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 you need to know?
Before you open a dispute on eBay, you need to understand the local terms. Since the site is in English, 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 buyers, which allows you to resolve disputes and protect them. It's called eBay Buyer Protection.
The main tool for resolving conflicts is Case, that is, dispute. This is the name of the dispute in the electronic space.
How does dispute work? There is a misunderstanding that the buyer is unable to resolve with the seller. If the latter does not make contact in any way, then 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 point, you need to indicate the grounds for the dispute.
After opening a dispute on eBay succeeded, the site itself comes into play. The administration proposes a compromise for the buyer and the seller. If the buyer is not satisfied with this option, then the dispute is transferred to the Claim section, that is, a complaint / claim.
After the translation, the site administration studies the issue in detail and, based on the results, issues a final verdict.
When can I open a dispute?
Opening a dispute on eBay can happen for two reasons:
- The product arrived of inadequate quality or does not match the description of the seller.
- Product did not arrive on time.
In addition, there are certain items that are covered by the Buyer Protection Program. Let's take a closer look at them.
What does the program cover?
The eBay administration is ready to protect its customers only in cases where the seller's fault is obvious. Before starting to resolve the issue, the support team checks compliance with the requirements:
- The product arrived in the wrong quality or at the wrong time.
- Payment for the goods was made through PayPal, Payment, Skrill, Payeer. By the way, most paymentsgoes through PayPal.
- Product was purchased through eBay. Perhaps the most followed item.
- Item must be paid for at one time. The administration does not accept the dispute if the buyer paid the fee in several steps.
When is the program not working?
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 a second impression or by accident. The buyer understood the error, but still opens a dispute. At the same time, there is an opportunity to return the goods.
- Item has been shipped to a 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 site administration. It could be an agreement with the seller to lower the price in order to avoid taxes, or there are already many disputes in the history of the buyer. All this refers to suspicious actions and leads to account closure, and the administration will not warn in this case.
- Some categories of goods do not involve opening a dispute on eBay for a refund. This includes real estate, services, cars, websites for sale.
- Products purchased at the wholesale site of the site.
This is not all the reasons for refusing to open a dispute. The full list can be found on the site itself in the program description.
Opening dates
In order for the buyer to be able to return his money, hemust open a dispute on eBay within the time limits 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 what was indicated by the seller as the last delivery date. It is important that this moment be written in the Delivery section, that is, Delivery.
If the seller did not indicate the estimated time in the section, the site administration itself sets the date. As a rule, this is the seventh day after the buyer pays for the goods. This is when both parties are in the same country. When the buyer and seller are from different countries, the eBay administration puts thirty days. In general, for international shipments, the eBay dispute opening time is sixty days.
If within three working days the seller does not respond to the dispute or does not want to resolve it, the buyer can contact the site administration with a request to intervene and make a decision. To do this, you will have to transfer the dispute into a claim.
How to open a dispute on eBay and the terms we, in general, discussed. Now it is worth mentioning an important point. After the buyer has opened a dispute, he has thirty days to turn the dispute into a claim. If during this time the administration is not notified of the resolution of the dispute or the transfer to a complaint, the dispute will be automatically closed.
Exceptions
Sometimes a site extends the duration of a dispute, but only for good reasons. Among them:
- Extended delivery due to national holidays.
- Slow mail service.
- The emergence of man-made or naturalcataclysms.
- Changing laws and government regulations.
- National Disaster.
Decisions during a dispute
An eBay refund dispute can be resolved in several ways.
- Partial refund. The seller compensates only a part of the amount paid. This is done in situations where the return shipment is unprofitable, the product has minor damage or needs repair.
- Full refund. The seller can take the initiative, or the site administration can insist. If the goods are already with the buyer, then 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.
When out of stock
We have already sorted out the timing of opening a dispute on eBay. Now let's talk about situations where the buyer did not receive 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 selling party. 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 turn 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 mainevidence will be information provided by the seller and the buyer. Check if there is a written confirmation of delivery signed by 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 item is wrong
How to open a dispute on ebay if the product has arrived, but does not match the description? It is also necessary to contact the conflict resolution center and open a dispute. The seller, in turn, is obliged to respond to the buyer and offer a solution. This can be a product replacement, a product return, or a full refund.
