The General eBay Rant Thread

Got this gem in my eBay inbox today:

"hi im wanting to buy this but I don't have any money on my card if I did I would have bought it already is there any way I can buy it now and pay when I get money back on my card 9should be long but idk if I can in a day)"

Over 50 positive feedback as a buyer.

There are so many things wrong with the message, and I suppose he or she might be able to do that Bill Me Later thing PayPal is always trying to hook people on, but still... I'm tempted to just add them to my blocked buyer list.

Since you've setup the Immediate Payment option, the buyer just wants to do the "Commit to Buy" option and pay before the unpaid transaction case opens/closes. Whenever I have multiples of an item, I actually enable that option since generally buyers that are on the fence about paying are more pressured to pay eventually. That way, it also locks in a transaction at my original price in case I end up having to lower it. So long as there's plenty of stock available, the risk of a buyer never paying wouldn't affect me anyway.

I wonder if some of these buyers we encounter have no credit cards. If Paypal was linked to a credit card, then the buyer shouldn't have to worry about not getting paid yet since the only overdraft charges that apply are towards debit cards.

My rant for the day - Had a buyer "Commit to Buy" my item under two different transactions. Opened an unpaid buyer case and just closed both of them. Ok shit happens, but two? And you can't come through with at least one of them? Sometimes I wonder if it was some kid that got into mom and dad's eBay account but couldn't figure out the Paypal password.
 
Gotta love these: 

"Sorry about the late reply I've been busy. Anyways, I opened the package and it was empty. I'm not sure if its a error on your end or anything else, but paying $20 for shipping to recieve nothing is rather annoying. I would like to have a full refund thank you. I expected it to be in time for my daughters birthday but I had to buy another copy myself. "

^This is in response to a 3DS game that I sold as New/Sealed (it was) to a buyer about two weeks ago. They paid for next day express so I put it inside a sealed express flat rate bubble mailer which I then put inside a sealed express flat rate envelope which is made of cardboard---and it did arrive the next day according to the tracking.

I haven't replied to the buyer so I'm not sure he is trying to say that there was nothing in the envelope(s) or if there was no game cartridge inside the case but either way it is going to be an uphill battle to prove because he opened a SNAD case and not an INR so my tracking is borderline useless.

The only thing I'm wondering is if Express Mail (domestic) comes with some sort of built in insurance and if so he might change his tune if I file a claim with USPS and let him know they'll be investigating his claim.

 
The only thing I'm wondering is if Express Mail (domestic) comes with some sort of built in insurance and if so he might change his tune if I file a claim with USPS and let him know they'll be investigating his claim.
Express mail (now Priority Express...why the ef did they have to change the names?!), comes with $100 of insurance.

Though I'd wait for the buyer to respond whether the package was empty or the case?

If he says the package was empty, then you can spring the USPS claim on him. If he says that the case was empty, then it'll be a different story. Based on what he says, it seems that he means that the package was empty...In which case, (once he confirms it), you can tell him that you'll file a case with USPS and he will have to take the item to the PO to show that the package arrived empty.

If you held on to the receipt then it should have the weight of the package on it, and tell HIM that the PO has a way to check the weight at every place the package stopped. Then let's see what he says.

But first, wait for him to admit that the package arrived empty.

 
Express mail (now Priority Express...why the ef did they have to change the names?!), comes with $100 of insurance.

Though I'd wait for the buyer to respond whether the package was empty or the case?

If he says the package was empty, then you can spring the USPS claim on him. If he says that the case was empty, then it'll be a different story. Based on what he says, it seems that he means that the package was empty...In which case, (once he confirms it), you can tell him that you'll file a case with USPS and he will have to take the item to the PO to show that the package arrived empty.

If you held on to the receipt then it should have the weight of the package on it, and tell HIM that the PO has a way to check the weight at every place the package stopped. Then let's see what he says.

But first, wait for him to admit that the package arrived empty.

He did respond that the package was empty as in no game at all.

When I politely mentioned that I'd be filing a claim with the USPS which means I would have to contact them as well as the postal inspector directly he got very hostile and started accusing me of cheating him out of his buyer protection (lets not forget he is a seller too that in the past year has 7 negatives on just 19 transactions).

