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Blondie Poster Timeline – The Full Story

All quotes used can be verified by eBay

Click on photos to enlarge
 

Start time: Saturday, 13th October 2018 (9.34pm)
Finish time: Saturday, 20th October 2018 (9.34pm)
Auction won by: sarasota2010

eBay listing

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-amp-RARE-Blondie-Private-Stock-EX-promo-poster-Debbie-Harry-/253932497752?ul_noapp=true&nma=true&si=3WCWETR0ZShsVrWjhQkymYxtmHk%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
 

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eBay Auction


Saturday 20th October 2018
Auction finished at 9.34pm. Item sold for £510.00 + £19.00 for international postage.
Email from eBay confirming the sale and who the buyer was.
Email from eBay confirming that buyer had paid for item.
Email from Paypal giving notification of payment received and address details of where to send the item to. This emails ‘confirms that you have received a payment for £529.00 GBP from Gary Smith’. Paypal transaction ID 5Y225822VW8704518.

 

Message via eBay from Gary Smith saying ‘Hello, Just paid for this Blondie Poster. Please wrap carefully so there is no damage in travel. Shipping is for the USA. Thanks in advance, Gary’.
Response sent to Gary saying ‘Many thanks for the purchase of the poster. I will send it out to you on Monday and it will be very well packaged – I’m a collector myself so I understand your concern’.
Response from Gary saying ‘Thank you. I had one years ago that I got at a Flee (sic) Market, and it was only $10USD, framed in a silver case. I had to sell it several years ago and always wanted a nice one back. Today, the prices are nice pieced (sic) are far more than they were. But, I held out and decided to bid on yours. More than I wanted to spend, I’ll have to tell you that. But, this one won’t get away from me (if, it arrives and looks like the ‘great’ photos that you provided).

 

NOTE Does he regret bidding as high as he did?

eBay Auction


Saturday 20th October 2018
Auction finished at 9.34pm. Item sold for £510.00 + £19.00 for international postage.
Email from eBay confirming the sale and who the buyer was.
Email from eBay confirming that buyer had paid for item.
Email from Paypal giving notification of payment received and address details of where to send the item to. This emails ‘confirms that you have received a payment for £529.00 GBP from Gary Smith’. Paypal transaction ID 5Y225822VW8704518.

 

Message via eBay from Gary Smith saying ‘Hello, Just paid for this Blondie Poster. Please wrap carefully so there is no damage in travel. Shipping is for the USA. Thanks in advance, Gary’.
Response sent to Gary saying ‘Many thanks for the purchase of the poster. I will send it out to you on Monday and it will be very well packaged – I’m a collector myself so I understand your concern’.
Response from Gary saying ‘Thank you. I had one years ago that I got at a Flee (sic) Market, and it was only $10USD, framed in a silver case. I had to sell it several years ago and always wanted a nice one back. Today, the prices are nice pieced (sic) are far more than they were. But, I held out and decided to bid on yours. More than I wanted to spend, I’ll have to tell you that. But, this one won’t get away from me (if, it arrives and looks like the ‘great’ photos that you provided).

 

NOTE Does he regret bidding as high as he did?

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Monday, 22nd October

Poster was sent from Daventry Post Office at 1.39pm using Royal Mail’s International Track and Signed For service. The reference number was RN52163221GB.
Message sent to Gary via eBay telling him the poster had been sent and giving him the Royal Mail reference number and web address to check status of the item. I also said ‘I have used the original tube that I received the poster in (it’s really strong!) and I am sure that you will be happy with the poster’ and I also sent him photos of the sealed poster tube just prior to sending.
Response from Gary saying ‘I’ll look at the photos later. Off to bed for me, it’s 11:34pm here, and I’ve had a long day’.

Monday, 22nd October

Poster was sent from Daventry Post Office at 1.39pm using Royal Mail’s International Track and Signed For service. The reference number was RN52163221GB.
Message sent to Gary via eBay telling him the poster had been sent and giving him the Royal Mail reference number and web address to check status of the item. I also said ‘I have used the original tube that I received the poster in (it’s really strong!) and I am sure that you will be happy with the poster’ and I also sent him photos of the sealed poster tube just prior to sending.
Response from Gary saying ‘I’ll look at the photos later. Off to bed for me, it’s 11:34pm here, and I’ve had a long day’.

