Be careful when selling on ebay!

[aviationcombr]

Be careful when selling on ebay!


I sold an AeroClassics model few weeks ago to an user nicknamed danmarroquin (USA) and he claims he received the model broken (he just showed pictures of a model with the broken landing gear and elevator released). The problem is that he did not present photos of the damaged package (as he claims he received), saying that he had already thrown it away, and he refused to file a complaint with the USPS (I opened one at the Portuguese post office as soon as I received his message and ebay notice and I'm still waiting for response). In the same way that he claims that I sent a defective miniature, I can also believe that he received it intact and dropped it when he took it out of the blister.

Since his word is against mine and there is no concrete evidence from either party, it would be fair for ebay to oblige me to refund 50% of the value (I even offered the buyer another Aeroclassics miniature from the same airline, but with a lower value, without any additional cost as compensation, or something similar to what he says he received broken by the half price), but ebay decided to give reason only to the buyer (even if he did not present the damaged package as proof).

I totally lost confidence in ebay and closed all the listings I still had there (mostly postcards), and felt tremendously unfair that ebay took sides with only one of the sides, without reaching a compromise solution for both.

Therefore, I advise them to be careful when selling on ebay and to think twice before closing deals with buyers they don't know.

[Vladislav]

An absolutely unpleasant and unacceptable case!
And I can not find a user with the nickname https://www.ebay.com/usr/danmarroquin. Please specify the details of this buyer as I also now sell part of my collection on eBay.COM and on eBay.DE and I absolutely do not want to deal with so dishonest buyers. Thank you.

[RSR934]

I've been a eBay member since 2001. Up until earlier this year (when I caught the commercial airline collecting bug) I had only purchased the occasional item on eBay (a couple of auto models and some parts for one of my 1:1 cars). This year I've purchased what must be over 100 aircraft models on eBay with maybe one or two problems that were quite minor (for example, I was told after a purchase that the seller didn't have the original box or blister for the model I purchased).

Yes, I've only been on the "buy" side of eBay.

One of the first eBay sellers I dealt with earlier this year indicated in his description that these models can be fragile, are not intended for children and that he would only sell to a buyer that had at least 20 positive reviews over the prior six months. I hadn't been purchasing on eBay enough at that point to accumulate 20 positive reviews but I purchased the model, a Gemini Eastern Air Lines 727, anyway. The seller stopped me in my tracks. We conversed back and forth and, after I told him I was very familiar with scale models having an 800-item model car collection, he sold me the model and we've done quite a bit of business together both on and off eBay.

Other sellers that I've dealt with send pictures of the model just before and after packaging (showing the actual packaging) and indicate in their description that parts do fall off these models during shipment (who of us hasn't glued a wing, engine, tail fin, etc. back onto a model?), that parts falling off is not considered damage (the sellers do not produce the models), and that they have seen the buy-side scams and will not tolerate it.

Daniel, it's a shame that eBay didn't strike a compromise between you and your buyer. On the positive side, I'd venture to say that 99-plus percent of eBay transactions go smoothly but, given the volume sold on the platform, quite a few do not go well.

Scammers are out there, on both the buy and sell side. If possible, it's good to vet the person you're dealing with.

Hope you are all well,
Brian

[RSR934]

An absolutely unpleasant and unacceptable case!
And I can not find a user with the nickname https://www.ebay.com/usr/danmarroquin. Please specify the details of this buyer as I also now sell part of my collection on eBay.COM and on eBay.DE and I absolutely do not want to deal with so dishonest buyers. Thank you.

These people add and delete eBay accounts frequently to avoid getting "caught". It's easy enough to do.

[747438]

You'd think ebay would ban users by their IP address or physical address but it seems to complicated for them to understand....
So putting 'I am not responsible for damages incurred during shipping' won't help either?
I wonder if filming yourself putting the model (intact) into its cradle, packaging the model would help as evidence as you didn't send it broken, but what a pain in the a$$ to do that for doing something that should be easy. SMH
Anyways, I might do that in the future, I'm lucky as I barely sell anything.

[fleetlordatvar]

Its why i'm going to sell my models on Ebid

[Livavio]

Its why i'm going to sell my models on Ebid

A good alternative.
This Ebay is already freaking out completely.


Still not so much lots with scale plane models on eBid.

[nugreen]

Hi Daniel,

I have experienced the same with you with EvillBay.. Twice. In this year.

Twice I sold rare models worth over $100 each.. Twice I got scammed by two buyers with same Modus Operandi.
One in USA address, one in Netherlands address.

