[funkdoctaspock]

How long do most people wait before opening a dispute?

I won a vintage SS on ebay from the seller 80stoyznmore. I won it on January 18th-it still hasn't been shipped and they haven't responded to two messages that I've sent. It's now 3 days past the last day in the estimated timeframe.

Any recommendations?

[annihilator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by funkdoctaspock

How long do most people wait before opening a dispute?

I won a vintage SS on ebay from the seller 80stoyznmore. I won it on January 18th-it still hasn't been shipped and they haven't responded to two messages that I've sent. It's now 3 days past the last day in the estimated timeframe.

Any recommendations?

17 days is a long time even if it was shipped parcel/media mail. I would say shoot one more email saying that just to protect yourself, you'd open up a dispute within the next day or so if you don't hear back from him or receive tracking info (in a non-threatening way of course). good luck - hope you get your stuff or at least get your money back.

[UnknownSoldier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by annihilator

17 days is a long time even if it was shipped parcel/media mail. I would say shoot one more email saying that just to protect yourself, you'd open up a dispute within the next day or so if you don't hear back from him or receive tracking info (in a non-threatening way of course). good luck - hope you get your stuff or at least get your money back.

all ebay sellers feel "threatened" by the "i'll be forced to file a claim" line , BUT on the same side of that coin, it does tend to light a fire under peoples a$$ when they read that. I've had to tell sellers that i'll file a claim if i dont get a response with shipping info within 24 hours. 9 times out of 10, you get shipping info, an apology and sometimes even a refund on shipping (very rare).

Ebay has turned buyer protective so to cover yourself you really need to file the claim (sometimes even before you get the response) just to make sure theres enough time before the deadline so they dont get away with anything. also, file the claim with paypal. it will freeze their account (for up to that amount) and limit the transactions they can do.

[funkdoctaspock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UnknownSoldier

all ebay sellers feel "threatened" by the "i'll be forced to file a claim" line , BUT on the same side of that coin, it does tend to light a fire under peoples a$$ when they read that. I've had to tell sellers that i'll file a claim if i dont get a response with shipping info within 24 hours. 9 times out of 10, you get shipping info, an apology and sometimes even a refund on shipping (very rare).

Ebay has turned buyer protective so to cover yourself you really need to file the claim (sometimes even before you get the response) just to make sure theres enough time before the deadline so they dont get away with anything. also, file the claim with paypal. it will freeze their account (for up to that amount) and limit the transactions they can do.

Thank you guys.

[StormShadow73]

Avoid eBay member figgyfilms at all costs. They won one of my auctions on eBay. It was the RHINO complete with all accessories and Rampage. They used my buy it now for $25.00 so right off the bat they won it for half of the MSRP. I packed the item with tons of bubble wrap. But I get an email this morning from this member and this is what they wrote verbatim:

“Item was very poorly packaged and because of this the tail of the helicopter has been bent. This certainly doesent make the item mint or new for that matter.Please refund my money.”

Now I offer insurance on all my auctions, which this member did not opt for. I also state that we are not responsible for items damaged or lost once the item leaves my hands and is in the possession of the USPS. That’s what insurance is for. Now this person expects me to just refund them w/o sending my item back first. Beware of figgyfilms if you want to avoid a shady member. I have 100% on eBay for a reason and I don’t deserve this.

[Tanksmasher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by funkdoctaspock

How long do most people wait before opening a dispute?

I won a vintage SS on ebay from the seller 80stoyznmore. I won it on January 18th-it still hasn't been shipped and they haven't responded to two messages that I've sent. It's now 3 days past the last day in the estimated timeframe.

Any recommendations?

Just open a case. You can always close it once you get your item.

[Lody]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StormShadow73

Avoid eBay member figgyfilms at all costs. They won one of my auctions on eBay. It was the RHINO complete with all accessories and Rampage. They used my buy it now for $25.00 so right off the bat they won it for half of the MSRP. I packed the item with tons of bubble wrap. But I get an email this morning from this member and this is what they wrote verbatim:

“Item was very poorly packaged and because of this the tail of the helicopter has been bent. This certainly doesent make the item mint or new for that matter.Please refund my money.”

Now I offer insurance on all my auctions, which this member did not opt for. I also state that we are not responsible for items damaged or lost once the item leaves my hands and is in the possession of the USPS. That’s what insurance is for. Now this person expects me to just refund them w/o sending my item back first. Beware of figgyfilms if you want to avoid a shady member. I have 100% on eBay for a reason and I don’t deserve this.

Couple of issues here. The seller is responsible for adding insurance, not the buyer. If you want the items to be insured, you have to include that in the shipping costs. It can not be "optional." You are not allowed to say that you are not responsible for package once it leaves your possession, hence the need for insurance.

That said, should you refund the money? Not until he returns the item. Also-these things have pliable plastic so it's not like it's permanetly damaged or something.

[NC Joe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by StormShadow73

Avoid eBay member figgyfilms at all costs. They won one of my auctions on eBay. It was the RHINO complete with all accessories and Rampage. They used my buy it now for $25.00 so right off the bat they won it for half of the MSRP. I packed the item with tons of bubble wrap. But I get an email this morning from this member and this is what they wrote verbatim:

“Item was very poorly packaged and because of this the tail of the helicopter has been bent. This certainly doesent make the item mint or new for that matter.Please refund my money.”

