SIGH problem from eBay-updated AGAIN-DISC RETURNED SCRATCHED UP DOES NOT WORK HELP!

N

nodoctors

CAGiversary!
Feedback
10 (100%)
*PLEASE READ BOTH PAGES OF THE THREAD FOR FULL STORY AND THE OUTCOME*

So I just received this message, and being a nice guy, this is like a kick to the gut. This was from my auction for a like new copy of Super Mario Galaxy

Hello,
My kids played the game we bought today for the first time. Although it appears to be in good condition, it will only allow them to play a short time into the game (to where the witch laughs) and then it freezes up and will not go further. This appears to be a problem with this game alone, as all of our other games are working properly. I know your profile says no returns, but I hope we can come to some resolution. My 7 year old saved up and paid for this game with his own money and is deeply disappointed. I have tried wiping it clean and they have tried restarting the game many times and it stops at the exact same spot every time. Please let me know what we can do to resolve. I have not yet left feedback.
Thank you

Now, I know for a fact that the game worked perfectly fine on my Wii before I shipped it because I played it all the way through. The disc itself was in mint, scratch free condition upon shipping it. I also do not allow returns, because I don't want to deal with the hassle given I only ship mint condition material that I know works. The fact that they wiped the disc leads me to believe that the disc is now no longer in the mint scratch free condition I originally shipped it as. There's no way in hell I'm going through with a return on this, nor do I want this wiped disc back, but I do feel bad about this. On top of that, I know I'll end up getting my first negative strike ever due to this BS if I just say "sorry guys, you're SOL." So...wtf, I hate this. I mean honestly, what can I do to avoid a negative strike I don't deserve?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tell them exactly what you said here because it's the truth. You don't accept returns, but you do feel bad that the kid is unable to play all the way through. You don't accept returns because you anticipated no problems with this game as it was tested and played through by you personally. Ask if it's a possibility something is wrong with their Wii and give fix suggestions because you're an avid gamer. Etc.

If after all your help and troubleshooting, he is still unsatisfied, as much as it stinks to have to "pay" for your seller feedback, you could see if he will settle for a partial refund if you really don't want to issue a return.

The buyer is withholding feedback, but being nice about it by giving you a chance. I would work with him because if the buyer files with eBay, they will most likely take his side and give him a full refund.

Good luck.
 
It's not my first sale, and I have a (143) 100% positive rating. Now I did tell them exactly what I told you guys, and they decided to open up an eBay dispute over the thing demanding FULL refund. Now what the hell am I supposed to do? Is eBay going to pull the money out of my account for this refund? This is ridiculous. You never think you're going to have one of these stupid eBay horror stories, and then it happens. Is this refund coming from my pocket, or out of eBay's? I'm just going to eat the negative feedback. This is bullshit. I played through the game twice on my Wii(the second time as Luigi woohoo), and the seller even admits in the dispute that the disc is in like new scratch free condition. And yet they still claim I'm at fault for lying about the product. Sigh...
 
The refund will come out of your pocket, not eBay's. Best case scenario is the buyer gets his refund and decides to not leave any feedback at all, instead of a negative, and you get your game back.

Post his eBay ID here and in the eBay blocked bidders sticky.
 
If your feedback is that important to you just give them the refund, get the game back, test it yourself and if it plays through that spot fine on your Wii, re-list it and sell it again. I know you shouldn't have to but if you bought a scratch free disc off of Ebay and it froze up at the same spot every time you'd want a refund as well. If they opened a dispute with Ebay/PayPal, they will win anyway and take the money and you'll probably get the negative anyway, might as well work with them to avoid it.

That or if you really want to fight it, maybe be nice to them and suggest they update the Wii and there is by chance a software issue but I don't see any by looking it up on google.
 
[quote name='mission42']If your feedback is that important to you just give them the refund, get the game back, test it yourself and if it plays through that spot fine on your Wii, re-list it and sell it again. I know you shouldn't have to but if you bought a scratch free disc off of Ebay and it froze up at the same spot every time you'd want a refund as well. If they opened a dispute with Ebay/PayPal, they will win anyway and take the money and you'll probably get the negative anyway, might as well work with them to avoid it.

That or if you really want to fight it, maybe be nice to them and suggest they update the Wii and there is by chance a software issue but I don't see any by looking it up on google.[/QUOTE]

Too late for any of that as the OP stated that the buyer has already filed with eBay.




Do people just read the 1st post and not read the rest of the thread all the way through? This thread is NOT that long.
 