I think I can file the usps claim online but if he doesn't cooperate or threw away the original packaging that isn't going to help my cause.

I know this had a game in it as I wrapped an express flat rate bubble mailer 1.5x around the 3ds case and sealed it with tape and then I put that inside the express flat rate mailer so it had some girth to it. I take my express packages to the post office as that is the only way they are guaranteed next day but I typically just hand them to a postal agent and walk out as they are very slow and the lines are long so I don't have a receipt for this one so that may negate my insurance coverage.

 
He did respond that the package was empty as in no game at all.

When I politely mentioned that I'd be filing a claim with the USPS which means I would have to contact them as well as the postal inspector directly he got very hostile and started accusing me of cheating him out of his buyer protection (lets not forget he is a seller too that in the past year has 7 negatives on just 19 transactions).

I think I can file the usps claim online but if he doesn't cooperate or threw away the original packaging that isn't going to help my cause.

I know this had a game in it as I wrapped an express flat rate bubble mailer 1.5x around the 3ds case and sealed it with tape and then I put that inside the express flat rate mailer so it had some girth to it. I take my express packages to the post office as that is the only way they are guaranteed next day but I typically just hand them to a postal agent and walk out as they are very slow and the lines are long so I don't have a receipt for this one so that may negate my insurance coverage.
You're going to need a helpful PO worker. There is a way for them to print tracking information for you that records every location the package stopped at. They don't provide this information because it contains flight data which they now don't give to people due to 9/11 and national security :roll:

But see if you can get her to give it to you...she could black out the other stuff, as long as it shows you the weight.

Even if you don't get it, don't fret. At this point, I'd just call eBay. Explain that the buyer is trying to cheat you. That you shipped the game. That the package had the right weight and now he says that the package was empty. That he is trying to commit fraud. Do this ASAP. The item was in the package. The package was delivered.

See what they have to say. If you get someone who's not helping, call again. And again. Find someone who'll take your side.

Also mention that when you asked him to go to the PO for insurance purposes to prove that the package arrived empty, he is saying that he threw away the package. I know he didn't say that...But just say it.

Let us know how it goes.

 
Also send the buyer another message saying that you can't just refund the money out of your pocket...that you'll have to get the PO to refund him. And for that he will HAVE TO PROVE that the package was empty by taking it to the PO.

Explain to him politely that the PO will then verify the weight of the package when it was shipped and the weight along the way and the weight when it was delivered. And if there's a discrepancy, they will approve the claim.

That's it. Don't tell him what happens if the PO doesn't find a discrepancy. Let him worry about that. Leave that dangling in the air.

Oh and if he refuses, then tell eBay that he is refusing to cooperate. If the person over at eBay says that's not his problem, hang up. Call back until you find someone willing to see it your way.

I got eBay to once freeze a case, until I verified receipt of documents that I needed signed from the buyer for insurance purposes.

All you need is someone willing to see it your way.

 
I could of sworn I had the option for international buyers to be able to see my items turned off. Lo and behold, someone from freakin Australia buys my item.

I sent a cancellation request. Should I go ahead and relist or wait it out? Never been in this situation before. He didn't pay me and it's been maybe 24ish hours since the item sold.

 
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I do have that turned on and I've had that happen as well. I sent them a message explaining it clearly states in my listing I don't ship there and since they hadn't paid yet we just closed it.

 
I take my express packages to the post office as that is the only way they are guaranteed next day but I typically just hand them to a postal agent and walk out as they are very slow and the lines are long so I don't have a receipt for this one so that may negate my insurance coverage.
GBA - I don't see why a receipt would be needed for insurance coverage. The tracking number and even reprinting your eBay label would prove that you paid for the Express Priority Shipping. I remember the eBay newsletter mentioning that the shipping service would include $100 of insurance automatically but I don't remember what the effective date of the policy change was. Would insurance cover a claim that an item was never included in the packaging? Clearly, it covers if the mail were to be lost in transit but if somehow the buyer were to point at the seller, I'm unsure whether insurance would help. I hope you nail that fucker to the wall.

