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  • Report:  #1521247

Complaint Review: ebay - San Jose California

Reported By:
W. Thomson - Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Submitted:
Updated:

ebay
2145 Hamilton Avenue San Jose, 95125 California, United States
Phone:
8665403229
Web:
ebay.com
Categories:
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Ebay sellers that use eBay authentication beware!  Ebay does not care about or trust its loyal clients/customers. Do not sell an expensive watch on Ebay!  If you do it is at your own risk.  The authentication company does not handle with care and may damage or lose your items and you have no recourse whatsoever. 

This is my first complaint on this site ever and I am not traditionally someone who complains about anything, but I am sick over this and feel obligated to warn others that might be selling/buying watches or anything else of value on eBay where their authentication team is involved.  The disconnection between ebay and authentication is also disturbing.

I have been selling on eBay for over 21 years with over 1500 transactions and 100% positive feedback (buying and selling).  Also, I am an individual, not a company, so I personally package and ship everything I sell.  I have never had an issue until having to ship through eBay's authentication company (a 3rd party to which they have outsourced this service within the last 3 years). 

I sold a watch on ebay that has a stainless steel bracelet attached, but also came with 2 extra leather straps and a buckle. 

Ripoffreport Report Image

The watch with bracelet and extra links were secured inside the factory watch box, but the original brown leather strap, black leather strap and original buckle would not fit inside the watch box, so I put them in a thin styrofoam sleeve which I placed on top of the watch box and wrapped all of this with bubble wrap.

First bottom to top over 2 sides and then over front and back top and bottom.  I also had bubble wrap in the shipping box on bottom and all sides.  I then set the bubble wrapped watch box and straps into the shipping box so that it was snug, secured the box and took it to Fedex. 

2 days later I got an email from Ebay telling me that the authenticator said the two leather straps and buckle were not in the box.  I responded telling them how it was packed and that the straps and buckle were in the shipping box, but not in the watch box and could easily have gotten lost in the shipping material (bubblewrap). 

I then got a call from Ebay 2 days later verifying what I had described in my return email.  In other words, there had been no direct correspondence with the authenticator for several days by ebay.  I described the packing method to the Ebay representative who said this information would be communicated to the authentication company. 

As you might imagine, I’m already extremely worried at this point that they have thrown out the packing material because it has been days since they unpacked it.  I hear nothing from ebay for another couple of days, so I had to call them to follow up.  They told me that the authentication company reviewed their unpacking video and that the items were not there. 

Are you kidding me? They audit themselves?  I did my own audit, and the straps were in the box!!!  I explained that depending on the way the inner box was removed from the packing box and material, it may not have shown up in the video and to please go through all of the packing material.  eBay then said they had made their decision and were siding with the authentication company’s findings. 

ebay took the authentication company's word over mine and offered no resolution or recourse.   The rep understood my plight and asked what they could do to make it right and said he’d go to bat for me with management, but in the end they did nothing.  

The authentication company sent the watch back to me in a box that was 1/3rd of the size of the box I sent with almost no packing material.  In other words, they trashed my packing material along with the straps and buckle

They also neglected to include the cotton cloth I had put on top of the watch in the watch-box so that it wouldn’t shift during shipping, and the watch was askew in the box when I received it back because of this.  

The sale was cancelled, I’m out the straps and buckle, and they don’t take any responsibility.  They don’t identify the authentication company or allow any contact with them at all, so all correspondence is indirect and the authentication company does their own audit/review.  Neither eBay nor I are able see the video evidence they used. 

I have absolutely nothing to gain by lying about this and as I told the eBay reps I wish I had left the items out of the box, because this could all have been prevented.  The straps and buckle are in my pictures on both eBay and Chrono24, so it’s not like I'm making these items up. 

The return box included a letter saying that I should re-list the item with a more accurate description.  Are you kidding me?  Ebay authentication either lost or stole my Zenith straps and buckle and tell me to fix my description.  I am fuming

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1 Updates & Rebuttals

Flint

Rolla,
Missouri,
United States
That sucks.

#2Consumer Suggestion

Mon, September 19, 2022

That really sucks.  Just as a suggestion, next time you ship something, PLEASE make a clear separation between the items and the packaging.  The best option is to put the items in a clear plastic bag, then wrap the bag with packaging. 

I've almost thrown away many things that were packed overzealously and looked like packing materials.  An authentication company certainly isn't going to keep used packaging around -- they likely process thousands of packages per day, and they probably have a $7.25 per hour employee opening boxes, removing the items, and probably putting them in a plastic tote or something like that. 

Make it easy for them.  It's also a good idea for high-value items like that to take a video of yourself packing and sealing the box.

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