PayPal/eBay Dispute... Advice?

[andreab35]

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Hello all!

I'm pretty stuck here.
Yesterday, a customer from eBay held their payment from me on Paypal after receiving an iPhone 2G I sold on eBay to them. They're holding a claim against me two days after their iPhone was delivered (I have tracking).
After the dispute was open, I asked the buyer what the heck is wrong with the phone because it was fine when I sent it.

This is the message I got back (and of course they don't seem to know English):

"u never say ur iphone is refurbish and the back cover is loose so what we do naw and the screen was freez i paid 20 to restort it and bring it to work"

1) Why would I say the phone is refurbished when it's not?
2) The back cover was never loose and was always intact. That thing was packed very securely in the box too.
3) For activation, in the auction listing I specifically put, "Buyer is responsible for activating this iPhone."

Sounds fishy... This person is also obviously going to ruin my 100% feedback that I've been going for years.

I have no clue what to do... Any advice?

 

[Mickyfin]

Respond to the claim via paypal, and fight your corner. Your feedback may be in your favor. How long has this buyer been a member on eBay, and what is their feedback score/%?

 

[andreab35]

I did respond to their claim the first time and said, "Buyer has not indicated their problem about this phone before filing a claim."
Now that I look on Paypal, the buyer then said after they sent the eBay message, "Front is scratched and side appears to be a refurbished phone." Now, Paypal has the case in their hands.

The phone is not refurbished. If it was, I would have said something.
Also, I stated that there are some small scratches on the screen and that the phone indicates normal wear in my auction listing. I don't know what the heck this person thinks they are getting... a brand new phone?

They joined February 2010 with a feedback score of 100% with only 3 feedbacks. I've had this eBay account since 1999, 100% feedback, and I've sold multiple iPhones in the past with no problems at all.

 

[Queso]

Just go through the process. This is just a case of some spoilt little brat thinking they can get something for nothing. You're in the right. You'll get your money.

 

[andreab35]

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I hope it goes in my favor because I know what I'm doing and by no means do I intend to rip anyone off.
I just don't know how to reply back to this buyer from that message they sent me on eBay without getting a little ticked.

 

[glocke12]

Sorry, but by and large ebay/paypal seems to side with the buyer for the majority of disputes.

I sold my 2g iphone to someone through ebay, and pretty much the same thing happened. I ended up being out $300.00..

That was about 18 months ago, hadnt used ebay since than.

Recently I tried giving it another shot, and sold some new-old stock guitar amp tubes on there. It was a set of 5, I visually inspected each one to make sure they were all the same brand and intact, and they were.

The buyer gets the tubes, and than files a dispute claiming that one tube had the connecting pins broken, and one tube was a different brand than i said it was. I had photos to prove what I sent, but ebay/paypal sided with the buyer and I was once again out some cash.

Back in the day, ebay was not a bad place to do business...there was not anywhere near the amount of people trying to rip people off that there is now, and as a seller you could request payment via check or money order.

But since ebay now owns paypal, your pretty much stuck using that method of payment.

I am actually surprised about two things:

1) That ebay is as big and popular as it is due to all the fraud

2) and that they are allowed to get away with forcing sellers to accept payment through paypal. They essentially end up collecting fees twice on the same item...

Sorry, dont mean to hijack your thread, but every time I see an ebay thread like this it just makes my blood boil..

Just go through the process. This is just a case of some spoilt little brat thinking they can get something for nothing. You're in the right. You'll get your money.

 

[Queso]

That's terrible. Over here in Europe it is still a decent service to use. I recently sold an iMac on it and everything went smoothly. I suppose in the US most of the decent folks have moved on leaving the scammers behind, so the chances of being ripped off have increased.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Stories like this continue to reinforce my decision to avoid eBay like the plague. I hope you get your money OP.

 

[184550]

It's stories like this that convince me to stay away from Ebay and PayPal. I wouldn't have the patience to deal with fools who try to scam others.

 

[Disc Golfer]

I actually had ebay side with me as a seller regarding a recent dispute aka chargeback scam, I was pretty surprised. The bizarre part was that they initially sided with the buyer and I sent them an email spelling out in very basic terms why it was a crock of **** and they changed the ruling to side with me without further explanation. I hate doing business on ebay even when the scammers are unsuccessful.

 

[Stvwndr219]

Would it be possible to cite their ridiculous and absurd butchering of the English language as grounds for terminating this? It surprises me how some people can type on the internet these days.

In response to your question, have all of your paperwork handy - did you take pictures of the phone before shipping it out? Usually, if you have the evidence and the buyer is just trying to pull stuff out of his arse, it should work out. I've only dealt with this on the buyer's side though, so GL.

 

[Xavier]

I've sold a few things on eBay, including a iMac, record player. etc.

Bought some things too.

No problems at all. Sorry to hear about this, but it seems to be an increasing pandemic.

 

[Mr. McMac]

Reading threads like this makes me a bit nervous even though I've sold hundreds of items on ebay without one problem. My policy is I always take a dozen large detailed pictures (hosted from my photobucket account)showing any cosmetic defects, scratches, etc. Plus I always list the serial number in my auctions when possible. Shipping via USPS Priority or Fed-Ex Ground with signature required so they can't say they didn't get it. I know it's no guarantee that I won't get skunked. I think it helps though..

 

[andreab35]

I cannot begin to tell you how aggravated I am about this.
Since Paypal is now involved in handling the case, Paypal says I won't hear anything till November 3rd.

This is the auction listing (not to sure if you can see it): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120628794563&ssPageName=STRK:MESOX:IT

I have pictures on the bottom hosted by Photobucket. I indicated that the phone has normal wear and that the front screen has small scratches. I don't know what else this person wants from me.

 

[Stvwndr219]

I guess you can only wait now... I would send them the pictures and the documentation as an addendum to the case. Was this heard by eBay first? They usually ask you to file a claim with eBay before proceeding to have an inquiry done by Paypal.