Lord of Awesome - Check the address that populates on the actual shipping label. Some buyers may have an international country listed as one of their eBay addresses but their actual shipping address will be in the United States. I primarily ship domestically so most of my listings exclude international buyers but I've had sales every once in a great while show the buyer in Canada but the shipping tool show a U.S. address.
 
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GBA - I don't see why a receipt would be needed for insurance coverage. ...
The reason why I asked him if he had the receipt is because if you print a label at home, you could put in any weight you want. More or less.

But when you take in to the PO, and if they scan it in, the ACTUAL weight appears on the receipt.

So if the envelope weighed 3oz and the game weighed 4oz and the total was roughly 8oz... and the receipt showed that...Then that would be proof.

if the buyer had said that the package contained a book or something else, that that would be one thing...But with the receipt as proof of weight, the buyer would be screwed by that lie that the package was empty.

Of course, the point is moot since he doesn't have the receipt.

The insurance claims cover stolen items as well...BUT the buyer would have to take the package to the PO.

 
I could of sworn I had the option for international buyers to be able to see my items turned off. Lo and behold, someone from freakin Australia buys my item.

I sent a cancellation request. Should I go ahead and relist or wait it out? Never been in this situation before. He didn't pay me and it's been maybe 24ish hours since the item sold.

To prevent it from happening in the future you need to follow these steps.

When logged into ebay you need to do the following…

First off you go to "My ebay" and click on the following tabs

Account

Site preferences

Buyer Requirements - Check "Block buyers whose primary shipping address in a location I don't ship to".

And obviously when you create a listing do shipping within the USA only.

When logged into Paypal click the following…

Profile

My Selling tools

Then find the "Block Payments" tab under the "Getting paid and managing risk" part and click update.

Check yes for the following…

Block payments for the items not sold on ebay from U.S. users who do not provide a confirmed address:

Block payments sent to me in a currency I do not hold:

Block payments from users who - Have non-U.S. PayPal accounts

If you do all of the above nobody outside of the US shoud be able to purchase.

As for the situation you're in right now what type of cancelation request did you submit? Nothing is stopping you from re-listing, just make sure you inform the buyer of the situation and clearly state that you are re-listing the item before you do so and before any payment is submitted.

 
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Is FleaBay broken for anyone else? The site's gone haywire on me.

 
Is FleaBay broken for anyone else? The site's gone haywire on me.

Same here. I can't even login. I get this error:

There was an error passing information between the third party you just came from and eBay.
Error code: 20.1.3 : 2013-08-23 09:24:20 : signin.ebay.com
This error may have occured for one of the following reasons:
The third party that has sent you here has provided invalid information to eBay.
eBay has encountered an error processing your request. Please press the Back button and try submitting your request again, or close this window and return to the third party application

For an hour or two none of my listings work---as if eBay had pulled them. Now they are there again but I had a few that ended and were suppose to auto renew and they didn't. They are now done.

I can't login to even post on the message boards right now to see if anyone else is having problems.

 
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I thought if an item had Signature Confirmation and if there wasn't anybody home to sign for it, then they'd leave a notice BUT try to deliver it again?

Or do they just hold it at the PO?

Sold an item for $180 and didn't want to take the risk so I added signature confirmation. Tracking shows notice left as of 21st. I messaged the buyer (it's my second account so not really worried about ratings/feedback) to let him know that there was a package for him, so that it wouldn't get re-routed back to me.

He replied, "Thanks".

But still hasn't gone to pick it up.

I'm thinking that he's just not had the time to pick it up...But the paranoid bastard within me is thinking that maybe they wanted to scam me but realize that they can't do it now since there's Signature confirmation.

Anyone know how long before it's re-routed back to me?

And what do you think...If it comes back and he then asks for a refund, would I be justified in deducting the money spent on shipping from the item, since I sold it with "Free shipping"...?

 
Redilvery varies from PO to PO. I have had some signature packages redilvered, others held at the PO. The notice does give the buyer the ability to schedule a redilvery.

Typically the PO holds a package for about 2 weeks before sending it back.
 
Redilvery varies from PO to PO. I have had some signature packages redilvered, others held at the PO. The notice does give the buyer the ability to schedule a redilvery.

Typically the PO holds a package for about 2 weeks before sending it back.
Damn. And i'll be gone for a month then...Damn.

