Ebay issue with seller

homerun_homer

I'm looking for advice if any as to what I can do in this situatation

In November I bought a camera bag that would be worth up to €100 in stores here for €50 on Ebay from a Chinese seller with a great record of feedback. It arrived by post about 2+ weeks later and I found that it had been slashed open, seemingly by customs. It wasn't usable at all. I took picture evidence and mailed the seller (didn't attach pictures).
They mailed back saying to return it and they would send a replacement. I posted it off and mailed them a scan of the receipt and told them to advise when they got it. They didn't get back over the next 2 weeks (I gave ample time since it was to get to China after all) so I mailed again asking if they received it back, to which they said no. Each week I would mail & she would say no, so I sent the picture evidence and scan of the receipt again and asked if she could confirm once again if the bag had arrived.

From this point on she stopped answering my mails. I tried to open a dispute/Claim on Paypal but the 40 day window was now up. I tried opening an Ebay dispute but their 60 day window was up.

I've never had to create a dispute or claim so I didn't know the timeframe here. Also please bare in mind that I won the item pre-Christmas so I was allowing ample time for the bag to be delivered back to china, thinking with all the Christmas postage that there would be delays, and not sure whether the seller was closed for any holiday period.

I'm out of pocket for this and it seems to me that because I can't claim a legal dispute that the seller thinks "I'll not reply now". The seller is still selling items and getting feedback for them so it's not a case that they've vanished off the face of the earth.

Right now I'm at the point of considering bidding on another bag and not paying, just so I can open some sort of dispute/chat with the seller again but this could go against me.

Any suggestions? I requested the contact phone number of the seller but the mail never came through to me. Very frustrated over this.

MunsterCycling

Your problem is with customs as they damaged the goods.

MC

Forest Master

I think you've missed the boat as far as your eBay & Paypal windows. Just put it down to experience.

What I usually do if I have an ongoing/unresolved issue, is I'll open a Paypal dispute before the 30 day window is up, and I'll just make the other party aware that I'm only doing it so I don't miss the window. This has a 3-prong effect: 1) it makes them realise you're serious & usually speeds up their responses too, 2) they can't drag their heels to allow the Paypal complaint window to expire, if that had indeed been their intention, and 3) it gives you piece of mind & makes sure you're covered.

Note that you can just open a "dispute" in that interim period, and you don't need to escalate to a "claim" until required. But the option is always there once the dispute has been opened. I usually do it after 25 days just to keep myself covered - a lot of Hong Kong & China issues do take a while to resolve, as the delivery time of your item alone can take up to 2-3 weeks sometimes depending on the seller, allowing very little time to resolve issues after non-arrival or faulty goods. And they're aware of this; so just open a "dispute" after 25 days regardless of how close you think you are to a resolution - it has no downside.

Forest Master

MunsterCycling wrote: »

Your problem is with customs as they damaged the goods.

MC

That's true - but the OP never went down that route. And proving customs damaged it is a lot harder than just telling the seller it was damaged in transit & you want a replacement.

homerun_homer

Forest Master wrote: »

That's true - but the OP never went down that route. And proving customs damaged it is a lot harder than just telling the seller it was damaged in transit & you want a replacement.

Well the seller immediately agreed to replace it. I talked to the post office and they said Customs are a law unto themselves and you will get nowhere trying to claim they damaged your property.

Judgement Day

Yep, put it down to experience and if you want my advice steer clear of buying direct from China/Hong Kong etc on eBay. Stick within the British Isles/USA/Canada/Australia and you will be safe enough. Just my own personal experience.