Complaint Review: PayPal - EBay

Move on people, the horse is dead already!!!

Move on people, the horse is dead already!!!

Move on people, the horse is dead already!!!

Iam a seller on Ebay and i must tell you that I have had the same problem with buyers. Iam actually going thru 4 Unpaid item disputes in 2 weeks time from non paying bidders. Iam losing money and time waiting around for Ebay process for unpaid item. I had 2 ebay members who tried the same thing. They won my auction and another auction and refused to pay my auction that they had won. Claiming they made a mistake but I later found out they won another item for cheaper. I learned and do not ship anymore to anyone that doesnt have confirmed address or Paypal account. It is just to much of a hassle on Ebay

Mary Lou, you had me on your side until you said that you should have "received/paid for the item and then just brought it back to Toys 'R Us for reimbursement. At least I would have gotten $79.99 back instead of being out $142.00"

I mostly agree that alot of sellers on eBay are not the best with customer service. I used to sell on eBay regularly, but not anymore as much. I just bid. If it had been me that you were dealing with, I would have refunded your money less all my fees and shipping costs. It's true that you should have read the auction, but you didn't. You should have gone to the TRU site and researched whether or not this item was in stock, but you didn't. You said that the seller is a fraud, but Marylou, understand if you would have taken this toy that you got from eBay back to TRU for a refund....you would have been just as bad.

You need to just close your eBay account after you get this resolved because it's obvious that you don't understand how eBay works. Even though you didn't get the item, you have still made the seller lose money. It's not free to sell on eBay.I try to research every item I buy on eBay. I also don't bid on any auction in the final minutes unless I plan to snipe the auction. I don't deal with sellers whose TOS is longer than the item description. It's understandable that you are having a rough time right now. But it appears to me that you keep mentioning your financial difficulties to get sympathy. It just makes your argument look weaker.

You need to accept some of the blame on this. And if a sellers contact information is invalid, isn't that grounds enough for eBay to suspend them?

So why are you whining about this Marylou? The fact that you tried to rip off the selelr shows exactly your character.

Why bid on something that you couldn't afford in the first place?

Im bitter? Im not bitter; I just hate stupid buyers who blame the seller for their mistakes. The seller held up her/his end of the deal. YOU entered a contract when you bid and you won. YOU should hold up on that and pay the seller, not make wild accusations about how they ripped you off.

Why is it that buyers like you never ever take responsibility for your actiosn? Did the seller put a gun to your head and make you bid on that item? No. YOU bid on that item of your own free will, and its not the SELLER's responsibility to make sure you understand what you are getting yourself into.

I've been "had" buy 1 bidder on ebay. 1 out of the 2,000 transactions I've had. Do you know why I've only had one bad bidder? Because I know what the hell im talking about, and how to conduct business. I please everyone i deal with, so much as making sure they are contacted after a week after I mail my items out to make sure they received them. If not, I go back to tracking the item, and see if it got delayed and inform the bidder what has happened. Oh and that 1 bidder; it was a scammer from Nigeria who signed up that day, to do a "buy it now" on my auction, without contacting me (since it expressly stated in my auciton that I do and WILL never ship to out of US territory - signed up with fake information).

How would I feel in your place? I wOULD NOT HAVE gotten into your situation in the FIRST place. Why? cause as a consumer, ITS MY responsibility to honor a contract, and research prior to bidding, even if it means to contact the seller for more information.

denny no one asked you to feel sorry for anyone...as far as that not being a lie? I'm sorry but "deceptive words" is considered lying on ebay, and I am willing to bet she pulled her money from paypal so they wouldn't charge her twice, so you people that say "she tried paying for something when she had no money" can throw that argument out the window...its dead!
I still say that the seller was trying to scam the buyer by giving her a false belief that there were no products left in the stores(remember tickle me elmo or even the xbox 360?)...so I don't blame her for bidding for fear she may not have gotton one in time for christmas

The fact that eBay refunded 100.00 says to me she was ripped off at some point.
The bank will definately see it her way too, No Marylou,the bank wont do a stop payment because it's already been placed but that dispute form you filled out will do the trick...you will get your money back...fdic says so!

I'd have to say I agree with Robert, Denny and Lauren on this one. You bid on it, you win it, you pay for it. I did one time bid on something (a dog kennel) that I ended up not needing (the puppy died before we got it). I contacted the seller, explained the situation and offered to pay them for the item and asked if I could skip paying for the shipping since I didn't need the item and they could resell it. Turned out they offered to just have me pay the listing fee and that was the end of it. If you have a legitimate reason to not buy it I would think most sellers would work with you. If you're just not buying it because you were irresponsible and didn't have the money or because you didn't comparison shop well, that's on you. Now this seller is hit with negative feedback and a black mark from the BBB due to your irresponsibility. Shame on you.

Thanks Carl. Ignore Denny, he has been trying to slam me ever since the onset of this. The only thing I can figure is, he is a little man who never leaves his house and/or computer and it makes him feel important to berate other people. I would guess he's been burnt pretty bad as a seller on eBay as well to make him so bitter.

Anyways....as it stands right now the seller still has the product and still has the money. I have, however, heard from eBay and they have refunded almost $100 towards my PayPal account because I used their Standard Purchase Protection Program. As far as my bank goes, they would not put a stop payment on it because it was done via Visa CheckCard (debit card), but they did let me fill out a dispute form for Visa. I also contacted the seller (again) and apologized (again). She apologized as well, we both recognized that we had heated tempers with regards to the whole transaction, and she wants me to call her to "work something out." That's all I wanted in the first place. I never said I didn't screw up.

