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Resolved My eBay experience thus far

G

gabe211

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 27, 2011
78
13
So I decided to buy an iPad third generation as a gift for myself last week. Going to the Apple store was not an option (too far) and I really wanted it soon (shipping times online for Apple were 2-3 weeks at the time). I decided to poke around on ebay and found what I though was a good deal $559.99 for a 16GB model wifi only, free shipping. The listing said delivery would take 3-7 business days and the seller would be shipping from NY (I'm in TX). Now here's where you call me stupid; I've never once bought or sold anything on ebay. I've never been comfortable with the site and probably never will. Anyways, I bought it and went against my gut feeling. The buyer promptly sent me an email thanking me for the quick payment, I replied asking for a rough estimate for shipping to which he said "for sure next week". Well a week has passed, I sent an email asking if he had already shipped, he replied saying he would "tomorrow" and provide me with tracking. two days pass and nothing, I sent another email today and he finally gave me some tracking info. Looked it up and apparently it's being shipped via EMS (Express Mail Service Japan?) It's currently in SHANGHAI CN, not NY where I though it would be coming from. This has me feeling worried. The ebay listing was under "Ebay Buyer Protection" so if it turns out not be an iPad how effortlessly will I get money back?

Stupid move on my part. I'll stick to legitimate Apple resellers from now on.

Too Long; Didn't Read: Bought iPad on eBay for $10 more than what Apple would have charged me online plus faster shipping, turns out it's being shipped from China and not New York. I feel worried and stupid.
 
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gabe211 said:
So I decided to buy an iPad third generation as a gift for myself last week. Going to the Apple store was not an option (too far) and I really wanted it soon (shipping times online for Apple were 2-3 weeks at the time). I decided to poke around on ebay and found what I though was a good deal $559.99 for a 16GB model wifi only, free shipping. The listing said delivery would take 3-7 business days and the seller would be shipping from NY (I'm in TX). Now here's where you call me stupid; I've never once bought or sold anything on ebay. I've never been comfortable with the site and probably never will. Anyways, I bought it and went against my gut feeling. The buyer promptly sent me an email thanking me for the quick payment, I replied asking for a rough estimate for shipping to which he said "for sure next week". Well a week has passed, I sent an email asking if he had already shipped, he replied saying he would "tomorrow" and provide me with tracking. two days pass and nothing, I sent another email today and he finally gave me some tracking info. Looked it up and apparently it's being shipped via EMS (Express Mail Service Japan?) It's currently in SHANGHAI CN, not NY where I though it would be coming from. This has me feeling worried. The ebay listing was under "Ebay Buyer Protection" so if it turns out not be an iPad how effortlessly will I get money back?

Stupid move on my part. I'll stick to legitimate Apple resellers from now on.

Too Long; Didn't Read: Bought iPad on eBay for $10 more than what Apple would have charged me online plus faster shipping, turns out it's being shipped from China and not New York. I feel worried and stupid.
Click to expand...

Did you use PayPal? Is so, then PayPal will almost ALWAYS side with the buyer. If you don't get it, or it's not what was described, file a complaint with PayPal. Worst case scenario, file a chargeback with your credit card company.
 
I would have already contacted PayPal about getting my money back. Did the listing say how long his handling time was?
 
jw6961 said:
Did you use PayPal? Is so, then PayPal will almost ALWAYS side with the buyer. If you don't get it, or it's not what was described, file a complaint with PayPal. Worst case scenario, file a chargeback with your credit card company.
Click to expand...

Yes, I used PayPal. That's nice to know! Thanks.

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ansabakhan said:
link to provide link to the listing here?
Click to expand...

This is the listing

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TSX said:
I would have already contacted PayPal about getting my money back. Did the listing say how long his handling time was?
Click to expand...

I thought about complaining to ebay but thought it was just me being paranoid. His handling time was two business days;
 
gabe211 said:
Yes, I used PayPal. That's nice to know! Thanks.

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This is the listing

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I thought about complaining to ebay but thought it was just me being paranoid. His handling time was two business days;
Click to expand...

So it looks like he sold 9 of them in the last week... His feedback is 93% (not that great), but since you used PayPal, you should be protected.
 
I've bought and sold many many things on e-bay. I always check feedback. I see this guy doesn't have very good feedback and has only actually sold a few items, most feedback is as a buyer. BUT- Paypal will back you ALL THE WAY if you have any problem. They will cover all your expenses and sometimes even shipping. Using Paypal is like super great insurance....so try not to worry. If it doesn't work out you contact Paypal right away. They have different categories; Item not received, Item not as described etc. They are pretty quick to resolve issues too. You'll be alright.
 
49 seller ratings with only 93.8% feedback score. That looks like you could have made a mistake.

Edit:His feedback actually looks quite good so i wouldn't worry too much. It may be from China but that doesn't necessarily mean he is a fraudulent seller. I guess it was misleading of him to say it would ship from the US though.
 
