HELP..PLEASE!!! I think I've been duped!

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paneh

Sweet Neha
Sep 14, 2006
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#1
Alright.....i've heard all of the EBAY horror stories..but I always had good luck both buying and selling....so I thought it wouldn't happen to me...but it HAS!

I bought a sky blue Balenciaga on Ebay a few weeks ago. From the pictures and the description, the bag seemed in very good condition. The seller even made a point of saying that there was no discoloration in the leather. However, when I recieved the bag, it was EXTREMELY used...handles were discolored and dark..the bag had light patches all over it..and even a small tear in the leather. I asked the seller for a refund..and after a few emails back and forth..she agreed to refund minus 10%(for EBAY fees) and shipping...so about 100 dollar loss on my side. I took pics of the bag prior to sending it back to the seller.

Well...this was agreed upon on Friday afternoon(while I was at work)...I had recieved the bag on Thursday and had immediately contacted the seller that I was not happy. I work really long hours and weekends..so I was not able to make it to the post office till Tuesday night (used one of those 24 hour machines) so the postmark showed the date of Wednesday. The seller recieved the bag on Friday..and claims that the bag was not in the same condition as she had sent it and sent me the following letter:

I received the bag yesterday afternoon. I examined the bag carefully and was quite upset to see a black pen mark on the upper right hand side, as well as a white patch on the backside (neither one were there...how could I miss a pen mark??). Also, the corners appear to be like they were purposely dragged on the ground. Again, not the same condition I sent the bag to you in.

I have the original pictures I took of the bag prior to sending the bag (they are dated the day before I listed the bag for auction). I also took pictures of the condition of the bag when I received it, including one of the postmark (which shows the bag mailed Friday, the 23rd when you actually received the bag on the 17th).

Per legal advice of the Paypal fraud department, I will mail the bag back to you on Tuesday when the PO reopens from the Holiday weekend. If you refuse the bag or attempt to send it again, I was advised (again by Paypal) to file a mail fraud complaint and them immediately escalate it to a criminal matter.


WHAT!?!?!??!?! I had immediately packed the bag and was waiting to make it to the post office to send it back....and I don't know what she is talking about regarding a pen mark??!?!??!!?:cursing:...well I filed a "not as described dispute" with Paypal and escalated it to a claim....

So what else can I do???? I paid with AMEX..should I contact them? She hasn't sent the bag back yet..so I don't have the bag or the money.

THanks in advance for your help!
 
#2
You need to do 2 things. Follow up on the dispute with paypal and see what they say.

If you don't get resolution to your favor, then contact Amex. You're lucky you used Amex, whenever I've had a problem I have always gotten every penny back from them. So don't worry too much.
 
#3
aww sorry to hear this has happened to you :sad:
*hugs*
I think you should contact Amex just in case to make sure you do get your money back. That way you can get the full whack instead of 90% of what you paid.
I can't believe she charged you 10% too!
Cheek.
 
#4
I too think you should contact Amex and tell them everything you told us. At least have that on record in case the seller decides to be even more fraudulent!

GOOD LUCK - Keep us updated!
 
#5
OH NO!!!! I just realized that since I added my bank account to Paypal...the funds came from my checking account and not AMEX!!! I'm so mad at myself right now!:cursing:

Does anyone know a contact number or email for someone at Paypal so that I can follow up on the claim.

Thanks guys for the words of encouragement! I will definitly keep you guys updated on the progress!
 
#9
I have a very hard time believing your story, I need proof I have known Becca for a quite a while. I need to see photo's to feel sorry for you. Looking at your auction I can't see anything wrong with your bag
 
#10
reddianasaur said:
I have a very hard time believing your story, I need proof I have known Becca for a quite a while. I need to see photo's to feel sorry for you. Looking at your auction I can't see anything wrong with your bag
Click to expand...

Thank you sweetie! :heart:

I am not going to get into it with you here; it is obviously you do not have your facts straight. I received the bag on Saturday, night Friday (I know it is only one day but still, one extra day for you to damage the bag).

