Originally Posted by
EjustE
In my eleven years of using ebay/paypal. I had one single dispute (as a buyer, and because I initiated that, because what I got was not what it was not meant to be). As a seller, paypal and ebay will give you the benefit of the doubt (speaking from experience. The disputing party has to prove that the item received was not what was advertised to be - and that is a tall order. You need to find someone to attest to that) If you sell and you know what you sell and you ship it properly and don't overcharge, you are fine...
Negative - at least in my last case. The complete bike was disassembled, wrapped in pipe insulation and all the components that were removed were put in separate boxes in the full-sized bike carton. Frame took a 3/4" dent in the top tube about 10" from the seatlug - interestingly enough, there was also a 1/2" long scratch right next to it.
This dent/scratch combo did not exist prior to packing/shipping. However, the buyer initiated a claim with Paypal using the stupid catchall 'item received not as described'. Paypal honored this, even though I talked to a rep explaining that the full purchase price had been insured and the buyer was not going to initiate the claims process on his end. Did Paypal care about that? No. They referred to their small type, also assuring me that their policy, again in small type, also covered me in that they would not refund the money completely until I notified them that I had the item sent back to me. Three days after that phone conversation, the transfer of funds back to the buyer was completed - and I had not yet received the bike back! It took the seller another week to send it back; I'm sure you can imagine he didn't make much of an effort to pack it well. I ended up with the dent and scratch, more scratches in other areas from his rush job and missing brake quick releases from both brakes. Do you think Paypal gave a damn about that? What if the buyer had simply blown off sending the bike back to me? I shudder to think about that one.
F*** Paypal. In future, if I can get over on them, so be it. Follow all the rules or be prepared to cover your six. I'm sure that the more the buyer is covered the more we will hear seller stories such as mine. After six years of dealing with Paypal, this is the kind of support leveled to me as a seller.
I guess the only good thing about it is that, were I so inclined, I could be an a****** buyer, buy some really cool, rare stuff with no intention of truly parting with my money, and then claim I never received it or it was damaged. I then get my refund, keep the really cool stuff and get over on Paypal and the seller in one fell swoop! And that, I am sure, is exactly what some scummy scammers will do, since the way the deck seems to be stacked would support that action. Sad.