Robert, I did have the money. I took it OUT of the bank and went down to Toys R Us the same day and bought the toy myself. I then kept the money out of the bank so PayPal couldn't take it. After trying 6 times, they gave up and my PayPal balance is in the negative. I had to eat the NSF fees. Not a problem, since it was the point of the whole thing that was most important to me.

Denny, I don't need to cancel the internet. I work off the internet and it's a write-off to me at the end of the year. I am not as destitute as people think I am. I have three children, live in my own home, own my own car, have a job and go to school. My children are healthy and happy.

I did not try to scam anyone. I didn't have someone do work on my car and then not pay them. The seller here GOT paid. She had the money and yes she followed through with her part of the deal and shipped the item. However, the seller has the product back in her possession and is STILL getting paid. The way I see it, she got a free $142.00 for her aggravation. PayPal will not go after her for the money back, nor will eBay. She's laughing all the way to the bank....so how is this turned into a "poor seller" story???

Believe me, I wish I had never put a posting on rip-off report.com because of the abuse I have received, but I am a big girl and I can take it. However, throughout all of this I just wanted people to put themselves in my shoes. How would you really feel if you were in my situation? Be HONEST with yourselves.

The best thing anyone can do is avoid Ebay all together. I have had so many stories sent to me about all the horror they have done to people! I was a seller on Ebay for over 2 year with 100% positive feedback and they suspended me because a customer was suspended! No Lie! As far as legal binding contracts Ebay cannot legally force someone to buy something as they have stated many times. Ebay changes their policies like they change their underwear! To suit them. I had a very good business on Ebay and then they screwed me all because this customer had a street address the same name as mine but different state! That is no lie! The best thing this buyer can do is go to her bank and put a stop payment for anything that goes through PayPal and then file her chargeback. The seller needs to either resend the item or give her money back. I agree that it was the buyers fault she should have done more research but truth beknown the seller was probally just ad fraudulent because Ebay keeps the fraudsters! And they get rid of the decent and honest sellers! If you don't believe me just look at my feedback id maxmarsjewels

The only part that really matters is this:
" What's worse is they keep trying to put it through my debit card and I get hit with a $26.00 fee each time. I am going to be out $200+ with nothing to show for it!"

This mean Marylou had NO MONEY to pay for the toy. Everything else is meaningless. She entered into a contract with the seller.

Just like Nick has correctly pointed out, this doesn't mean she is entitled to a refund if she changes her mind. He gave a fine example. Here's another one. If a customer asks me to do work on their car, and I do it, I am entitled to be paid for the service done. If that same customer decides after I have begun working on the car they want it done somewhere else CHEAPer, that in no way negates their responsibility to pay me for my time.

Marylou had NO MONEY(thus the NSF fees the bank is hitting her with) and thought she could break the sales agreement without proper notice.

The shipper held up her end of the deal by shipping the toy. Marylou needs to hold up her end.

Sold out everywhere, could have referred to sold out everywhere she lived.

Still its the consumers responsibility to research, which the OP didn't

And you still neglect to see that the OP bought something she couldn't even afford in the first place. Why buy something that you couldn't even afford? She determiend the price to pay (by bidding YOU SET The price!) so why did she bid so high? Because like all Ebay users, who want to place the blame where it doesn't belong, she didn't do her research.

I dont feel sorry for her. She made the mistake, she should learn from it, and MOVE on. Since she is so strapped for cash, she should REEVALUATE how she spends her money. Like GETTING rid of the internet. That's an extra $40 a month she could use.

You are very wrong when you said"If its the former, the money is as good as gone. The bank will do nothing to recover, because as they see it, its a legitmate transaction.

if you paid through a credit card funded account, then dispute it with the credit card company

NEVER EVER pay via a checking/savings account via paypal .; always make sure you pay with a credit card."
I don't know what rinky dink bank you use but I got back money from a guy that tried to sell me a broken guitar, he lied in his ad on ebay(huge no-no)and i got my money back...100% of it back into where? my checking account.
research before posting and If you want people to know where you stand, just wear the same socks for two weeks

DONT GIVE UP!!!Ignore the ones calling you names and suggesting its your fault, it is not! Go to your bank and issue a charge back(if thats how you fund your account), The fact that she lied in her listing nulls and voids her contract...you cannot falsly adverstise a product I don't care what any of you say, she was ripped off!
her ONLY fault was going about it the wrong way...I've been selling on eBay for 2 years and I have 100% feedback on over 400 sales you know why???because I would go the extra step for someone like that..its good business practice and that seller could have always written off her losses anyway..greedy people $uck!!
You people are absoultely NO HELP!!!

DONT GIVE UP!!!Ignore the ones calling you names and suggesting its your fault, it is not! Go to your bank and issue a charge back(if thats how you fund your account), The fact that she lied in her listing nulls and voids her contract...you cannot falsly adverstise a product I don't care what any of you say, she was ripped off!
her ONLY fault was going about it the wrong way...I've been selling on eBay for 2 years and I have 100% feedback on over 400 sales you know why???because I would go the extra step for someone like that..its good business practice and that seller could have always written off her losses anyway..greedy people $uck!!
You people are absoultely NO HELP!!!

DONT GIVE UP!!!Ignore the ones calling you names and suggesting its your fault, it is not! Go to your bank and issue a charge back(if thats how you fund your account), The fact that she lied in her listing nulls and voids her contract...you cannot falsly adverstise a product I don't care what any of you say, she was ripped off!
her ONLY fault was going about it the wrong way...I've been selling on eBay for 2 years and I have 100% feedback on over 400 sales you know why???because I would go the extra step for someone like that..its good business practice and that seller could have always written off her losses anyway..greedy people $uck!!
You people are absoultely NO HELP!!!

