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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

CF eBay chancer: AIBU/WWYD?

356 replies

ZazuMoon · 04/06/2019 13:05

First time poster.

I sold a Dyson airwrap last week as unused (which it is, it was an unneeded gift). Buyer messaged the day after purchase asking when it was arriving despite me providing delivery information. I paid almost £30 for delivery to cover its insurance. The package was lost over the weekend due to an admitted fault by Parcel force. Buyer emailing all weekend chasing despite me reassuring that I'd spent 2-3 hours on the phone/going to the post office to chase. It arrived today, one day after the estimated delivery time. She is now claiming the item is used. I asked for photos and they are not of my hair and not the condition the item was sent in. I know this but I can't prove it to eBay. She wants £100 refund and has sent a string of nasty messages all morning. I have acknowledged to her that I accept that she is unhappy with the whole experience but that I felt this was too high. Privately, I feel that she is seeking compensation for the late delivery or trying her luck but I have no way of demonstrating this to eBay. I am heavily pregnant and whilst I would Ordinarily be disputing this, I am considering relenting. AIBU/WWYD?

OP posts:
Tistheseason17 · 05/06/2019 19:57

When you posted it the weight of the item will have been recorded.

Ask her to weigh the item to prove it had items missing - but don't tell her what it should weigh!

Your postage proof of weight should be good enough for ebay evidence. She's a CF.

Mamaslave18 · 05/06/2019 19:57

Gosh something similar happened to me only I was the buyer. I bought a “brand new” expensive buggy. When it arrived it had clearly been used and had scratches and even chocolate marks on. I asked to return it and the seller tried to offer a partial refund. She thought she could claim money from the courier company for the “damage”, even though it was clearly from use.
When I refused she went nuts and bombarded me with tons of messages everyday. She never collected the buggy and EBay eventually refunded me. It took months to resolve though.

purplebunny2012 · 05/06/2019 20:15

I would have to cover her return costs as she is claiming it is not as described. So by the time I have paid those out and then posted to a new buyer there wouldn't be much difference from the £100. It's more the principle.

Colour me confused. Why are you paying to post to a new buyer? Did you pay to post to her in the first place? Seller doesn't pay postage

AdobeWanKenobi · 05/06/2019 20:18

Don’t sell to 0% feedback either!!!

Don't be ridiculous. Everyone has to start somewhere.

lololove · 05/06/2019 20:26

purplebunny - she means if/when she sells it again, sending it onto a new buyer.

OopsIdidittentimes · 05/06/2019 20:33

I had this with someone that bought a very expensive unopened/unused pair of headphones, they opened the box, declared it used and demanded a £75 partial refund knowing full well I would find it harder to sell the unsealed item (it had a special seal).

Basically I ended up selling it at a loss for less hassle, I had a feeling they may actually damage them before returning as they were very insistent.

RedHelenB · 05/06/2019 20:43

Fed up with Ebay
Son sold things for a few quid and buyers quibbling. Having to refund and losing out on one and postage for something costing a few quid. Just annoying now. We got some great stuff on Ebay but I'm not selling anything else now

Leafs123 · 05/06/2019 20:47

I gave up on ebay after a couple of similar experiences but with much cheaper items. The whole experience was really upsetting and made me feel really anxious. Sending lots of empathy. Be strong and keep us posted!

purplebunny2012 · 05/06/2019 21:00

purplebunny - she means if/when she sells it again, sending it onto a new buyer.

I know, I don't understand why she is paying postage as the seller, the buyer pays postage

WoollyMollyMonkey · 05/06/2019 21:03

Yes me too. I ‘won’ a bundle of 5 designer label men’s shirts, but only got sent 3 of them. Totally confused so contacted to ask if the other 2 were being sent separately or had they forgot to include and got a tirade of abuse back about being a scammer etc. I would have dropped it (I hate confrontation, I’m a real scaredy cat) but I was furious! I only really wanted a couple of them but they were two of the missing ones. I was able to prove they hadn’t been sent as the weight of 5 would have been too much for the postage they paid. I got a pro rate refund through Paypal and left a scathing negative review. He tried to do the negative review on me but I got it removed. Tosser, it still makes me angry and it was about 3 years ago now.

4legsandawaggytail · 05/06/2019 21:04

The problem is, sometimes Paypal refunds before the item is back under the buyer protection scheme. Fucks over buyers constantly. This is why there are so many opportunists on Ebay. Ebay have time and time again given all the power to buyers. I refuse to sell on Ebay now.

Zoejj77 · 05/06/2019 21:17

I would get it back from her if she’s so unhappy. People are CF all the time on eBay and more so with expensive items. Sell it again on a market place site where it’s cash on collection

HundredMilesAnHour · 05/06/2019 21:20

I think all these CFs have ruined Ebay for 'normal' (i.e. honest!) people now. As more and more normal people stop using Ebay, just the CFs are left so your chances of encountering one get higher and higher.