When the buyer is not satisfied with the actions of the seller, as well as the conditions for resolving the dispute, or the seller does not want to communicate at all, the dispute is transferred to a complaint and the site administration makes the final decision.
During the consideration of the case, eBay employees will study the description of the goods, the data provided by the seller and the buyer. During the investigation, it is sometimes not possible to accurately determine whether the product matches the description. If this happens, then the buyer must return the goods to the seller and receive their money.
Refund Policy
We wrote how to open a dispute with the seller, but the conditions under which the goods are returned have not yet been told.
So, the return rules are as follows:
- The seller must accept the goods at the address indicated in the description.
- The item is returned in the same condition as it wasreceived.
- If the return postage is not covered by the conditions, the buyer pays for them himself. In certain situations, the site itself can pay for the return. When the purchase value exceeds $750, returns can only be issued with written acknowledgment of receipt. This means that the seller is obliged to sign the delivery note of the courier.
- Customs fees are paid out of the seller's pocket.
In some situations, there is no need to return the goods:
- If the seller did not provide his exact address.
- It is dangerous to return the goods.
- The seller violated their own return policy.
- The deal was not under the terms of the buyer protection program.
As soon as the seller confirms that the goods have arrived, the buyer will be refunded both for the goods and for the delivery. Most often, funds are transferred to a PayPal account.
A possible solution to the problem would be a partial refund, which will cover the expectation/reality difference. In this case, it is not necessary to return the goods.
When the buyer assumes that the product is counterfeit or counterfeit, then it can not be returned. The main thing is that there should be evidence of conjectures. The eBay administration will return the amount paid for the product, and the latter will dispose of it. By the way, most often the delivery is also paid by the site.
It is important to remember that these items should not be attempted to be resold 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 receives in this case. Among other options was a refund for the product and shipping. Let's take a closer look at this point.
Money returned as a result of a dispute through PayPal. If the buyer does not have an account there, you will have to create one. To do this, you need to 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 next purchases within the site. When the buyer paid from the card, but through PayPal, the money will be transferred through a reverse transaction within 10 days.
Nuances of the Buyer Protection Program
Any program has its own nuances that you need to study before participating. eBay's Buyer Protection program is no exception, so you need to be clear about what to expect.
So, the program provides for:
- The right of the eBay administration to make final decisions on disputes.
- eBay may provide personal and contact information to either party to a dispute or the other.
- The administration can help negotiate if the buyer and seller speak different languages.
- The site can independently open a dispute and resolve it on behalf of the buyer.
- The Buyer Protection Program does not provide any guarantees for the purchased product.
- Products that are sent through the Global Shipping Program also participate in the protection program.
- The site administration canindependently correct errors by crediting or debiting funds if errors occurred during the return.
If the dispute is closed
People often wonder how to open a closed dispute. There is little information on the net 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 has already been closed, then it is useless to look for solutions.
When people are looking for information on how to reopen a dispute, they are wasting their time. After all, one transaction implies the opening of only one dispute. It can be opened either on the website or through PayPal. The latter can only be used if the payment went through there.
What to do?
If the buyer is dissatisfied with the results of the dispute, he will look for ways to solve the problem. One has only to type in the search engine "How to open a dispute if the protection has expired?" and the first result of the search will be an offer to issue a chargeback. You need to contact the bank that issued your card and file an application. 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 for those who do not know how to open a dispute if the time is up.
Filing an Appeal
The Buyer Protection Program provides an opportunity to object to the site's decision. If a decision was made that does not suit the buyer, he can file an appeal within 45 days from the date of the decision. Will have to contact the decision centerconflict situations and provide additional materials on the dispute. The appeal will be considered again and, if the buyer still turns out to be right, all the money will be returned to him.