As added proof, I had purchased the bag from another REPUTABLE PF'er who also have pics of the day in the same condition I sent it to you. I had never used the bag I sent you (it stayed in the dustbag the whole three weeks I had it); so basically you are now calling two PF'ers liars.

So you can show all the pics you want; there is no mistaking the damage has been done. However, I know I did not do it, and the first PF'er did not do it. I believe it was buyers remorse on your part (I had noticed you purchased a few other bags that week) and you f*cked up the bag yourself to justify the refund.

It is now left for Paypal to decide I guess. :rolleyes:
 
#11
Oh and I forgot to mention, I spoke to the legal department for a second time to provide additional proof. This time they advised me to keep the bag until a decision has been made. Trust me, I am not a thief. If I win, the back will be sent back to you the next day.
 
#13
I'm not trying to "cheat" anyone either. The pics that you took from your auction, as well as the description, showed a fairly unused bag. When I recieved the bag, it was not in the condition stated. From the minute I came home and got the bag, I emailed you with the following description:

hey there...I just recieved the bag today...and while I really appreciate the fast shipping and the extra gifts...I feel like the quality of the bag is not as described in the auction....the bag looks very used..and even dirty, especially in the handles. You have also mentioned in your auction that the bag did not have any yellowing..but I can see where the bag is losing its color in the front of the bag. I would not have accepted the counteroffer had I known that the bag was this heavily used. I hate to say it...but I'm just not happy with the bag. Is there return policy?

You responded on the following day, the 18th, saying that you will not accept returns....I followed with the following email:

I thank you for taking the time to respond to my e-mail, however I have to disagree. I have purchased many items on EBAY and there are times were I am not 100% happy with the purchase, however, if the item was listed accurately in the auction, I will keep the item and make the best of it. In this situation, the handbag I received looks very different than the one listed in the auction. First of all, the auction lists the bag as: is almost perfect; the leather is amazing. The handles are nice and light; the color is even.

My assessment of "almost perfect" is slight handling, however the bag looks extremely used and even has some tearing in the leather. In addition your assessment of "the color is even" is also not correct. There are huge patches on the handbag that are discolored. I am currently at work right now, but I will document all of these imperfections with my camera tonight.

I understand that you did pay EBAY fees to list your auction. I am willing to accept a return of the amount I paid less 10% and shipping amount, which comes out to approx ___, meaning a refund of____. Please let me know if these is acceptable. Thank you.

At which point you agreed to take the bag back with the following email on Friday the 18th:

Yes, that would be fine. My return address is: _____I will promptly refund your money via Paypal when I receive the bag back

At this point, you were aware of all of the imperfections -discoloration of leather (which I'm sorry..but does not happen in 2-3 days, the small tear in the leather, and the discolored handles, as well as the fact that it overall was used).

I work long hours and I was not planning to go to the post office on Saturday(I had previously agreed to work on both Saturday and Sunday). I worked till almost Midnight on Monday, and was not able to make it to the post office until 9pm on Tuesday night. The postmark would of course show for the next day, which is Wednesday the 23rd. So lets get something straight....I received the bag on the 17th...emailed you immediately that I was not satisfied....you agreed to a refund in the middle of the day on Friday...I then..withink 3 business days mailed the bag back to you.....so you can stop the whole 1 week thing..because it hasn't been a week.

As for the pen mark, I can't speak to that at all. I looked at all the pics that I took of the bag prior to packing and sending it back, and I do not see any such thing. I will try to attach my pics of the bag to the thread so that you can see for yourself that I had documented every imperfection as I had noted in my email.

​
 
#14
These pictures of the bag in the auction are DATED. Dated two days before I listed the bag. Also you claim I acknowledged that the bag was beat up; NOT TRUE. You were polite and persistent so said I would take the bag back as a good Ebay seller.

Also, I have a picture of the date mark on the package. You mailed it Friday, May 23rd which is 5 business days, plus Sat and Sun. If you are so busy, then why did you not mail it the next day, on the 18th?
 

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