DONT GIVE UP!!!Ignore the ones calling you names and suggesting its your fault, it is not! Go to your bank and issue a charge back(if thats how you fund your account), The fact that she lied in her listing nulls and voids her contract...you cannot falsly adverstise a product I don't care what any of you say, she was ripped off!
her ONLY fault was going about it the wrong way...I've been selling on eBay for 2 years and I have 100% feedback on over 400 sales you know why???because I would go the extra step for someone like that..its good business practice and that seller could have always written off her losses anyway..greedy people $uck!!
You people are absoultely NO HELP!!!

if you try to dispute it, paypal will only initiate another withdrawal.

was the account tiedto your savgins/chekcing or did you pay with a credit card through paypal?

If its the former, the money is as good as gone. The bank will do nothing to recover, because as they see it, its a legitmate transaction.

if you paid through a credit card funded account, then dispute it with the credit card company

NEVER EVER pay via a checking/savings account via paypal .; always make sure you pay with a credit card.

Marylou, if the paypal account you used was linked to your bank account...VOILA! Dispute the charges via your bank, they will investigate and reinstate the funds for you!

Good luck and don't mind those people out there berating you.

Marylou

I'm tired of listening to you claim your naivite and the fact that you "made a mistake" as a reason to get out of your binding contract and mess with the Seller's business. None of the other silly inconsequential items you listed as your proof of "fraud" (wrong tracking number, phony email headers, etc) matter - the fact is YOU bid, YOU pay. (It's pretty simple, actually, unless the "stupid" part comes into play.) No one cares that you are a single mother, that you don't have a lot of money, etc. You are not entitled to special treatment, which seems to be your whining MO. If you can't afford it, you shouldn't have bid on it. I think it's disgusting that you are filing false claims with the BBB and Internet Fraud Reporting Agency over something YOU did. Shame on you.

**THIS ITEM IS SOLD OUT IN ALL 3 MAJOR ONLINE STORES, AND SOLD OUT IN RETAIL STORES! DON'T MISS OUT! WILL SHIP OUT IN 1 DAY**

This was taken directly from the seller's description line. This sentence was a complete and total lie, and I have an e-mail from her admitting it was a lie. That is false advertisement. Yes, I was pretty naive to take her word for it and not run around trying to research it. I have three kids, work full-time and go to nursing school part-time so you can see where I don't have the time to do that. And to some degree, I did find it cheaper and that's one of the main reasons I wanted to cancel, but I laid my pride out on the table to this woman on the phone telling her I could really use the extra money to buy presents for my kids so I wouldn't have to ask charity for it again this year. She laughed in my face (well, over the phone). When she did that, my temper flared and I began this whole process. Believe me, now that I have had time to cool off I really wish I had just received/paid for the item and then just brought it back to Toys 'R Us for reimbursement. At least I would have gotten $79.99 back instead of being out $142.00

Now, with PayPal what they do is an "instant transfer" from my bank account with my debit card as a backup. They did this and transfered the money directly into her account immediately, but the transaction to my bank account actually takes 1-2 days to post. Thinking that PayPal would cancel the whole transaction, I took the money out of the bank and ran down to get my daughter the toy because Christmas was a week away and I didn't want her to miss out. When PayPal denied the cancellation request and attempted to debit my bank account, it was denied for insufficient funds 4 times. This added up to $100+ in overdraft fees, which I understand is completely my fault. After the fourth time, PayPal canceled the transaction. So as it stands now my PayPal account is red and in the negative and they keep asking me to add funds to the account, which I am afraid to do because I know I will never see it again. PayPal will never take the money back from the seller and they will never honor my refund. I must have sent 25 e-mails to PayPal and eBay and I just keep getting the runaround. I have provided them with the tracking number that proves she has the toy in her possession.

Aside from "legalities" in terms of contracts and no contracts, blah, blah, blah - she has the merchandise and she has the money...and she is laughing about it. I have nothing but bad credit reported by the negative PayPal balance and most likely a pending lawsuit when they come after me for the money. Why can't she just give me the cost of the toy minus the shipping fees back to me? Because she is not an honest person, she has no heart and all she cares about is money. I did have to put the $100+ back into my bank account to cover the overdraft fees, but as far as transferring the $142 back into my PayPal account, they're just going to have to sue me because I refuse to pay for something I don't have. That's like paying for air.

Okay, so the package was refused and sent back to the seller. Unless there is an agreement ahead of time on the refund policy, isn't that like purchasing the toy for Toys'R'Us, finding you want to return it, setting it on the counter in returns, and then expecting money back?

How does possession work here? The seller was paid and shipped according to contract. You can't just "refuse" after you've done a transaction either.

It would be "Good Business Practice" for the seller to refund the money, minus her out of pocket costs of listing and shipping. At least to get good feedback. But what if there is "no return policy"?

Anyone know?

Robert from Jacksonville said:

She tried to get the item for FREE and rip off the seller, and PayPal. PayPAl won't refund her money because PayPal has yet to be able to recieve the funds from her. She's also attempting to be refunded money that she hasn't actually paid.

Um, hello Robert? Did you not pay attention to her very first post?

Marylou said:

She provided me an inaccurate tracking number on purpose, but I found the real one and since I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Take notice where she said I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Nicholas, good job of pointing out that false advertisement.

Marylou, I suggest not dealing with PayPal anymore and stick strictly with postal money orders. I've known too many people screwed over by PayPal because of bad sellers/buyers.

Also, you need to realize that YOU screwed yourself over by not double checking the stores (online or in person) before bidding. Next time bit the bullet and take responsibility for your quick reaction to what some joe shmoe' said on the internet.