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Wednesday, 31st October

Message via eBay from Gary saying ‘Can you give the tracking number so I can make sure that I will be here the day that it’s out for delivery?’
 

NOTE I had previously sent him this information on the 22nd October.

* * * At this point the poster appears to have been stuck in US Customs in New York * * *

Saturday, 3rd November

Message via eBay from Gary saying ‘This poster hasn’t moved in 8 days. That concerns me’.
Message via eBay to Gary saying ‘I understand your concern – I would be the same if it was the other way around – but there is nothing either you or I can do about the customs process’

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Thursday, 8th November

Message via eBay from Gary saying ‘I spent a total of $694.87 with you and you don’t seem to be concerned in the least. Never done business with you before and I’m starting to regret this whole thing. I ship packages daily worldwide and have never had a problem. I ship Internationally, and include delivery confirmation. I don’t use ‘registered’ as that’s where all the problems are. I’ve had registered packages that have never arrived to me. They just disappear and no one ever explains what happened’.
 

In a separate message from Gary via eBay  he says ‘Perhaps, we can just cancel this order and you can request the package be returned to you. Or, if it ever does arrive, I just won’t accept it and have it marked “return to sender”. Then, we both will be happy!!!’


NOTE This was an unreasonable request from Gary to cancel the order as the item was already in the USA and I had no way of retrieving it.

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Friday, 16th November

Message via eBay to Gary saying ‘I spoke to someone at Royal Mail today to get an update on the poster delivery and was told that there are delays at the moment due to volume of mail and weather issues. I will keep you informed of any updates I get. Again, apologies for delay but hopefully you can appreciate that the delay is not of my making'.


Response via eBay from Gary saying ‘Just found this email and a bunch of others from you. Would you please stop bothering me. There are no delays in what you say. You have your money. Now be gone. I was a fool and am the one who loses out. Don’t keep rubbing it in. I’ve already moved on. As I stated before to you. I got duped by you!!!’
 

NOTE Gary accuses me of duping him over the sale of the poster.
 

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Sunday, 18th November

Message via eBay from Gary saying ‘Hey, Search ebay. New listing. Is this the one I was suppose to get? I can’t afford it now or I would buy it back. I gave you all my money. Looks like it ended up in Peoria, Illinois. Wow did I get taken!!!
BLONDIE ORIGINAL & RARE Private Stock promo poster Debbie Harry Very Good 28X17’.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLONDIE-ORIGINAL-amp-RARE-Private-Stock-promo-poster-Debbie-Harry-Very-Good-28X17-/183542530511?hash=item2abbfcc1cf%3Ag%3AhPQAAOSwQwFb8arb&nma=true&si=3WCWETR0ZShsVrWjhQkymYxtmHk%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

NOTE The item he is referring to is a poor copy of the same poster which someone in Peoria, Illinois, USA had listed on eBay.

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Tuesday, 20th November

Received an email from USPS at 11.57am saying ‘USPS expects to deliver your package on Tuesday, November 20, 2018 arriving by 8:00pm.’


Received an email from USPS at 6.53pm saying ‘Sorry we missed you! Schedule a redelivery to receive your package.’


Received an email from USPS at 7.21pm saying ‘Your item was delivered to an individual at the address at 2:16pm (USA time) on November 20, 2018 in SARASOTA, FL 34231.


NOTE Poster delivered to Gary Smith (note times of emails on screenshots)

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Wednesday, 21st November

Received an invoice from eBay for items sold between 16th October - 15th November which included £52.88 of fees from eBay for the sale of the Blondie poster. This amount was deducted from my Paypal account at the end of November.

Monday, 26th November (6 days after delivery)

Received a notification from eBay saying ‘sarasota2010 let us know that something is wrong with ORIGINAL & RARE Blondie Private Stock EX+ promo poster Debbie Harry. As a result, they requested to return the item for a refund’ and ‘Note that if you accept a return, you’ll be charged for return postage’.


NOTE Message from eBay says that sarasota2010 ‘requested to return the item for a refund’ – Gary’s later messages contradict this statement when says that he never asked for a refund or wanted to return the item.


Message via eBay from Gary saying that the reason for return was ‘Arrived damaged’. In the comments section he then said:


Hello, Sorry, I don't remember your name, but the Blondie poster finally arrived after being in customs in New York for 25 days. That's unheard of. It's a poster...a piece of printed paper.