Seriously? I'm going to be out money either way? The person wiped the disc and I guarantee I'm going to lose the money, and get back an item that's NOT in the condition I shipped it as! This is garbage. The item was shipped like new, the buyer admits to this, the fault is clearly on their end, they likely altered it by wiping the disc, I list it as no returns allowed...and yet I'm the one that's going to get screwed? Can somebody tell me why the no returns policy is even offered on eBay if they're just going to file a dispute anyways and get a refund? I really need to just deal on CAG.

Damnit.

Look if I'm going to be out the money anyways, I'm just going to escalate my case and hope eBay eats the refund instead. What's the worst that's going to happen...I have to issue the refund and get the inevitable neg feedback anyways? And what happens if I get the game back and it's scratched when I shipped it in mint condition? Does eBay offer me anything there?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Just suck it up to experience. As already stated 2 posts above, how would you feel had you been the buyer in this situation. It may not be what you you wanted to hear, but the truth is that ebay/paypal will side with the buyer. Accept it as it is, or you might as not be selling on ebay if you aren't willing to accept the risks that go along with it.
 
At this point you are almost definitely going to get a bad feedback. However, now you are going through Ebay so at this point you should plead your case with Ebay or paypal if they are filing there. Becuase if you loose, they will suck the money from your account (if that happens you better get your game back!).
Explain clearly to them that the disk worked perfectly because you beat the game, and that they didn't report shipping damage.
Also explain that it is common for wiis to fall over during play and that such a circumstance is usually the cause of games freezing so it is likely that this kid accidently knocked over his wii while playing. In reality this is really the only thing that could have happened for a game to freeze without being scratched.
Also explain that you have completed over 100 transactions on ebay and have shown no intention ever to cheat or rippoff a buyer. ~ this case will be improved upon reviewing their feedback.

Good luck and sorry this happened to you.
 
[quote name='parKer']Too late for any of that as the OP stated that the buyer has already filed with eBay.




Do people just read the 1st post and not read the rest of the thread all the way through? This thread is NOT that long.[/QUOTE]

No...I read the thread, but it was my understanding once a claim/dispute has been opened with Ebay/PayPal, the person who opened the claim, in this case the buyer, has the option at any time to close the claim/dispute and end it. I'm not sure if this is still the case but since I've used Ebay that is how it has been. So assuming this is still true, then I suggested he could get into contact with the buyer and settle it without having Ebay/PayPal to do it. Sorry for not making it clear in my post but that was what I was getting at.





But good job at trying to be internet Dick.
 
[quote name='2supekards']In reality this is really the only thing that could have happened for a game to freeze without being scratched.[/QUOTE]
That is not necessarily true. I had a couple of original xbox's a few years ago, both being used as media centers. One of them refused to play PGR, while the didn't have a single issue. I could even copy it over to the HDD 100%, and it still locked up in the same spot. Game disk was as mint as it could be.
 
[quote name='nodoctors']Seriously? I'm going to be out money either way? The person wiped the disc and I guarantee I'm going to lose the money, and get back an item that's NOT in the condition I shipped it as! This is garbage. The item was shipped like new, the buyer admits to this, the fault is clearly on their end, they likely altered it by wiping the disc, I list it as no returns allowed...and yet I'm the one that's going to get screwed? Can somebody tell me why the no returns policy is even offered on eBay if they're just going to file a dispute anyways and get a refund? I really need to just deal on CAG.

Damnit.

Look if I'm going to be out the money anyways, I'm just going to escalate my case and hope eBay eats the refund instead. What's the worst that's going to happen...I have to issue the refund and get the inevitable neg feedback anyways? And what happens if I get the game back and it's scratched when I shipped it in mint condition? Does eBay offer me anything there?[/QUOTE]

eBay will *never* eat the refund. Even if you were to take all of the money out of your Paypal account, they would show it as a negative amount, and then send your account to a collections agency.

I think the idea of trying to work it out personally with the buyer is the best thing to do. Offer to give them a full refund if they return the game. Good luck either way.
 
If they leave negative feedback, you can always write something under their feedback to mini-explain your side. I feel for ya. Good luck though.
 
According to eBay's eligibility for Buyer Protection:

A good faith dispute does not exist if you [the buyer] improperly claim that the seller has not fulfilled the transaction, if you claim you never received an item when in fact you did, or if you claim the item was different from the item description but the seller can prove otherwise.
Click to expand...
Hope you can prove otherwise, OP. If not, hope that the disc hasn't been mauled or that you actually get the game back. Buyers just need to provide delivery confirmation to eBay/PP as proof that the item was shipped back to you. Worst case scenario and if you get a devious buyer, he could ship you a box of rocks with delivery confirmation.



