ebay item arrived damaged - am I able to get a refund or reimbursement

superhappypanda

Hi all,

So I ordered an item off of ebay and it arrived today and when I opened it several of the parts were broken. The item was still in factory shrinkwrap but there was no padding for it and it was just placed in a box and shipped. It looked like it might have gotten jostled around during shipping but there isn't any damage to the box other than some crunched corners which having worked in logistics, could/would have been caused by throwing the box around during shipping.

I contacted the seller to see if he's willing to offer a refund but he has a 'no returns' policy listed. I bought the item because it was listed as new and in factory shrinkwrap which it was, just that the contents were broken.

It was shipped via USPS Parcel Post with no insurance. If he's unwilling to offer a refund, do I have any recourse with USPS to get my money back? I spent a couple hundred dollars on it. Wishing now I had asked more questions about packing up front, but having been an ebay seller for 12 years myself I had assumed it would have been packed as I would have shipped it (which is with plenty of bubble wrap).

As a seller, in the past, anything I've sold someone that was lost in the mail or damaged, I took the loss on. But I'm still apprehensive that he's going to balk on the refund.

TraceofToxin

Contact eBay, your purchase did not arrive as advertised and it's up to the seller to make sure that it is. If he didn't pack it correctly it's his fault it was damaged.

matt has a problem

If you paid through Paypal, file a claim with Paypal also.

Figgy

Contact the seller before you file a claim with Paypal. Give him a chance to make it right. He should either send you a new item at no cost or refund your money. If he wants you to return the broken product on your dime or anything like that, just file a dispute with Paypal.

If the product was packed properly, I'd lean more toward meeting this guy a bit further down the spectrum of responsibility, but since he didn't take any precautions, screw that.

bowen

It was likely broken before he shipped it. He used no packaging? Fuck that, do what figgy said.

superhappypanda

Thanks guys.

I'm giving him a chance to get back to me before I file anything. I also checked the USPS website and they'll ship the item back to him as long as I file a claim with them from the looks of it.

And both eBay and Paypal seem to be on my side in this case.

Wish this would have worked out better. Out of the hundreds of transactions I've done online this is only the 3rd time I've had an issue. Just wish it wasn't with a copy of Space Hulk. I had blocked out some time this weekend to work on it. Guess I'll have to fill the time with hockey instead.

superhappypanda

Yeah, just the space hulk box in another cardboard box shipped parcel post. No packing whatsoever.

superhappypanda

Heard back from the guy. He basically said "Too bad, so sad."

I'll be filing claims with eBay, PayPal, and the USPS to try and get my refund.

admanb

superhappypanda wrote:

Heard back from the guy. He basically said "Too bad, so sad."

I'll be filing claims with eBay, PayPal, and the USPS to try and get my refund.

It's gonna be sad to be him.

darqness

Wow. Yeah, maybe he doesn't know that if you file a Paypal claim he'll be on the hook for a refund and get a negative from you. I can't believe he didn't insure it.
Paypal will require that you send it back with tracking (and I would suggest signature confirmation as well), but once they see that the item has been delivered, they'll issue the refund. Don't bother going through USPS. If it wasn't insured they'll tell you "Too bad, so sad" as well.

Esh

And if he refuses the package?

Honestly, I just see a "let the buyer beware" situation here.

MrDelish

Esh wrote:

And if he refuses the package?

Honestly, I just see a "let the buyer beware" situation here.

If he refuses it USPS will just return it to OP which he can use as evidence in a Paypal dispute.

Be sure to get Delivery Confirmation if you need to send that sucker back, OP, or he can just claim he never got it back.

darqness

If he refuses the package then that will be plainly stated on the tracking information (I know this is the case with UPS, not so sure with USPS).
Paypal will have him return it anyway in order to receive a refund. It's either return it for a refund, or keep it and eat the loss. Frankly I'd return it. The odds are stacked in your favor.
That's why you cover yourself with full insurance and signature confirmation.

superhappypanda

I let him know that I was filing the claims. I won't be able to file anything with USPS since it wasn't insured initially but upon shipping it back to him I will be getting delivery confirmation and a tracking number.

What bites me is that he was so careless in packing it and then told me that when he ordered his from GW that it was broken as well and then listed the one sold as Mint and undamaged in the auction.

Also, Esh, as someone who's run their own retail operation on ebay before, you want to maintain a good rapport with your customers. The onus is on the seller to ensure that the product is packaged well enough to ensure there won't be any damage and it is also on the seller to stand behind the contract that they entered into by selling their product.

Esh

superhappypanda wrote:

I let him know that I was filing the claims. I won't be able to file anything with USPS since it wasn't insured initially but upon shipping it back to him I will be getting delivery confirmation and a tracking number.