Anyway. I was able to sign for it before I left for a long Holiday Weekend (Thanksgiving). Just returned home to finally (with excitement) to open up the package that you sent. I am totally sick at my stomach. You didn't put any protection on the opening, so there is damage to the poster that was not shown in your original listing.


I don t have access to a camera at the moment, but I should be able to submit some photos tomorrow. I know it s not your fault that the package was hung-up for so long. But, you also didn't seem to be concerned when I was in panic mode after the package didn't move once it hit the USA.


What can we do. I can't afford almost $700 for something that I would have never ordered had I had known. Did you accidentally damage it when you stuffed it in the container? You didn't even use anything but a small piece of bubble wrap on one side and a very, very small piece of newspaper on the other. No wonder it arrived in distress.


I’ve already shed some tears. This is not right. Please reach out and let me know what we can do and I will try and borrow a camera tomorrow. Saddened Beyond Belief!!!


NOTE Prior to receiving this message, I had sent Gary 12 messages via eBay, each of them signed off as ‘Michael’. He said that he did not have ‘access to a camera’ but ‘should be able to submit some photos tomorrow’. He never did submit any photos for me to see the alleged damage. In my reply to Gary, I questioned why it had taken him 6 days to report an issue with the poster.

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Tuesday, 27th November

Message via eBay to Gary saying ‘I find it very odd/unbelievable that someone who has paid so much for a poster, has accused me of ‘duping’ him and has threatened to not accept delivery of the poster did not open it as soon as it had arrived. If I had paid that amount of money I would wanted to have opened it immediately. If there had been any damage to the packaging then why did you not simply refuse delivery of the poster? Why has it taken you 5 days to report an issue with the poster? You do not have a camera to show the damage...not even a camera on your phone? I went to great lengths to show the exact condition of the poster on the eBay listing, I sent you photos of the packaging, the poster was well packaged.’
 

Message via eBay from Gary saying ‘(If) you look back at the delivery date, you will see that a message was left for me and that within 30 minutes I was able to track down my carrier and retrieve the poster tube you sent. There was nothing wrong with the hard tube you put it in, so there was no reason to reject it’. He then says ‘after 25 days in New York customs it must have been thrown around a lot’. He also says that ‘a friend will come over later today and take some photos for me that I will post here so you can see... once he gets here and we can take some photos, I’ll post them so you can see for yourself’.


NOTE Gary states that he spent up to 30 mins to track down the delivery man yet could not find 5 minutes to open the package. His claim that it ‘must have been thrown around a lot’ is completely unfounded and contradicts his statement that the item arrived in good condition with ‘nothing wrong with the hard tube’. He said he would post photos of the alleged damage but 6 weeks later he has still not sent me any photos.


In a later message on the same day via eBay, Gary says ‘Wasn’t able to get the photos taken today. I hope tomorrow’. In this message Gary also claims that the Paypal account used to pay for the poster is not his Paypal account (‘The Blondie poster was also paid with the same Paypal account that was paid on my behalf’).  The claim by Gary that he does not own the Paypal account used to pay for the Blondie poster completely contradicts the evidence shown in the Paypal transaction which clearly states from Paypal ‘you have received a payment for £529.00 GBP from Gary Smith’.  In the message he also says:


‘That payment was made on a credit card that is not even in my name’. On the 19th December Gary sent a message to eBay asking ‘Should I file with my credit card company?’ – is this with the same credit card that he claims is not in his name? Another contradiction.

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Thursday, 29th November

Message via eBay to Gary saying ‘Hi Gary Please confirm, you paid for the poster via Paypal using the XXXXXXXXX email address, is this your Paypal account or someone else’s Paypal account? Please confirm asap. I look forward to hearing from you. Kind regards Michael’.

NOTE Gary did not reply to this message.

Monday, 3rd December

eBay case opened
The buyer opened an eBay case against me stating ‘He doesn't want to talk about the poster that ended up in a New York customs office for 25 days. I had an uncomfortable feeling when there was no movement. He didn't like that. However, I do not have a camera or cell phone and am trying to get a neighbor to come and help me out...Please tell me what you would like from me, other than photos’.


NOTE I had nothing to say about the poster being held up in customs because that was a matter of fact which has never been disputed (though importantly, the poster still reached the buyer in the eBay timeframe for international transactions). 6 days after first saying that he would post photos, he is still waiting for his neighbour to turn up with a camera. Gary also asks eBay what they would like from him ‘other than photos’.