[quote name='mission42']
But good job at trying to be internet Dick. [/QUOTE]
Re-read your post. "If they opened a dispute with Ebay/PayPal..." You said this after the OP had already stated a dispute was opened. There is no "if."

Read a thread before replying. Not trying to be "internet Dick," (is that a comic book character?) but helping you avoid looking like forum Dufus. ;)
 
[quote name='2supekards']Also you can complain the bad feedback to Ebay.[/QUOTE]

Nah. Not likely that they will remove it on ebay. I had one buyer leave horrible feedback but he went in a day later and said as a revision he didn't mean to leave me that and it's for another seller. Ebay refuses to remove it and says the buyer has to CALL ebay to remove it.
 
[quote name='Alex2290']Nah. Not likely that they will remove it on ebay. I had one buyer leave horrible feedback but he went in a day later and said as a revision he didn't mean to leave me that and it's for another seller. Ebay refuses to remove it and says the buyer has to CALL ebay to remove it.[/QUOTE]

Yeah good luck getting them to call eBay for you.

SO instead of jumping the gun and escalating the case in a rage filled manner, I took a shot of Jager and sat back, and then wrote a decent message back to the buyer apologizing about the situation and offered a full refund on return, barring any nasty scratches or marks that may have come up since it's been in their care. I then closed the dispute using the full refund/return option and it seems like my feedback shall stay positive and intact. So all is well even though this was a pain in the ass and frustrating to experience.
 
some thoughts:

-in my opinion stating "no refunds" on your listings is a lost cause... it makes buyers look shady, and anyone who's going to try and scam you or someone who knows the ins-and-outs of ebay is just going to file a dispute regardless. The people that lose out are those that shouldn't have to... ebay newbies who don't know how to file disputes and think your word is law, many of which I doubt are actually trying to pull a scam. If you are as commited to selling high quality stuff as you say, then offer refunds! When do you hear an advertiser saying "we're so confident in our product that if you don't like it... too bad!"

-there are a good number of ways in which you can bounce back from this. If it works just fine then you're just out a couple bucks for shipping. If it's scratched, you can leave a reply on their feedback(it might not seem like much but it'll help if they make this a habit and other sellers follow suit). Plus it's not too hard to find a place that resurfaces stuff. at the very worst you're out what? 25 bucks or so? it is frusterating, I know, but believe me this barely scratches the surface of what can go wrong. hop on over to the ebay forums and look at the people getting scammed out of hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of crap. It certainly makes me feel better every time a situation like yours happens to me.
 
Maybe I'm being overly optimistic since I've only bought twice on eBay and don't know the workings of it, but I think OP has a good chance of winning the dispute.

Firstly, the buyer admits to wiping the disk, which could cause scratches.

Secondly, OP beat the game, twice, which there are save files for (hopefully), thus proving the game indeed does work.

I'm thinking this is a scam, since what 7 year old would buy on ebay of all places?

I guess OP could always tell the buyer to go rent SMG and switch the disks.

either way, I think OP may win :)

good luck!
 
[quote name='2supekards']Also you can complain the bad feedback to Ebay.[/QUOTE]
Not likely, as the buyer has a legitimate reason for the feedback. If they received the game disk, it doesn't work in their system, and the seller refuses a refund or replacement, the buyer has every reason to leave negative feedback.

Put yourself in the buyer's shoes. You'd feel the same way. How many times have you seen on CAG where somebody buys a sealed game, and when they receive it, the game disk is either missing or it's a DVD-R copy. Are you telling me the buyer should be sh*t outta luck?

[quote name='nodoctors']SO instead of jumping the gun and escalating the case in a rage filled manner, I took a shot of Jager and sat back, and then wrote a decent message back to the buyer apologizing about the situation and offered a full refund on return, barring any nasty scratches or marks that may have come up since it's been in their care. I then closed the dispute using the full refund/return option and it seems like my feedback shall stay positive and intact. So all is well even though this was a pain in the ass and frustrating to experience.[/QUOTE]

Glad to see you decided to take the high road. It is frustrating no doubt, but you'll be a better person for it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='jumpercable']Maybe I'm being overly optimistic since I've only bought twice on eBay and don't know the workings of it, but I think OP has a good chance of winning the dispute.

Firstly, the buyer admits to wiping the disk, which could cause scratches.

Secondly, OP beat the game, twice, which there are save files for (hopefully), thus proving the game indeed does work.

I'm thinking this is a scam, since what 7 year old would buy on ebay of all places?

