Yahoo Finance 'EBay sellers like me are sitting ducks waiting to be scammed'
Four years on from when we first reported that eBay's user protection systems were failing some of its users, Telegraph Money's postbag continues to receive complaints about the online auction site's money back guarantee policy.
The scheme, which launched in 2013, promises to refund the buyer with the cost of an item if it does not arrive or is not as described. If such a refund is made the seller has the money deducted from their account.
EBay says the guarantee ensures buyers can shop "hassle-free" and in the knowledge that they will receive the item they purchased or their money back.
But many readers have reported being left out of pocket as a result of eBay’s "favourable" stance towards buyers.
In 2014, Telegraph Money spoke to Matthew Wright who lost £160 and was locked out of eBay after he sold a phone to a buyer in Hungary who claimed he didn’t receive it. This resulted in eBay automatically refunding the buyer under the guarantee scheme and passing the cost back to Mr Wright, without investigating the matter.
We also reported on Helen Hickman who encountered a troublesome buyer after selling a brand-new, sealed pushchair for £199.99. The buyer asked to return the item nine days later because she "didn’t need it any more". This was within the 14-day period during which a buyer can receive a refund – provided that the goods were in the same condition as when sold.
Mrs Hickman received the returned pushchair "covered in mud, with stones in the tyres and baby sick on the fabric", but, despite complaining to eBay, was forced to refund the buyer.
EBay customer Ian Ewers, a security officer from Dorset, who flogs computer equipment on the side, believes sellers on the auction site are "sitting ducks just waiting to be scammed" after an experience earlier this year left him reeling.
In July, the 43-year-old sold a pair of new and boxed power supply units to a buyer for £2,300. The buyer instantly left a five-star review of the item, but a week later opened a return request on ebay claiming both units were faulty.
Mr Ewers approved the buyer's return request and paid for the shipping, but when the goods came back no fault was found, and they had been returned in a damaged condition, he claims.
"Instead of being brand-new unmarked units in original packaging they came back just dumped on a pallet and shrink wrapped. They had been used and the casings were scuffed and scratched with the plastic clips broken off the covers," he explained.
After photographing the return condition of the items, Mr Ewers complained to eBay, but was shocked when it ruled in the buyer's favour and determined that they should receive a full refund.
An eBay customer service representative messaged him to say that while "this particular transaction has been a discouraging experience on your part, I can assure you that situations like these are very few and far between on eBay."
While it's fair that buyers are protected on eBay, many sellers say the company is quick to side with the buyer and often fails to investigate the issue even when a seller appeals the verdict.
Mr Ewers, who has sold on eBay for more than 14 years, said it was "a lot fairer for sellers back then, because when a buyer claimed an item was faulty, eBay would ask them to obtain an expert report and submit it before finding in their favour. The buyer also had to return the item at their expense, and if a seller had a problem with the buyer the seller could leave the buyer negative feedback.
"Now all a buyer has to do is say an item is faulty and eBay automatically finds in its favour," he said. "The seller must pay for return shipping and if a seller is unhappy and tries to leave negative feedback for the buyer, the seller finds only positive feedback can be left."
Mr Ewers said that after more than a decade of selling on the site, £350,000 worth of sales and "not far short of £30,000 paid in ebay fees", he will no longer do business through eBay. "I have finally realised I cannot do business with this company any longer and have ended all listings."
An eBay spokeswoman told Telegraph Money: "The buyer provided a detailed description of the damage – which they only discovered after they turned on the item (after leaving the positive feedback) – and returned the item as ‘not as described’ as is their right under our buyer protection rules."