If it's not been delivered by Tuesday-Wednesday..I'll send him another message.

 
And what do you think...If it comes back and he then asks for a refund, would I be justified in deducting the money spent on shipping from the item, since I sold it with "Free shipping"...?
No, you wouldn't be. That's the downside of playing the "Free Shipping" game. You may be able to charge a "restocking fee" but you should look up eBay's policies first.

 
No, you wouldn't be. That's the downside of playing the "Free Shipping" game. You may be able to charge a "restocking fee" but you should look up eBay's policies first.
I actually doubt I'll be able to do anything since I hadn't mentioned anything in my listing.

And even if I did, it'd be very simple for him to just file a case or a chargeback.

I'm just hoping that he goes and picks it up...though I can't understand why he's not picking it up. It's been at the PO for 4 days now. Usually when I have a package coming in, especially something expensive, I can barely wait to have it delivered.

I really hope he's not trying to pull something.

 
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I actually doubt I'll be able to do anything since I hadn't mentioned anything in my listing.

And even if I did, it'd be very simple for him to just file a case or a chargeback.

I'm just hoping that he goes and picks it up...though I can't understand why he's not picking it up. It's been at the PO for 4 days now. Usually when I have a package coming in, especially something expensive, I can barely wait to have it delivered.

I really hope he's not trying to pull something.
Maybe his post office is just a bitch to deal with. I know my local post office is in a mall, with cars circling around it at all times trying to get a parking spot and then once youre inside its always a 20-30 minute wait in line. That's why I always go to the neighboring city's PO, which Im in an out of in 2 minutes.

 
I really just hope that's the case.

:(

I'm too paranoid for my own good.
Just curious but why would you use signature confirmation on a package when it isn't required?

In most instances it creates more problems then it solves. USPS doesn't require that the person who the package is addressed to actually sign for the package, nor do they require ID in most cases. Your buyer could have signed under any name and still claimed that the package wasn't delivered.

All you needed was for it to show as "delivered" on the usps tracking page to protect yourself from an INR----nothing else you do is going to help prevent any other type of buyer protection abuse that the buyer might attempt.

And to be honest now you've created a problem where the buyer might not attempt to pick the item up which present a whole different set of obstacles you need to face.

 
Just curious but why would you use signature confirmation on a package when it isn't required?
Gut feeling...I don't know. But probably because it was $180. and not $18.

Almost everything that I sell that's above $150, I include insurance..and/or SC.

Just something I've been doing for ever!

I didn't insure this package because it was only going from CT to MA...But what if I'd have insured it?

The buyer would have had to sign regardless of there being SC or not.

I just don't get why he hasn't gone to pick it up yet.

But obviously, shit happens...and I'm just hoping he picks it up by Tuesday or Wednesday.

 
Gut feeling...I don't know. But probably because it was $180. and not $18.

Almost everything that I sell that's above $150, I include insurance..and/or SC.

Just something I've been doing for ever!

I didn't insure this package because it was only going from CT to MA...But what if I'd have insured it?

The buyer would have had to sign regardless of there being SC or not.

I just don't get why he hasn't gone to pick it up yet.

But obviously, shit happens...and I'm just hoping he picks it up by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Just relax. Freaking out in every post here isn't going to fix your situation. There's nothing you can do either way at this point. Maybe the guy has a job that's not near his local PO so he can't make it in during business hours then he didn't feel like going on Saturday. Who knows. And if he doesn't pick it up, it's going to be routed back to you. I believe you can cancel the transaction once you get the package back. Buyer gets their money back, you'll have your items back, and that's the best you can hope for. You'll be out your shipping costs, so maybe in the future you won't play the free shipping card. Or just up the price on your item to try and zero out your shipping cost loss from the first time around.

But as others have explained, USPS Signature Confirmation is more trouble than it is worth. Just insure the expensive packages for your own peace of mind.

 
Gut feeling...I don't know. But probably because it was $180. and not $18.

Almost everything that I sell that's above $150, I include insurance..and/or SC.

Just something I've been doing for ever!

I didn't insure this package because it was only going from CT to MA...But what if I'd have insured it?

