eBay is pretty good at refunding money, sorry that it happened to you though. I made sure when I sold my iPhone 4S that I had all the pics eBay would allow and I went into every detail of my phone. So if they didn't see it in pics I made sure that I wrote it in the description. Does the phone still have a warranty, if it does u can always try ya luck at apple my 4s still had 5 months of warranty!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Bought a iPhone 4S on eBay :(
- Thread starter Jasper84
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wow. That sounds horrible. When I list something, I always tell the actual condition of the item. How much did you pay for it, if you don't mind my asking. I have an iPhone 4S that is ACTUALLY in mint condition.
Ebay almost always sides with the buyer. I sold a perfect condition PS3 on ebay once, took at least 10 photos and even a video before i uploaded it. Well the buyer ended up breaking it and telling ebay i sent it to him broken. So ebay refunded him the money and tried to get it from me even though i had all that evidence. Took me about 3 months of fighting with ebay to get my money back. Havnt sold anything on there since.
i did sell my iphone 3G and 3GS on ebay with no issues though
i did sell my iphone 3G and 3GS on ebay with no issues though
If you paid with a credit card through PayPal here's what you do... I know this because I was just on the other end of this as a seller, but I was in the right, but it doesn't matter. Here's why:
Do a charge back with your cc company. They will send it to PayPal. They will represent the seller but the laws go with your credit card company. Unless he can prove it was perfect you will win no questions asked.
I sold 2 jail broken apple TV 2s at the same time. Different buyers. One no issues the other said it didn't work. It did, I tested it. He sent it back even though the auction was no returns. He tried to re-jail break it not knowing what he was doing He said I misadvertised. He filed with eBay and I won. But PayPal had no grounds for me because no way I could prove his idiocies. No way I could prove he modified it after the fact.
So, do a charge back. Hopefully you used a credit card.
Do a charge back with your cc company. They will send it to PayPal. They will represent the seller but the laws go with your credit card company. Unless he can prove it was perfect you will win no questions asked.
I sold 2 jail broken apple TV 2s at the same time. Different buyers. One no issues the other said it didn't work. It did, I tested it. He sent it back even though the auction was no returns. He tried to re-jail break it not knowing what he was doing He said I misadvertised. He filed with eBay and I won. But PayPal had no grounds for me because no way I could prove his idiocies. No way I could prove he modified it after the fact.
So, do a charge back. Hopefully you used a credit card.
It's true the buyer pretty much has the advantage but the eBay rep reviewing my claim jumped the gun and closed the case in favor of the seller with out contacting me for more details. Any time I've opened a claim in the past both the buyer and seller submit details and try to work things out. My claim was opened and closed in about two hours. I'm assuming the rep looked up the auction seen that the 4S was listed as used but didn't read the whole description the seller claimed perfect mint condition kept in a case with screen protectors since day one yata yata Yata I'm not overreacting or nit picking I also sell on ebay and have been on the receiving end of hard to please ppl it sucks ! eBay told me once they close a claim in favor of a buyer or seller the person is off the hook no longer responsible for the item or required to refund the buyer. Only things in my favor is the he described the 4S as mint perfect condition and the fact eBay admitted to me that the rep who reviewed the claim messed up and needed more training. Wow this post is turning into a short novel lol
----------
It's still under warranty but I don't think apple covers cosmetic flaws but it doesn't hurt to enquire
----------
I sold a t-shirt from neiman Marcus wasn't cheap on eBay to a bidder from Germany a long time ago. I hadn't been selling on eBay for very long. well the guy in Germany claimed he had never received the tshirt eBay refunded his money even after I faxed them my receipts from the post office stating the date time and address matching the buyers so it happenss but overall I've only had a few issues with buying and selling on eBay but the benefits out weigh the bad
----------
If you paid with a credit card through PayPal here's what you do... I know this because I was just on the other end of this as a seller, but I was in the right, but it doesn't matter. Here's why:
Do a charge back with your cc company. They will send it to PayPal. They will represent the seller but the laws go with your credit card company. Unless he can prove it was perfect you will win no questions asked.
I sold 2 jail broken apple TV 2s at the same time. Different buyers. One no issues the other said it didn't work. It did, I tested it. He sent it back even though the auction was no returns. He tried to re-jail break it not knowing what he was doing He said I misadvertised. He filed with eBay and I won. But PayPal had no grounds for me because no way I could prove his idiocies. No way I could prove he modified it after the fact.
So, do a charge back. Hopefully you used a credit card.
I was going to try that but I didn't use a credit card I had enough funds in my Paypal to cover the cost. I know exactly what your talking about I buy and sell on ebay once in a while you run into problems
----------
32 gb 4S $400 shipping included I figured I would getting a as described item and didn't have any problem with the cost. Well if all goes well and I get my refund I'll get in touch with you
That's something rarely heard of. eBay sides with buyers never with sellers.