I have asked them before I sent the package, to do "unboxing package" video when the package arrived, and yet they both ignored to do that.
Even EvilBay case officer stands with them, with their ridiculous "Buyer Protection" clause.
Those buyer dont want to do or discuss anything, they just want refund 100%. Period.
and.. EvilBay grant their demands! Even though I as the seller who already loss money for international shipping cost have provided the packaging process video and pictures!

I lose the item, I lose money, and those scammer buyer wins all. Its all because very good support from EvilBay.

Those scammer buyer objective is get a free-cost for high valuable items, and they found a loophole in EvilBay system.
When the package arrived, they will "dismantling" the model. Then they will send "damaged" model picture for a complaint.

They will file a complaint for "Item not as described" clause, and use it against the seller description words in selling page as a good intact model.
They will not file for "Items damaged in transit" clause or "Items received damage" clause, because they will have to provide the package condition picture when they received it.

I lost trust as a seller in EvilBay.

[747438]

Does Ebid offer better seller protection?

[1/400collector]

if you want to avoid new ebay user you can say in the decreption that you ask peole with less than X feedbacks to bid on this item

[grup747]

unfortunately Ebay and Paypal (so even with private sale) are almost always on buyer side, so you find dishonest person you can't do much

[aviationcombr]

An absolutely unpleasant and unacceptable case!
And I can not find a user with the nickname https://www.ebay.com/usr/danmarroquin. Please specify the details of this buyer as I also now sell part of my collection on eBay.COM and on eBay.DE and I absolutely do not want to deal with so dishonest buyers. Thank you.

Sorry, his correct nickname is danimarroquin.

Well, I can't affirm that he broke the model on receipt or replaced a broken one with the one I sent, but if he were a totally honest buyer, he should have taken photos of the package he allegedly received damaged and filed a claim with the USPS to prove that the damage was done in transit. I did this at the Portuguese post office and they replied saying that the package left Portugal intact.

As he have not presented any of these proofs and ebay only agreed with the buyer's statement (when, in my opinion, the correct thing in this case would be to share the damage between both parties), I have totally lost confidence in selling through ebay and would not sell anything to this person again.

Attached pictures of the model as as he said that received it and as I´ve sent it.

[aviationcombr]

This was the response of the Portuguese postal service:

"Dear Client,

We are grateful for your communication. about the object RT106105554PT , which deserved our best attention.

Following on from what you have mentioned. regarding the delivery of the object, with the allegedly damaged content, we inform that it circulated in our Postal Administration, was delivered to the Postal Administration of Destination without any anomaly having been verified and received by the recipient without any reservation on 20-09-2021, by that is not liable to be imputed to us any responsibility for what happened.

On the subject, we must also clarify that postal legislation stipulates that the packaging and packaging of objects must be adapted to the form and nature of the content, as well as to the conditions of transport/distances, delays and climatic variations in order to guarantee its integrity during successive manipulations in the different phases of the treatment circuits."

With regard to packaging, by default I use rigid packaging and I wrap the miniature with a thick layer of bubble wrap, and it would only be possible for the miniature to have arrived broken if the parcel had actually been crushed during shipment. But as I said, the buyer has not provided evidence that this has happened. Simply filed the complaint with photos of a broken model, but failed to present the damaged parcel.

[FireAngelZero]

With some of these kids getting into models (and by kids I mean the 12-15 age range) Most of these people treat these models as toys and then throw a tantrum when the models break... There is a reason these models are labeled as "adult collectibles" but companies are adding more like "toy like" features such as rolling gears and movable parts which add more complexity.

I've purchased models in the past where it looks like the user clearly broke it before shipping it out (by that I mean the shipping box is untouched, the model/blister pack look pristine but the model has a bent gear or bent wings) and these sellers will completely state that the model was in "excellent condition" when it was shipped out...

As a buyer I will say I've had my fair share of disappointments with eBay, but I'll usually let it go because I can take the time to fix these issues or replace any broken parts if needed... But I try to stray away from purchasing on eBay as not only the sellers but buyers will also get ripped off without any way of proving that the damage was done prior to shipping...

[Sludge]

I have hundreds of transactions on eBay, both as a buyer and seller. I have had very few problems.

If a buyer claims the item was NOT as described, game over.

Videos don’t prove anything. Swearing on a stack of Rugby Illustrateds that you are right won’t do anything. Anger won’t solve anything.

Yes, it isn’t right that there are thieves out there taking advantage of the ebay system. But if the customer says the item is “not as described,” follow the ebay instructions.

A word of caution; failure to do so just might result in lifetime ban from ebay.

As hard as it is to accept this, it comes under the heading “the cost of doing business.” Price it into the sales price of your items.