eBay problems, resolutions, shenanigans, questions and info (not bike finds)

ok , buyer has stripped frame down , and as said claims damage , claimed poor packed but offers no evidence eg pics , and I have never had an issue re packing before , was s pina Montello with da 740? , so hope I don't lose bike and have to refund

you mean offer to refund custom charges and let him keep bike?

Offer partial refund for the 'damage' and he can pay for the customs charges?

Ask for some pics of the damage.

Customs charges are no concern of yours -that is between him and customs.
If he returns it he must state "returned item" so you do not get charges.
Be polite -get pick of it in bits-then-it is clear that he has accepted the bike if it is dismantled and he should have inspected first. Damage on chainstay prob caused by him removing BB.
If he dismantles bike and finds, say a crack inside headtube that was not visible then he may have a case. But he has messed about with your bike and he can go take a running jump.
In short you must inspect bike before you do anything to it .

I assumed you accepted the damage was caused in transit or had been missed before you sent it.

First he needs to prove the above: obviously ask for photos first. Do you have photos of the affected area from before you sent it? Is the damage in a place that could affected in transit: eg if its on the inside of the stay, it seems unlikely, especially as he obviously saw no external damage to the package.

If it comes down to it being your word against his, then my experience is that eBay/PayPal will favour him.

So it's then a question of limiting your losses: act reasonably and demonstrate as much to eBay/PayPal, by offering a way out of the stalemate, ie a partial refund, before they decide it for you (which will likely be on less favorable terms than you can negotiate yourself).

He has a beef with the import duty, which is why I suggested paying them rather than trying to come up with a number to reflect the damage.

Good point about it being dismantled: if it does come to a return, then it should be rebuilt which might put him off pursuing that option.

Whilst I agree import duty is the buyer's responsibility on receipt, I would be concerned that eBay/PayPal might rule the buyer shouldn't be out of pocket if they decide he has grounds to return it.

Which is why I'd take a pragmatic view and try and get it resolved without their involvement.

Assuming of course that the damage is proven.

Whilst I agree import duty is the buyer's responsibility on receipt, I would be concerned that eBay/PayPal might rule the buyer shouldn't be out of pocket if they decide he has grounds to return it.

Paypal DGAF when it comes to the buyer fronting the money to return a faulty item
#notbitter :(

well , thanks for advice all,
buyer is leaving it up to eBay , I can't send postage labels to his country , bike is in bits , I never saw or felt any damage when packing , I accepted item return and return postage , not customs , and highlighted it's been broken up , cuntbuyer has damage the frame Imho

Scilly.Suffolk is quite right in his pragmatic view - you must just treat it as an exercise in getting the best result and tact is a useful tool.
You are not required to reimburse anything until you have the goods back and examined them. Then if you are at fault (item not as described) you have to pay both postages.
Customs is up to buyer to get refund from Customs people at his end.
The bike MUST be in the same condition you sent it out in. Now suppose it was damaged on the way to you or nothing was re-assembled to correct torques etc and you needed to get that professionally done then you can deduct that from repayment.
Final note is Paypal work for seller as well as buyer and they are VERY helpful. Call them and they will give you some good advice.
Good Luck

Thanks !
I contacted buyer a number of times stating that I'll pay both post and refund if bike is fully functional as it was when I sent it
So far no response , so waiting for eBay outcome

Have you kept correspondence within eBay/Paypal messaging?

Yes , right from the start , he never mentioned customs liability at start , I listed as post within Europe , and when we received more or less asked me to pay half of he' d leave bad feedback , I said I don't do black mail , got called a liar and thief on my feedback and now , started a return

Heard back, refusing to send unless I pay customs , never mentioned any bad packing on feed back , just called me a thief and liar when I refused his first attempt at extortion

Hopefully this attempt at blackmail will work in your favour in the end :)

@saarf what have ebay/paypal said about it?

Did he actually call you a" thief and liar" in feedback ? That's defamation and against Ebay rules.
Report him to Ebay and ask for the feedback to be removed.
You will NEVER recover the customs charges levied on an individual in a separate sovereign state. He must deal with that himself.
He has 14 days to return the item from date of return request. If he fails then that is an end to it.
Let it drag out.
Remember to add him to your barred bidders list.

When we concluded transaction I left feedback thus
" not cool , tried to blackmail me for customs charges" on his feedback
He the left his , eBay retracted mine and I have had no response from them after I have reported it as malicious
I had a few buyers before leave bad, they bought items for no more than 5 pounds and insisted on meeting me in person to collect , which in both cases would have cost them more than the items, they did not keep appointments to collect so I refunded
No response from eBay after I reported them as malicious , so my faith in reporting malicious feedback as a seller Is now zero

Actually called me that , will let it drag and see what comes

Sounds like a straight up con.

Emphasise to paypal buyer has already admitted materially altering the bike by stripping it.

Emphasise also that he has submitno images or proof of danage to bike or packing and that he had it for over three weeks before claiming that it was.

State that you offered a return in its original condition, but buyer has not cooperated and is demanding customs charges paid to him before even receiving the bike back...

yes will do mate , cheers

Sounds like a straight up con.

agreed. no explanation for why he won't send pictures or bike or packaging. That would be the first thing I'd send. The fact he's had it so long and already stripped it down screams user error imo.

Have to laugh at this...

A while back I bought a set of VO metal mudguards from Practical Cycles. They arrived poorly packaged and one fender had been crimped in at the end.

I reckoned I could bend them back but contacted them first as if I couldn't then I'd want a new set or refund and didn't want them saying I'd done the damage. They seemed like they didn't give a shit what state they had arrived in.

I managed to fix them though so left neutral feedback. I also looked through their other feedback and noticed them being pretty dismissive/aggressive or just plain weird towards customers that had left neutral or negative feedback-

"We suggest you buy local instead of 1000+ miles away then next time! Wise up!"
"which one are you, Stadtler or Waldorf?......"
"we refunded you in full - why are you so full of anger do you have the fear?"

Anyway, I don't hold a grudge so was going to buy some bits I need from them just now but when I try add the items to my basket I get a message that says

"The item you've selected wasn't added to your basket.
This seller won't sell to buyers that do not meet their requirements."

I presume they have blocked me from buying from them on ebay.

Straaaaange way to do business if you ask me.

@M_V
Are you able to message them regarding other items for sale? I'm tempted wind them up...

@M_V create another ebay account?