eBay help: Sold dlc code, buyer thought it was the game.

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I had a buy it now listing on eBay for a dlc code for a fairly recent xbox 360 game. a buyer quickly jumped on it within a day and payment was received.

I sent the code along with instructions on how to redeem via eBay message. fast-forward a week later to today and I get a message on eBay from the buyer. buyer says it's been a week and no game and asks how it was shipped. I just send off a quick reply saying that the listing was not for a game but for a dlc code and that i already sent instructions. and now I await for some hate messages and maybe a dispute :bomb:

the image I used was a picture of the game and I did not explicitly have "No game" in the description but it was pretty straight forward. I set the buy it now lower than the shipping (to save some bucks) and the total was essential what i saw the dlc going for in other listings (which also used the game art as the image).

so how much of a hassle is this going to be and what do some of you more experienced ebayers suggest. I have less than 50 feedback and have sold maybe a dozen times, mostly dlc codes or things codes that a friend got from buying games (and no online gaming connection).

on another note eBay removed one of my BIN listings (and no refund :cry:) with a reason that the publisher/developer loses money...total bullshit since this type of dlc is like fountain drinks at a restaurant, easy profit
 
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Care to post the listing for us to see? If you were honest in the description, you didn't do anything wrong here. I hate people who don't read and fully understand descriptions on eBay.

I had a similar incident when I put my YLOD PS3 up for sale. The winning bidder didn't realize it was YLOD even though I clearly stated in in the description. He realized before he paid and messaged me. I could have held him to the purchase since a bid is a legally binding contract, but it was my first eBay sale so I decided to be nice and canceled and relisted the item. Not sure what to do in your case since the sale is technically over. The person might leave you nasty feedback and you can reply to it and live with it if it really was just a misunderstanding.
 
Why were you charging shipping for an item you aren't shipping? Copy/paste "I set the buy it now lower than the shipping" You need to work with the buyer in this case and if they dispute the charge you will lose the money and the code. BTW you used a picture of the game, did you also use the prefilled ebay info?
 
this is the description (paraphrased) won't link to protect privacy ;)

For sale is the Golden Guns weapons pack for the Xbox 360.

This dlc code was only available at certain stores as a preorder bonus.

The golden gun item allows your character to gain fame and experience at a much faster rate than normal. This makes leveling up and unlocking new items much easier and faster!

The code will be sent via eBay message once PayPal payment has cleared. An internet connection is needed to connect to Xbox Live in order to activate the code

Best Offers accepted.
Click to expand...

this is the description

like many eBayers (especially on BIN), I put a shipping charge in order to off set a bit of the ebay raping fees (yeah technically against the rules but that's not the point here). and no I do not use preset info. I always type up a description myself. also after fees. I received a bit over $25 (would have been less if they did a best offer), I mean really who sells a new game for that much unless the seller is using stolen CCs?
 
Shipping fees are for tangible shipping only. You need to factor your fee prices into the price of the object if you're going to try and get the buyer to pay for your fees for selling on eBay, which is another discussion altogether. It might be a violation of the eBay/Paypal user agreement to make buyers pay for your fees, but don't quote me on that.

If your item posting was titled something like "Red Dead Redemption Golden Guns 360 Preorder DLC Code" then you should have no problem using the eBay resolution center to ensure that you don't get penalized and will prevent any negative feedback. It may hurt your case that you used a stock photo of the game and charged shipping for something that was emailed and not actually shipped (like a game).

This happened to me once with some AC2 preorder codes I sold on eBay for over $50 (with no shipping fees). Some old lady bought them for her grandkid for Christmas, thinking it was the game because I had a stock photo and the price was fairly good, since the game had been out for only a week or two - even though my item listing title and description clearly stated this was only a couple of codes to be used WITH the game which was not included. I sent her the codes via email and didn't hear back from her so I assumed she was satisfied.

After Christmas, she used Paypal's buyer protection policy to refund her money, but after presenting my case to Paypal, complete with my complete listing and the email correspondence between her and I, Paypal gave me the money back and eBay removed the negative feedback she left me.

Since then, when selling codes, I take a picture of the code card (covering the code, obviously) and make sure I make it perfectly clear that the item for sale is a code and the game is not included, in big, bold letters.
 
First off, it's perfectly fine to charge shipping on Xbox LIVE cards to minimize fees. Last year I sold over (25) 300 Microsoft Points cards for $1.00 + 4 shipping. Everybody loved them.


For this situation, you definitely are going to have to scramble to take care of the situation. The buyer messed up, but eBay and PayPal will always protect the buyer 100%. Since there's no tracking, a dispute is guaranteed to go in his favor.

My advice: check that the code is unredeemed, put in to "cancel" the transaction on My eBay, and issue him a refund after he agrees to cancel the fees.

Also, did you use the 50 cent or 5 cent fixed price listing?
 
