Buyer opened a returns case claiming a faulty MacBook, which wasn't true. Seller protection case?

[tob-andru]

I sold a MacBook pro to this buyer that was delivered approximately on the 31st of November. 9 days later on the 9th of December, I got a message from him about the battery being faulty and him wanting a partial refund of £45 for a new one. The battery was completely fine when I sent the item. The only issue with the laptop was a crack in the screen, which he acknowledged and was aware of.

Furthermore, he has continued to threaten me with deadlines to pay this fee and for it to be paid outside of eBay, using a 'friends and family' service that gives me no protection whatsoever. I kindly offered to pay half of what he asked for as a gesture of goodwill, as I want the best for both parties, however, he declined and continued to threaten me with deadlines, stating that I have "till midnight today to comply".

I asked for evidence of the problem, to which he sent two photos of the laptop with a black screen whilst it was charging. However, the laptop seemed to be in a much worse condition than when I sent it (lots of grease marks on the screen and an assortment of dirt and what looked like food on the keyboard and body). Please note that the item was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected with COVID-19 regulations in mind before it was sent.

The item was listed without the option of it being returned as it was an honest sale with everything described as is. He has since opened up a returns case and the money has been taken out of my account, essentially forcing me to accept the return.

What is stopping him from receiving the laptop, accidentally breaking it and then claiming it arrived in that condition? What stops any buyer with bad intentions from receiving an item, deliberately breaking it and opening up a returns case claiming it arrived in that condition? Do I have to just accept the return of the broken laptop and try to sell it for even less? It just seems completely unfair with eBay completely supporting the buyer? Where is the seller protection? I feel like I've been backed into a corner by the seller and eBay, to be honest. I've opened up a case myself with a similar message to what I've said here but I have had no reply from eBay as of yet. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[rmykelley]

I had a very similar experience and got very inconsistent advice from eBay. And ultimately no help.

Buyer reported the hard drive had failed after about a week of using it. I offered him a full refund to return it but instead he wanted £75 to have the drive replaced. I took him at his word and gave the refund.

Then 2 weeks later he claimed there were further issues and got abusive. I was concerned these problems might have been caused by the repair work so I asked him if he’d had it done. This was how eBay advised me to approach it. Anyway it turned out he hadn’t got the work done. Thinking about it now, not sure how he was using it if the drive had failed...

I followed eBay guidelines for returns, sent postage label and he sent it back really badly packed. It arrived with lots of external damage. eBay would not get involved because they took his word that I’d sold him a dud. And I learned they don’t have any guidelines for buyers returning an item. I think he could have posted it in a paper bag and they would have still sided with him.

So you can say “no returns” in your listing (I had - this was an 7 year old Mac) but it means nothing if ebay get involved...

Oh - I used “Report a problem with this buyer” after he sent back the Mac loose in the box. Didn’t hear anything from eBay.

[tobiasd4]

What ever you believe is right or wrong, you won't win.

Ebay always believe buyer.

There is no case seller can open.

Accept the case, issue returns label & refund in full on return.

If you refuse or ignore case, buyer can escalate after 3 days, ebay will refund buyer with your money & they keep item.

You also need to change P&P for phone, items over £50 MUST be sent Special delivery or you may end up refunding buyer if there is a problem & RM won't compensate you.

[plpmr]

you will get more and quicker help if you use paragraphs instead of a solid block of over 400 words.