Item not received claim

[hagy_3554]

Hi guys. So I recently sold a camera for £650. I'd been hesitant to sell such a high ticketed item but I saw them going for a good price on eBay, so thought I'd give it a go.

Within days someone bought it for the full asking price. Buyer had 8 positive reviews within the last year, so everything looked above board.

I sent the item with yodel, tracked delivery, marked with the seller's name and address. Yesterday the item was marked as delivered by the delivery company (yodel), and shortly after I receive a message from the buyer, saying that they hadn't received the item, and asking me for the courier's contact details. I explained that I didn't have said details, but said that they should contact yodel. The next day the buyer opens a return request.

I have uploaded photos of the package before delivery, tracking details and shipping details; but I can't  find any other way to respond to this request, other than arranging a full / parcial refund, which I'm obviously not going to do! Is there anything else I can do to protect myself at this stage? 

Would really appreciate any advice on this, based on your previous experience. 

Cheers all!

[tranceenthusiast]

Hi not meaning to jump on ops thread. I only ever send via QR code purchased through eBay. The item was sent to the buyers address on file which I'm assuming is there home address. The buyer or someone has redirected it to a post office which I'm assuming is there local one. 

I see, so op can apeal, but how would they ever prove either way? 

[*vyolla*]

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@tranceenthusiast wrote:

This is so bad, it's obvious what this guys buyer is doing. Why should he have to just accept it? What if they send back a completely different item ( I mean it's obvious that they will Because they are literally saying they received a different item ) How would ebay prove this? It's all open to interpretation. EBay really need to protect sellers more.

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Without wishing to sound harsh, sellers do need to protect themselves a bit too. A new seller listing a top dollar item is going to attract a few unsavoury types. I've been selling on eBay for nearly 20 years but would think twice about listing a camera of that value, I'm pretty sure that many of the other responders would feel the same. 

The usual way forward in these situations is that the seller accepts the return and gets their item back, if it isn’t their item they then immediately file a report with Action Fraud and get a reference number.

The seller then clicks the "Report a problem" link in the case, selects "Different item returned" as the reason and provides the Actionfraud reference number and report. This stops the automated returns process that would ultimately force the seller to issue a refund.

Then, someone at eBay reviews the case. As to what happens next depends on a few factors - if the buyer has done this before, if the seller is a long standing eBay member who's had no issues like this before etc.  We've seen a good few threads recently here in which the sellers have been in a similar scenario but have not lost out. 

[tranceenthusiast]

Cheers for info, it's good to hear there is some protection when selling here. Sounds a bit frustrating though to have to through action froud etc. I hope op gets this resolved. 

I'm certain I'll be getting INR tomorrow. 

[hagy_3554]

So the buyer closed the return case when he realised I wasn’t going to accept it; eBay released the funds into my account; and the buyer left me negative feedback - which eBay later removed. I won! 

In future, I’ll get signed postage on any high ticketed item. But the motto of the story is - always get tracking and never respond to the scammer’s demands. Consult with eBay or someone level headed who can help you to think rationally about the situation, such as the eBay community. EBay themselves barely got involved.

Thanks for your help guys. 

[tressygirl]

Excellent result !  😊

@hagy_3554 

[4_bathrooms]

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@hagy_3554 wrote:

In future, I’ll get signed postage on any high ticketed item.

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For future reference you need to use a service that requires a signature on delivery for any order worth £450 or more. You actually had a very lucky escape here - had your buyer opened an "item not received" case (instead of an "item not as described" case) you would have automatically lost the case even with the tracking you had.