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Tuesday, 4th December

Update for CASE ID 5100749104 SR# 1-188656566599
Message from eBay (extract):
After looking into the case details, the buyer is claiming that the poster arrived damaged. As it turns out, the return request of the buyer was approved and we are asking for your cooperation in sending a return label or money to pay for return shipping not later than December 8, 2018 to provide a resolution to the buyer. If you are unable to comply, we will close the return in the buyer’s favor and issue them with a refund, even if they have not returned the item.
Here are a few ways you can facilitate the item’s return:
Send the buyer a PayPal payment to cover the return shipping
1. Use the shipping calculators on the shipping service’s website to find out how much return shipping would cost.
2. If the item is over $750, signature confirmation must be purchased.
3. Send a payment to the buyer by logging in to your PayPal account, and then clicking Send & Request at the top of the page.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions.
5. Once the payment is complete, reply to this email with the transaction ID and a screenshot of the payment.

My message to eBay in response was (extract):

 

‘I am disappointed that the buyer is pursuing his claim for compensation and has still been unable to show ANY evidence.
 

I am also disappointed that eBay has allowed him to return an item without offering ANY evidence.
 

While the poster was delayed in New York the buyer made allegations against me which have been proven to be unfounded.
 

The buyer admits that there was there was no signs of damage to the packaging when he received the poster yet claims that the poster has been damaged INSIDE the packaging. After having received the poster 14 days ago (FOURTEEN DAYS!) he has still not managed to find a camera to present evidence of the alleged damage. Do you not find this just a little suspicious?


I feel as though eBay has now put me in a no-win situation.
 

If I send him the cost of the postage he will (may) return the poster but in doing so this makes me appear to be at fault. If I do not send him the postage costs then, by what you have said in this email, you will refund him the cost of the poster and he gets to keep the poster. I think he would be very happy with that outcome!
 

Who do I make the Paypal payment to as he claims that the Paypal account using the XXXXXXXXX@aol.com email address is not his?’

In a separate message to eBay on the same day at 3.43pm I said:

 

‘My main concerns are simple:
 

The buyer received the item and has said that the poster tube was in good condition when delivered.
 

The buyer did not check the item for 5 days.
 

The buyer then alleged that it was damaged.
 

The buyer has not given sent any photos to back up his claim, even though he took delivery 20 days ago.
 

Do the people at eBay not find this a bit strange???
 

I would have accepted a return if he had opened the parcel when he received it, complained about it straightaway and sent photos soon afterwards, but he has not put forward ANY evidence other than an allegation that it was damaged. NONE WHATSOEVER!!!

On the same day as the two above messages, I (reluctantly) tried to send Gary Smith a sum of money via Paypal to cover the cost of return postage. This attempt was to directly to Gary’s XXXXXXXXX@aol.com account (not via the original Paypal transaction) but this failed and I got a message from Paypal saying ‘This recipient accepts Paypal payments only through their website. To complete this payment, please go to their website and follow their instructions, or email the recipient for instructions’.

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Wednesday, 5th December

I tried again to send Gary Smith a sum of money to cover the cost of postage to return the poster but again the payment failed to go through.

I then sent Gary an email at 6.16am using his XXXXXXXXX@aol.com email address (and copied in customerhelp@ebay.com) saying:


For me to send you the money for postage you will need to either:
Send me the website where I can make payment or
Send me an alternative Paypal account or
Send me a request for $20 via Paypal and I will pay that way
Let me know what you wish to do as soon as possible.

I received a reply from Gary at 12.27am saying:
If you sent money, I wasn’t informed as I don’t have a PayPal account.
Also, I never said I wanted to return the poster. I only said it is damaged and not in the condition as when I purchased/paid for it. Most importantly, your eBay store clearly states: “Returns: Seller does not accept returns”.

 

NOTE Another claim that he does not have a Paypal account which contradicts the evidence of the original Paypal transaction. Interestingly, he says ‘I never said I wanted to return the poster’, yet he put in a request for a refund – another contradiction.

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Thursday, 6th December

Update for CASE ID 5100749104 SR# 1-188656566599


I received a message from eBay saying (extract):
‘...you can either purchase a shipping label and send it to your buyer or issue the amount to their PayPal account. Please let the buyer know the option you chose. Once you have issued an amount to your buyer through PayPal, please don’t forget to provide us proof of refund with screenshot of the details like the PayPal transaction ID.


