Ebay buyer claimed their item never arrived, then left neutral saying it did?!

[Lancer]

Ugh, I'm so sick of eBay. >.<

I sold a (non-pony) toy to a buyer in Brazil.  Last week, the buyer opens an item not received case on me and asks for a refund.  I had a horrid feeling she was trying it on but I still wrote to her to tell her when it had been shipped.  I asked her to wait a few more days but, if she had still not received it then, let me know and I would refund her in full and open a claim with Royal Mail.

No more contact from the buyer, she just closed the case as soon as she could at which point eBay kindly gave her a full refund from my Paypal account.

No sooner had she received her refund than she leaves me a neutral feedback and says, "Its arrives very late".  Hang on a moment.  So she DID receive it, just "very late"?  I know eBay always side with the buyer but apparently this woman now has the toy and a full refund and I'm out of pocket with a neutral feedback?  It's not my fault if the item was delayed in transit, I have the post office receipt to prove it was sent in good time after I received her payment.

I'm not sure what to do.  There's obviously a language barrier between the buyer and I, the last few times I've used online chat for eBay issues, they've magically disconnected me.  The toy itself was worth a tiny amount (I've last far more on shipping it to Brazil ironically!) so it hardly seems worth racking up a big phone bill to eBay but I don't see why she should get away with having a free toy and leaving me bad feedback.

What would you do?

[flying_narwhal]

I am so sorry you are dealing with this, what a headache! In general I have found that packages going to Brazil take a very long time to arrive at their destination. I personally will only ship to a couple of people there that I have dealt with in the past and that are very understanding and patient with the wait times associated with international purchases.

You might be able to appeal the case through eBay. I have not done this in recent years but I remember in the past I was able to appeal a case that closed. I found this bit of info on ebay UK's site "If the case if not resolved in your favor, you can appeal the decision by going to the case details in the Resolution Centre. Remember, for a successful appeal we recommend that you provide any new information that was not included in your earlier communications." (link: http://sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/seller-protection/case-resolution ) If you can appeal it this way I would point to the fact that they left feedback that showed that they did indeed receive the item. If you also have any kind of tracking or customs number that might back this up I would also enter that as evidence as well. You may not be able to get the feedback removed but you might at least be able to get your money back. If the process lags I would try calling eBay directly.

If I were you I would also report the buyer for abusing the eBay Buyer Protection process. Of course blocking them from purchasing from you in the future is always a good idea too!

I hope this helps! I'm crossing my fingers that you will be able to recoup some of your lost funds.

[kakenterprise]

If I was in the same situation, I'd call ebay.  You have proof that they got it so they can take the money out of their account and return it to you.  Sorry you had to deal with this, I know it get stressful.

[northstar3184]

I agree with the other posters. I would contact Ebay about it. Even if it's for a small amount, it's the principle of what she's doing:

1) She's not entitled to both the item and her money.

2) We all know international shipping takes time, sometimes a month or more. She should have considered that before voluntarily buying an item from a seller on a different continent.

3) If there were any postal delays; that's not your fault. You fulfilled your part by shipping the item, so any negative feedback resulting from the shipping process is inexcusable since you have no control once the item leaves your hands.

[jrr74]

I was in a similar situation from Brazil, except I was the buyer.  In my situation, the seller refunded me.  I was just letting them know the item hadn't arrived, I wasn't asking for a refund at that point.  Anyway,  they did ask if the item does show up to let him/her know.  It came about 5 days later.  I informed the seller, they sent me an invoice through paypal, and I promptly paid. 

[Skeen]

You've got to call eBay.  That absolutely isn't right, the buyer has no right to both item and money.  The neutral is really the lesser issue right now, even though it's not like you personally decided to have it delivered "late." 

[Sebby6]

As a side note, I sent something to south America and it took nearly two months to get there. My half of the trade has still not arrived.
I would probably insist on tracking for those destinations (that way you don't have to exclude anyone - they'll exclude themselves )

[Ringlets]

I agree with the advice already posted here - please do call ebay (its easier to talk to a real person than trying to email them) . With that feedback you should be able to get your money back 
Also yes when shipping to Brazil or other countries in South America , its best to send the item with tracking and delivery confirmation (tracked and signed for)  since they can take a long time to arrive and it will protect you from situations like this one in the future

[DazzleKitty]

I agree with everyone else....you must call. To me, what she is doing is stealing from you. She should give you your money for the item back. She got her item. Yes, it was late. Maybe a small partial refund on shipping could be due to save face, but she got her item and should pay what she owes for it.

I'm sorry this happened to you. It's not fair at all to you.