movieguru

Here's some messages I get from an Ebay user that shows some people just don't have a brain.......

I have a number of T-shirts listed on Ebay and I will generally use the same format in the titles and descriptions for all them. So I have one that says something like this"Harry Potter Sorcerer Stone red men's adult t-shirt XL X-Large". In the description there is a line that says "Size: (XL) x-large". There is also a required field you have to click on indicating the size, where I clicked on "XL" which is visible to anyone looking at the listing.

So I get this message from the user: "what is the size....xl or 2xl...or 3xl thanks". I respond "Hi, it is an xl x-large.. I have the sizes listed in title and also in the listing descriptions."

Then I get 2 mesaages back from this Ebay user: "what does the tag say..................xl....2 xl....3 xl ???? i cannot determine the size from your response. thank you". This message is followed immedietly by: "you do not state what size ..........can you look at the label tag and tell me if it is XL or 2XL or 3 XL you do not offer returns so i CANT buy it unless i know the size.............your stated size in the ad is not CLEAR".

At this point I simply decide to block the Ebay user because I know if they buy the shirt, they will file a return as soon as they get it saying it wasn't as described and I'll be paying for shipping both ways.

Sonic

As a seller I can see how your listing description can add confusion. It's messy. You have XL X-Large twice. It's not that buyers don't have brains, many sellers on Ebay are ruthless con artist assholes. So a buyer at times has to be weary. As a seller you need to keep it as much simplified as possible. You don't need to put in description XL X-Large twice. Remove XL. Regardless if inside the listing it shows X-Large, your description is a bit iffy. If you still plan on keeping it that way, at least add parenthesis like this XL (X-Large).

Troy Stiffler

By selling anything on eBay you are risking that kind of exposure. It is nice to think that all will be fine. There will always be problems.

movieguru

I use both because sometimes buyers will search using "XL" for the size while others will search using "x-large". There's no consensus on which term they will use. Some may use Ebay's categorization where you can search by a specific size, which I have checked off as well. I've sold hundreds of shirts with this format befire and it works well. Some sellers don't put sizes in their listing and just have a drop down menu where they can choose the size, but I feel that those kind of listings get less views because many seach for shirts and search with size in the listing titles. i use the (xl) in the descriptions to make it clear as the terms are used interchangably.

Josh-da-man

I sort of agree with Sonic that your listing is a little confusing, and that a lot of sellers can be lying crooks, so I don’t really blame the potential buyer for asking for clarification/confirmation.

Though I also get why movieguru put the size in twice (XL/x-large) as a sort of keyword spamming technique. It’s like when you’re looking for record albums, and some sellers will put “LP” in the description, some will put “vinyl” and some will do both.

I’ve had problems with buying on eBay, particularly from high volume sellers, who mislabel things, or includeconfusing listings.

For example, about ten years ago, I was trying to buy an unrated DVD of “Mother of Darkness.” It was released in both r-rated and unrated editions, and sellers would do shit like have “unrated” in the description, then show a stock image of the r-rated version. I would contact them for clarification, they would assure me it was unrated like it said in the description, and then send me the r-rated version. It took me four tries to actually get a seller to sell me an unrated version. And, of course, they would think I was the asshole for returning the item they mis-listed.

movieguru

I haven't sold DVD's on there in a long time but I remember part of the problem was that Ebay required you to type in the UPC code for the DVD. Often when you typed in the upc code for the DVD you had in your hand, a stock image would be generated that differed from the one you were trying to sell.

GatorDeb

I sold a digital code and it was immediate pay and I delivered it through eBay message center and then Paypal says the buyer says someone stole their password and even though they were "verified" I never got the money back. I bought something and then it was reported that a password was stolen and it was a fraudulent transaction. I had already sent Paypal but it was unclaimed so I just took the money back.

So you can't buy and sell because it's all stolen passwords and good luck getting your money back either as a seller or a buyer. I haven't used eBay since.

DJariya

So I could use an opinion on a recent transaction I had on Ebay.

I bought a 1980s replica Optimus Prime Transformers toy in December (29th) from an Ebay seller in China. This guy had like 99.7% on his sales and pretty much all of his transactions had positive feedback. The item supposedly shipped on January 1st. I got a tracking number from some shipping company in China called "SpeedPak", but it hasn't been updated in weeks. It hasn't even shown up in USPS tracking yet. Sounds like a bogus tracking number.

Flash forward to today. I still haven't received the item yet. And I visited his page on Ebay and it looks like the shit hit the fan. He delisted all his items and basically shut down his store. There are 35+ negative opinions from people who never received their items in the last month. Something sounds really fishy. Apparently I can't file a claim with Ebay until the 8th.

I bought the item using my credit card on Paypal as a guest transaction. If I don't receive the item (seems unlikely now), can I file a dispute on my credit card right away or do I need to do it through Paypal or Ebay? It's $35 total. It appears this seller took recent transactions money and ran.

dex14

Just open a claim with eBay. They'll refund you quick. Mention how the sellers feedback is taking a nosedive and they are scamming people.

Josh-da-man

Troy Stiffler

DJariya

Update: Never received the item and the tracking number that was given was apparently fake.

Ebay reviewed my case after I submitted my claim on the 8th and they are giving me a refund. Thank goodness.

Meanwhile, the seller now has 70+ fraud cases in the past month. Unbelievable how a once reliable seller took the money and ran.

