Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to open a dispute on eBay. Meanwhile, orders from this site do not always arrive on time and of proper quality. To protect buyers from such situations, the creators of the site have developed a whole program that helps to return money. Let's talk about this in more detail.
What do you need to know?
Before you open a dispute on eBay, you need to understand the local terms. Since the site is English-speaking, it would be better for the buyer to speak English, at least at a basic level. If you do not speak English, then this article will help you.
So, let's start by looking at how to open a dispute on eBay without going into details.
The site has developed a whole program for customers, which allows you to resolve contentious issues and protect them. It is called eBay Buyer Protection, that is, a customer protection program.
The main tool for resolving conflicts is Case, that is, a dispute. This is the name of the dispute in electronic space.
How does a dispute work? There is a misunderstanding that the buyer is unable to resolve with the seller. If the latter does not make contact at all, the buyer opens his account on the site and contacts the eBay Resolution Center. This is the name of the center that resolves problem situations. Now you need to open a dispute. By the way, at this moment it is necessary to indicate the basis for the dispute.
After opening the dispute on eBay, the site itself enters into business. The administration offers a compromise for the buyer and seller. If the buyer does not like this option, the dispute is transferred to the Claim section, that is, a complaint / claim.
After the transfer, the site administration studies the issue in detail and makes a final verdict based on the results.
When can I open a dispute?
Opening a dispute on eBay can happen for two reasons:
- The product came of inadequate quality or does not match the seller’s description.
- The product did not arrive on time.
In addition, there are separate points covered by the customer protection program. Let's consider them in more detail.
What does the program cover?
The eBay administration is ready to protect its customers only in cases where the seller’s guilt is obvious. Before you begin to resolve the issue, the support service checks compliance with the requirements:
- The product came in the wrong quality or at the wrong time.
- Payment was made through PayPal, Payment, Skrill, Payeer. By the way, most payments go through PayPal.
- The product was purchased through the eBay trading site. This is perhaps the most tracked item.
- Item must be paid at one time. The administration does not accept the dispute if the buyer has paid a fee in several stages.
When does the program not work?
In some cases, opening a dispute on eBay is not possible. And there are reasons for this:
- The buyer bought the product by mistake, under the second impression or by accident. The buyer understood the error, but still opens a dispute. However, the opportunity to return the goods exists.
- Item has been shipped to third party. For example, if the goods were received in England and then sent to Russia, then the Russian buyer can no longer act under the protection program.
- There are facts that indicate an attempt to deceive the administration of the site. This may be an agreement with the seller to lower the price in order to avoid taxes or in the history of the buyer there is already a lot of controversy. All this refers to suspicious actions and leads to the closure of the account, and the administration will not warn in this case.
- Some product categories do not imply an eBay money back dispute. This includes real estate, services, cars, sites for sale.
- Goods purchased at the wholesale site site.
This is not all grounds for refusing to open a dispute. The full list can be found on the site itself in the program description.
Opening Dates
For the buyer to be able to return his money, he must open a dispute on eBay within the time specified by the Protection Program. Now it is thirty days from the date of the estimated or actual delivery time of the goods. By the way, the estimated time is called what was indicated by the seller as the last delivery date. It is important that this moment be recorded in the Delivery section, that is, Delivery.
If the seller did not indicate the estimated time in the section, then the site administration itself sets the date. This is usually the seventh day after payment by the buyer. This is the case if both parties are in the same country. When the buyer and seller are from different countries, the eBay administration sets thirty days. In general, for international shipments, the deadline for opening a dispute on eBay is sixty days.
If within three business days the seller does not respond to the dispute or does not want to resolve it, then the buyer can contact the site administration with a request to intervene and make a decision. To do this, you have to translate the dispute into a claim.
How to open a dispute on eBay and the timing we, in general, have discussed. Now it’s worth touching on an important point. After the buyer has opened the dispute, he has thirty days to translate the dispute into a claim. If during this time the administration is not notified of the resolution of the dispute or translation into a complaint, the dispute will automatically close.
Exceptions
Sometimes the site increases the duration of the dispute, but only for good reason. Among them:
- Extended delivery time due to holidays in the country.
- Slow mail service.
- The occurrence of man-made or natural disasters.
- Change of laws and state acts.
- National disaster.
Dispute Resolution
The eBay money-back dispute can be resolved in several ways.
- Partial return. The seller compensates only part of the amount paid. This is done in situations where the return shipment is unprofitable, the goods have minor damage or need repair.
- Full return. The seller may take the initiative, or the site administration may insist. If the product is already with the buyer, the latter returns it at his own expense, and the seller sends the money.
- Replacement of goods. The buyer sends the goods back, and in return the seller sends a new one. Most often, the seller sends the goods after the previous one has been delivered, but you can agree and send a tracking number for the parcel.
When there is no product
We have already made out the deadlines for opening a dispute on eBay. Now let's talk about situations when the buyer has not received the goods. What to do in this case?
