Quick Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
There are several policies that cover shipping time for items bought on eBay:
- Paypal policy:
Shipment should be made within 7 days of receiving payment to maintain PayPal protection.
- More Paypal policy:
Shipment should be received within 20 days of payment, or seller is liable to lose PayPal membership.
(sellers: see this page for more info)"
- FTC policy:
Shipment should be made within 30 days of receiving order, unless a different representation is made.
- Ebay policy (by inference)
Wait an appropriate time. If the item does not arrive, there are several ways you can complain to eBay (use the above link to learn of some)
OR, If you have waited 10 days without word, look in the
eBay Security and Resolution Center for a quick link to start the Item Not Received process.
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Start the
Unpaid Item Process to get your Final Value Fee refunded. Additional information is at
this page . You can track the progress of your filing by logging in and checking your
Dispute Console , located in the selling area of your My eBay."
You are free to relist your item after you file. You can use the Second Chance Option (notify the second highest bidder) too.
Filing for your final value fees will also prepare the way for the bad actor to go bye-bye. Three complaints from different sellers and the bidder is gone - NARU (Not A Registered User). NARUs cannot file feedback.
Do not post your negative feedback until appropriate. Negs are good ways to warn other eBay members, but they do little to remove the non paying bidder. A member's total feedback rating must reach (-4) before that member is removed.
You can also look in the eBay Security and Resolution Center for a quick link to start the Unpaid Item Process.
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Signs of a hijacked selling account:
- Items in your selling account that you didn't put there
- emails asking about auctions that you didn't set up
- Inability to log in
What to do:
Go to
THIS PAGE to leave a message to eBay employees.
There is a LIVE HELP button near the bottom of that page,
USE IT!
Meanwhile, if you still have access to your account,
CHANGE THE PASSWORD NOW,
to prevent continued misuse.
eBay will eventually stop the fraudulent auctions and remove any fees your account might have incurred.
If you think somebody falsely used your account to buy things, you should first consider family members and friends that might have access to your computer, eBay ID or password. Sellers usually send the winner's widgets to the address included with the payment, so hijacking an account merely to buy something is relatively rare.
If you think someone has stolen or may steal your eBay ID or password, read this page for valuable information:
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If you, your family, or your property have been THREATENED, contact your local police dept. Save all correspondance for presentation to the police.
You can block unwanted from both your auctions and your email.
- See this page for more info on blocking bidders from auctions.
- Read your email client's documentation to learn how to block unwanted incoming email.
If you received threats of bodily injury to you or your family, read how to report it at
this page .
or
Read more about eBay's policy on unwanted email, and how to report it at these links:
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Some eBay members are receiving false / fraudulent emails purported to come from eBay (or PayPal). These emails attempt to garner your private information for nefarious purposes.
Neither eBay nor PayPal will ask for passwords, CC numbers, etc in an email.
Do NOT click on any links in those emails!
Do NOT answer those emails!
FORWARD a copy of the email, with full headers, to spoof@ebay.com
If you clicked on anything in that email, your computer may now have a virus or trojan.
- Run a virus/trojan program, then
- Change your passwords for both eBay and PayPal
- Inspect your "My eBay" ,
to see if there is any suspicious activity in your account. Particularly check your SELLING account, even if you are not a seller.
See eBay's warning about spoof email .
Whenever you click on something that supposedly sends you to PayPal, make sure the address that shows in your browser address window is Link the http S indicates it is a secure connection.
If you think you have a scam PayPal email, contact spoof@paypal.com
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Please look at the description of the item you won again, and compare it closely with what you received. The seller may have additional pages of description, but the
required description must be on the auction page itself. If that description is markedly different than that of the article you received, try the following:
- Contact the seller, and describe the differences between what you received with the auction description. See if you can reach a mutual understanding. If you want a refund or replacement item, you should return the original item to the seller before the seller sends the refund or replacement. Wrap the item well, and return it with delivery confirmation.
- If the item was damaged in shipment, and was insured, you will have to take it to the post office or other carrier, so the packaging and item can be inspected. Usually, either the seller or the buyer can initiate an insurance damage claim. However, if the item was lost in shipment , only the seller can initiate the claim.