The buyer would have had to sign regardless of there being SC or not.

I just don't get why he hasn't gone to pick it up yet.

But obviously, shit happens...and I'm just hoping he picks it up by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Yeah I hear you.

You can always use a company like U-Pic (www.u-pic.com) and insure your packages through them. It is typically cheaper then the Post Office ($1 per $100 worth of coverage on domestic shipments) and they pay out faster too.

I just don't like SC and waive it on anything less then $250 (unless requested by the buyer) for the same reason I hate it when companies put it on shipments coming to me because i'm not usually around when the delivery man comes.

 
Same here. I can't even login. I get this error:

There was an error passing information between the third party you just came from and eBay.
Error code: 20.1.3 : 2013-08-23 09:24:20 : signin.ebay.com
This error may have occured for one of the following reasons:
The third party that has sent you here has provided invalid information to eBay.
eBay has encountered an error processing your request. Please press the Back button and try submitting your request again, or close this window and return to the third party application

For an hour or two none of my listings work---as if eBay had pulled them. Now they are there again but I had a few that ended and were suppose to auto renew and they didn't. They are now done.

I can't login to even post on the message boards right now to see if anyone else is having problems.

My eBay account looks fine on my end.
Yeah, it looks like it only lasted for a few hours.

 
Yeah I hear you.

You can always use a company like U-Pic (www.u-pic.com) and insure your packages through them. It is typically cheaper then the Post Office ($1 per $100 worth of coverage on domestic shipments) and they pay out faster too.

I just don't like SC and waive it on anything less then $250 (unless requested by the buyer) for the same reason I hate it when companies put it on shipments coming to me because i'm not usually around when the delivery man comes.
I used U-pic once.

It's like all 3rd party mail insurers.

I need the buyer to sign the documents and it took me a LONG time to get him to do that.

Finally managed to get eBay to step in and freeze the case, and contact him and tell him that until I didn't tell eBay that I had received the documents, they wouldn't unfreeze the case.

So then after a lot of back and forth he sent them to me.

Since then, I swore off it. I stick with USPS.

Item lost. Claim filed.

Documents sent.

Month later, check received.

Had two lost and one damaged and USPS paid each time. ($800 or so each time.)

 
Yeah signature confirmation is very inconvenient.  Most people work during the day so all that it does is it ends up forcing a buyer to come to his local post office to pick up a package.  Since I live in an apartment, I rarely have to deal with this inconvenience since my leasing office staff are present to sign for me.  However, it's a real PITA for them since they are the ones that are constantly stuck with holding my packages since I work during the daytime and I get a shit ton of online orders in thanks to CAG. 

When I sold my Dead Space 3 dev-team edition, I had to do signature confirmation.  The tracking number was never updated for delivery.  I lucked out because it must have been delivered since the 90 day chargeback period has already passed and I never heard back from the buyer.  If the buyer knew how to take advantage of me, they could have opened an INR case and I would have been cooked.  I wonder whether signature confirmation actually made it worse for me since the package was never updated beyond being routed through one of their sorting facilities.

eBay's $250 policy for signature confirmations doesn't make sense to me.  They should require insurance coverage, not signature confirmation.  If the seller is obligated to ensure that a package is delivered, what difference does it make to have evidence that a person was present to sign for it?  Whether a person was home or not should be irrelevant. 

GBA - Any updates from the scammer?
 
I don't think I'm the only one, but anytime I send a larger, slightly more expensive package that wouldn't fit in a standard mailbox, I Street View the street address to see what kind of neighborhood its going to be shipping to.  If it looks somewhat seedy and open for theft, I opt to put SC, rather than risk it sitting there all day.

I don't think that's really necessary, but just something I do for my peace of mind, and I let the buyer know about the SC ahead of time (but I don't tell them why of course).  Other than that, yeah, it really is a waste of time for the buyer.

 
I used U-pic once.

It's like all 3rd party mail insurers.

I need the buyer to sign the documents and it took me a LONG time to get him to do that.

Finally managed to get eBay to step in and freeze the case, and contact him and tell him that until I didn't tell eBay that I had received the documents, they wouldn't unfreeze the case.

So then after a lot of back and forth he sent them to me.

