On the 7th December I sold a factory sealed iPhone 4S for £300 on eBay to a buyer in Portugal. Sent immediately fully tracked with DHL. Arrived next day.
On the 10th I get a return request, with the reason of "arrived damaged". I would usually just accept immediately, but on this occasion I knew the buyer was messing about because it was a factory sealed brand new iPhone. So this time I simply messaged back and asked what the issue was. He said the in-call volume was too low. So I suggested he remove the screen protector to resolve the issue as it covers up the ear piece and doesn't have a cut-out for it.
Did hear anything back for about 2 weeks, so I thought maybe the issue had been resolved and the request would either time out, or he might close it himself. But no. On the 24th December, he escalated the case to eBay support claiming that the battery runs out too soon, and that there was a scratch on the screen.
eBay then put the case "on hold awaiting documentation" from me. They sent a separate e-mail as follows:
"Please be informed that your buyer escalated this case to us stating that they received a damaged item. With this, we contacted you as a responsible seller of eBay to please assist your trading partner to return the item as this is valid claim. You may arrange a collection from your trusted courier or you send a label to your buyer to sort things out. Please know that I will be putting this case on hold for 5 days to wait for your response and do necessary action needed onto this case.
You can request for your trading partner’s contact information by clicking the link below and then entering your trading partner's user ID and the item number in question.
eBay Search: Advanced Search
We'll then send you your seller’s contact details by email. Bear in mind that, when we send you this, we'll also send an email to the seller with your contact information.
To avoid the same situation in the future, I suggest that you take the following steps when listing an item:
1. Ensure the item is accurately described; taking into account any marks, measurements, etc. that a buyer would need to know.
2. Take clear photos and add as many as necessary.
3. Be available to answer questions via email or phone for potential buyers.
To make sure your transactions go smoothly, we suggest you visit the eBay site and click the Safety Centre link located at the bottom of any page. There you will find tips on how to sell safely in the "Selling Safely" section.
eBay UK - eBay Safety Centre: Selling Safely
I trust this information is helpful and I wish you all the best in eBay in the future.
Kind regards,
Dona A.
eBay Customer Service"
So I messaged the buyer asking what date he wanted me to send a courier to collect the faulty handset, and that it needed to be returned in the same condition it was sent to him, with all the original packaging.
He then replied and said he didn't have the original packaging, and started asking how the battery would keep dying too soon (totally avoided the question about when he wanted it collecting).
I sent eBay customer service an e-mail about the situation and how I wasn't happy that he's been using the phone for weeks, has no original packaging and doesn't want to return it. I got a reply straight away, they said to wait for him to send the collection details, which he never did.
Then I received a decision e-mail on 30th December as follows:
Customer Support has reviewed the case and made a final decision.
Decision:
This case was decided in the buyer's favour. You won't have to reimburse your buyer for this transaction.
Comments:
For more information about this case, please refer to the email we sent you.
You can also view the details of this case in the Resolution Centre.
What I am confused about it, is how come eBay didn't ask him to comply and return the item and supply tracking information. Also, if the decision was made in his favour, how come I didn't have to make a refund? I have been checking my seller performance dashboard daily and so far, I haven't had any defects, although it could reflect in my ratings next month.
Sorry about the long post
