Ebay Resolution Fees - Reimbursement as a result of losing an EBay Buyer Dispute

[electricmage]

supposedly the buyer cancelled the resolution dispute, but I was still stuck ebay final decision about a 700.00 amp that was shipped and recieved with proof of delivery.

I didn't know I had a pending case against me, and on the final day, the buyer sent me an email stating he had cancelled the dispute. I've contacted ebay about the matter via the horrible service chat on their website. Now if I don't pay, It could go into collections and affect my credit. Who polices ebay, and how to i report this to them?

What about a lawsuit?

[Modee]

It is part of Ebay's Terms of Service
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/user-agreement.html
that you must have a reimbursement method on file with EBAY.

Typically, this is a credit card or bank account that you used to open your Ebay account with. Or, it is the PayPal account that you had linked with your Ebay account.

In most situations where a buyer initiates a dispute, it is handled by PayPal. But if you have no PayPal attached to your account, the buyer can initiate the dispute at the Ebay end, and if Ebay rules against you, you have to pay the buyer back in some way - and this includes via what you refer to as a "Resolution Fee." (A buyer may also choose to launch the dispute on the Ebay side even if he paid with PayPal.)

The above is the screen that you will see if you get stuck with a Resolution Fee. It is really not so much a "fee" as reimbursement to your buyer because for whatever reason EBay ruled against you in a buyer dispute.

You can read here more about what reimbursement means:
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/reimbursement.html

Bottom line, there are two reasons to do everything possible not to end up in this situation, one of which is unexpected.

1) Because Ebay, as you have noted, tends to side with Buyers. And even if you reimbursed the buyer some other way, such as by mailing a money order or credit card refund on your non-PayPal merchant account, or even if the buyer claims to have canceled the dispute, unless you can prove it to Ebay, Ebay will keep coming after you for this reimbursement.

2) As we know, Ebay no longer allows most gift type credit cards for Ebay initial registration of accounts.
http://www.modeeworld.com/forums/for...-ebay-accounts
however, Ebay DOES allow any credit card, including gift ones, for payment of Ebay fees.

Apparently, and this is based on a client of mine whose screen you see above because he is stuck in this resolution fee process, once you get stuck in this Resolution Fee status Ebay gets VERY particular about what kind of credit card you attach - and apparently will not accept any gift cards.

SO - you do NOT want to end up in this situation. If a buyer opens an EBAY dispute with you over an item, do what you can to resolve it, because Ebay will probably side against you AND then put your account under high scrutiny afterwards, such as requiring a real credit or bank debit card to verify your account and be used for the reimbursement.

Also, closely monitor your account. EBay will send you lots of messages as this dispute resolution moves along. It is no excuse to say that you received no notice of this before the very end!

[mstake]

"1) Because Ebay, as you have noted, tends to side with Buyers."

I completely disagree. If Ebay sided with buyers primarily, then I would have the last item I purchased in my hand, or else a refund of the costs. I never received the item, told ebay, made a claim, and they sided with the seller and told me "no refund will be issued". then CLOSED the matter as if it was final. Sheesh. Wonder what my options are there! I opened a claim with paypal but as Ebay owns Paypal I doubt I will ever see any results. Ought to send dog poo to the seller in a box. It wont fix the problem but maybe it will upset her as much as she upset me lol.

BTW I was just kidding about sending poo.

[Modee]

In most cases Ebay sides with the buyer, especially if the item was significantly not as described.

[Modee]

To satisfy Ebay's reimbursement method on file, it's as simple as giving them a gift credit card with at least a dollar balance on it, which you should have on file with them anyway.

Simon AMEX gift card works fine for this.
Simon - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited

[Modee]

Ebay's Buyer Protection policy sometimes pays buyer BUT does NOT seek reimbursement

Now sometimes if the claim the buyer makes is non-receipt, and you can prove that you shipped it, AND the dollar amount at stake is not too high, Ebay will go ahead and pay the buyer's claim but NOT seek reimbursement from you.

This happened to me where I shipped an inexpensive (about fifty dollar) item from the U.S. to a foreign country via USPS First Class mail. In such First Class Mail international parcel shipments the USPS Customs # will verify acceptance but rarely shows delivery even after it is delivered. The buyer was getting antsy and had not received the item at around the 35 day mark, filed the Ebay buyer protection claim, and I stated, truthfully, that I had shipped and that the item simply had not yet arrived.

Ebay paid the buyer the fifty dollars, but did not seek reimbursement from me - so it was a win-win situation.

After a couple of months had passed I emailed the buyer and told her that the item had been delivered (I was guessing, but I knew that it would arrive eventually - the item wasn't worth stealing in transit), and she did not respond - which was my answer right there. So she got the item free. Did she plan it that way? No - in this case she was an impatient not dishonest buyer, but still - if she had just waited a bit longer the item would have arrived.
__________________

[Modee]

International buyers on Ebay who claim non-receipt on First Class International Mail

More recently, two buyers who bought a relatively inexpensive item from me (around $100.) filed Ebay claims for non-receipt around 30 days after payment.

In these two cases, I had shipped with First Class Mail International (item was not worth shipping Priority), so I had no tracking beyond the entry point out of the country, and no delivery confirmation.
First Class Mail international shipments - cannot insure, and cannot always confirm delivery - Free EBAY, PayPal, Business and Law Forums - Ebay Suspension, PayPal Limited
In both of these cases Ebay decided against me, refunded the buyer AND deducted the funds from me.

So it seems that in these types of non-receipt claims - when you can prove shipment but not delivery, the cut off point for where Ebay goes ahead and absorbs the cost is around $100.

Around $50. or so, Ebay eats the loss. Much over $50., and Ebay makes you reimburse them unless you can prove delivery.