You described the item accurately. However, putting shipping charges in there may be what comes back to bite you in the ass later. I am pretty sure the buyer knew exactly what they were bidding on and decided to screw you over (after the fact) just because they knew they could.
 
thanks for the comments.

when I checked paypal, it had the seller listed as verified though they have about 8 feedback.

how do i check if the code has been redeemed? the seller could always lie and I'm screwed over if it sells later. I'll message the seller and see if they want to "cancel" though how do I go about doing this since I've already received payment? and if I do refund what happens to all the fees (listing, sale, paypal)?

sorry to sound like a noob but I've never really run into this before.
 
There is really no way to "Check" unless you redeem it yourself. If it says this code has already been used, you know they used it but if it redeems onto your account then you are stuck with it. If you refund the buyer, all fees are reversed.
 
Whats his user name? You should post it in case he's really giving you problems.

480chucksports just gave me a hard time about a 360 code, so wondering if its the same person./
 
well for this code it seems you have to have the game to redeem it since it's not an Xbox Live code but a Rockstar code.

so no way of me checking unless someone who has the golden guns code could check though not sure if there are priority of messages i.e. "this code used" or "you already have this content".

it is a different user though 480chucksports looks familiar :hot: . real name (address name) is Ricardo C and located in California. so far I have only received one message. I might get a reply during the evening since that is when it was sent yesterday.

I'll keep updating.
 
Hate to be "that guy" but:

It's illegal to sell a code and not ship a physical object

There are dozens of Chinese/Hong Kong powersellers that charge $50 shipping to allieviate fees and ebay doesn't say boo
 
lol i saw that people were selling the codes for RDR Gold guns, on ebay for about the same price as the game, and was going to get one there for like 50$ (thinking it was a game)... but i thoroughly check before buying anything.
 
Hate to be "that guy" but:

It's illegal to sell a code and not ship a physical object

There are dozens of Chinese/Hong Kong powersellers that charge $50 shipping to allieviate fees and ebay doesn't say boo
Click to expand...
yeah I know but that is not the point :cool:

lol i saw that people were selling the codes for RDR Gold guns, on ebay for about the same price as the game, and was going to get one there for like 50$ (thinking it was a game)... but i thoroughly check before buying anything.
Click to expand...
well after fees I get about $26.xx for the listing so what the seller was probably thinking they would get a new game for 50% of what it's market price is... and my description (paraphrased in earlier post) does mention it is a code not game.
 
[quote name='XF Gator']First off, it's perfectly fine to charge shipping on Xbox LIVE cards to minimize fees. [/QUOTE]
No, it's not.
 
[quote name='Gamer SDP']on another note eBay removed one of my BIN listings (and no refund :cry:) with a reason that the publisher/developer loses money...total bullshit since this type of dlc is like fountain drinks at a restaurant, easy profit[/QUOTE]

Now this is interesting! Please explain more. Do you still have the email?
 
[quote name='punklivz']lol i saw that people were selling the codes for RDR Gold guns, on ebay for about the same price as the game, and was going to get one there for like 50$ (thinking it was a game)... but i thoroughly check before buying anything.[/QUOTE]

lol sorry that wasn't directed at you, just a general statement to go with the discussion :whistle2:\"
 
you need to put in your listing


DOWNLOAD CODE ONLY... YOU WILL NOT GET A REAL DISC COPY OF THE GAME


or something like that

i sold a download few years back and wrote


DOWNLOAD ONLY like 50 times in the ad to get the point across :)


when i sell YU GI OH CARDS off the games i put in the ad at least 20 times

YOUR ONLY GETTING THE CARDS NOTHING MORE

maybe you should of put

YOUR GETTING THE DOWNLOAD CODE AND THAT IS ALL NOTHING MORE

then again i no longer sell codes cause there is no way to prove who use the code

BUYER could say you sent thema used code and you have no grounds to stand on
 
Basically, you will get a chargeback and there's nothing you can do about it because

A) There is no Seller Protection Program for virtual goods. You should have sent the physical DLC card.

B) You clearly are circumventing eBay by charging a shipping fee for a code you simply emailed. You can try to justify this any way you like, but it's still screams "criminal" and eBay is not going to go out of their way to try to help someone that is ripping them off.

Consider this a learning experience.
 
[quote name='dreamsINdigital'] I hate people who don't read and fully understand descriptions on eBay.
[/QUOTE]

And I hate people who post items for sale deceptively. I search for games all the time, and people put the DLC codes or other crap in the games category. Then they say something like "RATCHET AND CLANK A CRACK IN TIME PS3 NEW! Strategy Guide" , I guess hoping people will think it's the game and not realizing its a strategy guide.

Oh yeah, and I hate it when they show a picture of the GAME ( a stock photo at that) and say its the DLC code for extras in the game.
 
You absolutely have to put a disclaimer on your auctions because:
1) It lessens the chance an idiot or scammer will buy it.
2) It protects you in the event an idiot or scammer files a claim against you.
 
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