Topic: 19thC Green Glass Torpedo Paperweight

[bfg]

Yes, this is what I am saying.

An open case isn't escalated to ebay resolution until 8 days after opening it and then only after no agreement has been arrived at between buyer / seller

Peter, if you had gone one step further and hit the send button you would have received a message along the lines of 'thank you for opening a not as described case, the seller will be in contact shortly'

It has caught many buyers out, opening cases when all they really wanted to do was discuss the item

Edited to add: That sounds like cases open against me........not guilty 

[oldglassman]

 Hi ,
                Oh dear Confucius rules,

  I didn't continue  at that point because you are supposed to take eBay's advise and contact the seller in my eBay messaging system to try and resolve your problem with the buyer first , if this is unsuccessful you then open a case.

and yes it has caught many out but through a lack of understanding and clarity in eBay's instructions

if instead of selecting  item not as described , you chose "other" then you can contact the seller without any case being opened , this should be the first line of approach, not to open a case .
  cheers ,
                 Peter.
ps  I have never sold on eBay only bought.

[bfg]

yes, you can use 'other' to not open a case. however, ebay are quite clear in their guidelines and expect the buyer to use the correct channels ie item not as described under these circumstances.

I both buy and sell on ebay

We will have to agree to disagree on this one I think. I'm bowing out now.....am being taken out to dinner :-)

[oldglassman]

           HI ,
                Yes the guidelines are perfectly clear,
 You should first contact the seller to try to reach a solution,

then,

  If the seller doesn't respond or isn't able to help resolve the problem to your satisfaction within 8 calendar days, you can escalate and open a case with Customer Support.

cheers ,
                Peter.

[glassobsessed]

You are missing the point Peter, the case is already open and you then have 8 days to escalate it.

As a seller I find it annoying that the first I hear about a buyers problem is through an open case, if there has been a problem (usually a packaged delayed in the post) an open case with all of ebay and paypal draconian responses - freezing funds in paypal and dire warnings about compliance with ebays policies is not helpful.  A simple message through ebay to inform and ask for help would be a much better course of action, buyers can open a case many weeks after a sale, they do not need to hurry down that route.

Ebay has had a problem of reputation due to poor sellers and there have been plenty of them, many with a poor track record have been kicked off ebay recently. Buyers also have to be aware of who they are buying from - are they experienced and or a professional seller? When I am buying I look to see if the seller is experienced with glass. If an items condition is important or I am not sure about the sellers description I attempt to ask pertinent questions, you can judge a lot from the responses.

My biggest problem selling has been from  buyers who did not understand what they were buying, that for example glass made a hundred and fifty years ago is not like modern machine made glass and utterly blemish free.

John

[oldglassman]

 Hi ,
     " You are missing the point Peter, the case is already open and you then have 8 days to escalate it."

  Missing the point, I don't think so , yes in this instance a case was opened , my point is that it should NOT have been opened , and am actually agreeing with you that a simple message to the seller in most instances will resolve any problems without the need to open a case.
  cheers ,
                Peter.

[glassobsessed]

Sorry Peter. We are (well I am anyway) getting a bit off topic here, liable to end up in the cafe at this rate...

[rosieposie]

I have read all this with interest and there is one point I would like to home in on, and that is the question of return postage.

If I have a complaint about a purchase,  I always go to 'Other' to contact them first, send a polite but firm message saying the item is not as described and would like a refund.  I then go on to say that if the seller would like it returned,  then I am very happy to do so,  but only at the sellers cost as it is not my fault that the item needs to be returned. 
I always use the eBay message system and if they reply by email,  I copy and paste their email reply into the eBay message system, saying I will only correspond this way and that I hope they will be honourable enough to refund me within the next 8 days.

This usually elicits a refund,  most don't want a return,  those that do will need to either put the money in my PayPal account before I will post it, and remind them I am sending it 'Signed For'. Otherwise they will have to escalate the case themselves,  in which case, eBay have access to all the  correspondence and will see I have said I will return it at their cost.
To date, have never had a problem, the two items that were returned were both return postage paid by the seller.

The message here really is 'Clear Communication'...
Tell the seller what is wrong
Ask what he will do about it.
Offer to return at their cost.
Only open a case as a last resort.

If they refund and pay return postage, I always leave positive feedback, even if only to say 'Transaction completed satisfactorily.'

[pooleandpaperweights]

I'm afraid someone expecting me to refund before they return it isn't going to find that happening!  Neither Paypal or ebay offer a seller any protection.  Their T&Cs say it needs to be returned by a tracked method of postage and then a refund will be issued once the item can be verified as delivered.  Otherwise a seller leaves themselves open to having refunded, but never getting the item back.  There are people who use this and try this as a scam to get a refund and keep the item.

Any decent seller will refund postage return costs if they are at fault, but I will take a refund for any reason but not refund the return postage cost if it isn't my fault.......

[rosieposie]

I doubt very much that you would need to have anything returned because it is not as described, pooleandpaperweights,  your reputation is impeccable,  but not all are. 

However, you have to pay for the item before it is posted to you,  so the same courtesy should be given to the person returning it. 

I have used this method since 2007 and always had either a refund from the seller with return postage added as a separate PayPal amount (you cannot refund a greater sum than the original price and postage) or a refund from eBay and the seller declining a return.
A recent case in point was a digital phone sold with the wrong base... a full refund from eBay and a message saying I did not need to return the item.
E Bay is getting fairer,  and I often phone their helpline to speak to a member of staff before continuing with the claim.
One French seller insisted the item was returned, the tone of his message was very aggressive,  and eBay issued me a refund immediately, giving me an extra £20 for the return postage, but adding that I was not obliged to return the item as the seller had not agreed to issue a refund. As the recorded postage was going to be far in excess of the £20,  I  decided to keep the item until the seller sent me the difference... he never did.
All that said,  when an item is purchased and says there is some damage,  it is a good idea to ask for extra pictures so that an informed decision can be made as to whether or not to make a purchase.