The buyer must open a dispute through the Conflict Resolution Center and get in touch with the seller. The latter is obliged to inform the buyer of the nuances of delivery, provide a tracking number for the parcel or return the money for the goods and delivery.
When the seller does not respond or the buyer is not satisfied with his actions, he has the right to translate the dispute into a complaint. In this case, the site itself will make a decision on a specific situation. How would this happen? The eBay administration will conduct a kind of investigation in which the main evidence will be the information provided by the seller and the buyer. Check if there is a written confirmation of delivery with the signature of the buyer. True, it is requested only if the product costs more than $ 750.
When the administration finds out that the goods were not delivered, the buyer will be refunded for the goods and delivery.
If the product is not the same
How to open a dispute on ebay if the goods arrived, but the description does not match? You must also contact the center for conflict resolution and open a dispute. The seller, in turn, is obliged to answer the buyer and offer a solution. This may be a replacement of goods, return of goods or reimbursement of its full value.
When the buyer is not satisfied with the seller’s actions, as well as the conditions for resolving the dispute or the seller does not want to communicate at all, the dispute is transferred to the complaint and the site administration makes the final decision.
During a case review, eBay employees will review the product description, data provided by the seller and buyer. During the investigation, sometimes it is not possible to accurately determine whether the product meets the description. If this happens, then the buyer must return the goods to the seller and receive their money.
Return Terms
How to open a dispute with the seller, we wrote, but on what conditions the goods are not yet told.
So, the return rules are as follows:
- The seller must accept the goods at the address indicated in the description.
- Item is returned in the same condition that it was received.
- If the return postage compensation is not provided for by the conditions, then the buyer pays for it himself. In certain situations, the site itself may pay a refund. When the purchase price exceeds $ 750, a refund can be issued only with written confirmation of receipt. This means that the seller must sign the courier's invoice.
- Customs fees are paid from the seller’s pocket.
In some situations, it is not necessary to return the goods:
- If the seller has not provided his exact address.
- Returning goods is dangerous.
- Seller has violated its own return policy.
- The deal was not held under the terms of a customer protection program.
As soon as the seller confirms that the goods have arrived, the buyer is refunded both for the goods and for delivery. Most often, funds are transferred to your PayPal account.
A possible solution to the problem will be a partial return, which will cover the difference in the type of "expectation / reality". In this case, it is not necessary to return the goods.
When the buyer assumes that the goods are counterfeit or counterfeit, then they can not be returned. The main thing is that there be evidence of speculation. The eBay administration will return the amount paid for the goods, and the latter will recycle. By the way, most often delivery is also paid by the site.
It is important to remember that such products should not be attempted to resell on eBay or other sites.
Refund
We have already figured out how to open a dispute if the package has not arrived. They also talked about what the buyer gets in this case. Among other options was a refund for goods and delivery. Let's look at this point in more detail.
Money is returned as a result of a dispute through PayPal. If the buyer does not have an account there, then you will have to create it. To do this, use your email, which is attached to your eBay account. It is important that this is the account from which the dispute was opened.
If all this is not done, the money will be returned in the form of a coupon valid for the following purchases inside the site. When the buyer paid back from the card, but through PayPal, the money will be transferred through a reverse transaction within 10 days.
Buyer Protection Nuances
Any program has its own nuances that must be studied before participating. The eBay customer protection program is no exception, so you need to clearly understand what to expect.
So, the program provides:
- The right of the eBay administration to make final decisions on disputes.
- eBay may provide personal and contact information to both one party to the dispute and the other.
- The administration can help agree if the buyer and seller speak different languages.
- The site can independently open a dispute and resolve it on behalf of the buyer.
- The customer protection program does not give any guarantees for the purchased goods.
- Goods shipped through the Global Shipping Program also participate in the protection program.
- The site administration can independently correct errors by crediting or debiting funds if errors occurred during the return.
If the dispute is closed
People are often interested in how to open a closed dispute. There is little information on the network about this and there are reasons for this. It turns out that it is impossible to open a closed dispute. If it so happened that the dispute is already closed, then it is useless to look for solutions.
When people look for information on how to reopen a dispute, they simply waste time. After all, one transaction involves the opening of only one dispute. It can be opened either on the website or through PayPal. The latter can be used only if the payment took place there.
What to do?
If the buyer is dissatisfied with the results of the dispute, he will look for ways to solve the problem. Just type in the search engine "How to open a dispute if the protection has expired?" and the first search result will be a proposal to issue a chargeback. You need to contact the bank that issued your card and make a statement. It will be considered by a special department within 30-50 days, after which a decision will be made.
By the way, the same algorithm of actions is useful to those who do not know how to open a dispute if time is up.
Appeal
The customer protection program provides an opportunity to object to the decision of the site. If a decision has been made that does not suit the buyer, he can appeal within 45 days from the date of the decision. You will have to contact the center for resolving conflict situations and provide additional materials on the dispute. The appeal will be reviewed again and, if the buyer is still right, he will be returned all the money.