Please take note Michael that you have only 5 days to this process. After 5 days, we will decide an close this case based only on the available information we have. As explained from our previous emails, if you don’t provide a resolution to the buyer within 5 days, we’ll close the return in the buyer’s favor and issue them with a refund, even if they haven’t returned the item’.


NOTE eBay say that I must issue an amount ‘to their (the buyer’s) Paypal account’, but fails to mention that it should be a separate transaction to the original Paypal transaction.


I signed up with USPS website in the USA and tried to purchase a shipping label but USPS would not allow me to purchase a shipping label as I am not resident in the USA.


As I could not send Gary Smith a sum of money via Paypal direct to his email address and I could not purchase a shipping label then the only option left was for me to attempt to send him the money to send the poster back via the original transaction.


I sent Gary Smith the sum of £20 (reduced to £19.12 after Paypal fees) via Paypal using the original transaction. I sent a message to eBay informing them that I had transferred money to Gary Smith to pay for the return of the poster. The money sent to Gary Smith remained ‘Pending’, unclaimed by Gary.

I received the following message from eBay:


‘I understand that you have already sent funds to the buyer to cover the return shipping cost for this item.
Please send us a screenshot of the PayPal transfer by simply replying to this email using your registered email address.The screenshot must include the following information:


- Pal transaction ID
- Exact amount of the refund and the currency used
- Date refund was issued
- PayPal account refund was issued to
- Status of the refund
Once we have verified that the PayPal transaction has been completed, the buyer would have 10 days to ship this item back to you. If the buyer fails to ship it back within the required timeframe the case will be closed.

In compliance with eBay’s request, I forwarded them a screenshot of the Paypal transaction ID 456112200K0823119.

​​

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Friday, 7th December

RE: Re: Update for CASE ID 5100749104 SR# 1-188656566599

I received a message from Rafique T. at eBay saying:
‘I would like to thank you for sharing us the screenshot of the PayPal transaction. I confirm the receipt of the two images, we have validated the screenshots and your case is currently under investigation.
Regarding the case, we have informed the buyer to purchase shipping label with the cost provided by you and send the item back within the timeline. I understand that you have done everything right and you do not need to worry. Rest assured; if the buyer fails to return the item within the timeline then we will close the case in your favor’.

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10th December

The case was ‘resolved’


NOTE Although eBay‘resolved’ the case on the 10th December I was not notified of HOW it had been resolved and in WHO’s favour.
 

20th December

I checked the status of the case on the eBay website and found that the case was ‘resolved’. As I had not been told otherwise, and based on the message from eBay on the 7th December from Rafique T, I assumed that the case had been closed in my favour as I had not had the poster returned to me. I even asked eBay if the buyer had any right of appeal and if I could now cancel the £19.12 sent to Gary Smith as this was for postage.


I got the following reply from eBay (extract):
‘After a thorough review on the case, we learned that on December 9, 2018 the case was closed with a refund to the buyer.  On the 13th of December the buyer appealed the case because they claimed that they did not receive the refund but the appeal was denied and it was forwarded to a case specialist for  further review.


Regarding the unclaimed money you sent to the buyer, if the buyer has not claimed it and in your PayPal account it still shows as “PENDING” you can go ahead and cancel the transaction in your PayPal account’.


NOTE I was surprised that eBay had closed the case in the buyer’s favour when they had given me reassurance that ‘if the buyer fails to return the item within the timeline then we will close the case in your favor’. I was also surprised that they had closed the case and not told me the outcome. A screenshot below clearly shows that there were no messages exchanged between myself and eBay after the Rafique T message of the 7th December and my message to eBay on the 20th December.

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23rd December

I received an email direct from Gary saying:


‘I have received no money from you. Who decided I should mail the damaged poster back to you for that amount? I never agreed to that and your policy clearly states “no returns”’.

Gary also pasted in some of the correspondence that he had had with eBay. Among the emails, on the 13th December, he says:


Thanks for getting back with me as I was never informed that the original case was closed. I’m not asking for the entire amount as a refund. I only want what is fair. I’m happy to finally have this rare poster. But, it shouldn’t have been packaged so the edges would be damaged. I’ve been looking for years for a nice, clean one. I’m going to keep it, but want some type of compensation. I found out that dry-mounting it will only make the damage show up more. I don’t want to have the edges cut off, because that too would decrease the value. I’m really unclear on what to do, but I do know that I am not at fault for the original packaging, or how it might have been treated while in the possession of the USPS customs department for 25 days. Possibly, they are at fault, but that’s hard to prove. The seller should have insurance on this, but he’s never answered that question.
 