What bites me is that he was so careless in packing it and then told me that when he ordered his from GW that it was broken as well and then listed the one sold as Mint and undamaged in the auction.

Also, Esh, as someone who's run their own retail operation on ebay before, you want to maintain a good rapport with your customers. The onus is on the seller to ensure that the product is packaged well enough to ensure there won't be any damage and it is also on the seller to stand behind the contract that they entered into by selling their product.

Yes, I'm well aware of how maintaining good customer relations pays off. I'vr sold quite a bit on eBay (did all the selling for a record store specializing in rare vinyl.).

Did something get crushed in shipping? Was this the old Space Hulk boxed game? Isn't that (like most of those large box Games Workshop products) packaged pretty loosely on the inside?

bowen

I think we can all agree that yes "buyer beware." But I think, "lol I threw this in a big box, sorry I didn't use bubble wrap, your problem now" is a different thing entirely.

Esh

bowen wrote:

I think we can all agree that yes "buyer beware." But I think, "lol I threw this in a big box, sorry I didn't use bubble wrap, your problem now" is a different thing entirely.

If it is what I think it was, no amount of padding would help. Kinda curious about what broke exactly too.

bowen

Yeah I had assumed it was a dvd of some sort and the whole thing was shot.

Jam Warrior

My gut feeling and quick google tell me that Paypal will pretty much have your back here. Take pictures of the damage and follow the system and you'll get your money back.

Also if he sells much he'll know this. Politely inform him that you are covered under Paypal's Buyer Protection and will be filing a dispute. His bluff called, you may find him magically much more helpful to avoid that going on his record.

Figgy

Esh, for someone who claims to have been a seller on Ebay, you sure seem very ignorant about how easily it is as a buyer to win a claim. The OP needs only file a claim with Paypal. Charges reversed.

And it doesn't matter how loosely things are packaged on the inside. If an item arrives damaged, the seller is going to be on the hook. Did the postal service damage it? Should have swung for insurance, seller. Paypal doesn't care.

Esh

Figgy wrote:

Esh, for someone who claims to have been a seller on Ebay, you sure seem very ignorant about how easily it is as a buyer to win a claim. The OP needs only file a claim with Paypal. Charges reversed.

And it doesn't matter how loosely things are packaged on the inside. If an item arrives damaged, the seller is going to be on the hook. Did the postal service damage it? Should have swung for insurance, seller. Paypal doesn't care.

Thank you for the implication that I'm lying, but I was only referring to the fact that I'm well aware of how good customer service works. It's been a while (8 years?) since I've done heavy selling on eBay, and records don't tend to break in shipment.

Anyway, here's the listing...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Space-Hulk-3rd-Edition-Games-Workshop-sci-fi-board-game-Warhammer-40K-SEALED-MIB-/330680736550?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cfe1b9b26#ht_500wt_1156

Why doesn't the buyer just go through the Ebay Buyer Protection? That giant banner right there on the auction page?

I still want to know what broke in a box full of plastic pieces that the buyer is so adamant about returning it.

Figgy

I'm not implying you're lying, just that you're ignorant about how aggressively Paypal backs buyers over sellers.

And I was referring to your buyer beware statement. It doesn't apply, here. Too often people use that phrase to mean, "Well you got fucked and I guess next time be careful." In this case, no amount of due diligence on the part of the buyer would have prevented the item from being either damaged in shipment or damaged before it was shipped. He read the listing and received an item not as described.

This is not buyer beware. This is precisely what Paypal deals with. I'd even go so far as when selling on eBay, the seller is more at risk to fraud than the buyer: caveat venditor.

Edit: And regarding your last question, I'm sure you've never seen a Space Hulk box being opened before, but I have. It's well packed in there. The miniatures are still on their frames ready to be cut off. There should be virtually no jostling around. The only way I can see anything getting actually broken is through very, very rough handling.

Esh

Figgy wrote:

I'm not implying you're lying, just that you're ignorant about how aggressively Paypal backs buyers over sellers.

And I was referring to your buyer beware statement. It doesn't apply, here. Too often people use that phrase to mean, "Well you got fucked and I guess next time be careful." In this case, no amount of due diligence on the part of the buyer would have prevented the item from being either damaged in shipment or damaged before it was shipped. He read the listing and received an item not as described.

This is not buyer beware. This is precisely what Paypal deals with. I'd even go so far as when selling on eBay, the seller is more at risk to fraud than the buyer: caveat venditor.

Thank you for responding to the actual question. What's the deal with eBay Buyer Protection?

Figgy

eBay Buyer Protection is a longer process, as far as I'm aware, and I'm not sure how they handle damaged goods. I always thought it was more about misrepresented goods, fraud, etc.