The seller gets screwed while the buyer can play games

shadow83 · #1 05-20-2015

This is the first time that I have used eBay motors and my last.

I listed my motorcycle with complete details as to its condition, location and where I would ship to. As offered by eBay I required a $100 deposit within 48 hours and full payment within 4 days. I contacted the buyer congratulating him on winning the bid and reminded him that a $100 deposit was due in 48 hours, no reply. 48 hours came and went and no reply. I contacted eBay and was told that the deposit did not mean anything and I had to wait the 4 days if he did not pay full and to then to file a nonpayment claim then. What good is a deposit requirement if it is not enforced?!? 4 days came and went and still no reply or payment so I made a non-payment claim.

Later that day I received an email from the buyer stating that they did not want the motorcycle because: it was too far away and they did not want to pay shipping and that it needed work, all of which was extremely detailed in my listing. What a moron. I sent a message to eBay concerning the claim containing the buyer's email assuming that it was now resolved and I could relist the motorcycle, was I ever wrong!!!

I received an invoice from eBay the next morning for the fees on the item that WAS NOT PAID FOR AND THE BUYER SAID THAT HE DID NOT WANT. I called eBay AGAIN questioning the invoice since the item is not really sold and was told that even though I sent eBay proof that the buyer is NOT going to pay for the item I cannot do anything until after the claim runs its course and can be closed 7 days later, I could not even close it myself. And if I cancelled the transaction (which is the only way I can relist) I would have to pay this fee. I will have to close the claim in 7 days to get a refund on the fee and not before, and if I do not close it within 37 days the fee will stand. This is because per eBay’s instructions I filed an unpaid item claim when the buyer said that they were not going to pay. This locks the item for 7 days even if the resolution is prior. So I cannot relist the item OR even send a second chance offer to other bidders who did not win the auction because this moron screwed me. As I suspected, the seller pays eBay but the buyer gets the protection.

If a transaction goes smooth and the seller pays there is not problem, but if the buyer changes their mind the seller gets screwed. Keep in mind that if a buyer does NOT pay you MUST file a claim to receive a refund on the fees and this will prevent you from doing anything with the item for at least 7 days. Not only that but a seller cannot leave negative feedback about the buyer in this situation so the buyer can keep playing games with others. So in essence eBay offers the seller nothing and the buyer everything even though the SELLER is paying for the auction. It's pretty bad when Craigslist is a better option. I hope this helps anyone who may be considering using eBay to sell.

slokor · #2 05-20-2015

Welcome to the forums and thanks for the detailed story.
Unfortunately it is a familiar story and many of us here have to deal with this sort of situation on a daily basis. Ebay does not care much for its sellers and its the way things have been for quite some time.
In your specific case I would steer clear of ebay. Id never use it to sell a vehicle for many different reasons not the least of which is the fact youd end up paying fees which would be prohibitive to making this transaction financially viable.
Any number of sites would be far more professional about it and would not cost you a dime. Id go for one of those.

martyjump · #3 05-20-2015

Was this on a stealth account?

This is just part of the eBay business model that you have to adjust to as a seller. I guess if you only have 1 of a particular item it's a real pain. Fortunately for me, I have several of each item I sell so re-listing is not an issue. I hear you though... eBay has more than it's fair share of moron buyers

Bunneh · #4 05-20-2015

Welcome to the forum

Why do you need to wait 7 days to close the case? I've closed cases within 2 days.
Unless there is different rules for motor section.

Usually when you receive a ebay invoice for fees it it only debited from your paypal account around 2 weeks later, which would give you enough time to close the case and get your invoice credited.

shadow83 · #5 05-21-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunneh

Welcome to the forum

Why do you need to wait 7 days to close the case? I've closed cases within 2 days.
Unless there is different rules for motor section.

I asked them the same question AND pointed out the email from the buyer stating that the moron was not going to pay. The eBay person first thought that I could close it manually but when I was on the appropriate screen the only selection that was active for reason to close under "Did the buyer pay" was the "YES" click, the "NO" was grayed out and could not be selected thus it would not let me click the CLOSE button. The eBay person was puzzled and came back with she did not know why but I had to wait the full 7 days and there was nothing that she could do. I was most infuriated when she went on to tell me that I could not re-list or offer a second chance until the 7 day appeal time was up.

I can't for the life of me understand how eBay can create a sales contract but when the buyer violates it NOT enforce it or impose consequences. Seems very abusive and shady to me. I guess people are suckers and will just put up with this stuff.

ytowngirl126 · #6 05-21-2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadow83

I asked them the same question AND pointed out the email from the buyer stating that the moron was not going to pay. The eBay person first thought that I could close it manually but when I was on the appropriate screen the only selection that was active for reason to close under "Did the buyer pay" was the "YES" click, the "NO" was grayed out and could not be selected thus it would not let me click the CLOSE button. The eBay person was puzzled and came back with she did not know why but I had to wait the full 7 days and there was nothing that she could do. I was most infuriated when she went on to tell me that I could not re-list or offer a second chance until the 7 day appeal time was up.

I can't for the life of me understand how eBay can create a sales contract but when the buyer violates it NOT enforce it or impose consequences. Seems very abusive and shady to me. I guess people are suckers and will just put up with this stuff.

Unfortunately eBay could careless about sellers because they still will collect fees. They will bend over backwards for buyers because they want them to come back. To Ebay there will always be sellers because there is no competition.

jeffweico · #7 05-21-2015

Unfortunately, when it comes to eBay, any buyer can back out of ANY transaction - especially on Autos and Real Estate - with no penalty. The worst that will happen to the buyer is that if they keep doing this, eBay will close their account.

While technically a contract exists when someone bids on an item and wins, it is rarely worth it to try to enforce that contract. The reality, for both eBay and the seller is that to enforce it, you have to go to court - eBay cannot enforce a contract, they can only file a civil lawsuit and that is just not going to happen.

So, while I agree with the other posts about eBay not caring about us as sellers (let's face it, if they CARED about their sellers and were FAIR, this forum would not exist as there would be no need for it) in reality, there is very little that eBay can actually do about non-paying bidders/buyers.

Not that it applies to autos, but if you ever want to sell something on eBay and avoid this problem, use the Buy It Now option and click the box on your listing for IMMEDIATE PAYMENT REQUIRED. That avoids this issue.

muzzie · #8 05-21-2015

EB is for buyers, not sellers. It should be always kept in mind while dealing with EB. Recently a buyer invented a ⊗⊗⊗⊗ problem, send an empty box back, so got the item and the money. It can't be avoided, it is nothing but operating expenses.