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Very frustrated right now (ebay mess up) (Updated, deal is over. Thread no longer relevant)

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Very frustrated right now (ebay mess up) (Updated, deal is over. Thread no longer relevant)
Posted by Wolf359 on Saturday, March 21, 2020 1:40 PM

AngryBang Head The subject says it all. March 8th, (2020) I won an ebay bid on an ho scale 4-6-0. March 13th, I got a message from the seller saying that he got the labels mixed up and that I'd be receiving the wrong loco, and that I'd have to start a return and ship it back as soon as it arrived. Fortunately, the return shipping was free, so that part wasn't an issue. On the 17th I got a message saying there would be a delay while the person who got my loco waited for ink for his printer. Once again, there was another delay because where ever he gets his ink from, sent him the wrong ink.Super Angry Then, I got notified that ebay had refunded my money. (I didn't want a refund, I just want the loco). Then, today, I got a message from the seller saying that he's going to put it back on ebay as a "Buy it now" listing, and that he'd notify me of the time that it would post. I don't want to do that, I won the bid, I'm entitled to MY locomotive. I shouldn't have to go back on there and hunt it down again and run the risk of someone else snapping it out from under me so I can end up with no locomotive. I messaged him and told him this, and also that if he didn't make this right and that if I didn't get MY locomotive, I would be filing a complaint with ebay. I haven't heard back yet, but I'll post an update when I do. Has anyone else ever had anything like this happen? If so, what was the outcome? As I said, I didn't ask for a refund, I just want the correct loco sent to me.

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, March 21, 2020 1:44 PM

He probably had to refund your money because of eBay policies on how quickly sellers need to either deliver the item or refund money.

Ebay also requires him to sell the item in their system, so him placing it as a Buy It Now for the original selling price is a good work-around.

It sounds like he is trying to make it right. Hang in there.

He can set up the BIN so that it is a private listing, then only you will see it, but that process used to be a pain. I have not done it in a few years.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by BigDaddy on Saturday, March 21, 2020 1:49 PM

I managed to screw up 4 different sales all at once.  It ended costing me a lot in postage to get things sorted out.

Maybe there will be a Make Offer Choice or Maybe there Buy it Now price will be what you paid.

If not there will be another available sooner or later.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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Posted by Motley on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:01 PM

Honest mistake. I did the exact same thing, I mixed up the shipping on two locomotives I sold on ebay. It was a pain to deal with but everybody got there stuff in about 2.5 weeks.

Michael


CEO-
Mile-HI-Railroad
Prototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989

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Posted by RR_Mel on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:11 PM

Buying off eBay is a gamble!  Sometimes you win and sometimes you loose.  Fortunately over the years I’ve done pretty good.  I would say I won almost all of my dealings, at least money wise.  I have had several bad experiences but either eBay or PayPal made it good money wise.
 
Most sellers will work with you to make it good, when they didn’t eBay did.  Oddly I’ve had more problems with printers and computer accessories than train stuff.  I ended up with eBay helping on the printers and PayPal on computer stuff.
 
 
 
Mel
 
 
 
My Model Railroad   
 
Bakersfield, California
 
I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
 
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Posted by gregc on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:12 PM

i recently bought something on ebay.   After an intial message from the seller saying it would be delayed never heard from them again.

i created a complaint.  ebay got back to me after the waiting period, asked me what I wanted to do and refunded my money within an hour

don't know what happened to the seller.  never got what I wanted.   fortunately, it didn't cost me anything.   i'm satisfied.  could have been worse

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

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Posted by selector on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:12 PM

I'd sigh, file this under 'spit happens', and if everyone seems to be operating in good will, it's just a matter of suppressing my impatience. Indifferent

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Posted by kasskaboose on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:15 PM

Ebay is great for some and not others.  Sorry to read what happened, but can we please get some perspective here?   I get your frustration.  The lose of time, money, and energy is quite high.  Consider yourself lucky to have the ability to order while others suffer from this pandemic.  Feel better?

 

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Posted by drciesel on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:27 PM

I experienced this when the seller mixed up two F&C freight car kits.  It took a week or two to do the returns but it all worked out.  It appears your seller is making a good faith effort to remedy the mistake.

Seems to me there may be more critical things to stress about.

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Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, March 21, 2020 2:54 PM

As others have mentioned, the seller is doing what he can to make it right.  You got your money back, watch for his notice, and get it BIN.

If you miss it, well just move on, there will be others.