His most recent seller feedback is ok but the last two negatives are a bit concerning and they aren't that old.
 
jw6961 said:
So it looks like he sold 9 of them in the last week... His feedback is 93% (not that great), but since you used PayPal, you should be protected.
Click to expand...

Shall I go ahead and open a dispute with PayPal? I haven't received the item yet (might take another week since it's still in China) so not sure how far that will get me.
 
gabe211 said:
Shall I go ahead and open a dispute with PayPal? I haven't received the item yet (might take another week since it's still in China) so not sure how far that will get me.
Click to expand...

What method of shipping is being used? Some are very quick, like a few days. DHL is super quick and Fed Ex is 2-3 days. If it's EMS it could be a week.

Edit: Saw it was EMS. Use this site because EMS has a bad tracking service on their site and it's always behind in where your package actually is.

http://www.packagetrackr.com/?ui=full

Just copy your tracking in and it will detect which company you used.
 
gabe211 said:
Shall I go ahead and open a dispute with PayPal? I haven't received the item yet (might take another week since it's still in China) so not sure how far that will get me.
Click to expand...

It can't hurt you to open a dispute and, if there really is a problem, the clock will already be running on it.
 
gabe211 said:
Shall I go ahead and open a dispute with PayPal? I haven't received the item yet (might take another week since it's still in China) so not sure how far that will get me.
Click to expand...

If he's uploaded the tracking information to PayPal, you'll probably have to wait 21 days before you can file a dispute if it's not received.. If it's showing that it's in transit, then you'll probably have to wait until it's delivered, and if it's anything other than an iPad 3, file a claim with PayPal.
 
I'd go ahead and file the claim. Unfortunately if the seller provides a tracking number to PayPal then they will be safe at least for a little while. Did you attempt to ask the seller for a refund directly? eBay always requires you attempt to settle it without them first.
 
I hate eBay sometimes. Sellers lie all the time.

A guy I work with and I both ordered 3rd gen iPad back snap on cases early from a guy on ebay so that we could have them before getting our new iPads on launch day. He marked both orders shipped but never shipped them. Then we both e mailed him and he said he didn't even have them at all. A week later we both got our cases and they didn't even come close to fitting on the new model. He did refund our money and gave us the cases for free, but in the end it was a big hassle.

In the meantime I ordered a Case Crown case for the back, and it didn't fit either. Sent that one back too. The only one that fit in the end was a Belkin Snap Shield (iPad 2 model. No 3rd gen cases were out at the time.)
 
jw6961 said:
If he's uploaded the tracking information to PayPal, you'll probably have to wait 21 days before you can file a dispute if it's not received.. If it's showing that it's in transit, then you'll probably have to wait until it's delivered, and if it's anything other than an iPad 3, file a claim with PayPal.
Click to expand...

He did not upload any tracking to PayPal. 21 days is a lot!
 
It's the OP's fault for not checking the sellers feedback. A little research would have saved him some time.
 
gabe211 said:
He did not upload any tracking to PayPal. 21 days is a lot!
Click to expand...

Does the tracking show that it's actually in transit? If so, at least give it a chance to get to you. Otherwise, it looks like you're filing a dispute for no reason. Granted, it should have been shipped from the US unless otherwise specified, but you'll always have the option to dispute it should it not arrive, or be anything other than described.
 
Frenchjay said:
Have you tried putting your tracking info into this parcel tracking site?

http://www.packagetrackr.com/?ui=full

See if it's any further a long than the EMS site is showing.
Click to expand...

3Shb1.png


Expired? It's still in China.
 
Longtime ebayer here. yea, you made some mistakes, but we all do, and we learn too. there are good deals on ebay. but I prefer sellers with higher feedback.
AND if there is no specific info on the particular item (there was none on this auction) I stay away. too many unknowns.
you need to have more data and specific facts on the auction, so if clear promises and expectations are not met, you have more grounds.
ebay usually makes you wait 2 weeks to work out issues with the seller, and even if seller stop responding to you, you still have to wait out the preset time.
but you will be protected by ebay, then paypal, and then by your credit card co if you used one.
wish I could help more, good luck, it'll work out for you, ebay survives ONLY on keeping fraud off of users. hang in there, it;s stressful, I've been there a few times and it always works out, many times it's not even outright fraud, just a mindless seller.
on principleI'd want a refund since it was not stated it was shipping from china. I didnt study everything, but your cc co may allow you to stop p aymet due to the China deal, not sure, CC usually wants to wait for ebay/paypal to sort it out, and they do.
 
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TSX said:
It's the OP's fault for not checking the sellers feedback. A little research would have saved him some time.
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Agreed. I'm new to the whole ebay thing, lesson learned!

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jw6961 said:
Does the tracking show that it's actually in transit? If so, at least give it a chance to get to you. Otherwise, it looks like you're filing a dispute for no reason. Granted, it should have been shipped from the US unless otherwise specified, but you'll always have the option to dispute it should it not arrive, or be anything other than described.
Click to expand...

It shows as "ORIGIN POST IS PREPARING SHIPMENT" so it's not in transit yet.

I'll wait to see if or when it arrives. What a mess.
 
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