I'm writing this post from a place of immense stress and frustration, hoping to share my recent experience to warn other sellers and perhaps find some advice. I feel as though I've been completely failed by eBay's system, and by rigid processes that disregard human circumstances.
Recently, I sold a drone on eBay. Shortly after the sale, the buyer initiated a return request. Unfortunately, at that exact time, I experienced a sudden and severe medical emergency that required immediate medical attention and rendered me completely incapacitated and unable to access my eBay account or respond to any communications.
When I finally recovered and was able to check my account, I found that eBay had already closed the case in the buyer's favour. What's worse, when I tried to appeal, the appeal itself was closed in just one minute, clearly indicating an automated process with no human review whatsoever of my explanation for being unresponsive.
The devastating outcome:
The buyer received a full refund from eBay.
The buyer now possesses my drone for free.
I have lost both the item and the money I was relying on.
I have spent hours on the phone with eBay customer service. Despite explaining that I was medically incapacitated and offering to provide documentation to prove my inability to respond, I'm being given "round options" and a complete unwillingness to deviate from their standard policy. I even argued that this situation feels like discrimination, as their rigid, automated system effectively punishes sellers for health conditions that prevent them from complying with strict timelines.
This isn't just about the financial loss; it's about the deep unfairness and the complete lack of human consideration from a major platform during a time of genuine crisis. It feels like the system is designed to protect itself, even at the expense of sellers who face unavoidable, life-threatening situations.
My questions to the community:
Has anyone else experienced anything similar where a severe medical emergency prevented you from responding to an eBay case?
Did you find any way to successfully appeal or recover your losses from eBay?
Do you have any advice on escalating this further beyond standard customer service, given their lack of compassion?
Please be vigilant, sellers. If you ever face an emergency, understand that eBay's automated processes may not show any leniency, and you could end up losing both your item and your funds.
Thanks for reading.