Robert from Jacksonville said:

She tried to get the item for FREE and rip off the seller, and PayPal. PayPAl won't refund her money because PayPal has yet to be able to recieve the funds from her. She's also attempting to be refunded money that she hasn't actually paid.

Um, hello Robert? Did you not pay attention to her very first post?

Marylou said:

She provided me an inaccurate tracking number on purpose, but I found the real one and since I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Take notice where she said I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Nicholas, good job of pointing out that false advertisement.

Marylou, I suggest not dealing with PayPal anymore and stick strictly with postal money orders. I've known too many people screwed over by PayPal because of bad sellers/buyers.

Also, you need to realize that YOU screwed yourself over by not double checking the stores (online or in person) before bidding. Next time bit the bullet and take responsibility for your quick reaction to what some joe shmoe' said on the internet.

Robert from Jacksonville said:

She tried to get the item for FREE and rip off the seller, and PayPal. PayPAl won't refund her money because PayPal has yet to be able to recieve the funds from her. She's also attempting to be refunded money that she hasn't actually paid.

Um, hello Robert? Did you not pay attention to her very first post?

Marylou said:

She provided me an inaccurate tracking number on purpose, but I found the real one and since I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Take notice where she said I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Nicholas, good job of pointing out that false advertisement.

Marylou, I suggest not dealing with PayPal anymore and stick strictly with postal money orders. I've known too many people screwed over by PayPal because of bad sellers/buyers.

Also, you need to realize that YOU screwed yourself over by not double checking the stores (online or in person) before bidding. Next time bit the bullet and take responsibility for your quick reaction to what some joe shmoe' said on the internet.

Robert from Jacksonville said:

She tried to get the item for FREE and rip off the seller, and PayPal. PayPAl won't refund her money because PayPal has yet to be able to recieve the funds from her. She's also attempting to be refunded money that she hasn't actually paid.

Um, hello Robert? Did you not pay attention to her very first post?

Marylou said:

She provided me an inaccurate tracking number on purpose, but I found the real one and since I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Take notice where she said I refused the shipment, she got the toy back four days ago and I can prove it.

Nicholas, good job of pointing out that false advertisement.

Marylou, I suggest not dealing with PayPal anymore and stick strictly with postal money orders. I've known too many people screwed over by PayPal because of bad sellers/buyers.

Also, you need to realize that YOU screwed yourself over by not double checking the stores (online or in person) before bidding. Next time bit the bullet and take responsibility for your quick reaction to what some joe shmoe' said on the internet.

Why are you mad at the seller for YOU not doing your homework and making mistakes?

1. Doesn't price shop (well, until AFTER)
2. Pays
3. Refuses to accept package
4. Complains

Hey, broken finger or not, YOU entered into the agreement. Sue your computer manufacturer for not placing the keys far enough to compensate for finger injuries.

This is like signing the lease for a new car, and then turning around and saying you were on medication and didn't understand the payment structure. Poof! The problem should just GO AWAY, right? Someone ELSE should just "understand" your "personal situation"?

"Feelings" don't trump "legal contracts".

What you DID.
What you INTENDED to do.

Two different things. Take responsibility.

The seller:

1. Paid money for the listing
2. Paid money for the closing price
3. Paid money for shipping
4. Paid money for using PayPal - a % of what you paid.

The way I see it, you want to return the item and get all your money back. SHE will lose money on that transaction becuase you had a "change of heart", and she did EVERYTHING RIGHT.

There's no price-matching on Ebay.

And YOU say it was an accident, even though LATER you "felt" ripped off. And THEN you opened a buyer complaint "because she was rude".

If my sellers ship stuff that fast, I call them "excellent".

You paid her the money, she shipped it to you. She fulfilled her duty to you. SHE OWES YOU NOTHING. Since you refused the shipment, she gets it back, and STILL owes you NOTHING.

It's reasons like this that sellers have a "no refund policy", which make it harder for those of us WITHOUT broken fingers who DO price shop ahead of time when we DO want to purchase something.

well i feel for you on this cause i sold on ebay for 6 yrs and let me tell you something i gave refunds for just so i did'nt have to deal with complaints with paypal. till i made it clear you run the bid on the item you pay unless you contact me ebay is really a big joke the policys and rules nothing but crap i know that and they don't help with anything. like they say the seller could of refunded your money with no problem or met you half way as for paypal don't wast your time with them they could careless about what happend ebay the same way as for send the toy back well i would of kept it and resold it to get half the money back but i know just from been on ebay and paypal its a big joke don't buy off of ebay i learned the same way as you did

Hi. I'm not a very big seller on Ebay. I probably have sold 10 or so things since I joined up back in the 90s. I mostly buy things like computer components, childrens clothes and toys for our daughter. I have maybe 2 negative comments out of my 250 or so feedback level. One was for an item never shipped that I had to have paypal stop payment on and the other was a seller who intentionally increased her shipping quote and tried to put in a "handling fee" contrary and in addition to any fees listed in the auction description. That transaction was removed by Ebay and the user was booted. I was pretty new when that happened and I had thought a 96% feedback was pretty good. Now I don't buy from anyone with less than a 98.6%

When you go to Ebay to buy something, you are entering into a LEGALLY BINDING contract. You are NOT window shopping or browsing when you click that confirm bid button. Sellers have to protect themselves just as buyers do, the ebay rules are designed to make a happy medium for sellers and buyers.

While I am wondering how she would be using fake email for her account and still getting her paypal payments, I can see that some sellers may be a bit on the fringe.

That being said, you need to realize that most of this problem is your fault.

