Selling phone on ebay and buyer claims it's not in the box.

STEFANOS4784
STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
edited October 2011 in The bottom bracket
What can I do about this? Is the buyer always right? Regardless? Ebay holds money for 21 days and now i'm suspicious that I'm getting ripped off :( Anyone had previous experiences of this? I will have no way of proving it.

Comments

  • Rigga
    Rigga Posts: 939
    How did you post it? Recorded delivery? Special delivery? Cant the post office or whoever you used back you up?
  • Rigga
    Rigga Posts: 939
    P.S. What's his feedback like? Does he seem a trustworthy person?
  • SLX01
    SLX01 Posts: 338
    Tricky one Ebay would usually side with you if you have proof of posting though. Last dispute I had where the person tried to claim the item was damaged and I knew it wasn't Ebay refunded the buyer and then paid me the money back themselves rather strangely.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    It'll likely turn into a long-winded dispute. If you have proof of postage then that should include (or infer) the weight of the item you posted. That might help a bit.
    More problems but still living....
  • STEFANOS4784
    STEFANOS4784 Posts: 4,109
    Right ok, thanks guys. I knew I should have avoided ebay. But It's the way to get the best price. It was sent fully insured and recorded so now I play the waiting game. I hope the weight of the box at the P.O will back me up.....I knew it was a bad idea, I'm very suspicious in my dealings with ebay, I've been ripped off as a seller before. Ah well. Life goes on. The kids will have to eat gruel for the next 2 months but at least they're not mine (biologically). I'll just say that's what happens to people who hate cycling :wink:
  • It's things like this that I hate about Ebay, I have never, ever had a single good thing come from Ebay, not in the U.S., not in the U.K. or in Austria.

    So many scum are on there it is insane.
  • Right ok, thanks guys. I knew I should have avoided ebay. But It's the way to get the best price. It was sent fully insured and recorded so now I play the waiting game. I hope the weight of the box at the P.O will back me up.....I knew it was a bad idea, I'm very suspicious in my dealings with ebay, I've been ripped off as a seller before. Ah well. Life goes on. The kids will have to eat gruel for the next 2 months but at least they're not mine (biologically). I'll just say that's what happens to people who hate cycling :wink:

    Hmm, sounds like you may have been scammed, did you send the phone abroad?

    Post a link to the eBay item and lets have a look at the buyer's credentials. I have sold phones out as far as Greece before and not had a problem. Is the buyer claiming that the box was opened before receiving it?

    Sounds like you have been really unlucky and difficult to prove you are in the right. Good luck and post what the outcome is.
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  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    edited October 2011
    It's things like this that I hate about Ebay, I have never, ever had a single good thing come from Ebay, not in the U.S., not in the U.K. or in Austria.

    So many scum are on there it is insane.
    I've sold a reasonable amount of stuff on eBay and never had a problem. I guess I've been lucky.
  • so not only can we blame everything on wiggle we can now blame everything on ebay?
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  • It's things like this that I hate about Ebay, I have never, ever had a single good thing come from Ebay, not in the U.S., not in the U.K. or in Austria.

    So many scum are on there it is insane.

    I've bought over 100 items and have been happy each time. You must be actively seeking out dodgy stuff.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Vesterberg wrote:
    It's things like this that I hate about Ebay, I have never, ever had a single good thing come from Ebay, not in the U.S., not in the U.K. or in Austria.

    So many scum are on there it is insane.

    I've bought over 100 items and have been happy each time. You must be actively seeking out dodgy stuff.

    Same here (I think he is full of rage! lol )
    Faster than a tent.......
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    Only issue I've had with selling aphone on Ebay was when a potential buyer from Nigeria wanted the phone sending asap for his son's birthday and he'd pay via Western Union. I told him how I was prepared to conclude the deal and he never got back to me. Why try and scam somebody for a £30 phone?
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • polocini
    polocini Posts: 201
    I had a similar situation and ebay sided with the buyer. At the time I was p'd off but I use ebay a lot and I have never had any other problem whatsoever. I usually buy cycling related stuff and the people I deal with are normally really good. So it might sound daft but perhaps cyclists deal better with each other???

    AL
  • gilesjuk
    gilesjuk Posts: 340
    I don't tend to buy used items off there. I also haven't sold anything for quite some time.

    Always send with a tracked insured shipping method and put in your auction that you reserve the right to cancel bids from people who don't meet your criteria.
  • Gizmodo
    Gizmodo Posts: 1,928
    Would it be worth asking Royal Mail for help - after all according to the buyer and eBay, either you sent an empty box or someone in Royal Mail opened it, stole the phone and re-sealed it.

    What condition was the packaging in when it arrived? Did it look "tampered with"?

    If you tell Royal Mail that you suspect that they stole the phone, perhaps even the sound of an investigation will get the buyer to admit fault or give up - if not you might get some compensation from Royal Mail.

    I don't know, just an idea.
  • de rien
    de rien Posts: 84
    As you haven't got it and the buyer says he hasn't :roll: report it as stolen to your provider/police with the IMEI number, thus enabling them to cancel use of the phone. That should bugger up the lying gobshite.
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    Does the cost of postage relate to the weight of the item. Although with a phone that may not be conclusive.

    Defo. seems that buyer is trying it on.
  • g00se
    g00se Posts: 2,221
    de rien wrote:
    As you haven't got it and the buyer says he hasn't :roll: report it as stolen to your provider/police with the IMEI number, thus enabling them to cancel use of the phone. That should bugger up the lying gobshite.

    Spot on - if you've got the IMEI number, kill the phone.

    I've done lots of buying and selling on ebay and never had a problem EXCEPT when dealing with phones. Lots of scamming going on in there.

    Ebay will know that too - they'll smell a scam a mile off. Contact ebay, contact Royal Mail and put the pressure on the toe-rag.
  • Rolf F wrote:
    Vesterberg wrote:
    It's things like this that I hate about Ebay, I have never, ever had a single good thing come from Ebay, not in the U.S., not in the U.K. or in Austria.

    So many scum are on there it is insane.

    I've bought over 100 items and have been happy each time. You must be actively seeking out dodgy stuff.

    Same here (I think he is full of rage! lol )

    I genuinely hate Ebay. I must just have really bad luck with it, I've started getting to the point where I only buy new just to save hassle of dealing with things should they go sour. At least my LBS loves me because i'm always in, and I get lots of tasty discounts and they call me once a month to let me know of any used products they have bought in, to see if I need or want anything. Much better deal if you ask me!