Unfortunately Facebook Marketplace is particularly active where I live so it's pretty much Ebay or nothing. I guess that means nothing. Things I would have sold on Ebay, I now give to my local charity shop. I could do with the money I'd get from selling them as I'm out of work at the moment but it's just not worth the stress of dealing with the CFs. I did sell a couple of pairs of expensive shoes on Ebay but Royal Mail then lost one pair and I took a financial hit as the insurance only covered me up to £50 and Signed For is literally that. There's no tracking other than when it's delivered so the shoes just disappeared into the ether. The buyer was gutted (there were uniqye shoes that are sold out) and I was gutted. No more for me, it's just not worth it.

HundredMilesAnHour · 05/06/2019 21:20

Sorry, that should have been Marketplace is NOT active. Duh!

Densol999 · 05/06/2019 21:48

I would definitely not end this with ebay if you loose. Id make a claim in the small claims court for your losses.

I thought originally you were talking about a hoover, not hairstyler for that money ! Wow I had no idea they cost that much money - learned something today Star

ThatssomebadhatHarry · 05/06/2019 21:56

I used to love eBay but now only buy the odd item, never sell.

Bettybeautiful28 · 05/06/2019 22:01

If a case is opened eBay will have some history on this person. Likely that this sort of behaviour is a pattern. Other thing is to get them to send it back so they don’t benefit. Annoying but better that then to let them get a new item for next to nothing. Good luck x

notsodimwit · 05/06/2019 22:03

Just quickly skimmed through this but if she opened a non delivery case can you put the tracking number in to show delivery and would the case then close? Not sure if she can the reopen another one stating not as discribed Sad I hate bloody scammers! Sad

Original poster
ZazuMoon · 05/06/2019 22:06

@bummy I'm worried about identifying her ebay username until the case is settled.

@inchoccyheaven the package was over 4kg

OP posts:
Original poster
ZazuMoon · 05/06/2019 22:09

@purplebunny I offered 'free' postage which actually turned out to be almost £30. I usually only sell low value light items and so spend maximum £4. Lesson learned.

OP posts:
Original poster
ZazuMoon · 05/06/2019 22:13

@densol I know! My MIL raves about Dyson products so DH thought I would want one. At that cost I just wanted to put it towards baby stuff but didn't want to seem ungrateful. If I'd just said something straight away we could have returned it to Dyson.

OP posts:
bestinshowtime · 05/06/2019 22:15

I've given up eBay because of all the items going missing and the last nightmare I had when l'd sent something recorded delivery. Buyer wasn't home when delivery attempted and then must of arranged with collection office to have it re-delivered. He then wasn't home again. He was left a card again which stated he had to collect the item. He never did so after a very long time it was returned to me, I'd only put my name and postcode so I was quite surprised when it eventually made it back to me. The buyer didn't contact me. I don't know why but I didn't think to get in touch with them - this was my mistake in this. I literally sold this new item for pence and made a loss on the postage. I just didn't want it. I didn't attempt to resell it, I literally put it in the bin. Anyway He send me a message eventually calling me a dishonest bitch as his opening line and that I had never sent the item. Hmmm well it turns out that sending the item is not enough because he didn't receive it, despite it being his fault he didn't receive it, so eBay give him a refund plus the expensive postage. So I give up.

Although once I Hermes something to the same person twice. So buyer two says not received and I couldn't work it out. I asked buyer 1 if I had made this mistake after my Hermes suggested that is what had happened and he said yes thanks for that and he kept both. My own fault there, total idiot. I had been ranting about Hermes and it turned out it was my fault Shock

JustAverageJen · 05/06/2019 22:20

Sorry not read all messages so this may be covered. My ex used to regularly con people like this on eBay (one of many reasons I got rid) anyway. If you stick to your guns as much as possible and ideally speak to eBay directly they often refund the buyer themselves and you aren't out of pocket. Just keep insisting that if they have a problem it gets sent back. Then when it arrives back say it is not in condition you sent it in so counterclaim. eBay get sick of it all and just refund themselves so neither loses out. Hope that helps x

TheFormidableMrsC · 05/06/2019 22:33

I have a love/hate relationship with e-bay. I use it all the time to buy, I sell a lot too. Mostly it's been OK except for a couple of high value frauds that saw me lose out. However, I felt really sorry for my (then) teenage daughter who was totally scammed...one ebayer claimed to have forgotten to change her delivery address and it was hours on the phone to the post office/ebay because this woman had moved but still insisted she hadn't received the item (and it was too far for her to go back to her old address to get it!). Despite all of these messages, clearly demonstrating her fault, my daughter lost her item and her money as it was refunded to the buyer. WTAF. On another occasion, a woman said she'd left her boyfriend in the middle of the transaction so she would never get the goods that had arrived (with proof) at his address. Therefore my daughter had to pay her back Hmm. Ebay agreed!!! Daughter no longer uses ebay. They are going to lose out in the long run because people will just stop using it.

I think you persist with this. She's a scammer. Insist on the item being returned. There is no other course of action. I suspect she'll disappear if you continue to stand up to her. I am sorry you're going through this during late pregnancy. Some people are utter arseholes Flowers

flowergrrl77 · 05/06/2019 22:37

So let us know if PayPal or eBay make a decision on the outcome! GL!