- If the seller disagrees with your claim that the item is different than described, you may wish to pursue the matter through a third party. Read more about eBay Dispute Resolution .
- As a (nearly) last resort, you may want to get your money back. If you paid by PayPal, be aware that PayPal does not engage itself in "Item not as described" complaints, unless The item was significantly misdescribed. For more information on PayPal's protection policies, including those for buyers who did not get any item, or got something unexpected, read the appropriate section in the PayPal User Agreement.
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Buyers may want to return their items for several reasons. The item may not have been described fully or correctly, it may have hidden flaws, or might have been damaged in transit. Some buyers may want to return an item because it didn't match their expectations, or was the wrong color, or they didn't want it any more, or they substituted a similar item for the received item.
The buyer and seller should communicate, and determine who bears the responsibility. If the seller is fully at fault, the seller should refund the money or replace the item. Shipping charges may be paid by the seller. If there was a mutual misunderstanding, both parties might consider sharing the cost of the item or the shipping charges. If the buyer wanted to return the item because of buyer's remorse or other inappropriate reason, the seller is not bound to perform an exchange or refund.
If the trading partners agree on a refund or replacement, the buyer should return the item (with delivery confirmation) before the seller refunds or replaces it.
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There are several reasons why an auction might look suspicious to a visitor. Here is a partial list:
- Shill bidding
- illegal items
- policy violations
- invalid bid retractions
- unwelcome bidders
- fee circumvention
- misrepresented identity
- site interference
- vulgarity
- solicitation of offsite sales
- etc.
Sometimes the visitor's assessment is correct, and sometimes it is not. eBay
will investigate complaints, and take appropriate action, if the violation is reported to them.
There are many pages in the
help system that have links to the appropriate reporting page. In most cases, using these links is much more efficient than trying to contact Live Help. eBay also has a page that
explains their investigation parameters , including what they do and do not investigate. This page is VERY informative, and should be read before reporting any auctions.
Short answer: If you see a suspicious auction, REPORT IT TO eBAY!
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Here are several links and email addresses to start you on the path to contact eBay with a problem:
- eBay Live Help For New Members" (this page may change. If it does, see the yellow Live Help "button" near the top of the main ebay entry page .)
- Obtain User Contact Info
- Info on Account Status (Sellers)
- Billing, bidding, selling or technical questions
- eBay Buyer Checklist
- eBay Online Help
- Block or Preapprove Bidders Page
- If you received an email supposedly from eBay, but you are unsure, FORWARD it (With all headers) to spoof@ebay.com
- If your auction was ended by a VeRO member, and you want more information, send an email to veroended@ebay.com
- If your auction was ended, and you want to explain why it should be allowed, send an email to whyended@ebay.com
- If you tried all other avenues, and haven't found an answer that helps, send an email to communityoutreach@ebay.com
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Many answers were given in this document, but not everything could be anticipated. Here are some additional sources, both eBay "official" and unofficial information by eBay members.
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- Q. How can a NARUd user leave me feedback?
A. A non-registered user cannot leave feedback. You received the feedback either before the user was unregistered, or after he/she was reinstated.
- Q. I want to cancel a bid made by somebody. How do I do this?
A. Learn more about cancelling bids from the cancel bids help page
- Q. Can somebody charge buyers a fee for using PayPal??
A. Charging additional fees for using PayPal is against both eBay and PayPal policies.
- Q. Can one use the PayPal credit card logos in eBay auctions, yet not accept credit cards via PayPal?
A. No. It is against both eBay and PayPal policy, as well as the credit card companies' policies.
eBay says:
Important: If you offer PayPal as a payment option on eBay (either using logos or text in the item description) you must accept all forms of PayPal payment including account balance, bank account transfer, and credit cards. You must have a Premier or Business PayPal account - or be willing to upgrade from a Personal PayPal account to a Premier or Business account - if you receive a credit card payment. You may not communicate to eBay buyers that you will only accept specific forms of PayPal payment
- Q. Who can see my eBay information?
A. Take a look at part of eBay's Privacy Information
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The three "Gs" of getting scammed:
1) Greed 2) Gullibility 4) Gormlessness
The three "Gs" of getting scammed:
1) Greed 2) Gullibility 4) Gormlessness 
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
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