I don't think filing any kind of a complaint will do you any good, since you got your refund.

I've had a similar thing happen, and when the seller relisted it, he gave me a link to the item, I went right there, and scored.

Mike.

 

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Posted by richhotrain on Saturday, March 21, 2020 3:40 PM

kasskaboose

Ebay is great for some and not others.  Sorry to read what happened, but can we please get some perspective here?   I get your frustration.  The lose of time, money, and energy is quite high.  Consider yourself lucky to have the ability to order while others suffer from this pandemic.  Feel better? 

Wow!

Alton Junction

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, March 21, 2020 6:05 PM

Out of maybe 1,500 eBay purchases I've had the wrong item arriveonly once.

The seller immediately mailed me a pre-paid label with the correct recipient's address and the other party reciprocated.

After a few days everything was fine. I think Kevin's assessment of the situation is the correct one.

YMMV Geeked Cheers, Ed

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Posted by NSNYSW74 on Saturday, March 21, 2020 7:46 PM
I've only had 2 bad instances on eBay. Both had my money refunded. I made a note of which sellers they were. Many sellers will contact me before eBay does. If you read all of the fine print in ebay, you can see (eventually) that Kevin is right. I spent 20 minutes reading the entire updated terms.
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Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, March 21, 2020 10:23 PM

I been buying off e-Bay since 2003 and in 16 years had two oops! The first was the seller said he never got his money..Odd I recieved the cars  before he ask when I was going to pay him.. I sent a USPS money order and sent him a copy.. He apologize for the oversight and sent me a car for my troubles. I guess his wife forgot to add it to the account book so he told me.  I started using paypal after that.

The second oops! Was when the seller sent the wrong locomotive. I bought a BIN Atlas C&O GP7 and recieved a P2K C&O GP9.. The seller advised me of his mistake and since the engines was the same price I could return the GP9 or keep it.. Instead I asked if the Atlas GP7 was still availabe as a BIN?  It was and I bought it. 

I put my weekly budget in the red ink that week but,it was two days before payday so,no real harm done.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt  Safety First!"

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Posted by PRR8259 on Saturday, March 21, 2020 10:48 PM

Ok, a little perspective is in order here:

I've had three or four bad Ebay transactions in about 1000.

The big thing is right now, in 6 or 7 states ALL the train stores, including some well-known internet/mail order train operations, are being forced to close.  Now some people are not going to believe this and it is your right to disagree, but those who have already updated their websites are saying orders will be filled and shipped once they are allowed to return to work (who knows how long that will be).  One internet dealer even posted that anything ordered prior to 10 am CST this morning would go out today, but that all bets were off after that.  The challenge is that some of the shops just do not have a large cash surplus, and depending upon how long they are closed, are still paying expenses maybe even mortgages; they might not get all employees back, etc.  Some company owners are of an age when they can choose to just sell out the inventory, retire and walk away.  Preliminary economic reports are that sales are off WORSE than after 9/11 occurred.  Theire are folks in the model train industry who were forced to give themselves a 50% pay cut after 9/11, and I have heard it has taken all these years since for sales to get almost, but not quite, back to where they were before 9/11 happened.

I don't want to be a fear monger, but the possibility that some operations may not re-open after ... is a legitimate possibility.  In this time we should all be thankful for what we have, and (shameless plug since I sell a few items on Ebay) at least we have Ebay to shop on once more places are required to take a business siesta.

Here's hoping all your modeling needs get covered.  My prayers are for good health for all of you.

Sincerely--

John

 

 

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Posted by Boiler-man on Sunday, March 22, 2020 9:48 AM

Back in 2008 I won a a series of box cars on the bay while I was on a project out of town that was to be shipped to my PO Box and they necer arrived.

I contacted the seller and he said they were shipped but had no tracking number that worked and my PO said the number was bogus so I contacted the seller again and he sent what was the correct tracking number, it was a tracking number but not for what I won.

My PO tracked it down and through all of this the time frame to do anything about getting my money back passed and I was out the $85.00 and the seller was no longer responding to e-mails and never has had anything on the bay since.

This is the only time in many years of dealing with vendors on e-bay and having an issue.

Boilerman
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Posted by riogrande5761 on Sunday, March 22, 2020 10:28 AM

Considering what is going on presently, there are much worse things to got upset about.

Anyway, be patient.  Usually things get sorted, it just takes some time.

