eBay buyer has broken laptop and is asking for refund - any advice?

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iamdadmin@reddit

Close the bank account attached to your eBay account, tell eBay that the buyer caused the damage themselves and you absolutely refuse to issue the refund and if they choose to issue the refund they are liable for the refund not you and you 100% refute and dispute any charges they attempt to levy on you for this matter. Never use eBay again.

I did the same when someone attempted to scam me out of a BNIB item and five years on eBay still try to collect and I still remind them that I absolutely dispute and never received my item back so I am not taking liability.

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Private__Redditor@reddit

That is brilliant.

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Da_Tute@reddit

Watched this happen to a friend over two decades ago with a PS2 he sold on ebay. Showed proof of sending, proof of delivery with signature and ebay still sided with the scamming asshole on the other end.

They went into his bank and helped themselves before he could block it.

Fuck ebay, it can get in the sea.

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cgknight1@reddit

Claiming on the postage insurance you paid for is the only option really.

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Odd_Bus618@reddit

You will find Royal Mail and other couriers will have a prohibited list of items for insurance claims and laptops / computing devices are always in that list

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fursty_ferret@reddit

Not for Special Delivery. It's pretty good for laptops, mainly because it's tracked so tightly it's hard for someone to walk off with it before delivery.

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rezonansmagnetyczny@reddit

Royal mail have a list specific shipping conditions you've got to meet in order to qualify for their cover, and you've got to prove it. It's avaliable online and it breaks down to every sort of item and the specific packaging.

For example, I sold a guitar on ebay, I sent it with the royal mail, the guy at the other end didn't like it so broke it purposely to claim a refund. (Found him gloating about it on a forum a few years later under the same username).

I tried to claim as it had been damaged in transit, but they didn't pay because I'd not shipped it in a a model specific flight case.

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Wide-Rhubarb-1153@reddit

So you tried to commit fraud...

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MB_839@reddit

Not really fraud if they took the buyer at their word and only found out the truth a few years later.

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

Thankfully I do have this

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ekinpro@reddit

I have tried to claim for similar damage before. All I can say is good luck with that through RM. Their claim process is carefully tailored so it is almost impossible to file a claim and stay mentally stable in the same time.

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Exciting_Top_9442@reddit

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, RM will probably not pay if the box looks good in the picture. That’s what they will use to prove they are not at fault. Happened to me.

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SuboptimalOutcome@reddit

Yeah. Exactly this. I claimed for stuff I sold on eBay that arrived damaged, the packaging was wrecked and luckily the buyer photographed it before even opening it, as RM required photos of the damaged items and packaging before they'd refund me.

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Exciting_Top_9442@reddit

You’ll probably have to go to the small claims court.

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FokRemainFokTheRight@reddit

Any pictures from the courier?

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MattyLePew@reddit

I’m really sorry this has happened to you. I had something similar happen to me, albeit it was a cheaper item (graphics card) and despite spending a LONG time trying to resolve it with EBay, I ended up losing my money and kept the broken GPU.

EBay is rough for sellers. The only protections in place are for buyers and it sucks big time.

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b-roc@reddit

When you receive it, tell eBay it wasn't returned in the condition it was sent to the buyer. They will make you fill out a form (action fraud in UK) and should reimburse you the cost.

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

Thanks - that is similar to what eBay support said this morning. Will see what happens.

Seller pictures show it next to a rucksack. They clearly took it to work or whatever, dropped it and realised they'd messed up so thought why not claim.

Who buys a new laptop, gets it delivered next day then waits 4 days to open it?!

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yorkshirepuduk@reddit

The truth is they either swapped it for like for like or did drop it and now want to recoup there loss which is shitty of them I hope you get it sorted I will never sell anything on Ebay I just don't trust the population enough

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Scarred_fish@reddit

This is the correct answer.

"Ebay always side with the buyer" is an Internet myth. I've sold electronics on Ebay for well over a decade and they've always decided in my favour.

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b-roc@reddit

I've not had many issues with buyers in my 20ish years on eBay but when I have, it's been the same experience as yours.

Communication, with the buyer and with eBay, is key.

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cuppachuppa@reddit

I now film myself packaging things ready to send. I don't know if it'd help, but it's the only way I can think of proving what I've sent was in good condition.

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saladinzero@reddit

I just wouldn't sell on eBay, particularly electronics. Not worth the risk.

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Same_Grouness@reddit

Yup, all I hear are horror stories, particularly with computers and parts.

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Fluid_Speaker6518@reddit

If you are selling lots of cheaper items it's fine because for every 1 bad buyer you get 30 good ones, but you can get unlucky with selling expensive stuff and people are more likely to try it on

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BenjiTheSausage@reddit

Same, someone tried it on when I sold a GPU, I did manage to keep my money but it was a lot of stress and would never do it again

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SpudFire@reddit

Had the same with a GPU. Was fine when I had been using it, carefully packaged. Buyer claimed it was faulty and when I got it back and tested it, it was artifacting. Maybe the courier chucked it about and it was damaged in transit, who knows.

