Advice on eBay dispute resolution

[ghsqb]

Hi folks,

 

Need some advice on an eBay problem I'm having.

 

I bid on and won a shrinked SW:TESB on eBay at a steal of a price of 25 Euros.

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 290585137344

 

I asked for confirmation of shipping costs, then paid right away by Paypal.

 

A few days later, the seller sent me a refund and a message saying that he couldn't find the game in order to send it to me.

 

This is despite apparently having it in order to take a picture of it for the auction listing, and also confirming me the shipping costs.

 

So why am I complaining if I got my refund?

 

I believe the seller just simply didn't like the price that it sold for, especially since two identical items sold for close to $100US within the previous week.

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 130556099722

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 110718140306

 

I think it sucks that someone can list an item, not like the price that it sells for and just tell they buyer they lost it.

 

Is this something you'd go to the resolution center about, or is it dead since I got a refund?

 

What do you think?

[SpaceDice2010]

The resolution center wont do anything for you at all. Leave negative feedback.

[coyo5050]

Same thing happened to me before. Got a good price, much lower than a couple others sold for. Seller said it was shipped. 2 weeks later hadn't received so contacted seller. Seller said was lost and refunded money without me asking. I asked for a tracking number and seller refused to give it. Big surprise they re-listed it 90 days later...with a reserve price. Ebay basically said too bad since the seller refunded my money, said it was "resolved". You can try if you want but I think ebay auto-rejects the dispute like you havent paid for it. Sorry, just more seller BS that Ebay ignores.

 

Seller name I had problem with btw was swt_lady

Edited August 9, 2011 by coyo5050

[Uzumaki]

Reserve fee avoidance

 

It's an on going problem on eBay and some of eBay forum is full of it. Seller starts an auction very cheap, it doesn't go for as much as seller wanted. They either end the auction early, canceling all bids and relist. Usually relisted for much higher starting bid. Or let the auction end, then claim it's missing, broken, out of stock, or shipped and never provide proof of shipment.

 

I've had 2 sellers like this. One claimed it was shipped but when I asked for tracking or proof of shipment, he conveniently misunderstood the question and said "should be there soon". Yet when I filed for dispute in hope eBay becomes aware of unreliable and lying seller, he refunded like 10 minutes later. Never provided proof at all, and seller had to eat a neg from me. A zero FB seller listed a new auction that looks like the stuff I won and never got, and comes from the same area as the scumbag seller. When I tried to bid on it, I was blocked... Fortunately I have multiple ID on eBay (all legal) and used second one that was connected to my older street address that my friend still lives at. If I win it for about the same amount, I won't be surprised if the item got "lost" in the mail and I got refunded within seconds of demanding proof of shipment or full refund.

 

Another seller kept canceling and relisting auction for a laptop that had no battery or PSU but tested working. I wanted the model to fix my broken laptop as I still have good battery and PSU and just xfer my HDD. After a few canceled and relisted auction, it ended up sitting at over $500 without a bidder. I could still buy new laptop of this model elsewhere outside eBay for under $400. That seller the one losing money from listing fees without selling it. The past completed auction for used & working laptop with nothing else (no battery, no PSU) was generally $200 to $250. Greedy seller was too lazy to check the completed auction and get a better idea what is really average selling price.

 

I think the issue is that some sellers who sells only via BIN are the one setting very unrealistic expectation of what would be fair market value of the item. Thus sellers who sells via auction are spoiled and get upset if they don't get close to what the greedy BIN seller expected. I bet if if a few of us started selling loose Combat cart at $50 BIN, some other sellers would start following us and list their auction starting or BIN at or near $50

 

It's almost impossible for eBay to prove reserve fee avoidance since seller can still claim the item in question got broke, stolen, etc and had to cancel the auction, and claim the newly listed auction is for a different item that looks the same. :x eBay is aware of this, and they are suffering because new bidders who got bad luck with flaky seller are turned off and doesn't come back anymore. Plus long time buyer may also quit ebay, which means fewer buyers left for auction, which in turns mean lower final amount, lower FVF, and lower Paypal fees. Plus sellers who creates throwaway account for relisting may slither away to a different account and never pay any of outstanding fees.

 

I'm tempted to quit eBay comletely because of that 2 greedy relister plus a few counterfeit products (G1 Transformer DVD for example) and obscene number of sellers who drops off the face of the earth. I remember the old day when scam were about as common as honest politician. But this year so far, about 1 in 3 auction I buy I have to file dispute, which is way excessive. Even 100% feedback and all 5 DSR don't mean anything anymore when seller can just quit and take all the money away.

 

What I would love is a honest to goodness witch doctor that can put all the sellers under curse. If they intentionally cancel auction or refuse to send item(s), and relist because the auction ended too low, their genitalia rots and falls off, turning the seller into eunuch. In the case of female seller, their innards rots and turns itself inside out, making them unable to bear any children or enjoy pleasure. Same thing when seller knowing sells counterfeit items, blatantly lies in description (ie, claims mint book, sends an used dog chewed up and pee'd on book), and when seller runs away with money and not send anything at all.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Uzumaki