Since then, I swore off it. I stick with USPS.

Item lost. Claim filed.

Documents sent.

Month later, check received.

Had two lost and one damaged and USPS paid each time. ($800 or so each time.)
I've had both U-Pic and shipsurance payout without the buyer signing the affidavit form. They are more then willing to accept the PayPal or eBay dispute being opened / closed (refunded) e-mails as proof that the buyer didn't receive the item.

GBA - Any updates from the scammer?

Nothing yet. After all the threats and name calling he has been quiet. I did file a claim through USPS as domestic express mail comes with enough insurance to cover the value of the item. I called eBay and they said that even if he escalates the dispute (he can now as it's been open for more then five days) that they will keep the dispute open for an additional two weeks to give USPS enough time to investigate. They also said that if USPS detects fraud and declines the dispute for that reason to pass that information along to them (eBay) as they will take that into consideration.

It was going to Erie, PA which is a fairly large area (100,000+ people) but he has a somewhat unique name. I think I found him on facebook and it pisses me off because he is like 20 years old yet is scummy enough to claim that this was a birthday gift for his daughter. I hate people that make up stories like that.

 
I'm sure you're aware already but since name calling is a violation of TOS, you should report that to eBay.  I don't see how it would hurt your case.

Cases can actually be open for up to a whole month.  Just this summer, I had a buyer open up a INR case on me and then when I had responded to his case, the buyer never responded back.  The case stayed open awaiting action by the buyer for the entire 30 days and then eBay finally automatically closed it.  Some people are so bad with emails.
 
I've had both U-Pic and shipsurance payout without the buyer signing the affidavit form. They are more then willing to accept the PayPal or eBay dispute being opened / closed (refunded) e-mails as proof that the buyer didn't receive the item.
How long ago was this. My case was about a year and a half ago...Maybe even more.

If they've changed the way they do things, then that's awesome. Might try them again.

 
Has ebay automatically opted in all sellers to the Global Shipping program? I was checking over my preferences and noticed that I was opted into the global shipping program even though I specifically declined in the past. There is no way, drunk or sober, that I would have opted into the program so I'm wondering if they've slipped this one in under a terms of use agreement?

It's found under site preferences

shipping preferences

global shipping

 
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Has ebay automatically opted in all sellers to the Global Shipping program? I was checking over my preferences and noticed that I was opted in to the global shipping program even though I specifically declined in the past. There is no way, drunk or sober, that I would have opted into the program so I'm wondering if they've slipped this one in under a terms of use agreement?

It's found under site preferences
shipping preferences
global shipping
I opted in once to Global Shipping program. I just started selling on eBay after a break and a lot International bidders contacted me about buying. The thing that sucks about the program is the shipping rates are crazy high plus the taxes the charge the buyer. When I had a winning bidder from the UK I just told him about how high it was so he chose First Class International. It was $14 versus $40 to ship a shirt. When I have people buying $100+ for shirts I can't throw them into eBays crazy shipping prices.

I opted out of it since then and put up more auctions tonight. It said that I'm already in the GSP. I think the new eBay agreement might have put users into the program.

I'm going to op out of the program again and see if puts me back in on my next batch of auctions.
 
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Yeah, I've known about how messed up the program is for buyers, regarding all the fees, long before it was common knowledge. In addition the shipper re-packages items to save shipping costs, ultimately causing damage which the buyer then holds the seller responsible for. In my eyes the whole program is a horrible idea and that is why, up until now, I avoided it like the plague.

Thankfully no international transactions slipped through while it went unnoticed, thanks to all of the other preferences I have set. I made the changes and they seem to have stuck so I guess it's simple to fix as long as the seller is aware they were opted in. F@%k'n ebay!!! Slipping this into a terms of use agreement is a new low!

 
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Yeah, I've known about how messed up the program is for buyers regarding all the fees long before it was common knowledge. In addition the shipper re-packages items to save shipping costs, ultimately causing damage which the buyer then holds the seller responsible for. In my eyes the whole program is a horrible idea and that is why, up until now, I avoided it like the plague.

