Ebay - it drives you mad!

Have you ever bought or sold anything on eBay? Was it a smooth transaction? For your sake, I really hope so.

Last summer, I bought several pairs of sandals at half price or less, admittedly having become a little carried away over the tempting bargains. This summer, I see that several pairs are not suitable. So I am going to put them on eBay and take my chances. But, I am doing this with some trepidation. Past experience tells me that I may not receive the money for them. It is worth knowing though, that  this may not be eBay's fault, or the Royal Mail's fault, but the buyer's fault. The buyer can simply say that they did not receive the parcel. They may actually have received the goods but will say that they haven't.  Hard to fathom why someone would do that other than to get something, by cheating, for free.

If someone says that they have not received an item, after a reasonable length of time, they are encouraged to be patient a little longer, and then to 'open a case'.

I have been an eBay user, on and off, for over ten years. I have had a case opened against me twice. One in 2008 and one today.

The one today somehow doesn't surprise me, which may sound odd. I decided that I would only sell in the UK, thinking that there was a much greater chance of something getting lost, the further it travelled. When a person from Poland contacted me to ask if I  would send the necklace she wanted to Poland, I agreed. I shouldn't have done. First of all, she took ages to pay. The vast majority of people pay within twenty-four hours. This buyer took a month, telling me that she had various bills to pay, but not to worry she would pay. I was really regretting this.

Today, my suspicions were confirmed. She complained once that she had not yet received the necklace. I sensed where this was going. She asked if when I posted it I would send it signed for. I did. It cost £8.70. She only gave me £5, despite my request for more. I just wanted to get it over with so sent it anyway. And what do you know?
 
Today, she opened a case. She hadn't received the necklace. GRRRRRRRRR!