As they said in my wives native country during the war:

Keep Calm and Carry On.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by Wolf359 on Sunday, March 22, 2020 11:04 AM

Update: I'll start out by saying that quite frankly, this guy is a liar. You see, the problem is that after the initial mistake he told me in exact words, "when I get both engines back, I'll send you yours". He never told me I had to do anything else. He never said I'd have to re-buy it and go through the whole thing all over again, hence why I told him that he'd have to make it right. I never asked for a refund, only an exchange. The fact that ebay refunded my money automatically is not my problem. I was always taught to say what you mean and mean what you say. The way I see it, is that he's been on ebay for years and I'm a newbie at it. He should have know better and told how it would work from the beginning. It was only a $30.00 loco. Since he shot his mouth off and said he'd send it to me automatically, I personally think he should honor his words. If he has to eat it (the money) because of his mistake and/or ebay's policies to make this right and keep a customer happy, then so be it. But, it doesn't look like I'm going to be getting this engine now. Now if you want to hear a real kicker, he received back the wrong loco that he sent me on the 16th. He never said anything about any issues with it. Then, yesterday, (the 21st and 5 days after he received it), after I had told him that he had honor his promise to send me MY loco, he comes back and said that because I had opened the box, he couldn't sell the engine I sent back to the guy that was supposed to get it because the cab roof got cracked as a result. I had to open the box to put in a paper that ebay said to put in the box!  I never touched the loco, and I sealed the box better than how it came. How was I supposed to get the paper in the box without opening it, have the Starship Enterprise beam it in for me?! If the engine took damage while in transit, that would be the fault of the USPS, not me. I told him this, to which he didn't have an answer. Needless to say, I am not a happy camper and have been left with a bad taste in my mouth over this experience.AngryGrumpyBang Head

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, March 22, 2020 12:28 PM

Post a link to the original auction so that we can help you evaluate it. Even though the auction is over, you can still retrieve the original link.

Rich

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Posted by trwroute on Sunday, March 22, 2020 1:42 PM

Why should the seller send you a free loco when you already got a refund?  Why do you keep calling it "your" loco when, again, you got a refund?

If I was the seller, I would put you on my banned bidder list.

 

Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge

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Posted by Wolf359 on Sunday, March 22, 2020 2:52 PM

trwroute

Why should the seller send you a free loco when you already got a refund?  Why do you keep calling it "your" loco when, again, you got a refund?

If I was the seller, I would put you on my banned bidder list.

 

 

Because I didn't ask for a refund! And now he's accusing me of breaking something I didn't touch! I also asked him if there was some way we could work something out without having to go through the whole process again and run the risk of losing it to someone else, but he refused to even consider it. We already had each other's mailing addresses due to the return, what harm could it have done? Since ebay automatically refunded my money when that's not what I wanted, that's their and his problem, not mine. As I said, the man said he'd send me the engine as soon as he got it, and then went back on it and said I had to go through the whole process all over again. As I said, "say what you mean and mean what you say". I didn't ask him to give it to me for free, I asked him to honor his original promise to send me the engine that I won and that I'm entitled to. Quite frankly though, you'd think that he'd be willing to work something out and keep his customer happy given the fact that it was his fault and that everyone is totally miserable now thanks to our media induced manufactered crisis. Where did you get the idea that I asked for it for free? What I said was, "If he has to eat it (the money) because of his mistake and/or ebay's policies to make this right and keep a customer happy, then so be it.", I.E. if he chose to send it out for free, that's fine with me. But, I never asked for it for free. Nowhere in my post or my correspondence with this liar did I demand he send it out for free. I'm not the one at fault here, but it's nice to know how understanding you are. Remind me never to buy anything from you.

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Posted by trwroute on Sunday, March 22, 2020 3:23 PM

Even in your response you said that if he has to eat the money...and you did say that you are entitled to it no matter what.

It sounds to me that you might have worn the seller out with your demands.  This may be his way of saying that he doesn't want to deal with you.

This ain't rocket science.  There are other sellers and surely this wasn't a one of a kind loco.  Spend your money, that you received as a refund, elsewhere.

 

Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge

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Posted by Wolf359 on Sunday, March 22, 2020 4:06 PM

trwroute

Even in your response you said that if he has to eat the money...and you did say that you are entitled to it no matter what.

It sounds to me that you might have worn the seller out with your demands.  This may be his way of saying that he doesn't want to deal with you.

This ain't rocket science.  There are other sellers and surely this wasn't a one of a kind loco.  Spend your money, that you received as a refund, elsewhere.