Open a dispute
It is worth considering carefully before opening a dispute. Immediately before this, you should find out how to return the money without opening a dispute. It is possible that the seller will meet in person and not have to conflict. But, if your decision is constant, then remember all the important points of the protection program.
- If the goods are not received on time, then do not immediately panic and open a dispute. Even when the goods have not arrived within two weeks, you do not need to immediately type on the Internet “How to open a dispute if 15 days have passed”. First make sure that the international delivery time has not yet expired. The next step will be a conversation with the seller. Let him specify when he sent the goods and in what way. It happens that sellers send goods by another company, make a mistake with the tracking number, or ship later than agreed. All points can be resolved in personal correspondence and, perhaps, the need for a dispute will disappear.
- The product does not match the declared description. Before opening a dispute, make sure that the claims are substantiated. And also think about how you will prove to the site administration inconsistency with the description. A photo of a real product will come in handy.
- The seller does not make contact. Most often, all issues can be resolved through personal correspondence, but it also happens that the contact was not successful. To prevent this from happening, you yourself need to properly build a dialogue. Report all complaints calmly, politely and clearly, suggest ways to resolve the conflict and consider options written by the seller. Recall that the buyer will have to send the goods back at his own expense, so you should think carefully, maybe it’s easier to partially refund the money. Most sellers are ready for dialogue and calmly looking for ways to resolve the conflict.
- A lot of time has passed since the payment for the goods. In such a situation, it is worth hurrying, because if the time runs out, then the dispute will not work.
Let’s now describe in detail the sequence of actions.
Procedure
Often, buyers do not know how to open a console in a dispute. So, first you need to log in to your eBay account. On the main page you should find the inscription Customer support (Customer support). By clicking on this button, you will be taken to the support page. There will be two inscriptions from which to choose:
- Item not received ("I didn't receive my item").
- Product does not match description ("My item doesn't match the seller's description").
You choose what suits your problem. As soon as you click on one of the lines, a page with information on how to act in this situation will open in front of you. The main rules of the program for protecting customers from the site itself and PayPal will be immediately indicated.
After familiarization, the buyer can open a dispute by clicking on the button "open a case".
The next page gives you the opportunity to choose the lot on which the dispute opens. If the image of the problematic product is already there, then you simply click on it. When the picture is missing, the product can be found through a search by name or number.
The site opens the next page on which the buyer can familiarize himself with the delivery. To do this, the seller must provide a tracking number, if it is not, then the buyer clicks to open a dispute.
By the way, you can choose the goods for the dispute through your personal account (My eBay). Opposite the product, we are looking for the column Actions (Actions), in which we select additional actions (More Actions). From the list, select the line to solve the problem (Resolve a problem).
As soon as you click on the line, a page will immediately open where you need to select the problem. When you have decided, click on the already known "open dispute" button.
More recently, the site has introduced a new feature. It consists in the fact that if you want to contact the seller, you must first answer the question: "What is the reason for the conversation?". "I haven't received my item yet Item I received is not as described", . (Other) .
, . , (What's the problem with the item?). :
- (Damaged in Shipping).
- (It's the wrong item).
- (Defective or broken).
- (It's missing parts or pieces).
- (It's fake or counterfeit).
- (It's unusable). , , .
- (The problem isn't shown above).
, . , « eBay (How can eBay help you?)» :
- I want a full refund.
- I want to receive the item from the seller (I still want the item from the seller). In this case, you have to wait for the goods if the seller sends the second one. It is possible that you will immediately receive two lots.
After the buyer indicates what he wants to receive from the dispute, he must leave contact information. As a rule, no one uses the phone, especially in international transactions, but this way you can show readiness for dialogue.
What is worth doing is to write a message to the seller. It is necessary to briefly indicate the essence of the dissatisfaction and attach links to photos of what you received. This message will then be read by the site administration, if it comes to a dispute.
The final step will be to reaffirm the opening of the dispute. This is done by clicking on the "Open a Case" button.
When the dispute is accepted, an email from the site with the details of the dispute will be sent to the buyer’s email. Then you just need to correspond with the seller and wait for the decision of the latter or the site administration. Every step of the seller will be known to you, because notifications come to e-mail.
Last details
We have already talked about how to reopen the dispute, and found out that this cannot be done. But there are a few points that every potential buyer on eBay should know about.
If the buyer has already opened a lot of disputes, then he can be blocked on the site or restrict protection under the program. This is because on the part of the administration this behavior looks suspicious. Even if the buyer was right in all disputes. Therefore, think before you start a dispute. You may win it, but you’ll lose the opportunity to buy on the site.
In general, in order to avoid conflict situations, carefully choose a seller. It is a scrupulous approach to business that avoids a large number of problems associated with the similarity, delivery time and reliability of the seller. One can only hope that conflict situations will not spoil the pleasure of virtual shopping.