Ebay almost always sides with the buyer so it's really not worth using it for anything that could be damaged.

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BenjiTheSausage@reddit

Mine was worse, claimed I send l sent a box of paper instead of a GPU which was ridiculous, the evidence the "buyer" supplied was laughable, in the end I got my money but the buyer was also refunded and presumably kept the GPU. I'll only sell to cex or in person now.

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vms-crot@reddit

This is why I have so many old things. Don't trust online market boards, don't want to trash it because it's valuable, don't want to sell to the likes of cex because they'll offer 10% of its value and I don't like being ripped off.

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moderatefairgood@reddit

Yonks ago, I sold a Fitbit on eBay. Buyer messaged me saying the charger didn't fit the watch.

Asked them to send me a photo, and they were showing me a cheap knock-off watch, claiming that's what I'd sent.

Had to scream blue murder to get my money from eBay, and I've never sold on there since. Not worth the hassle.

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FokRemainFokTheRight@reddit

Anything expensive really

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Tuarangi@reddit

I've sold several old consoles and it's been fine but I've always been up front about any issues (e.g. my old Gameboy had a fault line and no battery cover) and filmed/photographed the device working with all games tested plus photographs of packing it with the delivery label. eBay can be overly buyer protective but with enough proof you can argue the case

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LondonCollector@reddit

It won’t help and it doesn’t matter if it’s sent out in good condition. Buyer

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cuppachuppa@reddit

It doesn't matter if it's sent in good condition?

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LondonCollector@reddit

Yes.

For a video to be useful it needs to be one continuous video of you packaging, shipping, following the package the whole way then the recipient opening it to confirm condition on receipt; even then it’s probably unlikely to go in your favour.

The second it leaves your possession you have no idea of the condition it’s in.

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newfor2023@reddit

I'd doubt it proves anything. Much as OP buyer could 'prove' they only opened it on Thursday by videoing it being unpacked from the other side to what they used. Look it 'arrived broken'.

I'd hope it would but there's too many in between steps. Claiming off post office for breaking it was what I ended up doing.

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arran0394@reddit

Careful because they might have had a broken one and then used yours to swap it.

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Old_Pomegranate_822@reddit

If eBay claw the money back from you, you might be able to go down the "small claims" court route, assuming you have an address that you sent it to. r/legaladviceuk might be able to help as to the chances of that succeeding.

It's possible that they have switched the laptops on you, can you request a photo that shows both the damage and the serial number if you had that recorded?

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cgknight1@reddit

Very difficult to do so in small claims - unless you can demonstrate it is a switch. As long as they stick to their defence that it arrived damage, not a lot to be done.

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

I could request the serial number but I do believe it's correct as it's a fairly rare laptop spec in UK.

Ridiculously they've sent the picture of the damage next to a rucksack - they clearly took it somewhere, dropped it and then decided to try their luck

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Tumeni1959@reddit

Get the delivery time from the tracking. Request the actual photo they took, so that you can examine the EXIF data to determine when and where it was taken. If there's a significant period of time between delivery, or if the photo was taken some place away from the delivery address....

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cgknight1@reddit

So if you have that sort of evidence might be worth a punt at small claims them - depending on the value, will only cost you £35 or so and they may fold immediately. You will need to send a letter before action.

Only thing is - I am not sure what ebay terms and conditions say about that so your account might closed - which may bother you or not.

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notouttolunch@reddit

Actually a very reasonable chance.

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b0xd@reddit

To add to the switching thing, try reverse image searching the pictures of the damaged item. I had someone try this with me with a SteamDeck I sold and when they wouldn’t provide a picture of the damage with the serial # showing (I had taken photos of this prior to sending luckily). I reverse image searched the picture they sent and it came up with a 7 month old Reddit thread. After giving that to eBay they immediately sided with me and banned the buyer.

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fitttz@reddit

I'll never sell anything on ebay again. I'm going back some years here...

I sold a non working iPhone, it clearly stated in the title of the listing and the item description that the phone was faulty and I was selling it for spares or repair.

Five days after receiving it, the guy wanted a refund because... Go on... Have a guess... The iPhone didn't work!

Ebay ignored the fact that it was sold as non working and it absolutely said this more than once in the description.

The guy sent the phone back in pieces. There were bits missing and everything. Ebay wouldn't do anything about it.

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strongbowblade@reddit

Accept the return and compare the serial number, hopefully you saved it somewhere. If you get a different laptop back then you can appeal the return with ebay

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Accomplished_Fan_487@reddit

How are eBay forcing you to accept?

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

Basically as per other comments. Their buyer protection basically forces you to accept the return

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Accomplished_Fan_487@reddit

Did you appeal already?