Troy Stiffler

Troy Stiffler

TheBang

PayPal has comparable protections for purchases as eBay (for outside eBay transactions). I remember the old days you describe where they might only give you a partial refund if they can't recover enough funds from the fraudster's account. That has not been the case anymore for about 17 years or so now. As a buyer you have strong protections and will get all of your money back guaranteed.

PhantomStranger

Pro tip for the users willing to purchase items from Chinese sellers on eBay:

Use Alibaba. Virtually all of the Chinese sellers on eBay sell the same goods cheaper on Alibaba. Alibaba is basically a Chinese eBay made for foreign customers that speak English.

https://www.alibaba.com/

Sonic

One time I ordered a few fabric watch belts from a ebayer in China. When I received them they weren't as described. Very horrible quality. I gave the seller 4 negatives. The seller refunded me the money. Ebay then suspended my account for 15 days. The reason was because seller refunded me without doing it through ebay case? Or the swarm of negatives I gave his/her record. He/she had tons of negatives from other upset buyers.

I don't buy from China on eBay no more. Not worth the hassle.

Viper187

Don't blame you. It gets old ordering DVDs listed as "Like New" and receiving a disc that's clearly an ex-rental in a case that's all sticky from having stickers peeled off.

rjh_54

Ordered a t-shirt last Tuesday (2/26). Seller accepted my best offer and the listing said it would be shipped free via USPS First Class. I waited a few days and the seller still hadn't marked it as shipped or provided tracking, but I didn't really think much of it since sometimes sellers will ship without updating the status.

This morning, a full EIGHT DAYS after I placed the order, I got an e-mail stating my package had been 'shipped', aka the seller had printed a label. I clicked on the number to see that not only was the label created today (meaning that the shirt still hasn't physically been shipped), but also that it was being shipped USPS Media Mail, which means it could take up to 10 days to get to me.

First, clothing doesn't qualify for USPS Media Mail, so what this guy is doing is illegal. I'm a seller on eBay and I know that the cost difference between First Class and Media Mail is usually only a few cents, especially with eBay discounts. What do you guys suggest? I was thinking of waiting until the shirt gets to me and just leaving negative feedback. I didn't pay for shipping so I'm not sure how much of a case I have on my hands. What is the best way to go about this?

movieguru

When sellers list on Ebay, they can set the handling time before they ship the item from same day processing to up to I believe 10 days handling time. Not sure what your seller has their processing time at. Mine is set at one buisness day handling time, except when I go on vacation, i set it at 5 business days rather than shut my Ebay store down for the week and lose sales.

As for Media Mail, T-shirts wouldn't qualify. Don't know if the seller did it intentionally or if it was an error. In the past few weeks, Ebay changed the way you generate mailing labels on their site. They went from a process that was very simple to an interface that is a little more confusing and time consuming. The item details page for the shirt you purchased should state the estimated delivery time that you should expect to receive your package. If your item is delivered before the estimated delivery date, why worry about it? If it is late or not received by that date, you could make an inquire to the seller to see what explanation they give. I would maybe give a neutral if I felt they intentionally shipped it media mail. I also realize that sometimes Ebay sellers aren't a large corporation and can sometimes make a mistake or have an issue that prevents them from shipping it for an extra day or two.

Viper187

Fork the seller. Nobody should still be using Media Mail in the 21st century. It's bullshirt. I refuse to do business with sellers that don't offer proper shipping. If they fork me over, they get a negative. I'm not a patient person, and I pay for better shipping. I don't understand why so many sellers are too forking lazy to offer anything besides economy shirt.

TheBang

If the package gets inspected and you get dinged with postage due, definitely file a complaint for that (I had to do that once). Shipping at a slower class of mail than indicated in the auction is against eBay's terms, but so long as the package successfully arrives, there's not too much you can do (since it was free shipping). You could ask for a partial refund for the inconvenience, but there's probably not a way to force a monetary compensation. What you should do, however, is leave negative feedback. If he exceeded his stated handling time (and at 8 days, he probably did), mention that, and also mention shipping at the slower class of mail.

There's actually a vacation setting that you can use (instead of adjusting your handling time), so that people will know orders will not be processed until your return date.

Yes, your irrational demands about shipping speed and inability to fathom why anyone could possibly have different priorities and situations than you are well-documented in this and the Amazon thread.

As a real-world example that I'm sure you won't digest, I sold a complete set of Sopranos DVD season box sets on eBay. Shipping it via Media Mail only cost $4.16 and would reach the buyer in 1-2 weeks, so I was able to offer Media Mail as a free shipping option on the listing. Shipping it via Priority Mail would arrive in 3-4 days, but would cost me $17.60 in a large flat-rate box (or $20.40 in a regular box). Not a cost difference I can eat. So if the buyer is in no rush, they can get free shipping on my listing, but if they're impatient, they can pay the extra money to get it faster. The buyer chose the free shipping option. In fact, I always offer that option on larger media boxsets (usually stuff that's over two pounds), and I've never had anyone ever pay for the faster shipping option.

Viper187

The point is offering the forking option. Some of us pay for it.

TheBang

OK, point taken; I agree, sellers should offer both options when economy is one of the options. As I said though, in my experience with dozens of sales with those two options, people have never chosen to pay extra for the expedited option.

movieguru

Just about every comment you make on this site is full of expletives and comes off as angry and aggressive. You complain about everything in the world and never have a positve thing to say about anything. It makes it difficult for anyone on here to take you seriously.