1. You did not try the local stores BEFORE going on ebay and buying it there.

2. You Broke a legally binding contract, meaning technically that seller could take you to court for the funds and charge you with wire fraud for reversing the charges.

3. The seller is now out her Ebay listing fee, her shipping and probably a lot of time.

4. If I were you I would have taken my lumps, all $70 of them and learned from the experience.

No matter how you dress it up, it boils down to the fact that the seller held up her end of the auction, shipped the item when it was paid for, and completed her end of the contract. You decided to try and cheat the system and the seller by stopping the transfer and going through paypal (which Im really amazed allowed you to cancel the auction payment, or was it your bank?).

You have to follow the same rules that all of us other buyers do. You are the one ultimately responsible if you end up paying too much, not the seller.

Get over it, pay the seller their money, get the toy back, give it to a neighbors kid and grow up. You are not a child, you are responsible for your own actions, just as any other buyer would be on Ebay.

I posted the reply I did to try and assist others to understand what they could do to make their eBay experience a little more rewarding. Far from being a fraud nor a scammer I am a person who has been in business for 30+ years and I have a long experience with customer service. To those who slammed me the the advise I offered and to make the remarks you did shows that you do not know what you are talking about and truly have know clue. I sincerly hope that Marylou has enough sense to sort through the bitterness of some of these replies and take the GOOD advise that is offered. Just for the record.... My contact information is very clearly posted in each one of my listings and I inform ALL that they may phone or email me with any questions. Also, I have no desire to be Bill Gates! I eBay as a supplement to my families income during the slow periods in my studio. I am a professional person with a wide range of experience and I give great customer service without being rude nor ripping off my customers. But don't just take my word for it..... visit eBay and look at my listings and my feedback profile. My eBay user name is tatmanprod.llc and I will just let that speak for me.

Marylou, you ran across a seller that did not give you good customer service but also through your inexperience with eBay you also may have handled the situation a little wrong. That is why I posted the reply I did to help you and others understand what they can do to make eBay transactions easier and more rewarding. I have had my problems with eBay also and many has been the time that I became very frustrated because another eBay member did something stupid or because I did not like how eBay or paypal resolved a problem. All of it was a learning experience and I used those times to learn. I have become a better seller because of it and I have less problems.

You can have a good selling or buying experience on eBay or a bad one. It is up to you as a buyer or seller to do those things that make it pleasurable. If you don't like buying or selling on eBay or you cannot find that place where your experience was a good one then do not buy or sell there. It is that simple.

One last thing.... for those of you that name call, you are offering nothing that is construtive and don't label a person unless you know them and know what you are talking about in reference to that individual. You don't know me and you definately do not what you are talking about.

Good luck to you Marylou!

Marylou just ignore the moronic "power sellers", Dealers, traders, would be if they could be quasi business people or whatever else they want to call themselves.The majority are simply scammers and really believe their own press - "wow! I'm a power seller, Look out Bill Gates, I'm coming through"
I have been involved technically with the internet for more years than I care to admit to and my rule of thumb is if a seller of any product or service doesn't publish a street address, telephone number and fax number I won't go near them under any circumstance. The principle of on line auctions is good. It puts buyers and sellers together in a "controlled" environment. The practice is very different because greed enters into it.
It is so tempting to describe an item as perfect when you know full well it's not. The seller gets the money before the item ships and thus holds the whip hand at all times.
I read on this site about your USA car dealers ripping consumers off but they are rank amateurs compared to the online auction sellers. What a "business" get paid for an item up front even if you don't have it in stock then ship it when you feel like it (if at all) then tell the customer I am a power seller and therefore rate alongside God as a being so don't insinuate I may not be perfect. Accept your "goods" and be grateful that I allowed you to be ripped off by me, as I am a power seller.
How many of you legitimate storefront owners, like me would like to have the cashflow management systems that online sellers have. Get paid in advance for items that you have a picture of and then not have to guarantee the item. Caveat Emptor!!
Marylou look after your darling children and teach them never to buy from the sharks that thrive and multiply on the net. Walk into a store and touch and feel the item before you part with your hardearned money. Life becomes so much simpler when you do.
Happy new year to all from downunder

Just playing devil's advocate here:

'Sold out *everywhere*' is a pretty broad term. Everywhere meaning the SELLER'S home town or state or region or nation?

I think saying the seller used 'deceptive business practices' is also a pretty broad statement.

If someone purchased said item from seller who lived in the same state and that buyer couldn't find said item ANYWHERE in the state then that statement is not deceptive.

Please post when and if you get your money back Marylou - my experience with PayPal is that they cater more so to the sellers (i.e., THEIR income producing clients) versus a one time or every so often buyer.

I don't know why I didn't bring that up more, I suppose I felt attacked and wanted to defend myself, but yes my biggest problem was her being deceptive in her item description. She twice stated the product was sold out in stores everywhere. I know it was naive of me to take her word for it, but when I did a search for the product on eBay I found similar descriptions and took them to be true. Like I said, I panicked because I thought I wouldn't get the toy for my daughter in time for Christmas. I have e-mails from her calling me stupid and saying they are sold in stores everywhere and I should have checked. Perhaps I should have, but in this e-mail to me she admitted that she lied in her item description. I reported this as fraudulent advertising with eBay and filed an "item signigicantly not as described" claim, because I believe that to be true.

There really is one statement that makes everything very clear. Maybe they were sold out "everywhere" the seller is. This doesn't mean they aren't sold out in Cairo Egypt. All that matters is where you are at that point in time.