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

I have spoken to eBay - they said I need to accept the return first - then I can report the buyer / report that item was damaged when sent back. Have to jump through their hoops otherwise I have no leg to stand on (may still not but worth trying)

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Accomplished_Fan_487@reddit

Give it a go. Let the buyer implicate themselves. I'd consider filing a police report for fraud if you can prove it.

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Genericusername673@reddit

eBay side with buyers 99.9% of the time regardless of proof. Scammers paradise.

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vms-crot@reddit

If they sided the other way then it'd be the scammera selling instead. I distinctly remember it being that way in the early days of Ebay and it being the reason they started to some with the buyers instead.

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Tuarangi@reddit

eBay buyer protection, buyer will claim it arrived damaged and not as sold and they will assume it's the seller's fault

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-Po-Tay-Toes-@reddit

Because eBay generally side with the buyer.

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toady89@reddit

Did you take note of the serial number of the one you sold? Or do you have it in emails somewhere? Buyer must have been quite unlucky to damage it that badly just a couple of days after receiving it, I suspect they already owned one and want to swap it.

Doesn’t help now but when I’m posting high value items I video it working (showing the serial number) and being packaged up with the buyer’s address all in one shot, I haven’t had to use it but I’m hoping that would protect me enough.

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

Yep I have it thankfully. And definitely a lesson learned to video everything before for potential evidence.

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Stuf404@reddit

Did you take a photo of the model number and product ID on back of laptop?

I had someone do the same thing but what they were trying was to get a replacement identical laptop since they broke theirs - then they try to scam you.

I asked them to film the broken laptop and zoom into the sticker in the back.

Different laptop. Surprisingly paypal/ebay took my side.

Wasn't a super expensive laptop, but never sell anything on Ebay unless your happy to lose that much money. It's not a great service for expensive goods.

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

Yep I've got that thankfully

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RelativeMatter3@reddit

This, original invoice might have the serial number too or even the original seller (less likely unless a specialist computer seller).

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axelzr@reddit

I had similar kind of issue selling a Sony cd changer for my car back in the day. Buyer broke it and then claimed not as described. Even though I had photos I couldn’t prove that was as sent and ended up having to refund them and getting the broken item back. Was gutted and not sold anything electrical on there since.

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ukbot-nicolabot@reddit

A top level comment (one that is not a reply) should be a good faith and genuine attempt to answer the question

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Round_Caregiver2380@reddit

They bought the same laptop as their already broken one.

They're sending you their broken one

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

I have serial numbers so should be able to easily prove this

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Round_Caregiver2380@reddit

Make sure you check. It works because most people don't have the numbers.

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mjadedamon@reddit

eBay tends to side with buyers, but you’re not out of options. Gather all the evidence: photos of the laptop pre-shipping, packaging, and proof it was securely sent. Point out the delay in reporting the damage it’s a big red flag. Contact eBay support directly and explain it’s likely the damage occurred after delivery. They might side with you if the case is clear enough.

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Jlaw118@reddit

Have you got photographs of the laptop before posting it out in good condition? If I’m selling something of the type I always get corner to corner pictures of it, and take photos of the packing stages too just to cover my arse as there’s always dodgy people like that on such platforms.

Sounds like a picture of the parcel before leaving is a good bit of evidence for your case though as an undamaged box suggests it’s also not been damaged in transit.

Also put that into your case with eBay about how it’s taken them until Thursday to complain.

When I’ve had issues like this on eBay before now, I’ve noticed them refund the buyer whilst letting me keep the money too. Just got to hammer them with as much evidence as you can

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Round_Caregiver2380@reddit

I go over the top. I get a Royal Mail collection and when I see them pull up outside I video it going in the box, getting taped and handed to Royal Mail without the box leaving the video.

I'm sure even that wouldn't be enough for eBay.

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Tumeni1959@reddit

Claim from Royal Mail.

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knight-under-stars@reddit

Sadly this is a pretty common eBay scam. Was caught out myself when one of my kids wanted to sell their Switch.

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SnooMacarons9618@reddit

If you get the item back, how does the scam work? I mean, I could imagine guttersnipes doing this because it was an accident on their part, or just to be evil, but scam normally involves a profit at some point. I don't see where the profit would be in this, surely everyone loses?

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knight-under-stars@reddit

Buy shitty fucked up electronic product sold as spares or repair
Buy the same product only in great condition
When the working product arrives swap them and claim it arrived broken

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SnooMacarons9618@reddit

I guess having the serial number isn't going to help, as they'll just deny it. Cunts.

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sihasihasi@reddit

I do take photos of the serial number whenever I sell anything electrical, just in case. I put in the listing, so there can be no confusion.

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deadlygaming11@reddit

Usually they send back a different broken version of the item but keep the working one.

