eBay & PayPal

[Raphael]

Been there, done that, twice. Right now, the latest problem is that even though the buyer admits he received the item (now allegedly damaged), the on-line USPS tracking doesn't show it being delivered yet. China Post seems to have a built-in information delay. As soon as it does, I will again call them. A root canal I had done last week was a lot was more enjoyable than talking to those morons, so I am not going to make the next call until I have absolute proof of delivery.

Raphael

[Raphael]

For those of you doing business in China, you may be well advised to stay away from this swindler. His eBay handle is: bobo89035971

Raphael

[wtt11]

Nothing in China can be resolved impartially not to mention when things deal with foreginers. Those customs in China can be easily manipulated into the favor of buyers as interpersonal relation can play an important role in almost everything from choosing the best kindergarten to buying a ticket. Corrupted! Plus, sometime those buyers are not always the end users. There are usually bidding services or agents in China making living for helping people to bid and these people can do everything to maximize their profits. (English is still an obstacle for most old population who are more into phonographs than youngs. Overall, from time to time, not recommended to ship to mainland China. More often than not, machines shipped to China have greater possibility to get demaged. As you may not know, those delivering guys are throwing packages as much as they can when packages are being sorted no matter how you label the packages and the languages used

[Raphael]

I agree that most Chinese buyers are middlemen. But, having made many hundreds of sales to China, some of which was very high-end stuff, this is the first time I have been faced with outright dishonesty. Limiting my sales to any market would be self-defeating just because of one instance of attempted fraud.

As it turns out, I won the PayPal dispute, since it was actually delivered. They put the money back into my account, for now. But the buyer can still open another claim because of the alleged damages. It will be harder for him to do so, due to the insurance coverage and my return policy to comply with. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Raphael

[Raphael]

UPDATE: Buyer (bobo89035971) has now filed a claim with PayPal "Item Not As Described". They have again removed the money from my account. I have advised PayPal that the buyer refuses to file an insurance claim or to return the goods to me.

It will be interesting once more to see how PayPal rules on this. The outcome will definitely affect how I accept payments in the future.

Raphael

[audiophile102]

Any resolution? I think ebay would be crazy to rule against Raphael.

[Raphael]

The buyer, having refused to submit an insurance claim on the alleged "damages", opted for my no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. He then provided PayPal with a return tracking # exactly the same as the one that I used to send the machine to him. A delaying tactic, for sure.

The PayPal people have assured me that until I receive the shipment, complete and with no additional damage, they will just hold the money in escrow. My intention, if and when I ever receive the return parcel, is to videotape the opening of the package to document just what is inside and in what condition.

This is just crazy. I have sold stuff on-line for over $100k, and never had one iota of a problem. Usually just the opposite, the buyers are ecstatic and come back for more. This clown thinks he's going to beat me out of a $700 machine, which he won't, but the amount of time I have had to spend on this defending my honest sale is ridiculous.

Raphael

[Bruce]

Raphael

First I wish you luck and hope that in the end you keep your money and the buyer is forced to keep the item you sold to him.

My experience with Chinese business men and government officials has been a positive one over the years as they are very astute in business and very sensitive to building lasting relationships.
If you are able to determine the buyers name and location (shipping information?) I would find someone local to translate this saga into Mandarin and send it to a local paper where the buyer lives.
The Government is very sensitive to China's reputation abroad and having one of their citizens tarnish their reputation will not be very well regarded.

By the way the Chinese government reduced the number of offense which can result in capital punishment (no longer for frauds) but a couple of years in their prisons the guilty person may wish they had been put to death.

Only do this once the deal is finished and the buyer can no longer post negative feedbacks on your Ebay account. We all know how hard that is to have Ebay change those things.

bruce
Bruce

[JerryVan]

This why I will NOT sell to Chinese buyers, EVER AGAIN. I wasn't cheated, but it has never been a "good" experience.

Sold some fairly valuable vacuum tubes and got no payment or communication of any kind. Relisted them 1 month later and sold them for twice the previous price, TO THE SAME BUYER. After several weeks of no payment I reported him to eBay. Surprise! He paid! Shipping was a major hassle. Paperwork. Messed up ship-to address, etc. He finally got the tubes however and no further trouble.

Then sold a disc music box. This time used eBay's global shipping option. Much easier, except the bedplate had cracked in shipment despite my careful packing. (Buyer warned me that China Post is "brutal".) Buyer complained about that and about other 5 or 6 problems that I pointed out and photographed in the auction description.

[Raphael]

Refusing to sell to Chinese buyers is not an option for me, as they have been consistently good buyers and rarely pose any problems. In fact, this is really a unique occurence and my main complaint is with PayPal, as they seem to be doing eveything in their power to protect the buyer and nothing for me, the seller.

PayPal may be evolving now that it is no longer owned by eBay, and I understand that by the end of the year they will no longer be able to access the eBay files. That will pose more problems as the transactions will no longer be "seamless" and problems will require a more bureaucratic process.

As it now stands, the buyer has provided a bogus "return" tracking #, and the phonograph remains in China. I will once again call PayPal and discuss the situation; at least they can be reached by phone and sometimes (but not often) I get a person capable of rational thought with a helpful attitude.

Raphael