eBay - new buyer protection policy

[pdk42]

I "sold" my S1 on eBay to a buyer who immediately gave me a glowing review and commented that the camera was in pristine condition. One month later, I get a return request, despite the listing saying "no returns". It turns out that eBay's new Buyer Protection policy gives a 30 day return policy if there is a problem; the buyer opened the return request on day 30! The purported reason he gave was that the WB button wasn't working. So, I call eBay who tell me I have to accept the return and then once I have the camera back I can raise a case if I'm not happy.

The camera arrived back yesterday and sure enough, there is no problem with the WB button. So, now I'm down two lots of shipping and the "buyer" has had a free camera loan for 30 days!

But to give credit to eBay, I called them and told them the tale and they agreed to reducing the refund amout from £615 to £430, so at least it covers my postage and a bit for the agro!

So - just a word of warning about this new policy and also the need to contact eBay if you get suckered by this.

 

[Jayneboo]

Oh dear, that may just be the end of my using eBay, that's quite ridiculous. No idea why they have stretched it to 30 days, don't think they really have to do more than the 14 day distance selling. Ebay has for a long time been a better place for buyers, this may just be the nail in the coffin for many sellers, shame.

 

[pdk42]

Oh dear, that may just be the end of my using eBay, that's quite ridiculous. No idea why they have stretched it to 30 days, don't think they really have to do more than the 14 day distance selling. Ebay has for a long time been a better place for buyers, this may just be the nail in the coffin for many sellers, shame.

I think eBay are less and less interested in private sellers. They want to be a marketplace seller for small traders, ideally doing the virtual warehousing for them since it means eBay take a bigger slice of the takings.

 

[xaviergut]

For me, eBay is like a lottery. 50% of the time, you're lucky, and the other half is trouble or disappointment. I prefer MPB, although they're offering less and less money for gear...

 

[HarisO]

Really? That's absolutely ridiculous...
I know Ebay has been making changes the past few years but forcing private sellers to accept a 30 day return window on top of the usual purchase protection stuff seems harsh. It's going to discourage private sellers and will probably end up affecting the second-hand market in a bad way - you'll get less as a private seller because you will have to sell to an intermediary and at the same time as a buyer the opportunity for getting a bargain is going to go down because all the intermediaries will artificially push up prices to make a nice profit.