Thankfully no international transactions slipped through while it went unnoticed, thanks to all of the other preferences I have set. I made the changes and they seem to have stuck so I guess it's simple to fix as long as the seller is aware they were opted in. F@%k'n ebay!!! Slipping this into a terms of use agreement is a new low!
eBay adding the GSP into the agreement was just my guess as to why it could be activated again. When I opted in and the International bidder didn't want to go through it. There was no charge or anything since I mailed it on my own. I know now to avoid that program like the plague.

 
Know this isn't eBay but tried using Amazon to sell something for the first time and couldn't believe I was missing eBay after that sale. I don't know how you're supposed to make any real money on there unless you're selling something more than $10 as I was just selling a CD for like 5 bucks and they automatically set shipping prices (lowest was $3.99) which was fine but after everything was done I made less than 5 with the 9 I made total with the added shipping. Flat rate fees can be your friend or worst enemy there as that's precisely why I didn't make squat after their fees deducted everything.

 
Some guy wants a refund on here, can I refund him the amount he paid and then refund him whatever I see he paid  to ship when I get the item back or will ebay only let me "refund" him money once (shipping was originally free, BIN)? I'm buying the nice guy here as I know this guy is lying his ass off about what I sent him but will pay the return shipping anyway but I don't want to tell him go ahead and send it how you like and I'll compensate you for the shipping when I get it to see he chose the most expensive method. Actually, how would I go about this whole thing too as I've never had anyone have issues with me before and wanting a refund. Do I tell them to ship first and I'll refund upon getting it or do I refund first? I would think refunding first would be the more friendly approach but I know this person is lying about the item so I'm not sure if I can trust them to do their part.

 
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Some guy wants a refund on here, can I refund him the amount he paid and then refund him whatever I see he paid to ship when I get the item back or will ebay only let me "refund" him money once (shipping was originally free, BIN)? I'm buying the nice guy here as I know this guy is lying his ass off about what I sent him but will pay the return shipping anyway but I don't want to tell him go ahead and send it how you like and I'll compensate you for the shipping when I get it to see he chose the most expensive method. Actually, how would I go about this whole thing too as I've never had anyone have issues with me before and wanting a refund. Do I tell them to ship first and I'll refund upon getting it or do I refund first? I would think refunding first would be the more friendly approach but I know this person is lying about the item so I'm not sure if I can trust them to do their part.
I would never issue a refund before I have the item in hand unless its a partial refund and they're keeping the item. In your case, wait until you get the item back in order to ensure that you do get it back. I would just issue a complete refund but not pay for the return shipping. I'm not sure there's even a way to refund return shipping unless you send them a prepaid label.
 
Alright, so tell them to ship it out and I will issue a refund upon receiving it back. What if they want to be a dick about the shipping, can they force me to give them money to cover the shipping once I get it back or no? I never specified a return policy on this so I don't know what they can pull on me since I didn't establish one.

 
Alright, so tell them to ship it out and I will issue a refund upon receiving it back. What if they want to be a dick about the shipping, can they force me to give them money to cover the shipping once I get it back or no? I never specified a return policy on this so I don't know what they can pull on me since I didn't establish one.
Hey just did my first return on eBay buying Steelbook polybags. The seller said the would fit steelbooks but barely fit a regular Bluray. I told the seller I wanted a replacement or refund. I had to ship it back to to seller and I got refunded my original payment and shipping. You don't have to pay for the return shipping to get the product back to you. That's the buyers responsiblity to make sure the product gets back. After you receive your item back on Paypal there will be a refund button by that transaction.
 
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I pay the cost to ship it back to me if there is legitimately a problem. You can't 'refund' that, I just send them the cost. But that's extremely rare because I test everything. Only had it happen once actually. I insist on the same, if there is something wrong I'm happy to send it back but I insist on the seller paying the cost, I'm not going to be out anything because they made a mistake with the item and it didn't work.

But if you're sure there is no issue I wouldn't offer to pay to send it back.

 
Blargh - I got caught on the global shipping crud. It apparently was applied to all my previous listings. 2 orders got through, so I guess I will use them as a guinea pig and see how it goes.

All I've heard is how bad it is for the buyer with fees, etc., but looking at the little ebay help page it looks like it easy and everything is covered for the buyer. Well - I guess here goes nothing with the two.

 
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