I speak from experience... will never sell a big ticket item on eBay again (got scammed once)
It's very easy to file fraudulent "item not as described" disputes with eBay and return something else and keep the item and your money. They will always side with the buyer. Seller has no recourse, cannot even leave negative feedback.
This is the flipside of what I just went through.
I sold an iPhone and described it perfectly.
I included 8 pictures, I disclosed the yellowish tint, I did everything a seller should do.
The buyer made up some bullbleep complaint about not liking the home button and how it had been installed wrong and filed a claim.
Even though 2 of my pics very clearly showed nothing wrong with the home button, eBay sided with the buyer and forced me to refund him.
And to add insult to injury, eBay went ahead and refunded the guy before he'd even returned the phone.
Yes, he finally did return it but he got his refund 2-weeks before I actually received the phone back.
I sold an iPhone and described it perfectly.
I included 8 pictures, I disclosed the yellowish tint, I did everything a seller should do.
The buyer made up some bullbleep complaint about not liking the home button and how it had been installed wrong and filed a claim.
Even though 2 of my pics very clearly showed nothing wrong with the home button, eBay sided with the buyer and forced me to refund him.
And to add insult to injury, eBay went ahead and refunded the guy before he'd even returned the phone.
Yes, he finally did return it but he got his refund 2-weeks before I actually received the phone back.
That's a pretty good scam they have going there: buy an iPhone off eBay, use it for two weeks and then have to return it. How did I not concoct something this devious before?
And here I was taking around a tiny shirt to dry cleaners around the city and claiming they shrunk it.
Last edited:
People lie (or don't know if they are lying) when they describe items. It happens all the time.
My definition of mint is no scratches anywhere. Maybe a mark or two around antenna cause of cases.
But mint is not scratched on screen or some nicks on the edges.
It's very frustrating cause when i sell electronics I clearly describe them and am honest.
But half of people aren't honest. I sold my "like new" iPhone 4S still in plastic wrapping cause it was replace by apple and i never used it with 5 months of warranty left and never used accessories. The buyer on Craigslist couldn't believe the item was as described.
Whereas when i was buying a S3 as "like new". It has a couple of nicks around the bezel. I examined it. I told them I wasn't going to pay $450 for a "like new S3" as agreed cause there were a couple of nicks. He quickly dropped priced down to $400.
My definition of mint is no scratches anywhere. Maybe a mark or two around antenna cause of cases.
But mint is not scratched on screen or some nicks on the edges.
It's very frustrating cause when i sell electronics I clearly describe them and am honest.
But half of people aren't honest. I sold my "like new" iPhone 4S still in plastic wrapping cause it was replace by apple and i never used it with 5 months of warranty left and never used accessories. The buyer on Craigslist couldn't believe the item was as described.
Whereas when i was buying a S3 as "like new". It has a couple of nicks around the bezel. I examined it. I told them I wasn't going to pay $450 for a "like new S3" as agreed cause there were a couple of nicks. He quickly dropped priced down to $400.
I describe my items the same way because if you don't accurately describe the item your really just setting yourself up for a lot problems. when it comes to a buyer asking for a refund I just do it . a lot of ppl get a kick out of bitching if you just refund them the money the game is over. personally I haven't had a buyer request a refund well it's prb been 4 years since the last. It's alway better to try and work it out with the buyer or seller hot tempers etc never end well
Seller described the iPhone 4S as perfect mint condition. I received it a few days ago the back is scratched up the metal band on the sides and top have these shiny rub marks the front screen has a long scratch and they tried to hide all this with a cheap screen protector on the front and back. long story short they refused to accept a return. I filed a claim eBay said the seller sold it as used so they closed the claim in favor of the seller. here's the fun part since the seller described the item as perfect mint condition which it wasn't I won the appeal but since eBay already closed the case the seller isn't required to refund my money eBay claims they'll refund me if I send the item back to the seller who will not only be keeping my money but he'll also have the iPhone 4S WTF I asked eBay to send me a e mail for my records stating they'll refund my money and they won't how is any of this possible I really don't know what to do from here? how can I move forward and protect myself from being ripped off any further ? I have some time to think about this a day or so if anyone has tips suggestions I'd really like to hear from you guys before I go further
Just curious, how much did you pay? What model/color/carrier was it?
I sold an iPhone 4S on Craigslist today.. It was literally mint condition, with an otterbox for $270. Verizon/16Gb/White.
Seller described the iPhone 4S as perfect mint condition. I received it a few days ago the back is scratched up the metal band on the sides and top have these shiny rub marks the front screen has a long scratch and they tried to hide all this with a cheap screen protector on the front and back. long story short they refused to accept a return. I filed a claim eBay said the seller sold it as used so they closed the claim in favor of the seller. here's the fun part since the seller described the item as perfect mint condition which it wasn't I won the appeal but since eBay already closed the case the seller isn't required to refund my money eBay claims they'll refund me if I send the item back to the seller who will not only be keeping my money but he'll also have the iPhone 4S WTF I asked eBay to send me a e mail for my records stating they'll refund my money and they won't how is any of this possible I really don't know what to do from here? how can I move forward and protect myself from being ripped off any further ? I have some time to think about this a day or so if anyone has tips suggestions I'd really like to hear from you guys before I go further
How did you loose an "Item not as described" case with eBay?