Open a dispute
You should think 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 halfway in a personal conversation and will not have to conflict. But, if your decision is unchanged, 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 “How to open a dispute if 15 days have passed” on the Internet. First, make sure that the international delivery period has not yet expired. The next step is to talk to 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 send later than the agreed time. All points can be resolved in personal correspondence and, perhaps, the need for a dispute will disappear.
- The product does not match the description. Before opening a dispute, make sure that the claims are justified. And also think about how you will prove to the site administration that the description does not match. A photo of the actual 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 did not work out. To prevent this from happening, you need toconstruct the dialogue correctly. Report all claims calmly, politely and clearly, offer ways to resolve the conflict and consider the 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, it may be easier to partially return the money. Most sellers are ready for dialogue and are calmly looking for ways to resolve the conflict.
- A lot of time has passed since the payment of the goods. In such a situation, you should hurry up, because if time runs out, then you won’t be able to open a dispute.
Let's now describe the sequence of actions in detail.
Procedure of actions
Often, buyers do not know how to open the console in a dispute. So, first you need to log into your account on eBay. On the main page you need to find the inscription customer support (Customer support). Clicking this button will take you to the support page. There will be two labels to choose from:
- Item not received ("I didn't receive my item").
- Item does not match the 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, you will see a page with information on how to act in this situation. The main rules of the buyer protection program from the site itself and PayPal will also be indicated here.
After familiarization, the buyer can open a dispute by clicking on the "Open a case" button.
The next page gives you the opportunity to select a lotto which the dispute is opened. If the image of the problematic product is already there, then you just click on it. When there is no picture, the product can be found by searching by name or number.
The site opens the next page where the buyer can see the delivery. This requires the seller to provide a tracking number, if not, then the buyer clicks to open a dispute.
By the way, you can also choose a product for a dispute through your personal account (My eBay). Opposite the product, look for the Actions column, in which we select More Actions. From the list, select the line to solve the problem (Resolve a problem).
As soon as you click on a line, a page will immediately open where you need to select a problem. When you have decided, click on the already known "open dispute" button.
Relatively recently, the site 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?". If you select "I haven't received my item yet or Item I received is not as described", the dispute will be opened automatically. Therefore, first select the item Other (Other) and communicate.
To open a dispute, you need to fill out a form. To do this, select the item that accurately describes the problem (What's the problem with the item?). The list includes the following options:
- Damaged in Shipping.
- It's the wrong item.
- Item is defective or defective (Defective orbroken).
- It's missing parts or pieces.
- It's fake or counterfeit.
- It's unusable. This includes items that were ordered by a certain time but arrived later.
- The problem isn't shown above.
Next, a window appears in which you need to select options for helping the administration. So, to the question “How can eBay help you (How can eBay help you?)”, you can choose one of the options:
- I want a full refund.
- I still want the item from the seller. In this case, you will have to wait for the goods if the seller sends a second one of the same kind. It is quite possible that you will receive two lots at once.
After the buyer indicates what he wants to get from the dispute, he must leave contact information. As a rule, no one uses the phone, especially for international transactions, but this way you can show that you are ready for a dialogue.
What you should do is write a message to the seller. You need to briefly indicate the essence of dissatisfaction and attach links to a photo of what you received. This message will then be read by the site administration if it comes to a dispute.
The last step will be to re-confirm the opening of the dispute. This is done by pressing the "Open a Case" button.
When the dispute is accepted, the buyer will receive an email from the site with the details of the dispute. Next, you only needcorrespond 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 are sent to your e-mail.
Final details
We have already talked about how to reopen a dispute, and found out that this cannot be done. But there are a few more things every potential buyer on eBay should be aware of.
If the buyer has already opened a lot of disputes, then he may be blocked on the site or limited protection under the program. This is because such behavior looks suspicious from the side of the administration. Even if the buyer was right in all disputes. So think before you start an argument. You may win it, but you will lose the opportunity to buy on the site.
In general, in order to avoid conflict situations, carefully choose the seller. It is a scrupulous approach to business that allows you to avoid a large number of problems associated with similarity, delivery times and the reliability of the seller. One can only hope that conflict situations do not spoil the pleasure of virtual shopping.
