I sold an antique cup and saucer for £165 through eBay. The buyer lived in Germany and so, through my eBay account, I had pre-arranged to use the company’s international shipping facility.
My buyer paid eBay directly to have their item delivered from the UK shipping centre. All I had to do was send it to eBay’s collection centre for international deliveries in Derbyshire. I have confirmation that it was received there.
Ebay’s own terms and conditions make it clear that once an item has reached this collection centre a seller is no longer liable to refund the buyer if it is lost or damaged.
Nonetheless, I received an email from eBay informing me that “a case” had been opened against me as the buyer had still not received their parcel.
I was given a link to click on to provide information. However, this was all in German, therefore I could not understand a word. I contacted eBay’s customer service and was told that any reimbursement was eBay’s responsibility, so I might as well ignore the email.
Next, I was contacted by eBay in Germany wanting proof that the parcel had not reached the buyer. This was obviously something I had no knowledge or control over, but I was subsequently informed that eBay would be reimbursing the buyer and claiming the sum from my account as I could not prove that the buyer had not received the parcel.
In a number of phone calls to eBay customer services, staff agreed that I was not responsible for the refund but that, since it was a decision by eBay Germany, there was nothing they could do. By then my PayPal account had been debited.
I feel that my only course of action now is to take eBay to a small claims court, but all the time involved with this is costing me a small fortune. EW Blakeney, Gloucestershire
Ebay blames a “straightforward process mistake”, although not so straightforward that the company was able work out what to do about it before The Observer got in touch.
The same day that I contacted the press office it authorised a refund, but the wait is not yet over. Although eBay can instantly debit PayPal accounts when it suits the company, it requires up to seven days to return the money. Funny that!
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number.