This is the only statement that matters. "I showed that to PayPal, and they still won't refund my money. What's worse is they keep trying to put it through my debit card and I get hit with a $26.00 fee each time." You see, she has no money in the account she used for PayPal, and PayPal keeps trying to debit the funds, to no avail. This is costing her $26 each time, for NSF fees. She tried to get the item for FREE and rip off the seller, and PayPal. PayPAl won't refund her money because PayPal has yet to be able to recieve the funds from her. She's also attempting to be refunded money that she hasn't actually paid.

Marylou needs to get a clue and cut her losses. Consider this one a lesson learned Marylou. You can't win them all. Sometimes, the scammer gets scammed. It comes with the territory.

I do agree with the others on the fact that Marylou should have researched before she bought and that "buyer's remorse" is very common on eBay.

In regards to her trying to scam the eBay seller, I would have to say it depends on the quote below. One piece of evidence that if it is factual [I am only stating this since this is the Internet and most evidence is circustantial] is the following:

"I bought a toy for my daughter on eBay because the seller kept saying in her description that they were 'sold out everywhere'"

I have noticed everyone jumped on the "it's a contract" statement. This is true. However, if what Marylou stated is true, then the eBay seller used "deceptive trade practices" to lure a buyer. Furthermore, to my recollection of eBay's policy, by the seller doing so was a violation of their policy. In addition, if the matter were ever taken to court, then that would be a decent argument to make the "contract" null and void as the contract was created under false pretenses.

That's just my opinion on the matter.

Check out that website - I am not alone. And this is America, I have the right to change my mind when it's MY money.

I have read the rebuttals, and in the very first one (yours) you said, "WHY would you penalize that seller for your stupidity" - if "your stupidity" ISN'T calling me stupid, I don't know what is. Your second rebuttal called me a LIAR. You also accused me of trying to SCAM the seller, which is automatically assuming that I am some lying witch trying to make money off an unsuspecting seller. You don't know me from a hole in the wall and nothing could be further from the truth.


As for your recent rebuttal, I did not try to "renegotiate" a deal I already paid for. I simply made an honest mistake and tried to WORK IT OUT WITH THE SELLER as is EBAY's precious "POLICY." If you feel the need to put down a single mother of three as to why I didn't BUDGET my money, then you must be a real piece of work. Must be LONELY as well.

And YES I do have proof that her e-mail is forged. I took EBAY's advice per their precious "POLICY" and contacted her ISP regarding the harrassing e-mails she was sending me, and MSN notified me that she was using an invalid hotmail account and that it had forged headers! And if her contact info says she lives in Texas, but her telephone area code is Florida, HOW is her contact information VALID??? And how do you explain the missing two numbers of the tracking number??? A TYPO??? RIGHT!! OR her illegally recording our telephone conversation??? And everyone out there, do you "ask a seller a question" before you bid? What do you ask, "UM, EXCUSE ME, BUT ARE YOU AN HONEST PERSON?" DUHHH

I also have news for you, I WILL get my money back in full and this seller will be suspended from eBay. My bank account has already reversed the charge. There are policies in place to protect BUYERS as well, whether or not you hit the cancel button on PayPal.

Seems you make SO much money selling on eBay that you have nothing better to do with your life than pick on someone else. This is my last response, and I won't read any more so write all you want - but people reading will know I am not there to defend myself and you will just look more and more like the donkey you are.

PS - Thank you to Christine.

Marylou, NO ONE CALLED YOU STUPID. Please re-read the rebuttals. I did not see anyone call you stupid. The only person calling you stupid, is yourself.


Why would you renegotiate a deal that you agreed already to pay on? By bidding you are COMMITED to whatever AMOUNT you put in that box on that page, and hit submit to. THERE IS no going back; NO renegotiating ALLOWED at all. YOU were the one who put that amount and agreed to pay that amount. ITS not hte SELLERS responsibility nor pergative to reduce that amount. If the amount was too much, WHY DID YOU BID IN THE FIRST PLACE?

If you needed the extra $70, why the hell are you bidding in the first place? What, YOU can't handle your budget? Did you NOT limit yourself to what you were willing to spend? And this is the fault of the sller for you to overspend? No. So pay up.

Do you have proof that here email is forged? That her contact information is "invalid"> You can 'claim" anything you want, but as far as I see it, you were the one who was trying to get your money back for something YOU agreed to pay. So the "liar" here, would be you.

As for the tracking number, that could have been a typo. and for that matter, I would not want to have further communication with a woman who tried to get a refund on a transaction she agreed to pay.

If she did not have "good intentions" from the start, then WHY DID YOU BID ON HER AUCTION? That uaction would have told you "straight" up what kind of seller she is. DID YOU even bother to use the "ASK A SELLER QUESTION" link on EVERY AUCTION?

No. So why would you think she did not have "good intentions" from the start? YOU didn't have "good intentions" either, when you tried to SCAM her by asking for your money back, when you "found" the item cheaper elsewhere.

You're not stupid. A little impatient maybe and/or uninformed.

Understood you apologized to the seller and asked that the transaction be cancelled. Have you thought from the seller's point of view? He or she may be depending on that money for THEIR kids at Christmas or whatever.

As a previous poster pointed out, once you hit that 'BIN' button you 'signed' a contract to buy that item, no oops, or sorry, or I don't want/need/can afford the item any longer. YOU should have researched, asked questions and/or thought about it longer before hitting that button.

If ebay and paypal allowed buyers to do what you're asking the requests would be rampant and neither company would make any money.

It's a bad situation and it's too bad you're seller wasn't more willing to listen and or discuss your situation, but then the seller was under no obligation to do so.

There's not a nice way to say this, but the responsiblity here lies with you.

Don't listen to those two. One has admitted he is an ebay seller also probably a fraud and the other well who knows, maybe she needs to get laid.

stay away from ebay. It took one bad experience for me and that was it. call me a fool once but ain't gonna do it twice.

