Beware - eBay bias towards buyer

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TonyM

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So long story short, I sold a buyer a perfectly running Poulan 2150 chainsaw with a bottle of oil and two sharp chains and an 16" bar for the whopping grand total of $28. I used and cut wood with the saw, tuned the carb, and reinstalled the limiter caps so they were centered in the adjustment range.

About a week after the buyer receives it I get a return request from eBay because he can't get the saw to start. I return a comment to the buyer with my phone number asking him to call me so I can assist him in getting the saw to start, send him a link to an owner's manual pdf, and describe the procedure for starting the saw. I hear nothing back in return.

Then I receive the saw back with no bar and no mix oil. I try to start the saw and it is badly flooding out. I dump out all the gas and get it to fire, start, and run out of gas. I put gas back in the tank and try to start it and it immediately floods out without being choked. So I pull the top cover to take a look and the first thing I notice is the limiter caps are gone. Then I put a screwdriver on the needles and they are both turned out 3 to 4 turns from closed. After readjusting the carb of course the saw starts and runs great as it did when I shipped it, but now is missing a bar and limiter caps.

I declined to refund the money through eBay because the saw was missing items, was exactly as advertised in the listing, and was tampered with by the buyer which caused the starting issues. eBay opens a case. Within 30 minutes I get an email saying the case is closed and ruled in the buyers favor, the money will be refunded from my PayPal account. I call eBay customer service, and they tell me I have to get the buyer to admit in a communication that he removed the limiters and adjusted the carb improperly. I ask the service rep what incentive the buyer has to admit that when the case has been closed and he has his money back. Basically the service rep tells me tough luck.

I could care less about the $28 saw, and I'm happy to return the cost of the saw as long as I get back all the parts I sent with it, which I didn't, but I have to eat the $35-$40 I have in shipping this saw both ways. eBay obviously is biased in favor of the buyer and has no interest in resolving this fairly. They have an appeals process but from what I read, even if you have evidence they will ignore it for the most part.

Between the seller fees, the PayPal fees, and the risk of a buyer returning an item, it is not worth it to sell items on eBay. I would have been better off to throw that Poulan in the trash, even though it runs and cuts just fine and I thought it would make someone a cheap trim saw or occasional use saw. As soon as my current listings end, I will no longer be doing business with eBay. Anyone else wanting to sell items, especially Outdoor Power Equipment, on eBay, be aware this could happen to you and it appears there is little recourse as a seller.
 
Can you post a link to the original auction please?
In general if you have proof such as before and after pics that the item was not returned as shipped Ebay will side with the seller.
They do side with buyers in most "judgement call" scenarios.
Dave
 
They didn't side with me on a 660 I bought.

Was supposed to be shipped normal mail. He shipped it slow boat, took a month to get it!

Wont idle, no minor carb tuning is fixing it.
I drop it off at the dealer, rebuild carb and find out the sparkplug bore is JB welded to "fix" it and the cylinder is in rough s h ape.

I filed a claim with ebay. They sided with HIM because I took MY SAW to the dealer without his permission!

Few months ago I washed my phone with my clothes by mistake. I bought a replacement on eBay, had trouble with it (kept shutting off) so the vendor offers to send another, that one works fine.

Well about 2 months later I've got a ~$200 charge on my checking account.
Start making calls and apparently I was to mail back the old one (never was discussed) and since I didn't ebay went through PayPal and took money! No one ever called or emailed about it, somehow assumed I'd figure out their plan I g u ess.

Nope, I couldn't send the old phone back at this point, too late. (Huh?) Tough luck.

I called my bank, they reversed the charges and blocked Paypal. Paypal has tried to steal 4 more times for that phone and they even emailed a nasty note!

I'll stick to Amazon, they have great customer support... plus my Paypal is locked out, that's how they retaliated!

Word of advice, don't link a checking account to Paypal, they seem to think it's a blank check!
 
Can you post a link to the original auction please?
In general if you have proof such as before and after pics that the item was not returned as shipped Ebay will side with the seller.
They do side with buyers in most "judgement call" scenarios.
Dave
What a damn shame...seller could probably have more before/after pics than a damn OJ Simpson crime scene and still lose the argument/appeal when it's all said and done.
 
Ebay serves it's purpose, but is terrible to sell on.

After you pay the 11% in fees between them and paypal, you're on the hook for the buyer doing nearly anything.

I see a lot of sellers now specifically refusing returns straight up because of "Ebay Parts Swappers". I guess people get the saw, swap what they want and then dishonestly send it back for a full refund. WOW
 
That's why I don't sell saws on eBay, unless it's a parts saw
There ya go...I like that idea. But I suppose even then, a 'parts scrounger' could do the same thing to a seller as well, when it comes down to it. Rob a needed part, and 'claim' the part was not part of the 'parts' saw as described.'
 
The bar showed up. Mail lady dropped it off today. Must have fell out of the box at some point.

As far as the carb limiters, what good does an after photo do, even if you can see them in the before (which you can't). There is no way to prove that I didn't remove the parts just to take the photo.
 
I think the thing that is most frustrating is that the buyer didn't make any effort to call me and talk about the situation. Had he been honest with me about what he did I'm sure, if he has any mechanical ability, I could have walked him through a process to get the saw running again. Instead, he assumes the worst of me (that I sent him a non functional saw and lied about it) and resorts to a return with no other effort to resolve the issue. Then to have to pay shipping both ways, have parts missing, and have eBay brush it off just adds fuel, in this case firewood, to the fire.
 
Bad deal.

I had a buyer get nasty with me and after he called me every name in the book he told eBay he had a communication disability and wasn't liable for his outbursts.

I provided proof the item was shipped and they left me alone.
 
I think the thing that is most frustrating is that the buyer didn't make any effort to call me and talk about the situation. Had he been honest with me about what he did I'm sure, if he has any mechanical ability, I could have walked him through a process to get the saw running again. Instead, he assumes the worst of me (that I sent him a non functional saw and lied about it) and resorts to a return with no other effort to resolve the issue. Then to have to pay shipping both ways, have parts missing, and have eBay brush it off just adds fuel, in this case firewood, to the fire.

if he removed the limiters the POS is probably a member here lol
 
Open an appeal. Don't just assume it won't work.
There are way too many rip off artists selling saws and saw parts on eBay. I've been burned reversal times but I get my money back from PayPal when it happens. I've learned to ask "incriminating" questions before I buy to protect myself.
 
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