eBay Sellers Getting Worse, eBay Itself Following

CarnivalMonkey on 16/01/2021 - 14:59
Last edited 16/01/2021 - 15:32 by 1 other user

Unsure if this is a whinge but it appears more and more I only hear about bad eBay stories and recently 3 awful transactions out of my last 4.

TLDR: I am an idiot who didn't open an intended Christmas gift (office chair), check each part, test assemble, find out it was an incorrect part, lodge an "Official eBay Refund Request" within 30 days. Anyone else have regrets with online purchases over the Christmas period?

Most recent and stinging purchase was a computer chair, purchased from an "Australian seller, stock in Australia". Arrived 1 day later than latest estimated delivery date (I was happy it arrived before Christmas at all, so not bad). as this was bought for a Christmas present, it arrived early December and put away until Christmas. Trying to assemble it Christmas eve, one of the parts doesn't fit. Tied multiple times, realised the part in question is from a different model chair. The part is pretty much the 90deg support that attaches the back of the chair to the seat, so it is integral to having a chair be a chair in this case.

Contacted the seller, slow to respond, asks me to redrill holes to fit. I said no thank you, please supply the correct part, replacement chair, refund/return. Next reply was asking if I would take $20 refund. I said no again, asking for the same as before. $40 refund? No, thanks, same requests as before. At this point I received a long winded story about the stock not being resalable by them as opened, the factory wouldn't accept it back, they had already paid eBay fees, stock, delivery etc and they can not afford to… you get the idea.

At this point, I raise the request for assistance directly with eBay. They don't respond as the seller and I are discussing back and forth. I ask them and they said they can't help. As I raised the request 2 days after the 30 day eBay money back guarantee period expires, therefore my only recourse is to discuss with seller and hope the get a resolution.

I read up on some other forums that this is not uncommon and the tactic of trying to placate a buyer until the end of the 30 days is more common around Christmas where people buy items earlier to get stock in time but then lose out on any eBay assistance with a faulty/misleading/damaged item. Is this as common as it seems? I know people don't join and post rave reviews about eBay and negative opinions on most things are louder.

Anyone else have a similar experience and get a decent resolution? It's not so much the $120 chair that can't be used but the feeling of being ripped off, even though I am the idiot who didn't check in within 30 days to start a refund request on the eBay site. I have discussed this with eBay support, explained in detail, checked dates, corrected times with them, still 2 days short and they won't do anything.

TLDR: I am an idiot who didn't open an intended Christmas gift (office chair), check each part, test assemble, find out it was an incorrect part, lodge an "official eBay refund request" within 30 days. Anyone else have regrets with online purchases over the Christmas period?

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Comments

  • AustriaBargain on 16/01/2021 - 15:18

    I bought from some furniture place and it was missing the screw holes or something, the thing wasn't welded on when it should have been. I wish I just bought from eBay so I could PayPal refund it. The furniture store wanted me to send the thing back and it was heavy and I couldn't be bothered.

  • Agarwal on 16/01/2021 - 15:22
    +1

    How did you pay? If via paypal using Debit or Credit card you could probably do a chargeback for item not as described or something like that.

    • CarnivalMonkey on 16/01/2021 - 15:25

      paid via credit card on ebay site. have contacted card provider and initiated the process. will see how it pans out. I'm considering it a lesson at the moment.

  • DemocracyManifest on 16/01/2021 - 15:29

    I don’t buy stuff really on eBay, I sell more, thank goodness I’ve never had any drama considering I resell electronics and send it via post, nothing has ever rocked up DOA or broken, aus post is part of the problem in my case

  • ShannonN on 16/01/2021 - 15:33

    if the worse come to worse you can drill the part to make it fit as seller recommended not that you SHOULD have to but at least that way you get the chair you paid for

    • CarnivalMonkey on 16/01/2021 - 15:54

      it can't be drilled. each option obscures the mounts under the seat of the chair. there is a large lever support that I can't drill through and if I drill from the other side, I still can't do up any bolts with the lever in the way. I checked, measured, drew up a template, there is no physical way to connect the item without fabricating a bracket/adaptor to attach to the peice then attach the adaptor to the chair.

      https://imgur.com/CtRCiYi

      • AdosHouse on 16/01/2021 - 16:02

        Hmmm, get a thick steel 90 degree bracket from Bunnings, and bolt it to the back of the RED bolts mount, should be more than strong enough.

  • dmbminaret on 16/01/2021 - 15:51

    I'm not sure there is any rhyme or reason to it. As a personal buyer and a small-time seller of towing equipment for work, I find ebay really strange.

    I sold some straps and sent through sendle. The parcel went MIA and buyer contacted me. All good. I lodged an investigation with sendle and let him know. He was happy with that. A day later I get notification he has put in a case with ebay and I told them I was already sorting it with him then they just refunded him without anymore correspondence. Luckily he did never get the parcel and sendle covered the cost but I was amazed at the swift action taken on behalf of the buyer when the case wasn't very old.

  • Cartman2530 on 16/01/2021 - 16:15

    Usually the things that are cheaper than normal on eBay are factory seconds or rejects.

    My wife bought a vanity cheap from a seller and it had a couple of pieces that should have been drilled mirror image to fit the opposite side but were drilled the same and of course wouldn't fit.
    She ended up getting a partial refund and I re-drilled the mounting dowels in the correct position due to the fact that we needed it installed asap, and it was a bit of a hassle sending it back since its bulky.

    So you pretty much get what you pay for these days, but that doesn't mean you should settle for it. If you don't get a full refund and you paid via credit card, try and lodge a chargeback request.

  • JimmyF on 16/01/2021 - 17:19

    Anyone else have regrets with online purchases over the Christmas period?

    Nope all good….

  • Ocker on 16/01/2021 - 17:24
    -1

    Moral of the story is that if you know an item you buy has a defined period of time for returns, claims etc., then make sure to check before the time limit expires.

  • Nugs on 16/01/2021 - 17:36
    +1

    Same run around and with a central locking lit that arrived damaged. They asked if I could sell it and accept a partial response WTF.
    It arrived very late, well after the 30 days
    Ebay rep told me I should have raised a dispute on day 29, even though it hadn't arrived?
    This was in peak covid disruption
    Paypal sorted it out in a few days after raised with them
    .

  • garetz on 16/01/2021 - 17:49
    +2

    ebay has been a dumpster fire for the last 10 years.

  • CarnivalMonkey on 17/01/2021 - 13:02

    just an update, turns out leaving a scathing review on ebay feedback initiated a response "if we refund you, will you adjust your feedback?"

    • Save 50 Cent on 17/01/2021 - 16:27
      +2

      Make sure you get the refund first.

      • [Deactivated] on 18/01/2021 - 12:11

        Screw them, if you paid via paypal just document everything and make a claim including the part where they asked for their feedback to be fixed in exchange for a refund.

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