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@louiseb4231 wrote:

 

I sold a mobile phone on eBay

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To be brutally honest that is rarely ever a good idea. Virtually every "empty package" or different item received claim on these boards has been for a mobile phone.

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@louiseb4231 wrote:

 

A couple of days later the buyer contacted me and said they had only received an empty box with a tear in the side.

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What does the posties' delivery photo show? You can see this if you enter the tracking number into Royal Mail's website here.

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@louiseb4231 wrote:

I looked in to what to do and eBay simple delivery advice said the buyer should report it to eBay, so I asked them to do so. For some reason the buyer opened a return instead of marking the item as not received. I then couldnt do anything apart from wait to escalate the return request; this seemed to be the only way to get eBay to step in.

 

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You needed to upload a return label if eBay hadn't automatically done so. There is a process to follow in return cases that involves getting whatever the buyer claimed they received returned to you even if it's an empty box. Return cases are automated and all the escalate link does is speed up the automated process - a process a seller is almost guaranteed to lose. If you had issued a return label you could have stopped the automated process once the return tracking indicated delivery. It's too late for that now.

None of that is your fault by the way - eBay do not make the correct process clear when a seller is a victim of theft or fraud.

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@louiseb4231 wrote:

 

I waited the time and then escalated it. To me shock after escalating it eBay said they have refunded the buyer out of my funds. Isnt the point of simple delivery that both buyers and sellers are covered with shipping? I contacted eBay to see if a mistake had been made and was advised I need to appeal the decision. 

 

I did this and also spoke to someone on live chat. The person on live chat advised that within 5 days I would be refunded the money that was taken from me. I thought this was it dealt with, but 5 days passed and I received nothing.

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This is very important - do you have a transcript of the live chat session?