Totally agree. Ebay and Paypal ALWAYS side with the buyer.
Here's what happened to me today.

This buyer picked up the item # 400183868084 from my house. She was able to inspect the condition to make sure it matched the description of the item which was listed as used and had broken pieces. She took the items home. She emailed me thru the eBay message system stating that she broke the item while cleaning it and was going to state that it was significantly not as described ( being dusty) if I didn't issue her a refund. I explained that I was not able to accept a return of the item since she stated she BROKE the item. I did my homework and contacted both paypal and ebay. Both parties advised me that I did nothing wrong and to recommend that the buyer file a dispute. I asked how that dispute process works with both Paypal AND eBay. BOTH parites stated that if the case was decided in MY favor, she would be refused a refund and get to keep the item. If the case was decided in HER favor she would have to return the item to me, after I receive the item, I would have to issue her a full refund.
She filed a dispute with eBay this morning. I responded that I was not able to issue a refund for an item she broke once she got it to her home and an eBay automated system issued her a full refund AND she gets to keep the item, AND she is allowed to leave me negative feedback. How is that fair to a seller that did absolutely nothing wrong?? The message that is being sent to the buyer is that they can buy whatever they want, file a claim, get a full refund, get to keep the perfectly good item, and get to leave negative feedback. Very very unacceptable. I'm very disappointed in both ebay and paypal. What I was advised would happed both eBay and Paypal is NOT what happened. I would very much like to discuss with with someone at eBay and Paypal that is authorized to make changes in a broken system.

I agree. I sold an iphone on ebay and paypal said I am not at fault. I called ebay and they said that I listed the tethered jailbreak very clearly. When I checked my email later, the buyer won, left me negative feedback and worst of all I now have to eat up shipping and fees. BS!!!

It can be a hassle and they charge you too much in fees.

I absolutely agree! Buyers abuse the eBay Buyer Protection on a regular basis and sellers have NO WAY of leaving negative feedback to warn other sellers. Today, this buyer opened a buyer protection case after returning merchandise that wasn't even close to what I sent her and got a refund because she provided tracking information and eBay tracked that the package was returned to me. HOW BS!!!

Same sad story here. Twelve years of perfect feedback and now one lousy, cheating buyer (who i had to file a non-paying bidder action on!) gets away with theft using the exact same scam described again and again. Ebay clearly doesn't care about this process or US as part of their business model. They've chosen to be a marketplace for Chinese mass sellers (and good for them) and obviously no longer need/want the individual seller. This action was the last straw for me, I'll only use well known commercial auction houses and will close my ebay account. I was foolish enough to document and VIDEO my item before shipping because I expected a scam after filing the 'non-payer' action against the scammer. Don't bother. Resolution never asked for the video url or the item numbers of the other sellers she'd scammed who could only leave "warnings" within their 'positive' feedback (as I now have). Siding with the buyer is automatic. Ebay used to be great, but i pity anyone thinking they have a chance selling on it now. Unless you sell inexpensive goods and can absorb the scam losses, you will be burned and you have been warned.

Oops, meant to quote you specifically

Well said, they are hurting their profit center. Not smart business.

I have been selling since 1998 and I agree 100% with you. Here is another issue there is No Penalties for Buyers who do not pay. I have 3-4 NON Paying Bidders a week, Not because they dont want it because thet bid on 3-4 of the same item and the cheapest one they pay for, but there is no panalty. So I file a non paying bidder alert and get my fees back, then I have to go through all the crap again to re-list while they walk away. As for ebay saying Oh well 3 non paying alerts and we susepnd them, yeah and they have 3-4 other accounts on ebay they can buy from. Why did they change thee policy of feedback and why not just change it all, either positive fo nothing for sellers to ?