 

 

Please re-read my posts. "It ain't rocket science". I gave him options to make it right, he wouldn't cooperate. My point is, I won the bid fair and square. Ergo, MY locomotive. (This would be no different than if I ordered an F-150 direct from Ford and they sent me a Ranger, I returned it and asked that they send me my F-150, but instead they refund my money against my wishes and accuse me of denting the returned Ranger. Do you see my point now?) But, since he chose not to cooperate with me and accused me of breaking something I didn't touch, I pretty much told him what he could do with it. Also, it wasn't an entirely unique engine, but it's one that's kind of hard to find here locally. Especially now with everything shut down, and I wanted it for a specific project.

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Posted by trwroute on Sunday, March 22, 2020 4:10 PM

Oh, ok.  It is what it is...

Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge

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Posted by Mark R. on Sunday, March 22, 2020 4:33 PM

If it were me (and it has been in the past), and I got refunded because something went south, I'd count my blessings and move on. I take it as a "sign" that this will end up being a PITA right to the bitter end. Take the money and run. 

Mark.

¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ

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Posted by rrebell on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 1:25 PM

If you are going to play on e-bay, read the rules!!!!!!! Seller did everything by the book and went beyond what he had to do by contract.

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Posted by Wolf359 on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 2:02 PM

rrebell

If you are going to play on e-bay, read the rules!!!!!!! Seller did everything by the book and went beyond what he had to do by contract.

 

The seller lied to me. He said he'd send me the engine when it came back to him.  He never said I had to go through the process again. I didn't want to have to re-hunt down a locomotive that I already won the bid on and run the risk of someone else beating me to it. We already had each other's mailing addresses, we could've bypassed ebay and he could've mailed me my engine, and I could have sent him a money order. But, he wouldn't cooperate and accused me of something I didn't do, I.E., breaking the mistake engine. If an automatic refund is ebay's policy, then they need to change the rules. Not everybody wants a refund. Some, like me, would prefer an echange so I could get the item I won the bid on without having to go through the whole process all over again and risk losing it to someone else. I apologize if I've inadvertently gotton rude with you or anyone else on this thread, but I'm tiring of having to re-explain this situation again and again. As it's all been explained repeatedly in my other posts. I'm not the villain here, I'm the victim.

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Posted by richhotrain on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 3:08 PM

Wolf359

I apologize if I've inadvertently gotton rude with you or anyone else on this thread, but I'm tiring of having to re-explain this situation again and again. 

The solution is to just stop replying to replies, and the thread will die a natural death.

Let's face it.You are not going to get the locomotive that you won the bidding on.

A while back, I suggested that you post a link to the original listing so that we could evaluate it. Stuff like the seller's feedback, the number of bids, the description of the item, etc. Why not do that?

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by Wolf359 on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 3:21 PM

richhotrain

 

 
Wolf359

I apologize if I've inadvertently gotton rude with you or anyone else on this thread, but I'm tiring of having to re-explain this situation again and again. 

 

 

The solution is to just stop replying to replies, and the thread will die a natural death.

 

Let's face it.You are not going to get the locomotive that you won the bidding on.

A while back, I suggested that you post a link to the original listing so that we could evaluate it. Stuff like the seller's feedback, the number of bids, the description of the item, etc. Why not do that?

Rich

 

Thank you for the advice. However, I had already given up on it as I feel the seller is not worth dealing with anymore, so I'm looking for another loco.

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Posted by rrebell on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 3:34 PM

Wolf359

 

 
rrebell

If you are going to play on e-bay, read the rules!!!!!!! Seller did everything by the book and went beyond what he had to do by contract.

 

 

 

The seller lied to me. He said he'd send me the engine when it came back to him.  He never said I had to go through the process again. I didn't want to have to re-hunt down a locomotive that I already won the bid on and run the risk of someone else beating me to it. We already had each other's mailing addresses, we could've bypassed ebay and he could've mailed me my engine, and I could have sent him a money order. But, he wouldn't cooperate and accused me of something I didn't do, I.E., breaking the mistake engine. If an automatic refund is ebay's policy, then they need to change the rules. Not everybody wants a refund. Some, like me, would prefer an echange so I could get the item I won the bid on without having to go through the whole process all over again and risk losing it to someone else. I apologize if I've inadvertently gotton rude with you or anyone else on this thread, but I'm tiring of having to re-explain this situation again and again. As it's all been explained repeatedly in my other posts. I'm not the villain here, I'm the victim.

 

Bypassing e-bay will get you banned on e-bay.

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