I got a defective item -returned it and had to pay shipping to do so and the b***h never sent a new one or refunded. Ironically I lost a total of about 80.00. No biggie, you live you learn. And of course I am the one that donates to every godamn charity imagineable and I get screwed. Such is life. Save yourself the grief and stay off the computer for shopping.

God Bless!

As a Power Seller on eBay I run across buyers who do this same thing all the time and it always ends the same.... They tie up my funds for 30 days and then are told by Paypal that they have no complaint. It is aggravating and frustrating not to mention time consuming answering the response. I have to go to extreme measures to protect myself from these types of buyers but experience has helped me handle these types of people. The following advise can be used to educate Buyers and help Sellers deal with these situations:

BUYERS:
(1)You have every opprotunity to contact the seller about the item you are bidding on before you bid on an item.
(2) Ask questions of the seller that will help you make an informed decision, ie; shipping cost, availability, shipping times, methods, etc.
(3) If the seller does not respond or is rude then do not deal with them.
(4) COMPLETELY READ THE ITEM DESCRIPTION! This is extremely important. I find that 9 out of the 10 questions I receive from buyers could have been answered if they had read the item description. We have even had buyers bid on items that they should NOT have bid on because they failed to read the TITLE which explained who could and could not bid on the item.
(5) Read the sellers feedback profile. This tells you a lot about the seller. Just because a seller has a couple of Negative Feedbacks does not mean they are a bad seller. If the seller has a high positive feedback number, a rating over 98%+ and just a couple of negatives you are probably dealing with a legitimate seller. We all get "IDIOTS" who leave inappropriate Negatives. If you have questions about a specific feedback comment just contact the seller and ask about it.
(6) NEVER buy from a seller who makes their feedback profile PRIVATE, they have something to hide!
(7) Do your research. Don't agree to purchase an item just because you may not find it somewhere else. There are very few ONE OF A KIND ITEMS and those that are will probably be very expensive and outside the price range of the average eBay buyer.
(8) If you agree to purchase an item it is a contract and you are obligated to complete the transaction. It is not the sellers fault that you failed to read the item description, did not contact them before bidding or that you found it cheaper somewhere else. The only legitimate reasons for filing an eBay or Paypal complaint is the following: (A) Item significately not as described, ie: You ordered a new red fire engine from the seller and they sent you a used purple police car. (B) Item not received, ie; You ordered a red fire engine and it never arrived and the seller cannot provide tracking information. (C) Item damaged. This is a tricky one because you have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the seller knew that they were sending damaged merchandise and that it did not happen in shipping. Most legitimate sellers will offer the option of insurance.
(9) Document everything. Keep all emails that pass between you and the seller. Use eBays mail system for contact as a copy of the email is kept on eBays mail system for 90 days and it can help you with legitimate complaints later.
(10) SHOP SMART! Just because a deal is cheap does not mean it's good. You might pay less for an item that would have cost you a little more from another seller but will you get the same service? That is why your research is important. You might pay a couple of dollors mor from another seller but the level of service you receive might be worth it's weight in gold.
(11) Don't file frivolous complaints against sellers. You would not like it if someone tied up your funds because you failed to SHOP SMART. Don't do it to others.
(12) Be sure to review the sellers return policy details at the bottom of the page eBay is not Wal-Mart! You can not return items just because you changed your mind. Most sales on eBay are final so before you bid make sure you really want the item.

SELLERS:
(1) Protect yourself. Go to the extreme within your listing description to outline everything about the item, your payment and shipping methods, return policy, etc. Do not just rely on eBays listing description. You need to be as concise as possible to protect yourself. You can view several of our listings and how we set them up by going to URL http://www.stores.ebay.com/ablazabledotcom
(2) Use HTML to create your listing. It gives your listing a more professional look and allows you to better detail your listing in a mor orderly manner than just using the basic eBay editors tool.
(3) Communicate with your buyers in the shortest time frame possible. Quick, friendly communication instills buyer confidence and lessons buyer complaints.
(4) Document everything! Only communicate with your buyers through eBays mail system and keep copies of ALL communication between you and the buyer. It will help with complaint processes later on.
(5) Never list an item that you do not have in stock or that you are not 100% certain that your supplier can delivee in a timely manner. A lot buyer complaints stem from buyers who have had their items delayed.
(6) Most buyer complaints are from NEW eBayers that do not understand the system. It is sometimes frustrating to deal with these people but your patience and curteosy can possibly help to keep you from Negative Feedback or buyers complaints.
(7) Use the MUTUAL FEEDBACK REMOVAL system if you have received an undeserved negative feedback. No one wants negative feedback and most times all parties involved will agree to MUTUAL REMOVAL.
(8) Use a seal service such as SQUARE TRADE to instill buyer confidence and help with severe dispute mediation.
(9) If you recieve a notification of complaint from Paypal or eBay make sure you send them all documentation and use the Case number in all communications. With Paypal you may need to send several contact forms as each form only allows 1000 charactors. Number each communication and end each one with the tag line "1 of 2 - FURTHER DETAILS FOLLOW"
(10) If using PayPal only ship to a CONFIRMED ADDRESS. It protects you from wrongful chargebacks from buyers. You can set your PayPal prefrences to notify you of Unconfirmed Payments leaving you the option to ACCEPT or DENY payment. Don't deny all unconfirmed addresses. Check payment history and feedback profile to make that decision.
(11) Do Not take bids from people with 0 feedback score or under 90% feedback approval rating unless they contact you first. Use your best judgement. Sometimes making the sale is not worth the hassle.
(12) Always be courteous to you buyers. Remeber they are why you sell in the first place. Remember Communication is the key to all successful transactions on eBay.

