topic Re: Be careful buying off eBay! in Community Chat

Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:42:54 GMT

last week, out of desperation, I bought a package of paper towels from a dealer on eBay. To be noted, it was at least twice the amount of money I would've paid in the store. We were unable to find them in our local area, so I thought eBay might be a good start. The seller, ship them to the wrong address, but somehow the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my home. I called UPS and spoke to customer service representative. He checked the tracking, and said it was indeed sent to another address, not mine, but in the same state. He said that the seller used an incorrect shipping label. I don't know how the tracking said it was delivered to my house, but it wasn't. I tried contacting this person on eBay, with no results. I opened a case against him, citing the fact that if they checked with UPS to see where the package went, they would understand that I did not receive it. Apparently at least three other people had the same problem. eBay ruled in the sellers favor, and I am out $75 for paper towels I did not receive. Be very careful when you buy on eBay. I learned a hard lesson.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

sunala — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:47:26 GMT

@Effie54 wrote:
last week, out of desperation, I bought a package of paper towels from a dealer on eBay. To be noted, it was at least twice the amount of money I would've paid in the store. We were unable to find them in our local area, so I thought eBay might be a good start. The seller, ship them to the wrong address, but somehow the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my home. I called UPS and spoke to customer service representative. He checked the tracking, and said it was indeed sent to another address, not mine, but in the same state. He said that the seller used an incorrect shipping label. I don't know how the tracking said it was delivered to my house, but it wasn't. I tried contacting this person on eBay, with no results. I opened a case against him, citing the fact that if they checked with UPS to see where the package went, they would understand that I did not receive it. Apparently at least three other people had the same problem. eBay ruled in the sellers favor, and I am out $75 for paper towels I did not receive. Be very careful when you buy on eBay. I learned a hard lesson.

@Effie54- I don't get it. How could eBay have ruled in the seller's favor when they have the proof that it was their fault and sent to the wrong address?

I would fight this; call them and raise living hell. It's totally unacceptable!!!

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

fthunt — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:47:57 GMT

I learned my lesson decades ago. Paid - no product - couldn't reach seller - paypal was of no help.

I never go to that site.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

JaneMarple — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:06:04 GMT

The few times that I've ever had any issues with an eBay seller was always promptly fixed.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

SuhseK — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:04:59 GMT

Costco has 2 different brands of paper towels available, for delivery, on their site.

However, when I put in my zip code, just to check, they said currently unavailable, in my zip code.

If you're a Costco member, you might check.

Why did eBay rule in the sellers favor?

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

kitcat51 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:07:53 GMT

Sorry that happened @Effie54. I've been buying on eBay for 18+ years & never had a single problem. I was a seller too, accepting personal checks & money orders but stopped, I didn't want to deal with PayPal.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

cowboy sam — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:08:31 GMT

I have ordered not household supplies but jewelry,etc in last few days and haven't had any problems with ebay!

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Tinkrbl44 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:08:48 GMT

@Effie54 wrote:
last week, out of desperation, I bought a package of paper towels from a dealer on eBay. To be noted, it was at least twice the amount of money I would've paid in the store. We were unable to find them in our local area, so I thought eBay might be a good start. The seller, ship them to the wrong address, but somehow the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my home. I called UPS and spoke to customer service representative. He checked the tracking, and said it was indeed sent to another address, not mine, but in the same state. He said that the seller used an incorrect shipping label. I don't know how the tracking said it was delivered to my house, but it wasn't. I tried contacting this person on eBay, with no results. I opened a case against him, citing the fact that if they checked with UPS to see where the package went, they would understand that I did not receive it. Apparently at least three other people had the same problem. eBay ruled in the sellers favor, and I am out $75 for paper towels I did not receive. Be very careful when you buy on eBay. I learned a hard lesson.

@Effie54

Are you not aware that Ebay has a Buyer Protection Program?

TWICE in the years I've been on Ebay, I've had problems with a seller. Hey, it happens. Once, they ruled against me, and I decided to fight it. I called Ebay and told them I wanted to DISPUTE THE DECISION. The CS person reviewed everything, which took a few minutes, and decided to refund me the transaction. When I hung up, I checked my Paypal acct, and the money was already there!

Don't take "no" for an answer. JMO

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Linmo — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:27:34 GMT

@Effie54 If you paid with a credit card, you should contact your credit card company. They should give you a temporary credit and pursue it with eBay on your behalf.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:36:26 GMT

@sunala wrote:
@Effie54 wrote:
last week, out of desperation, I bought a package of paper towels from a dealer on eBay. To be noted, it was at least twice the amount of money I would've paid in the store. We were unable to find them in our local area, so I thought eBay might be a good start. The seller, ship them to the wrong address, but somehow the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my home. I called UPS and spoke to customer service representative. He checked the tracking, and said it was indeed sent to another address, not mine, but in the same state. He said that the seller used an incorrect shipping label. I don't know how the tracking said it was delivered to my house, but it wasn't. I tried contacting this person on eBay, with no results. I opened a case against him, citing the fact that if they checked with UPS to see where the package went, they would understand that I did not receive it. Apparently at least three other people had the same problem. eBay ruled in the sellers favor, and I am out $75 for paper towels I did not receive. Be very careful when you buy on eBay. I learned a hard lesson.

@Effie54- I don't get it. How could eBay have ruled in the seller's favor when they have the proof that it was their fault and sent to the wrong address?