I guess OP could always tell the buyer to go rent SMG and switch the disks.

either way, I think OP may win :)

good luck![/QUOTE]

Well it's too late since I decided against escalating the case and instead decided to issue the refund. Now, I could easily provide proof of my save file showing the completion, and a 7 year old making purchases through a parent on eBay is beyond suspect. The child purchase just came off as some sort of bizarre sap story to help aid in the refund, but that aside...the thing that bugged me most about this return is that they decided to contact me for a refund at least a full week and a half of owning it. I shipped on the 11th, received the complaint on the 26th. On top of this, they used a cloth rag to wipe the disc down, which just screams scuff heaven, but they say that the disc looks the exact same way as it was shipped. If anything, I'd rather they just beat the thing and didn't touch it with a cloth and want a return. I'd actually be happier there.

Regardless, due to the posts here, and all over the web about how I'm essentially doomed to refund, and the seller will never win, I opted to just give them the refund. Now all we have to do is wait and see if everything looks the same as it was shipped and this can just die down.
 
Re: the excuse - The mom bought the game... I don't think they were actually implying that the kid opened up a PP account to buy it, but rather he gave his allowance to his mom or something. I did it all the time when I was little and wanted to order a game from mac warehouse. Aside from that I do find it strange how often kids come up in ebay discussions... I always get feedback saying "thanx my child loves it" for old obscure games no kid would be interested in, and sometimes for stuff like manhunt 2 even.

I really wouldn't worry about it so much, but keep us posted. If you do end up getting screwed, I suppose you could file a fraud complaint. Considering they kept it so long, I'm wondering if they beat it and want to return it... sound rather inefficient but I've had a few returns from people who "changed their mind" and sent the item back to me with no prior notification
 
Last edited:
Just read this thread and was sorry to see that an honest seller might be getting hosed.

Please do keep the thread updated... I'm very curious as to what the disc looks like when/if you get it back.

Good luck.
 
im not much of an ebay user and this post is probably gona be no use at all
but you should take pictures of the disk befor you send it out so if it is different when it comes back you have proof its not your fault.
 
Jab, unfortunately I don't think that would help. Even if a camera could capture scratches and scuffs in the picture, you'd have people saying "well who's to say that's MY disc?", since you can't see the cover art on the front.

Here doctors, if it makes you feel any better, I just got a return request from someone on my Bioshock 2 Big Daddy figure because supposedly one of the corners are "unshapely" (even though the box I used fit it perfectly!). Even if I manage to resell it for the original price I'll be out $20 in shipping fees.
 
I will definitely keep you guys updated on the condition of the item when it is returned. And even though it's just another honest seller getting the shaft, your Big Daddy figurine story did make me feel better. Misery truly loves company.
 
I JUST got the game back and IT IS SCRATCHED UP. In fact, there is a perfect circular scratch all the way around the disc, as well as other light scratch marks. On top of this, the manual itself is all DIRTY and bent up in ways as if it got WET. There are bizarre smears along the back of it, and light brown dots all over the front cover.

Now what am I supposed to do? This is complete and utter bullshit. I can't believe this. Help, please.

*UPDATE*

I JUST TRIED THE GAME AND IT WON'T EVEN FREAKING LOAD ON MY WII

For the love of god somebody please help me get justice on this crap. Don't tell me I'm screwed here.
 
Unfortunately I don't think ebay or paypal has any real resolution for these issues... I could be wrong on that though. Normally from here your best bet is to contact the police department in her area(and yours as well) and file a mail fraud complaint. You can try communicating with her first and tell her what you will be doing, to see if she changes her mind. She might try and say it was damaged during shipping, but provided she didn't pay for insurance that's still her burden.
 
That's what you get for taking it back. I would have just taken all my money out of Paypal and said screw them if they ruled against me.
 
Contact your buyer and tell them about the condition problems. If they refuse, you have to contract ebay support. You really got screwed this time! Jesus what a fucked up buyer, how much feedback did he have?
 
This person has 36 positive feedback rating. Not high, but not bad. And you're exactly right. This looks just like the Wii unit was moved while the disc was in motion, causing it to scratch the dreaded circle of doom into the disc. I've tried to load it up multiple times, and the game doesn't even begin. I get a blue square with an error message on it. If I contact the buyer, what am I supposed to say? Take it back, and accept it or else? There's no way they deserve a refund on this. Shouldn't I just directly contact eBay?
 
Their ID is 5crzykidz. I would recommend blocking if selling them media in disc format.

I have concluded that the Wii system was bumped or shaken during gameplay, perhaps from the kid hopping around while playing, or one of the other 4 "crzykidz" running around in the household. This caused the perfect circle scratch all the way around the disc which ruined it. They then attempted to wipe the disc down with a dry cloth, which is the cause of all the other numerous scratches on the disc. Of course, the game is entirely unplayable, and won't even boot up in my Wii system.

