Ebay selling question. Buyer wants to return GBA....

[Luciobar1980 | 20]

Hey guys, so I sold a GBA-001 with 6 games on ebay. Seller today submits a return request saying "system deletes my saved game every time I turn it off". Now, unless Im crazy, this wouldn't be an issue with the console but with whatever game the person is playing... the battery or whatever. How do you think ebay would handle this? I would accept a return if the person insists but I don't feel I should have to pay for any shipping. 

[Gloves | 11,776]

Yeah the console has nothing to do with that, it'll be the battery in the game. I'd probably refuse the return and say as much. That's me though.

[Aguy | 771]

Sounds like they're playing a bad bootleg. If they've opened a case, you're probably boned.

[Luciobar1980 | 20]

Ok, the buyer was actually reasonable and said they would contact the person they bought the game from. Crisis averted 

[Tabonga | 2,317]

The buyer didn't test any of the games you sent?  That would be the first thing I would do in those circumstances.  While he may be somewhat ignorant at least he seems willing to listen to reason.

[Tanooki | 4,932]

Good news then.  And they also laid themselves out with that comment too, having to contact the person they got the game from.  So it wasn't your game, or your system it was a third party sellers game that's either a dead battery or a crap bootleg that malfunctions and eats its own save data.

If he was unreasonable, I would have battled it as it wasn't worth the loss of shipping.  The automated stuff would have been 50/50 given his comment about erasing games as you could rebut that it is impossible the system can erase saves that it would have to be a bad game battery in the game being used.  Leaving it vague not admitting it could be your game.  They may have then admitted as a slip up a third party game, or not, but if they pushed it, then you get a human on the ebay phone and let them know they're issuing a return for working goods because some one else's game battery is dead and they're trying to punish you.  That would stop it, because they already said as much.

[Bonanza125 | 55]

Ebay will side with the buyer no matter what. I do agree with the other comments where it's the battery not the system. If the buyer insists yes give him a full refund upon return of the item. The hassle you will be dealing with will go nowhere. Here is an example. I sold a $100 game to somebody on Ebay. They wanted a refund 2 weeks later cause they bought the same game for cheaper at a game store. I called Ebay and they said the buyer will win no matter what. I refunded all but shipping cost upon return after making it clear. Buyer was able to get it reverse and Ebay awarded the buyer the shipping cost as well. So I was out shipping up and back all because of the buyer found it for cheaper. It's all part of doing business on Ebay.

[Gloves | 11,776]

4 minutes ago, Bonanza125 said:

Ebay will side with the buyer no matter what. I do agree with the other comments where it's the battery not the system. If the buyer insists yes give him a full refund upon return of the item. The hassle you will be dealing with will go nowhere. Here is an example. I sold a $100 game to somebody on Ebay. They wanted a refund 2 weeks later cause they bought the same game for cheaper at a game store. I called Ebay and they said the buyer will win no matter what. I refunded all but shipping cost upon return after making it clear. Buyer was able to get it reverse and Ebay awarded the buyer the shipping cost as well. So I was out shipping up and back all because of the buyer found it for cheaper. It's all part of doing business on Ebay.

Jeez that is such garbage. This shit is why I'm trying to avoid ebay at all costs these days.

[Tanooki | 4,932]

Bonanza unless you're offering the choice of a no questions refund, that should never have happened because the policy of ebay says (if you don't allow that no questions 2 weeks bit) a buyer can not get a refund if they just decide they don't like it or could get it for less later.  If the guy cried defect and lied, that would have worked, but if you had it come back and it worked just right, you proably could have got the shipping etc fees comped back by calling ebay and providing proof the person was a liar and they so-called according to ebay would get flagged for abusing the system.  I doubt they ever nail people for that and it's probably comfort words, but still.

[Bonanza125 | 55]

12 minutes ago, Tanooki said:

Bonanza unless you're offering the choice of a no questions refund, that should never have happened because the policy of ebay says (if you don't allow that no questions 2 weeks bit) a buyer can not get a refund if they just decide they don't like it or could get it for less later.  If the guy cried defect and lied, that would have worked, but if you had it come back and it worked just right, you proably could have got the shipping etc fees comped back by calling ebay and providing proof the person was a liar and they so-called according to ebay would get flagged for abusing the system.  I doubt they ever nail people for that and it's probably comfort words, but still.

I talked to Ebay on the phone when I first got the return case and after the buyer appealed the partial refund. Yes I brought that up which its in Ebay's own policy however a buyer can still get a refund. I know that refunds were up for me in 2020 due to Ebay's stance. I will message you a scan of the slip.

[Tanooki | 4,932]

Oh I believe you have the slip and you got burned.  I'm just more surprised if you didn't accept automatic returns for 14 days, that they'd pull that.  I've had some of the overseas brainless ones try stuff, I hang up, get mad, call back, demand a supervisors and strangely enough my luck has been to get an American who corrects the problem, some grumbling how dumb it was it didn't go in my favor on the last call indirectly calling the overseas people idiots basically.  It was hard to fault that logic, they are.

[a_profile_name | 230]

12 hours ago, Bonanza125 said:

Ebay will side with the buyer no matter what. I do agree with the other comments where it's the battery not the system. If the buyer insists yes give him a full refund upon return of the item. The hassle you will be dealing with will go nowhere. Here is an example. I sold a $100 game to somebody on Ebay. They wanted a refund 2 weeks later cause they bought the same game for cheaper at a game store. I called Ebay and they said the buyer will win no matter what. I refunded all but shipping cost upon return after making it clear. Buyer was able to get it reverse and Ebay awarded the buyer the shipping cost as well. So I was out shipping up and back all because of the buyer found it for cheaper. It's all part of doing business on Ebay.

When I read stuff like this I understand why many sellers on ebay don't want to sell to international buyers. If I was evil, I could easily make them loose more then the value of the item just on shipping (they can send it tracked for cheap, but if I need to send it tracked to the states its at least $15).

Really, I laugh when I see "no returns" on a listing because hearing the stories from sellers it seems like it means nothing.

[RH | 4,903]

Honestly, eBay has check boxes like "No Returns" and stuff like that when you setup a sale. Since they never honor it at seem to side with he buyer 100% of the time, or it takes the seller many, many calls to get a decent ruling, I'm surprised there hasn't been a class action lawsuits against them.

[Tanooki | 4,932]

I'd have to agree with that, maybe there are and they just don't get out there.  When you're big enough even those tend to get slapped down and buried.  For the last 5 years a class action has been re-filed each year against the Ford corporation due to their v6 duratec engine that went into ford edge, f150s, and some other light truck/suvs for about a decade.  Why?  They build the water pump deep inside the engine, and the heating/cooling over time causes the seals to fail causing a small leak that rots the inside of the engine and first the timing belt which on that is inside too.  Basically by the time your engine has problems, to replace the motor or repair will cost you 2-4x the value of the car.  Somehow they get out of it on a technicality or greasing some judges pocket.  Ebay being so large they'd probably disappear anyone they wanted.

 

I have on mine no returns, still happens, because it's a lie if someone lies and just says it doesn't work or is missing something.  IT allows a forced return or the optional blackmail of a refund size of their choosing.

Ever since selling went kind of evil I blocked international out of fear in the NA years I was there.  At first it didn't work, it's a LIE too, just clicking no international doesn't actually do anything.  I had to manually go into the sellers panel at the time, individually click each continent, and in some cases sub-continent or individual countries or territories tied to a country and block it from bidding.  I've kept that setting in place nearly 10 years now, and it works, never had one since.  I've had a few rare people beg, and I refuse it every time, risk is just out of control too high.