Now I offer insurance on all my auctions, which this member did not opt for. I also state that we are not responsible for items damaged or lost once the item leaves my hands and is in the possession of the USPS. That’s what insurance is for. Now this person expects me to just refund them w/o sending my item back first. Beware of figgyfilms if you want to avoid a shady member. I have 100% on eBay for a reason and I don’t deserve this.

Even if they had purchased insurance, the USPS probably wouldn't pay for the claim. From what I've been told, you have to provide the original packing materials to the post office for them to inspect and they almost always refuse to pay. They usually say that it was the shipper's fault for not packing it well enough.

I sold some Street Fighter figures last week and one of them arrived with a broken arm, and I packed them really well also, so it does happen. It was a small amount so I gave a refund without requiring the buyer to send it back.

In your case, I would send an e-mail and ask the buyer to send it back. Send it through ebay so they'll have a record of it. I'd also go ahead and contact paypal and see how they say to handle the situation. If I'm not mistaken I believe that buyers are now required to provide shipping information for returning an item. If they have filed a claim, Paypal shouldn't issue them a refund until they have proof that the item was delivered back to you.

Or you could at least ask the buyer to send you a picture of the broken piece. Due to the tone of their e-mail, it seems like they're trying to pull one over on you.

[StormShadow73]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NC Joe

Even if they had purchased insurance, the USPS probably wouldn't pay for the claim. From what I've been told, you have to provide the original packing materials to the post office for them to inspect and they almost always refuse to pay. They usually say that it was the shipper's fault for not packing it well enough.

I sold some Street Fighter figures last week and one of them arrived with a broken arm, and I packed them really well also, so it does happen. It was a small amount so I gave a refund without requiring the buyer to send it back.

In your case, I would send an e-mail and ask the buyer to send it back. Send it through ebay so they'll have a record of it. I'd also go ahead and contact paypal and see how they say to handle the situation. If I'm not mistaken I believe that buyers are now required to provide shipping information for returning an item. If they have filed a claim, Paypal shouldn't issue them a refund until they have proof that the item was delivered back to you.

Or you could at least ask the buyer to send you a picture of the broken piece. Due to the tone of their e-mail, it seems like they're trying to pull one over on you.

I agree. That was the impression I got when I read it. I went ahead and tried to get the member's contact info. eBay emailed me the member's addy and phone number. I called the number and surprise surprise the number is no longer in service. In reference to Lody's post, actually the seller is only responsible for making insurance available. Sellers are not required to make insurance mandatory.

Asfor PayPal, yes they do require the buyer ship the item back before a refund is given and include a tracking number. But all PayPal does to verify that is once it says "delivered" the seller is automatically issued the refund, regardless of what condition the item is shipped back in. And if it is not in the same condition, then that's a whole lengthy proccess.

Bottom line is, I am not a dishonest person, and I ask to be treated the same in retrurn. I have a feeling I am going to end up eating this item, the cost of what it sold for and shipping. And I will not be able to re-sell it.

[StormShadow73]

Hey Tankers this is the email I sent to the buyer. I think I handled it correctly given the circumstances:

I tried to contact you at the phone number you have registered w/eBay, but when I called the number it said it is no longer in service. I am the owner of Ocean State Collectibles. I am aware of the email my assistant sent to you in reply to your original email. I ran you email by some of my on line colleagues, and they agree that your email comes off like you are trying to put one over on me. That being said, I packaged the item myself so I know for a fact it was not “packaged poorly” as you claim. I surrounded the item in bubble wrap, but due to the size it had to be packaged in an awkward position. You had the option to purchase insurance bit you chose not to. Our auction clearly stated we are not responsible for items once they ship out, that is why we strongly advise purchasing insurance, which is available on all of our auctions. Bottom line is there are 2 ways we can resolve this:

1)If you want a refund, you must return the item back to us IN THE SAME CONDITION THAT WE SENT IT TO YOU. THE SAME CONDITION THAT IT IS IN THE PICTURE ON THE AUCTION. You will have to pay for the shipping back to us. Also you will need to take a picture of both the item and the box it came in and email us the pictures at [email protected]. Once you have done this a refund will be issued provided you have met these requirements. The other option is:

2)Although we know what condition this item was in when we shipped it, we pride ourselves on customer service. To make up for your aggravation, instead of going through the refund process, we would like to ship you a brand new GI Joe The Rise of Cobra action figure. Right now we have 2 different figures in stock, both new on sealed card. We have City Strike Snake Eyes & Arctic Threat Storm Shadow. We will gladly ship either one of these to you for free, and we will also pick up the shipping out to you as well. On top of this you get to keep the RHINO item. If this option is acceptable to you rather than receiving a refund, please let us know by responding to this email letting us know which figure you would like w/your complete address and contact phone number. We will email you back with the delivery confirmation number of your figure. Please let us know which route you would like to take as soon as you can. Thank you.

Raymond Carr
Ocean State Collectibles