Thursday, May 21, 2015

Things That Annoy Me Thursday: Lying eBay Customers

Well, it finally happened.

I've been selling on eBay for years, and never had any major issues.

But then I sold this swimsuit:


And about a week after I shipped the swimsuit and cap, I got an e-mail from the buyer claiming there were stains and a hole in the butt. I knew there was not, because Natalie had only worn the swimsuit a few times, and I had checked the swimsuit inch by inch because I know Janie and Jack items usually get a fair amount of money.

Still, I asked for photos as proof. I sent her the photos I had of the swimsuit proving there weren't any stains when it left my home.

She did not send proof. She simply kept saying the swimsuit was stained. Then she asked if she could keep the swim cap and send the swimsuit back.

This gave me a bad feeling. Why? Well, it seemed the woman only wanted the swim cap. She expected to get the swim cap for about $5 too and wanted a refund on the rest. (It went for $38.) I refused. I said she could mail EVERYTHING back for a full refund. I also offered to give her the cost of shipping it back to me.

She argued. Said she'd take the swim cap. She STILL sent no proof of staining. You'd think if you were so upset, that proof would be sent. I get mistakes happen. I've purchased a few items on eBay that have arrived stained. When I contacted the seller, I ALWAYS included photos.

Then she asked for a partial refund. I said no, I'd only do a full refund as soon as she sent the swim suit and cap back. She said no.

It was back and forth, back and forth. Finally I told her to contact eBay.

A week went by and nothing.

I thought maybe she finally understood that she could not scam me.

But then she filed with eBay for a partial refund. EVEN AFTER I TOLD HER NO PARTIALS.

I was livid.


So I called eBay and told them what was happening. I told them I was worried she'd stain the swim suit herself and claim it arrived that way. I told them I was worried she just wanted the swim cap all along and was trying to get out of paying for the rest. eBay was awesome. The woman told me she'd check our messages and let me know what their decision would be. I was put on hold for about five minutes, and then she came back on the line and said eBay was ruling in my favor. I did not have to pay the scammer anything.

eBay immediately blocked her from being able to leave a negative on my feedback and closed the case.


No, I did not hear from the scammer after that. I think she realized I was not someone to be messed with. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers on eBay who will lie and claim there are stains, when there are not. I know in the future to list the swim suit and cap in separate auctions to avoid this nonsense. I always just assume that people are honest and it's simply not the case these days. People want everything for nothing.

So that was my eBay story. I highly recommend selling on eBay, because they will help you out if you're clearly telling the truth.

Have any of you experienced annoying eBay customers?

19 comments:

  1. Glad eBay helped you out and ruled in your favor!!!! Cute swimsuit!

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  2. Oh my gosh! What a mess. So glad you stuck to your guns and that eBay ruled in your favor! Woo! :)

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  3. glad you were able to call ebay and work it out - I never knew you could do that!

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  4. Ugh this definitely sounds frustrating. So glad you got it all figured out!

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  5. That's crazy. I haven't been on eBay in years. But craigslist is full of this kind of shadyness.

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  6. The swimsuit was so cute! I'm glad you got it all figured out!

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  7. Glad you won the case!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I don't buy or sell from e-bay, I'm mostly a Craigslister. The only annoying thing about CG is people who don't show up at the agreed-upon location and time. Come on. Waste of my time!

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  8. What a pain! I don't do e-bay anyway. There were times when people would try to scam the restaurant I worked at and the manager would be like "did you eat the food?" If they said yes, she'd be like "no refund." LOL!
    My mom told me about people who go to Goodwill. buy items that still have the tags on, and then go back to the original store to get a full credit for them. Some people are so ridiculous! Anyway, I'm glad e-bay was on your side!!!

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  9. Whoa! Glad they ruled in your favor! It's been years since I sold on eBay, but I was actually hoping to start again soon.

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  10. What an annoying hassle to go through, but glad it worked in your favor!

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  11. I recently had one message me and say, "look, I am the only bidder on these auctions right now, so could you just sell the items to me for the amount they are at now?" There were still 3 days left and other users watching the items! I just ignored her. Oh and, other people ended up outbidding her and winning on all 4 of those items. ;)

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  12. Happy to hear that eBay ruled in your favor, as they should! Maybe that will teach her not to mess with sellers in the future!

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  13. I'm so glad it turned out okay!

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  14. I'm so glad Ebay understood you were right! I had an annoying customer once, who made loads of requests before buying a couple of very cheap curtains, to which I nicely accomplished, the moment she asked me to change the shipping and she would organize it all, it was the last straw, I didn't sell them to her in the end, and told her off…..after having blocked her though ;D

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  15. So glad it worked out in your favour!

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  16. I plan to sell some things on Ebay so this is all good information! I have purchased many, many items and every transaction has been honest and worthwhile for me and the seller. Now I know how to protect myself...photos of everything, and count on Ebay for help if necessary.

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  17. I'm glad ebay ruled in your favor.

    I haven't sold anything on there, but I had a creepy guy freaking out on me after a craigslist ad. He wanted the concert tickets I was selling (I was selling them for $50 each and everyone else had them listed at 100-150 each- I just wanted mine gone) but he kept saying he was busy and would meet me the next week or the week after. I told him that sorry, I was selling them to someone who could meet me that day. He sent me angry messages, saying that the concert was still weeks away, so what was my problem with waiting (uh, I wanted to be sure they were actually sold and I had a willing buyer? AND I needed the money then), and that I was costing him money because buying my 4 would only cost him $200 and everyone else's would cost him $400 to 600. NO KIDDING. Then, he offered to meet me that day, but I'd already had a pleasant conversation with someone else that I'd actually feel comfortable meeting up with- so I blocked him.

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  18. Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before. So nice to search out any person with some unique thoughts on this subject. realy thank you for starting this up. this web site is one thing that?s needed on the net, someone with a bit of originality. useful job for bringing something new to the internet! ebay offers

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  19. It was interesting to read about your experience with such a large company and it's a little strange to realize that such a giant handles negative customer reviews so badly. I recently read about Pissed Consumer and learned that interacting with customers and analyzing their positive and negative feedback usually leads to better customer interactions and a better brand experience.

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