I would say to place your anger on this "one" buyer, not on eBay. Of course there are some bad sellers and buyers out there, just part of doing business this way. That is why I like Craigslist for these bigger ticket items, nothing beats face to face sales and buys.

Sorry you ran into one of the bad ones, but there are much worse stories out there, people not getting their products paid for, people sending back damaged goods that you sent out pristine, and on and on. You are just out a few shipping dollars and can move on now. Wish your wheels were 650c, I would take them!!!

yeah I hate selling on ebay... usually dont have problems with returns, more with bidders not actually paying.

unfortunately at the end of the day, there's not a lot to keep a buyer from getting "buyer's remorse" and making a claim. Did you list them with no returns?

You could possibly do battle through ebay, it's not hard to prove that an H3D exists... mileage is one of those things on bikes/parts that's impossible to represent accurately anyways. Of course, as you say Ebay is very, very protective/favoring of the buyer.

I used to sell a fair amount of stuff (mainly Magic cards) and any time something similar came up (which happened mainly because unless a card is professionally graded then condition is a bit subjective) I asked myself... "what's the best case scenario outcome for me if I fight this?" I don't sell anything on ebay these days.

I feel you, good luck with the sale moving on.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Yes, listed no returns. Once they file a claim you are doomed though. I went through the same thing with a pair of $25 tri shoes that I sold to someone at a shipping cost of 25. I basically gave them to him for free and then he filed a claim against me.........

It is very frustrating given that the buyer is totally untethered from reality. I am trying to convince him to keep the wheels not so much to avoid the PIA of returning them, but because he truly did get an incredible deal but fails to realize it out of own ignorance. People suck, so they say.

Bummer. I use eBay as a last resort when selling if I'm not able to sell it on Facebook's Online Swap Meet or here first.

One thing I do when selling on eBay or even Facebook if I'm not meeting the person face to face is to be sure to message the person and include one-off details even if it's already included in the listing. So your example would be making sure they knew the difference in the rims and that they were tubular. My rationale is if they open a not as described case, you've at least got additional documentation that not only did you ad say it, but you informed the buyer separately.

The old joke used to be "Ebay, where you can buy an item new, use it for 45 days, then send it back for a full refund plus shipping."

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Thanks. Good tip. I think I am going to take a ton of pics going forward too. I this instance I should have listed pics of the hub body to show that the splines were in like new shape and thus backing up my claim of limited use.

I had one buyer who made the "not as described" claim on a one-piece trisuit that I clearly described as used. I even listed that I used it in an Ironman and 2 x 70.3s, but after losing 5-ish pounds, it wasn't as tight as when new. He wanted to return it because there was bodyglide residue (maybe a stain) at the neck. eBay took my side because the description was clear that it was used.

I'll admit, it took significant effort, but there are times they'll side with the seller if your ad was clear.

Why are you stuck with return shipping? Is the buyer actually accusing you of a deceptive listing? If that's the case, can't you prove your side? ebay does typically favor the buyer but if they make false claims that can be disproved, you could fight it.

I dislike eBay for some of their other policies like ~10% final value fees including the shipping costs but that's another issue.

Hmm, you have given me hope. I may have to pursue.

Yeah I also take a lot of pictures after I've boxed it up (both before and after sealing the box) in case it gets damaged in transport or they claim it arrived damaged.

Your situation sucks, especially the $120 in extra shipping fees just on the outbound shipment.

If you do end up having to take these back and eat return shipping, you might want to see if you can generate a return label via bikeflights or shipbikes.com - they use FedEx but at significantly lower rates. I paid $25 to ship a gravel wheelset a few months back.

like others said, use BikeFlights.

with that said, I'd fight it. worst case you lose and have to take it back.

I feel your pain. Have sold a ton of stuff on eBay and have run into my fair share of scam artists as well as people who buy things without really looking into the details of what they are purchasing and then try to return it by making all sorts of false claims. You can have eBay rule in your favor but it is definitely an uphill battle.

It boils down in many ways to how detailed your original listing is, both in terms of the title, text, and images. The point about your buyer being unfamiliar with the "deep" model is complete BS assuming you actually had images of the rear wheel in the listing; if they looked they should have known what they were buying. And if your wheel still has the rubber mold marks on the tire you can document it when he returns the set to you and file and appeal with eBay. Again, it is an uphill battle but you can fight to have the buyer reimburse you the return shipping at least. Also, I list all my items with the clear indication that no returns will be accepted as a means of covering myself in situations like this.

Just as an FYI, I have had scam buyers claim that items I have sold (cameras, drones, etc.) have arrived broken etc. and force me to issue returns via eBay. When they arrive back to me intact and fully functional I have filed appeals with eBay and at the least have been able to re-coop my return shipping costs and in a few occasions actually had eBay force a partial payment on behalf of the buyer on the grounds of fraudulent claims.

The systems is definitely weighted against the sellers though. Best of luck.

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"Yeah I also take a lot of pictures after I've boxed it up (both before and after sealing the box) in case it gets damaged in transport or they claim it arrived damaged"


eBay doesn't take those pictures into consideration when the buyer files a SNAD complaint. They automatically decide in the buyer's favor and the seller gets to pay return shipping.

I realize that, but it helps if I have to open an insurance claim against the shipper if it's damaged during transport (or the seller tries to say it was damaged because it wasn't packaged correctly).

The way that the Money Back Guarantee works is that the buyer has zero incentive to cooperate with your insurance claim, so you won't be able to collect on it.

No, but I haven't been selling much lately. On the other hand I still run into crappy *sellers* though. Even sellers with great feedback. People who try to make their item look better than it is and leave out important info, or just can't be bothered to describe it accurately. I think ebay's hard core policy is a reaction to so many people trying to pawn off junk and hoping the buyer won't notice or complain. That's much more difficult to do now.

But it cuts both ways, and now lazy buyers can simply change their minds and stick you with the bill. Or there are scam buyers who send back a different or damaged item. If you can't prove it, your screwed.

I disagree.

If a buyer files a SNAD complaint, how do you get the buyer to cooperate with an insurance claim?

I now hate e-bay. I sold a piece of electronic equipment. Brand new in box - never used. Half of MSRP. Buyer got it and said it was defective because the speakers distorted on a certain Kanye West song. WTF???. I filed an appeal and basically had the seller admitting that it was fine for all other music. Obviously not a defect, he was just cranking the bass too loud. Well, ebay agreed with him and made me pay to ship it back to me. Ebay screwed up somehow and shipped it to my old address that wasn't even on file anymore. It got shipped returned back to buyer and ebay told me they were done. Now the buyer had the refund and the equipment. I had to pay for a second return shipping from the buyer. I got the equipment, had it shipped to manufacturer and they said it was not defective. E-bay said decision final. So I am out $150 total in shipping and hours of aggravation. F-Ebay.

Long shot, but what is the buyers handle?

How do you handle an item that a buyer says is damaged during shipping since you're the expert?

Andres wrote:

Long shot, but what is the buyers handle?

Buyer Id:


rembertg


In fairness to him he has not been an asshole or abusive.