Author Topic: Ebay/PayPal protection query  (Read 1006 times)

Ebay/PayPal protection query
« on: 08 May, 2018, 10:32:13 am »
It all started with the car getting bashed in a small village hall carpark while we were out riding the other week.  One quite dented rear door and no note of course!  As the car is 10 years old and only worth £500-£1200, according to Glasses, I decided it wasn't worth going to the insurance company to get it fixed.  I thought maybe they would write it off.

Anyways, I found a complete door on Ebay, correct colour age etc for £30 but the seller wanted personal collection only.  It was 300miles away.  I contacted him and he agreed to pack it up if I organised my own courier.  Parcel Force were the cheapest, just under £50, so I could have a repair for under £100.

But, and you know what is coming, the door arrived bashed, not badly, but bad enough.  One corner of the door was not protected by foam and it had been dropped on that corner of course.  Seller says it was packed adequately and it is the couriers fault but the courier, paid for separately by me, will insist that is was not packed correctly given its weight (30kg) and I feel are unlikely to pay any compensation.  Talk about leaving it in its original packing and them taking it away to examine etc.

Is it worth pursuing Ebay or PayPal?  What protection do they offer buyers?

Any thoughts, advice etc appreciated.

Thanks

Re: Ebay/PayPal protection query
« Reply #1 on: 08 May, 2018, 11:06:40 am »
I believe that the person who paid the courier has the claim on the courier. That is the most likely route.

I once sold a heavy, and easily damaged object on ebay for roughly £1000 that had to be couriered. Packaging took a while and I was nervous until the buyer confirmed it had arrived ok.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Aunt Maud

  • Le Flâneur.
Re: Ebay/PayPal protection query
« Reply #2 on: 08 May, 2018, 09:04:03 pm »
Speak to eBay.

dim

Re: Ebay/PayPal protection query
« Reply #3 on: 08 May, 2018, 09:33:49 pm »
If I hire a courier company to collect and deliver an item, I pay them to deliver it safely

I the item was not damaged or broken when they collected it, it should be handled properly and not thrown around a van etc.... irrespective of how it is packed

so .... the onus is on the courier company ... if they disagree, threaten with the involvement of an Ombudsman (it costs them over £300 once the Ombudsman is involved, irrespective of if they are not at fault) ....

 they normally whinge at first, but pay at the end

“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.” - Aristotle

Re: Ebay/PayPal protection query
« Reply #4 on: 09 May, 2018, 09:46:58 pm »
For private Ebay sellers(1) arranging delivery of large, bulky and heavy items can be a real hassle and more trouble than it's worth. This is especially so when the item is of low sale value.

Packaging and sorting couriers can be a lot of work and disproportionate to the sale price. Then if the purchaser is unhappy with the item, for whatever reason, genuine or otherwise, you end up with an expensive dispute for a low value item. I've had this before and ended up having to issue refunds and letting the buyer keep the item as getting it returned would just incur more losses.

For this reason I always list bulky items as collection only. I often get buyers asking if I will deliver, often with them suggesting they will arrange their own courier. I have learnt the hard way to decline. With collection only the item will generally get a lower price or maybe not sell at all, but in my book that's better than making a loss on the item.

If you were buying from me I would have stuck to my guns on collection only to avoid the situation you both now find yourselves in. The seller ended up having to package and courier an item he really wanted collected. You've paid £30 + £50 delivery for something which is now damaged and you are not happy with.

I realise that the seller packaged the item and you had no control on how well that was done, but as you were the one asking for it to be delivered I'm going to suggest that you should be assuming all or some of the risk involved – sorry that's probably not the answer you are looking for.

A compromise scenario might be asking the seller for a partial refund, but with a £30 purchase there's not a great deal of room for manoeuvre.

(1) this isn't necessarily the case for businesses as they will have access to packaging materials and usually have contracts with couriers often at fixed rates.

Re: Ebay/PayPal protection query
« Reply #5 on: 10 May, 2018, 11:23:39 am »
You're right Phil, not what I was hoping to hear but it was what I half expected to hear.

Thanks