I hope eBay BUYERS and SELLERS alike have found this information helpful. I could write a book on this subject but I have just touched on the major points. Good luck and Good Bidding!

I didn't post on this website to be called stupid. That is the problem I am having with the seller, calling me names and even putting in her feedback to other people "thanks for not being CRAZY like *****". I realize I am in the wrong, I have apologized so many times. When I called this woman it was two weeks before Christmas and I put my pride on the table when I explained that I don't have a lot of money and I made a mistake. I told her I could really use the extra $70 to buy gifts for my three children. I was really hoping she would understand and we could work it out, but she was extremely rude, started calling me names and hung up on me. Then she sent me an e-mail telling me she recorded our conversation, which is illegal in my state. I realize I bid, I paid, I knew how much it was and I should have researched it better. To the seller who called me stupid and wants to block me: Does it matter at all that this woman is using a forged e-mail address and her contact information is invalid? Or that she omitted two numbers from the tracking number so I couldn't track it? She did not have good intentions right from the start, she was not an honest seller as I am sure you are. And she has the product back in her possession, so am I supposed to pay $150 for something I don't even have? I definitely should have handled things better, and my seller should have as well. But I am only human. I am paying over $200 for my mistake. I know I screwed up, I don't need you people to tell me that. Sorry I even reported.

I didn't post on this website to be called stupid. That is the problem I am having with the seller, calling me names and even putting in her feedback to other people "thanks for not being CRAZY like *****". I realize I am in the wrong, I have apologized so many times. When I called this woman it was two weeks before Christmas and I put my pride on the table when I explained that I don't have a lot of money and I made a mistake. I told her I could really use the extra $70 to buy gifts for my three children. I was really hoping she would understand and we could work it out, but she was extremely rude, started calling me names and hung up on me. Then she sent me an e-mail telling me she recorded our conversation, which is illegal in my state. I realize I bid, I paid, I knew how much it was and I should have researched it better. To the seller who called me stupid and wants to block me: Does it matter at all that this woman is using a forged e-mail address and her contact information is invalid? Or that she omitted two numbers from the tracking number so I couldn't track it? She did not have good intentions right from the start, she was not an honest seller as I am sure you are. And she has the product back in her possession, so am I supposed to pay $150 for something I don't even have? I definitely should have handled things better, and my seller should have as well. But I am only human. I am paying over $200 for my mistake. I know I screwed up, I don't need you people to tell me that. Sorry I even reported.

I didn't post on this website to be called stupid. That is the problem I am having with the seller, calling me names and even putting in her feedback to other people "thanks for not being CRAZY like *****". I realize I am in the wrong, I have apologized so many times. When I called this woman it was two weeks before Christmas and I put my pride on the table when I explained that I don't have a lot of money and I made a mistake. I told her I could really use the extra $70 to buy gifts for my three children. I was really hoping she would understand and we could work it out, but she was extremely rude, started calling me names and hung up on me. Then she sent me an e-mail telling me she recorded our conversation, which is illegal in my state. I realize I bid, I paid, I knew how much it was and I should have researched it better. To the seller who called me stupid and wants to block me: Does it matter at all that this woman is using a forged e-mail address and her contact information is invalid? Or that she omitted two numbers from the tracking number so I couldn't track it? She did not have good intentions right from the start, she was not an honest seller as I am sure you are. And she has the product back in her possession, so am I supposed to pay $150 for something I don't even have? I definitely should have handled things better, and my seller should have as well. But I am only human. I am paying over $200 for my mistake. I know I screwed up, I don't need you people to tell me that. Sorry I even reported.

Yes there is. You can stop trying to make three wrongs into a right!

First, you did not check the retail price of the item you purchased. Second, you did not research the seller until after you made the purchase. Third, you're blaming the cancellation of your unwarranted complaint on a broken finger.

When do you start taking responsibility for your own actions?

First off, how long ago did this happen??

To be really honest, you don't have a leg to stand on, since you bid and won this item from the seller. Bidding on ebay is a BINDING CONTRACT, and can be upheld in court. It's YOUR fault for bidding on this toy without checking at Toys R Us or any other store. Even if you were successful in filing the claim with paypal, you are in the wrong. If the seller had delivery confirmation on the package, you wouldn't have gotten any money back from paypal anyway, since Paypal only requires that the item have electronic proof of delivery and it's your fault for refusing delivery of the product.

Now.. what you CAN attempt, even though you shouldn't--

--Request the contact information for the seller from ebay. If any part of the information is wrong, you can send it to ebay and they will revoke the sellers right to sell on ebay and you will get SOME of your money back thru ebay buyer protection.

--CALL Paypal and explain the situation. Sometimes, if you reach a real person instead of the email box, you can get more accomplished with them.

Again, you are in the wrong!!! You bid, you knew how much the toy was going to cost you. It's your fault for not checking anywhere else for the item before you placed your bid. Pay the seller and learn from your mistakes.

So, you tried to scam a seller because YOU found the item cheaper elsewhere? And whose fault is that?

YOURS

Why didn't YOU check PRIOR to bidding? You owe that SELLER the money for that item, and its too bad that you didn't bother to CHECK prior to bidding. WHY would you penalize that seller for your stupidity?

You do know, that what you did is against Ebay's policy. And filing a FALSE buyer's complaint because YOU were trying to "get out of a contract" is not only criminal, but grounds for getting you suspended from Ebay

WHAT IS your ebay Id. I want to put you on my Block Bidder's list. WE do not want buyers like you ruining our auctions and filing false reports with Ebay and paypal.