eBay and Customer Service

It's not always fun to be the customer, but we know that sometimes it can be infuriating. You trust a company with your money, you make a purchase, and yet when your product arrives it doesn't look like the picture or fit properly. When that happens, there are usually two ways to deal with it: you can either spend your time complaining on social media or emailing customer service representatives or you can just request to return the item and get your money back.

In a perfect world, we'd all get the first result: an excellent product and a warm, fuzzy feeling from shopping. But that isn't always the case.

The fact of the matter is that some people who sell on eBay aren't quite as honest or informed as others and it's extremely unlikely that you'll get scammed if you buy from a seller with 100% positive feedback. Still, it's way too easy to accidentally buy something that doesn't look like what you thought it would or is riddled with damage.

But how can you tell the difference?

We've posted before about our best tips for avoiding common eBay scams and we've also shared advice on how to buy products with high quality pictures so that you can make sure it looks exactly like the item you want to buy.

When it comes down to it though, sometimes you're really just going to have to trust the seller.

Ultimately, each eBay experience is different and there's no standard policy that companies will follow across the board. Instead, your situation will be solved by whoever is working at customer service on a particular day. Most of them are very helpful and friendly but some aren't as willing to compromise and that can be extremely frustrating when all you want is your money back.

But how can you get a refund?

Most people go through the usual process of sending an email to customer service (through the help section at eBay) and also start a dispute on their account.

Of course, if you have a few negative feedbacks, they might tell you they don't know how to help and direct you to those aforementioned social media outlets where you can whine at them. While that's definitely not what we want to happen, it's something that happens often enough that there are dedicated groups on social media for getting people a refund.

However, there are other methods as well.

More than likely, you'll have a buyer protection plan from your payment method. For example, PayPal offers 45 days of buyer protection for most types of payments and you can use those funds to purchase something else if you're not happy with your purchase. Often, eBay will offer their own type of protection when it comes to high ticket items ($250+) which varies from company to company.

Consider this a reminder that we always recommend paying with PayPal if possible. They're very good about protecting buyers in situations like these and they also have the best customer support we've ever encountered on social media or otherwise. If you can, pay with PayPal.

There are also plenty of other ways to get your money back or a refund if you don't receive the item properly. If they refuse, a chargeback is an option and there are always companies who will help you with this process if you're interested in pursuing it (although they'll take a cut of your compensation). But it's generally not recommended unless the seller refuses to cooperate.

Another factor is whether you find out about the problem right away or weeks later. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that the seller won't offer much assistance since they may have already refunded you for your initial complaint.

Because of this, it's a good idea to try to stay on top of your purchases. If you find out that the item you bought isn't what you thought it would be, contact the seller immediately and see if they're willing to work with you. That way, even if they refuse a refund, you can at least get your money back for something else and make sure that you'll have no issues receiving it.

We would say that 9 times out of 10 this will work. But sometimes people need some hard evidence that they're dealing with an uncooperative seller.

It's never a good idea to publicly complain about a seller but if you put in the time and effort to document the problems you're having, it could make your life a teensy bit easier.

In most cases, photos are the best form of evidence. Take pictures of the item you've gotten and document any flaws that are visible. That way, you can send them in your email to customer service and they'll be forced to believe you.

If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone with a camera, it makes this entire process much easier. Preview the first few photos you take right before you email them to customer service and send them in.

While it might be embarrassing to get a refund this way, nobody wants to deal with an uncoveryable issue like damaged or missing products. So if there's anything that you can do, we'd suggest trying your best to work with eBay Customer Service and providing as much evidence as possible. That way, no matter what happens, you'll at least have a real reason for your refund instead of complaining about their poor customer service.

Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_8520722_buy-refund-ebay.html

If you feel that eBay is not right for your business and you are interested in becoming an Amazon seller, feel free to drop us an email at [email protected] with your details and we would be more than happy to help you with your Amazon business!

Thank you very much for reading our article on the topic of eBay scams!! We hope it was helpful. Good luck selling on ebay!

If you have any questions or need any additional information, feel free to send us an email at [email protected] .

We would want to say a big thank you for reading our article and we hope this helps the people who read this!!! Good luck on selling on Ebay!

Posted by Carmina at 11:02am

This has been my first time buying anything online, so I can't comment on that. But I've noticed quite a few reviews complaining about shipping times and also not being able to track packages through the USPS. So I am wondering if it is even worth selling your things, since I don't get tracking information on my packages.

Conclusion

Since everyone has different needs, but to sum up our eBay Tutorial we would say that you should take your time when selling on eBay and use the correct listing format. If you want to sell antique or high ticket items then make sure you understand the proper way of selling these items to avoid any issues. When it comes to shipping, double check that you are using the correct postage and packaging which is necessary for your item.

This is especially important if you're shipping internationally. If a customer from another country complains about extra fees, packages being intercepted or having lost parcels then chances are it's your fault for not taking proper security measures when sending the package out.