an ebay selling problem. advice pls

[luv2liv]

my phone was working fine. i checked it before shipping out.
i specially listed "no returns accepted"
buyer received item and wanted his money back because screen is damaged, randomly flickers. reason for return...."item not as described"
i replied "i don't accept returns."
ebay sided with buyer and returned his money by draining my paypal account.

i thought once it is listed as "no returns accepted," all sales are final. what a waste of time.
i have yet to come home to see if buyer did a switcheroo or mailed me an empty box that i have to pay for shipping. so that's shipping cost x2!

 

[uhohs]

Ebay sucks for sellers whenever a scammer is involved.
Hope you took pictures of the serial/IMEI of the phone you sent out.

 

[nakedfrog]

I think even when you don't accept returns, you're required to if it's because the item is not as described. Was there no insurance on the package?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I think even when you don't accept returns, you're required to if it's because the item is not as described. Was there no insurance on the package?

That. "No returns" means "no buyers remorse". It doesn't do anything against an item not as described dispute and ebay/paypal will side with the buyer in 99% of those cases. It's a part of doing business on ebay, you build loss to scammers into the price like a normal B&M will factor in shoplifting or breakage in their prices. Big sellers make enough on the honest buyers to cover the scammers. People like you risk getting hosed on every transaction.

 

[BoomerD]

BEST advice...avoid Ebay. It’s a scammer’s paradise.

 

[eng2d2]

Did you ask the buyer to return the phone. No return accepted does not mean anything on ebay. You have to tell the buyer to return first then you will issue a refund.

 

[SKORPI0]

BEST advice...avoid Ebay. It’s a scammer’s paradise.

That's why buying/selling face to face is the best way.

 

[Aikouka]

The person is most likely scamming you. They either broke the phone soon after receiving it, which I consider unlikely, or they had a broken phone, saw that your auction was for the same model/color, and bought it with the intention of returning their broken phone to you. If this was your old phone, one thing you should do is look up the IMEI number, which might still be on your wireless account or an old bill. (If not, your carrier might be able to get it.) You should check the IMEI of the phone that you receive to see if they're the same.

If they are the same, you might be able to file a claim under the shipper's insurance, but without photos of a damaged box (and assuming you had proper levels of insurance on it to begin with), I doubt that'll work.

If they aren't the same, you should contact eBay. I can't say for sure that they'd even be willing to do anything, but it's worth a shot.

 

[Rifter]

Hes scamming you and not returning the same phone but likely a broken phone. If you didnt see this coming and document with pictures or video sending out the phone with serial # or IMEI documented then you are screwed and even if you find out its a different phone that comes back if you cant prove that ebay will still screw you.

TLDR never ever sell anything on ebay.

 

[Homerboy]

sell (and buy) phones on swappa.com

 

[Snarf Snarf]

Yeah no returns only applies to every scenario outside of "item not as described" cases. Even then if the item isn't being sold as is/for parts you're likely to lose the dispute, eBay will always side with the buyer. If selling a phone always take a picture of the IMEI or SN information and post it with the listing, that way if the item sent back has a different SN or IMEI you actually stand a chance at winning a dispute. I've had buyers bend pins on CPU sockets after purchase, cause ESD damage to GPU's and pretty much any possible scam you can think of, and I've only been able to win disputes because I documented every items SN in pictures on the sales.

 

[luv2liv]

wow. all great advices here. thanks!
so besides selling used stuff and risking screwed, i will try swappa.com.

 

[clamum]

No advice for ya cause I'm not a big eBay seller but hopefully you get it sorted out.

It's not auctions, but I recommend using apps like Letgo, OfferUp, etc to sell stuff. It's local and you meet face-to-face. You get a lot of inquires but only about 20% or so are people actually serious about buying your widget, in my experience. I've sold several things, from a weight bench, to Alexa device, to a mattress, and have had good experiences.

 

[slayer202]

I just had a buyer admit it was buyer's remorse and a sizing issue and ebay still made me accept the return. It's useless