could have had a new one to him next day delivery in time. I really didn't like the "my wife says..."
Though it actually made it really easy for me to reply - because it's easier to say "I think your wife is unreasonable because XYZ" instead of "you are unreasonable".

BattleaxeGalactica · 02/09/2017 11:41

Selling on eBay has been shit ever since they removed the facility for sellers to leave negative feedback for buyers and bent over backwards to ensure sellers have to refund at the faintest sign of a bleat.

They don't want the private sellers the business was originally based on. It's easier for them to have business sellers who will regard the odd claim for a lost item as part of the deal. They've turned it into a scammer's paradise as far as private sellers are concerned. I used to sell a lot there but not now. I'd rather do a car boot sale and get hassle free cash upfront then donate the rest to charity.

expatinscotland · 02/09/2017 11:53

I buy a lot on Ebay, but stopped selling years ago after a pisstaking buyer tried to get a refund and keep the item.

Logans · 02/09/2017 11:53

I list everything I sell with the options of either 2nd class recorded, 1st class recorded or next day, with different prices for the different options and posting within 3 business days to cover myself in case I can't get to the post office in time.

At one point, about 20% of the buyers of my items on eBay would choose the cheapest option (2nd class recorded) then message saying

"I need the item urgently for a birthday / wedding / insert other fabricated event on Saturday. It's a present so really important I absolutely must get it ASAP before Saturday. Please can you post tomorrow and make sure it arrives before then?"

So I took great joy in messaging back telling the cheeky fuckers to fuck off that I was posting 2nd cl rec within 3 business days as per the listing and if they now wanted a faster shipping option I would be happy to upgrade it for the correct cost.

Guess what they invariably message back!!?

"Nah, doesn't matter".

Bettercallsaul1 · 02/09/2017 11:57

No good deed goes unpunished, Ellisandra!