I would fight this; call them and raise living hell. It's totally unacceptable!!!

For some reason, the tracking said that it was delivered to my house. But when I called UPS, the customer service representative verified that it was sent to another address in Connecticut. The seller had used a different label to actually ship the item. And because UPS tracking number said it was delivered, eBay Customer Service did not bother to call Customer Service at UPS to verify where the package went. I explained to eBay Customer Service that yes, the tracking said it came here, but it never arrived, And to please call UPS to get the address of where it was actually delivered. I don't know who took the case, but they ruled in the sellers favor, and said I was not getting a refund. I would be very careful buying on eBay from now on. They lost a good customer.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:36:59 GMT

@JaneMarple wrote:
The few times that I've ever had any issues with an eBay seller was always promptly fixed.

Lucky you, mine was not.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:44:38 GMT

@SuhseK wrote:
Costco has 2 different brands of paper towels available, for delivery, on their site.
However, when I put in my zip code, just to check, they said currently unavailable, in my zip code.

If you're a Costco member, you might check.

Why did eBay rule in the sellers favor?

Because the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my house.....they did not bother to call UPS to check on the seller's story. What a scam.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:45:23 GMT

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@Effie54 wrote:
last week, out of desperation, I bought a package of paper towels from a dealer on eBay. To be noted, it was at least twice the amount of money I would've paid in the store. We were unable to find them in our local area, so I thought eBay might be a good start. The seller, ship them to the wrong address, but somehow the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my home. I called UPS and spoke to customer service representative. He checked the tracking, and said it was indeed sent to another address, not mine, but in the same state. He said that the seller used an incorrect shipping label. I don't know how the tracking said it was delivered to my house, but it wasn't. I tried contacting this person on eBay, with no results. I opened a case against him, citing the fact that if they checked with UPS to see where the package went, they would understand that I did not receive it. Apparently at least three other people had the same problem. eBay ruled in the sellers favor, and I am out $75 for paper towels I did not receive. Be very careful when you buy on eBay. I learned a hard lesson.

@Effie54

Are you not aware that Ebay has a Buyer Protection Program?

TWICE in the years I've been on Ebay, I've had problems with a seller. Hey, it happens. Once, they ruled against me, and I decided to fight it. I called Ebay and told them I wanted to DISPUTE THE DECISION. The CS person reviewed everything, which took a few minutes, and decided to refund me the transaction. When I hung up, I checked my Paypal acct, and the money was already there!

Don't take "no" for an answer. JMO

Their answer is final. That's what they said.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:46:05 GMT

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@Effie54 wrote:
last week, out of desperation, I bought a package of paper towels from a dealer on eBay. To be noted, it was at least twice the amount of money I would've paid in the store. We were unable to find them in our local area, so I thought eBay might be a good start. The seller, ship them to the wrong address, but somehow the UPS tracking said it was delivered to my home. I called UPS and spoke to customer service representative. He checked the tracking, and said it was indeed sent to another address, not mine, but in the same state. He said that the seller used an incorrect shipping label. I don't know how the tracking said it was delivered to my house, but it wasn't. I tried contacting this person on eBay, with no results. I opened a case against him, citing the fact that if they checked with UPS to see where the package went, they would understand that I did not receive it. Apparently at least three other people had the same problem. eBay ruled in the sellers favor, and I am out $75 for paper towels I did not receive. Be very careful when you buy on eBay. I learned a hard lesson.

@Effie54

Are you not aware that Ebay has a Buyer Protection Program?

TWICE in the years I've been on Ebay, I've had problems with a seller. Hey, it happens. Once, they ruled against me, and I decided to fight it. I called Ebay and told them I wanted to DISPUTE THE DECISION. The CS person reviewed everything, which took a few minutes, and decided to refund me the transaction. When I hung up, I checked my Paypal acct, and the money was already there!

Don't take "no" for an answer. JMO

It's just email now, no CS reachable on the phone. I tried....

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Effie54 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:46:48 GMT

@Linmo wrote:
@Effie54 If you paid with a credit card, you should contact your credit card company. They should give you a temporary credit and pursue it with eBay on your behalf.

No credit card, through the bank account

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Leggett28 — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 20:53:40 GMT

@Effie54 I’m so sorry that happened to you. That’s a lot of money for nothing. I’ve been buying from EBAY for many years never had a problem. Doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Shelbelle — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:05:45 GMT

I have never had Ebay side with the seller and have always gotten a refund on anything I never received. Please try dealing with ebay again, give them or PayPal a call.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

elated — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:38:48 GMT

I would file a claim with UPS for a lost package. If the customer service representative said the package was delivered to the wrong address, I would have asked for a confirmation letter be sent to EBay and myself. Don't give up. IMHO, $75 is a lot of money for paper towels. Costco and Target had plenty of PT.

You can go online at the UPS site to file a claim. Did you write down the person's name, date and time spoken to the rep. That would be helpful. Keep going forward, you will succeed.

Also, EBay has a money back guarantee. They need to honor their commitment.

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

noodleann — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 21:54:11 GMT

eBay won't contact UPS. They go by the record.

Can you get the address it was sent to from UPS?

Re: Be careful buying off eBay!

Sunnycorle — Thu, 09 Apr 2020 00:35:26 GMT

Condemn all of Ebay for one problem? What an alarmist. There are really good sellers on eBay that make a living selling. Shame on you to post this post.