They always favor the buyer.
You must have done something wrong? If the buyer did not disclose the condition then you should win. A condition of "Used" does not matter unless the seller disclosed the scratches etc.
Looks to me like eBay messed up and realized that they should not have ruled in favor of the seller.
Return the phone and get your money back.
Walk away and be happy.
BTW.. your win does result in an internal negative mark against the seller. Ebays monitors these case losses and if a seller accumulates 2, they will take action against the seller.
----------
In my experience this is not true. The buyer is favored in these types of cases.
Last edited:
If you paid with a credit card through PayPal here's what you do... I know this because I was just on the other end of this as a seller, but I was in the right, but it doesn't matter. Here's why:
Do a charge back with your cc company. They will send it to PayPal. They will represent the seller but the laws go with your credit card company. Unless he can prove it was perfect you will win no questions asked.
I sold 2 jail broken apple TV 2s at the same time. Different buyers. One no issues the other said it didn't work. It did, I tested it. He sent it back even though the auction was no returns. He tried to re-jail break it not knowing what he was doing He said I misadvertised. He filed with eBay and I won. But PayPal had no grounds for me because no way I could prove his idiocies. No way I could prove he modified it after the fact.
So, do a charge back. Hopefully you used a credit card.
And if you do that too often, paypal will close your account.
I bought a camera lens from an ebay seller recently. It was marked as used but "as new" in the description.
When I received the item it looked like he'd played catch with it with his dog, and there was significant dust inside the lens.
I tried to resolve directly with the seller and he got abusive and didn't want to honour a refund.
I raised a dispute with ebay, and the moment I did, I got another abusive email from the seller because they had removed the paypal funds from his account and put him "in debt" with paypal
The dispute eventually went in my favour, and I returned the item and received the refund shortly after from ebay/paypal.
When I received the item it looked like he'd played catch with it with his dog, and there was significant dust inside the lens.
I tried to resolve directly with the seller and he got abusive and didn't want to honour a refund.
I raised a dispute with ebay, and the moment I did, I got another abusive email from the seller because they had removed the paypal funds from his account and put him "in debt" with paypal
The dispute eventually went in my favour, and I returned the item and received the refund shortly after from ebay/paypal.
eBay is unregulated and has too much power! Have had it out with Paypal several times which despite what they say is the same company as eBay ... Just a spin off.
Seller described the iPhone 4S as perfect mint condition. I received it a few days ago the back is scratched up the metal band on the sides and top have these shiny rub marks the front screen has a long scratch and they tried to hide all this with a cheap screen protector on the front and back. long story short they refused to accept a return. I filed a claim eBay said the seller sold it as used so they closed the claim in favor of the seller. here's the fun part since the seller described the item as perfect mint condition which it wasn't I won the appeal but since eBay already closed the case the seller isn't required to refund my money eBay claims they'll refund me if I send the item back to the seller who will not only be keeping my money but he'll also have the iPhone 4S WTF I asked eBay to send me a e mail for my records stating they'll refund my money and they won't how is any of this possible I really don't know what to do from here? how can I move forward and protect myself from being ripped off any further ? I have some time to think about this a day or so if anyone has tips suggestions I'd really like to hear from you guys before I go further
When eBay refunds you after you send the item back- the money is taken from the seller, not their own funds. The seller gets the phone back, but loses the money you paid.
I asked eBay if the seller was refunding the money they told me because the mistake was on ebays end it falls under buyer protection and that eBay will be refunding me not the seller they gave me a shipping label and asked that I return the phone to the seller so I packed it up and shipping it Monday
I dealt with the same problem just two weeks ago. A seller argued with me blahblah and eBay paid for me to ship it back. The payment I received was from the other party. If they don't refund you- eBay MAKES them. They just reverse the transaction, and you lose no money in fees.
I dealt with the same problem just two weeks ago. A seller argued with me blahblah and eBay paid for me to ship it back. The payment I received was from the other party. If they don't refund you- eBay MAKES them. They just reverse the transaction, and you lose no money in fees.
I having been selling as much on eBay the final value fee and other fees just isn't worth it any more on some items if your just selling some items around the house for the extra space or just getting rid of the stuff your not using its fine but by the time you pay the fees ship the item and Paypal takes a percentage of the funds they really take a chunk of the profit
Yeah I feel you haha. I just use it typically to unload collectables, because I don't have much choice otherwise. It's good for Pokemon cards and the like.. which I do a loot of buying and selling of. (so nerdy, forgive me, haha.)