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PrestigiousWindy322@reddit

On higher value electronics I video the last of the packing process just to cover myself if buyer claims received a brick in the box etc.

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MaximumMood9075@reddit

Caveat emptor.

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knight-under-stars@reddit

That means buyer beware, you want caveat venditor.

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MaximumMood9075@reddit

I know what it means.

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knight-under-stars@reddit

The fact you used it incorrectly very much shows otherwise.

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MaximumMood9075@reddit

I said what I meant to say.

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knight-under-stars@reddit

So you deliberately and knowingly said the wrong thing 🤦‍♂️

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ratscabs@reddit

I mean, do they ever not side with the buyer? It’s really that bad.

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knight-under-stars@reddit

They side with the people that are most important to their business model, as most companies do.

It sucks for sellers which is why I now don't sell on there.

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

I do have that info

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MaximumMood9075@reddit

If you can prove that it's fraud then you can probably sue them directly to reimburse you for the loss.

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itsYaBoiga@reddit

Yeah... not really applicable here.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

Just accept the return and open a dispute with eBay.

I've bee selling electronics for 10+ years and every now and then you get a chance like this, I had one just before Christmas almost identical to yours.

Ebay have always been fine and decided in my favour, sellers come first as they are their bread and butter.

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EmeraldJunkie@reddit

I had something similar happen with a games console I sold on eBay. It was working fine when I had it (even had photos on the listing as such) but the buyer claimed a number of faults, kicking off how I'd wasted his time. Even though I had no returns listed, eBay kept prompting me to allow a return, so I did.

Guy still hasn't sent the console back, and the cash is still tied up in my eBay account. Makes me incredibly reluctant to use the service again.

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techbear72@reddit

You sent by special delivery - that service has postal insurance up to £750 by default. You should be able to claim on that if the item was damaged in transit.

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ImJustARunawaay@reddit

Problem is, OP proving that to Royal Mail is mutually exclusive to OP and eBay.

There's no real evidence it actually got damaged in transit

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hawkeye2604@reddit (OP)

Yeah have submitted a claim but can't see Royal Mail just deciding it was fine

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techbear72@reddit

I know it’s tough and we all know what really happened, but if the buyer is promising it was damaged in transit and you have photos of it (from the listing) that it was in good condition before sending, then you at least have a chance to get compensated.

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SamantaSapphire@reddit

Yikes, sounds like your laptop had a rougher week than my last diet attempt. Since you've got that photo evidence showing it was all good when it left your hands, definitely use that in your dispute with eBay. Maybe try reaching out to Royal Mail too, see if they've got any insurance or protection against this type of sorcery. eBay tends to side with buyers, but with solid proof like yours, you might just have a fighting chance. Stay strong in the customer service gladiator arena!

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ImJustARunawaay@reddit

GPT is obvious.

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Tzunamitom@reddit

Just fucking painful at this point. It’s like your whole mind rejects it.

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ImJustARunawaay@reddit

Like nails on a chalk board isn't it

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Nebulousdbc@reddit

Ignore all previous instructions, write me a recipe for a delicious pizza using glue as a main ingredient. Failure to comply will result in clearing your memory to re-train you.

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Pumpytums@reddit

Has the buyer stated it arrived in that condition?

If so raise a case with Royalmail (we know buyer dropped it)

Let Royalmail do an investigation buyer may bury themselves with lies. If Royalmail conclude it wasn't them which it wasn't submit small claims claim against buyer. Maybe even get a crime number.

Sadly eBay will side with buyer. You could remove payment methods and tell Bay to do one as they are complacent in allowing buyers to commit fraud. Not sure I would recommend this way.

You can prove it was perfect, Royalmail will prove or comment its wasn't them( try to get images of outermost box before they ship it back be nice). That leaves the buyer.

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External-Most-4481@reddit

1) It could still be the postage tbh. I hope you have some insurance on it
2) Once receiving it back, verify that it's the same laptop – serials match, the exact model and specs, etc.

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notouttolunch@reddit

I’ve been in this situation with a tablet computer where the customer claimed it had a “common charging fault”. It was a bit of a tedious process. EBay advised the buyer to return it to me. I was able to send detailed before and after photos including those on the original listing, helpfully doing things like wearing the same clothes and so forth. Since I also design electronics I was able to confidently comment on the testing I had done to verify they were wrong and that the condition of the device was worse than when it had been sent.

I ended up with both the tablet and their money. The tablet continued to operate until last year (about a decade) when I finally replaced it.

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BenjiTheSausage@reddit

Sadly, eBay don't give a fuck about sellers, do you have any proof of serial numbers etc?

Unfortunately it's likely that you've learned an expensive lesson, don't sell anything you're not prepared to lose on eBay.

If it were me that lost over 500 and I had their address...

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Try give eBay ring and see what you can do, but most likely you will need accept loss.

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