Now, as for me and my dispute...I contacted eBay support/resolution center, and after being on hold for a collective half hour or so, and being transferred between 3 different agents...I won. Yes, you heard it right folks, a seller actually came out on top -sorta- for once on eBay. I was told that they would issue the refund to the buyer, and that the dispute would be closed. However, I was told that this would be a one time deal and that eBay won't be able to cover me in the future. Given the small victory, I am more than happy with them helping me and covering me this one time, versus never. So there you have it. It's a sort of happy ending.
[URL="http://myworld.ebay.com/5crzykidz/"][/URL]http://myworld.ebay.com/5crzykidz/ http://myworld.ebay.com/5crzykidz/
 
I sell codes quite a bit and get the "my code didnt work" bullshit all the time and there's really not a damn thing to do about it but give them a refund or another code. Just wanted to share my story of misery.

Just be sure to immediately block buyers like that.

Glad it basically worked out in your case.
 
[quote name='ShockandAww']I sell codes quite a bit and get the "my code didnt work" bullshit all the time and there's really not a damn thing to do about it but give them a refund or another code. Just wanted to share my story of misery.

Just be sure to immediately block buyers like that.

Glad it basically worked out in your case.[/QUOTE]

I'm glad it worked out as well. What you've stated is exactly why I will NEVER sell any type of online code. Sorry that you've gotten the shaft on multiple occassions. The buyer has been blocked, and I wish all honest eBay sellers out there the best of luck. Nobody should have to go through this crap. Ever.
 
It might not even be the same copy you sent out. They could have had the copy they sent you and bid on your copy, kept that one and returned to you their old copy.
 
[quote name='YoshiFan1']It might not even be the same copy you sent out. They could have had the copy they sent you and bid on your copy, kept that one and returned to you their old copy.[/QUOTE]

I have also pondered this. Either way, the buyer was in the wrong on this one. They're responsible for the disc ending up the way it did, and they tried to lay all of the blame on me. It was a complete dick move, and I'm just glad it's over.
 
Sucks I would have stood by the no refunds policy though because thinking about it if you shipped it mint and it's no longer working its obvious they messed it up. Which appears to be the unfortunate reality in this situation.
 
[quote name='ShockandAww']I sell codes quite a bit and get the "my code didnt work" bullshit all the time and there's really not a damn thing to do about it but give them a refund or another code. Just wanted to share my story of misery.

Just be sure to immediately block buyers like that.

Glad it basically worked out in your case.[/QUOTE]

You are not even suppose to sell digital items on ebay. If you want to cover yourself mail the code out.
 
[quote name='blissskr']Sucks I would have stood by the no refunds policy though because thinking about it if you shipped it mint and it's no longer working its obvious they messed it up. Which appears to be the unfortunate reality in this situation.[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately the no refunds policy is a joke and means jack squat to eBay. As you can see, the policy did me absolutely no good. They were able to create a dispute with eBay, and then attempted to screw me out of money, which was almost successful mind you. Very scary. I currently have two very rare items up on eBay for sale, and the top bidders at the moment both have 2 and 1 feedback respectively. I should've made it a point that people with low feedback can't bid...but it's too late now. I hope to god I'm not setting myself up for another nightmare...
 
well congrats on getting ebay to help you out :)! i wish people wern't so careless/stuipid with their games and then exspect other people to take the blame.
 
what you should do next time is list an auction with the real picture of cover and disk. that way you have a better chance of fighting. i sell alot on ebay got screwed once. i have almost 1300 feedbacks. Once a dispute is filed the funds for that amount are locked. If you just had a ebay pic of your disk it would help your case.
 
[quote name='62t']You are not even suppose to sell digital items on ebay. If you want to cover yourself mail the code out.[/QUOTE]

Well that's half true. You're not supposed to sell open beta keys at all. You can sell other codes like DLC but you're supposed to do it in a specific format/category which costs $10 to list for 30 days. Nobody does it that way though because obviously it wouldn't be worth it.

I could mail them out but that just cuts into any money gained especially for me since I can normally only ship priority.
 
[quote name='ShockandAww']Well that's half true. You're not supposed to sell open beta keys at all. You can sell other codes like DLC but you're supposed to do it in a specific format/category which costs $10 to list for 30 days. Nobody does it that way though because obviously it wouldn't be worth it.

I could mail them out but that just cuts into any money gained especially for me since I can normally only ship priority.[/QUOTE]

Offer more shipping option? A single stamp is more than enough for the card.
 
[quote name='62t']Offer more shipping option? A single stamp is more than enough for the card.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I could it's just much more convenient to ship from home and doing it that way I can only ship it priority.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top