NOTE This is the first time that Gary has mentioned ‘compensation’. I did have postal insurance on this item but, quite rightly, Royal Mail ask for PROOF of damage. As I do not have the poster, and have never been given any proof by either the buyer or eBay to support the claim of damage, I am unable to claim on the insurance.

In another message dated 13th December eBay say:


‘I understand that you want a compensation for this transaction as you feel that this is only fair because of the condition of the item. I appreciate you letting us know what you really want at this point.’


NOTE It seems clear that Gary does not want to return the poster but is looking for a reduction in the cost of the poster...by any means possible.

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23rd December

Message from eBay states (extract)


‘Michael, when the buyer open the case, we have asked you to facilitate the return by sending them funds to cover the return shipping cost. The refund should not be from the original payment. I know you are upset why we need to ask more funds from you, however the return shipping cost will not be taken from that payment.


Once you facilitate the return, we can then ask buyer to ship item back. As part of your Seller protection, you are required to inspect the item after you received it. If the item returned was not the same condition as what you have initially sent, you may provide us with photos. Furthermore, if you think the buyer is suspicious on their claim, you can file a report on eBay and we will monitor their buying activities.’


NOTE Why did eBay not tell me that ‘The refund should not be from the original payment’? Why, after I sent them screenshots of the Paypal transaction did they say ‘we have informed the buyer to purchase shipping label with the cost provided by you and send the item back within the timeline’?

Monday, 24th December

'You sent us an appeal'.

Monday, 24th December

'The appeal was closed'.

Tuesday, 25th December

Received a message from eBay saying that my appeal had been turned down.

Wednesday, 26th December

I reported an ‘issue with a buyer’ to eBay.

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Friday, 28th December

I checked my Paypal account and found that eBay had put in a request to Paypal for £509 and that my Paypal account now showed a negative balance of -£492.30, with a note saying ‘Add money to resolve your balance’.


When I clicked on the item I went to a page that said it was for a ‘Paypal Balance Adjustment’. The same page also said ‘There is an open dispute associated with this transaction. Visit the Resolution Centre to view status’.


When I followed the link to visit the Paypal Resolution Centre I found no mention of any case, either ‘Open’ or ‘Closed’.

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Tuesday, 1st January 2019

Received a message from eBay saying:


‘I reviewed the case details and found that you issued partial refund to cover return shipping cost. Upon further review, I found out that this is a partial refund from the original transaction. In our previous email, we asked you to send the buyer funds to cover the return shipping cost this should not be in a form of partial refund from the original transaction.’


NOTE The email eBay refer to was sent to me on the 23rd December which was 13 days after they had closed the case and 16 days after the Rafique T email saying ‘Regarding the case, we have informed the buyer to purchase shipping label with the cost provided by you and send the item back within the timeline.’


In the same message from eBay they said:


‘To receive your item back, I recommend arranging a return shipping solution to your buyer. I am positive that your buyer will cooperate in returning the item now the a refund has been received.’

In response to eBay’s request to send Gary Smith funds to enable him to send the poster back to me I (again) attempted to send him a sum of money via Paypal. This time Paypal would not allow me to send Gary money whilst I had a negative balance on my account, which means eBay have in effect put me in a Catch 22 situation where I am blocked from sending a sum of money to Gary to enable him to send the poster back.

I spoke to someone at Paypal who suggested that I use a bank to bank transfer to send Gary the fund to send the poster back. I sent Gary an email requesting his bank details for me to do a bank to bank transfer.

 

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Friday, 4th January

I received a short email from Gary saying ‘Oh, My!!!’

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Saturday, 5th January

Attempts to contact Gary via eBay’s message system appear to be blocked. I have tried several times to contact Gary through the eBay system but each time I get ‘Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later’. I notified eBay of the problem on 5th January and sent them a screenshot.

On the same day I spoke to someone at Paypal who told me (these are direct quotes as the conversation was recorded and can be verified):


‘There wasn’t even a case open on eBay. They’ve just taken the money’

‘It makes no sense that he gets to keep the item and gets a full refund for it’

‘With an item over £500 in value we (Paypal) would require damage documents from a third party’

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