Hi sienna1927, I feel your pain!
I have only recently started selling a few bits and bobs on here, just to make a little bit of extra cash, because I'm not earning much these days, and times are hard for everyone!!
I have had a few pleasant selling transactions, but I have had 2 recently that have driven me to the point of insanity!!
One was a situation where I sold a faulty Playstation 3 console, I was selling it for a friend, and he told me that the Blu ray drive was faulty.
So I decided to plug it in, just to make sure. I was able to turn the console one, but it wouldn't read any Blu ray discs, or any disc whatsoever.
I explained this in the description, and also explained that I will not be accepting any returns, as the console is SOLD AS FAULTY!!
Someone bought the console, and after I received the payment, (through paypal, may I add) I packaged it up, covered it in bubble wrap, boxed it, and sent it by royal mail first class recorded delivery.
The buyer received it the next day, telling me that the console was damaged, and emailed me a picture. The picture showed that the box was damaged, and there was a big plastic chunk taken out of the Playstation console, right next to the power supply!
If that was me, and I saw the damaged box, I would have refused delivery. (I have done a few times previously.)
But he accepted it, and asked me for a refund when he saw that there was damage.
I advised him to contact the royal mail, and make a claim for compensation through them, and I will send the proof of postage to him.
That wasn't good enough!! He wanted a partial refund from me, AND the proof of postage too!! I respectfully declined that, and be ended up opening a case through eBay, as 'item not as described'.
I spoke to ebay reps over the phone various times, and explained the situation, and the advised me to let the case escalate after 10 days, and they will most likely favour me!
Boy, was I wrong!!!
He ended up winning, I have now had the money taken from me, (which has been on hold in my paypal account for the last 2 weeks anyway!!!)
Now I am hoping he doesn't send me back a box full of bricks!!

The second troublesome buyer I have had recently is where I have sold a working xbox 360 console, which showed a picture of the console fully working on the listing, and I also advised I will not be accepting any returns on the listing, as the console is fully operational.
(bearing in mind that I have tested this console on a 4 hour gaming session with it in a not very well ventilated area, just to make sure it won't play up when it has been sold!!)
I ended selling it for a VERY low price for a working console, I have seen faulty consoles sell for higher!!
Anyway, I packaged it up well, and sent it off.
The buyer received it, and after using the console, he left me positive feedback, saying how glad his son is to have a working console again!
Now however, 4 days after the positive feedback, the buyer has sent me a message saying that the console is now not working.
I apologised to him, and said that I do not offer any returns, (as stated in my listing) as the console was working, and even he was using the console for a while.
Needless to say, he was quite angry, and demanded me to accept a return.
I have over 200 positive feedback, and he has 4, one of them was from ANOTHER xbox 360 console bought from someone else.
I advised him that I cannot be 100% sure that it is my console that is faulty, and asked if he could send me a video of the console not working, and asked for the camera to move to the back and show the serial number of the faulty console in the same video.
(I take the serial numbers of anything I sell, just in case)
He declined, and has now opened a case as 'item not as described!'
I would like to know if it is actually my console, because if it is, I would happily swap it for a other console, as he has only had it 5 days, but he won't prove to me that it IS my console.
I give up selling on here!!
There is NO SELLER PROTECTION AT ALL!!
Anyway, sorry about my lengthy post!!
Dan

Hello better beware International shipping, altogether. We just lost a case with a buyer that as stated did not read the ad or was working a scam. I guess it doesn't matter which. Paypal gave him his money back. We did not get item back. Total loss as you eat the postage too, $84.00. I no longer ship Internationally. Too many people out there know Paypal and Ebay are offering anything for sale on Ebay for free, all you have to do get it, is if file a claim. In the U.S. you may also lose the item, but you probably won't be out the hefty International shipping fees.

I can beg to differ i bought a n900 from a seller who described it as new when i got it i got in in a bubble back no battery no screen back price charger headphones. when i opened a case eBay ruled it in favor of the seller saying that the item matched his description i even have evidence of emails from the seller saying the pic in listing was the item, but found that exact same pic in another listing and on a website posted before his listing started. So the seller got away with a cool $270 just like that. So buyers do suffer also

Dear all friend,

Thank you for share your experience.
It's make me feel like i'm not only one who fall in trouble with cheat buyer.
I'm Thai seller and try to provide my best for buyer but same on you all.

Thanks

Yes, this is true. I have been on ebay 12 years with almost 2,700 transactions, mostly as a seller, with no negs. I have had a half dozen buyers return things to me claiming not as described - and when I received them back (these are used cameras, by the way) in 5 cases the item worked perfectly, and in one case the buyer destroyed my item and claimed it was my error. They do this so they can recover their shipping fees and not just the price of the item.

I bend over backwards for my buyers, but I can no longer stay in business. Someone before mentioned raising prices, but I cannot do this and stay competitive. Everyone who comes to eBay is interested in one thing only - to get a bargain. So if I raise my prices, the item with sit unsold for months. Most people, I think, try to do the right thing. But there are enough that don't care about anything else but getting the best deal for them. And that is enough to make it not worth my time anymore.