eBay Return - am I defenseless?

[CbusPGA91]

I recently sold a putter on eBay and now the buyer is trying to return it 5 days after receiving it. He is claiming the putter came with a dent in the face and that I was “deceptive” in my listing by posting the picture of the face at a certain angle, even though the face picture was straight on at no angle. 
 

Do I have any chance here or does eBay just side with the buyer every time? He is in a warm weather area so I believe he just used it and doesn’t like it, so now he wants to return it. The dent resembles that of bag chatter when it gets hit by another club being thrown into the bag.  Obviously I have no proof of that, but the picture he provided of the dent would have clearly been noticeable by myself when taking the original picture. Just wanted to get everyone’s opinion to see if I’m screwed on this putter or not. Thanks in advance. 

[brkuck]

Depends on how good the pictures you had were before you sent it to him.  Lately, Ebay has seemed to side with the buyer unless there is 100% proof that the damage was not done by the seller.  Even then the Ebay lords seem to side with the buyer, too.  Most people just ask for the club to be sent back and then the money refunded.  As long as you paid with Paypal (not F&F), the return transaction should be OK.  Sucks that it had to come to this, but Ebay is full of lying and deceitful people anymore.

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Post the pic if you are serious about getting an answer.  You really don't deserve any answers unless you do, not fair to us, not fair to the buyer.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Hawkeye77

[snapier]

OP - I agree with above, you should post photos as well as the eBay listing.

 

You’re not getting screwed by eBay.  Part of selling on eBay is realizing returns are part of the game.   What was the sale amount?  Best to accept the return and move on.

Edited March 6, 2021 by snapier
Spelling

[CbusPGA91]

The picture I listed is the one that is face on, right side up. The two pictures he posted with the refund are the ones taken upside down. If you zoom in on the darker picture he took, you can still see where the dent is. In my opinion, you would have been able to see that in my picture. 

[dongodfrey]

Problem is with eBay is they don’t care about pictures or anything that takes effort, I had the same with a set of irons,

my buyer had them over a week, I use head covers so very rare I ever get bag rash of any nature, he sent them back over 10 days after purchase all dented and dirty grooves, he claimed he never hit them, surprise, surprise, eBay took his side,

hope you have better luck than me !!

[golfisit]

Actually, I can see the dent in both your pic and his. It is much more pronounced in his pic - looks like the lighting was better- but if you look closely at your pic you can see the faint lines of an I indentation in exactly the same area of the face.

[brew4eagle]

I'm not sure if I can see the dent in your pic, sort of can make out the outline, but not sure if I'm just imagining it.  Someone good with photoshop should be able to tease it out if it is there.  If that damage was done by the buyer then I'd be real upset as a seller, that's a serious dent that can affect playability. 

[Londoner]

Sorry, but if you're selling a club with a ding like that in the face you photograph it so it's obvious.

Give him his money back.

[CbusPGA91]

Zoom in on his picture and you can see where the grooves are crooked just left of center. Look at my picture and you’ll see the grooves are straight all the way across just left of center. Why would I go through trouble to photoshop the picture and say it’s in good condition when I know how easy it is to return? And I don’t even have the slightest idea how to work photoshop. If eBay wants to refund him that’s fine but I’m not going to do it. 

[Bigjim1022]

I can kinda see the dent in the first pic but I know where to look based in the 3rd pic.  I’d accept the return, you’ll lose the claim I’m pretty sure.  I’ve been selling on eBay for awhile and decided ling ago that it’s better to just accept the return from the buyer even if you are in the right.  That way you don’t lose out in more, cut your losses basically.  
 

As is usually the case in situations like this, better and clearer pictures are the best protection against this.  Not saying your hiding anything but if I were the buyer I’d skip past you’re listing because if the dark pics.  Unless it was a club I absolutely had to have, then I might ask for more pics.  
 

Hope this helps though I doubt it’s the best news!

[brew4eagle]

6 minutes ago, CbusPGA91 said:

Zoom in on his picture and you can see where the grooves are crooked just left of center. Look at my picture and you’ll see the grooves are straight all the way across just left of center. Why would I go through trouble to photoshop the picture and say it’s in good condition when I know how easy it is to return? And I don’t even have the slightest idea how to work photoshop. If eBay wants to refund him that’s fine but I’m not going to do it. 

I didn't mean you photoshopped your pic, I meant someone that is good at photoshop can filter your pic to improve the lighting to see if there really is a dent there.  If there isn't a dent then this could help your situation. 

Edited March 6, 2021 by brew4eagle

[Greenie]

You might as well take it back. Ebay sides with the buyer most of the time. It's the risk you take when selling on Ebay. 

 

The last item I sold which was years ago was brand new driver with the head wrapped in plastic. I shipped it out with in hrs of payment. I get an email from the buyer saying he wanted it for a scramble and if he didnt receive it in three days he was going to return it. Had I had seen the email before I shipped the club I would have never shipped it. I already knew this wasn't going to end well for me. 

 

He sent another email after receiving it in two days and said his was excited to have it in time for his scramble.

 

After his scramble I get another email from him saying he didn't hit it any beter than his old driver and he wanted a refund. I replied it couldn't be returned because it was no longer in the same condtion as sold.

 

He filed a not as described with Ebay and he won the case even though I supplied all his emails. 

 

I got the club back with a nice big sky mark on it. Again I went a round with Ebay P/P but nothing became of it. 

 

Never again!

 

I don't know if the mark was there before or not but him having it for five days isn't any defense. If the mark was there before selling supplying pictures isn't a defense either. If it was there it should have been mentioned. 

 

When I sold stuff I always mentioned every imperfection and tried to show pictures showing said imperfections. When the pictures didn't show the issues very well I always mention it doesn't show in the picture but it is there.

 

I always thought selling that way would protect me when any problems came about with a buyer but with that last buyer I had I learned it doesn't matter if the buyer is scum. 

 

[CbusPGA91]

I bought this putter brand new two years ago, used it 3 times and then it sat in my basement all of 2020 before listing it. I’ve been selling things on eBay for over 10 years and have never had anything returned. I understand where everyone is coming from but I know for a fact that dent wasn’t on the face when I shipped it out. This will probably be the last time I use eBay anyways. They claim their new payment method is faster than PayPal but it’s actually 3-4 days slower. 

[CC Stryder]

Maybe I’ve gotten old but we’re buying and selling used equipment, it’s part of the risk.  If you don’t want to take the risk, pony up and buy new from a respectable retailer.  It infuriates me someone would play a club, or worse yet damage it, then try to return it. Somewhere along the line society has forgotten how to be respectful, rational adults. 

 

I’ve been hosed - it happens.  I usually contact the seller and let him know to see if we can come to a mutual agreement first.  I can see the dent in his pictures (upside down pics) but tough to see it is NOT present in yours (right side up pic).  Whether you want to fight it is a matter of principle.  You seem sure it wasn’t there, stand your ground to make a point but as most have noted the likely result will be the same either way.
 

 

 

  
 

 

[lookylookitzadam]

1 hour ago, brew4eagle said:

I'm not sure if I can see the dent in your pic, sort of can make out the outline, but not sure if I'm just imagining it.  Someone good with photoshop should be able to tease it out if it is there.  If that damage was done by the buyer then I'd be real upset as a seller, that's a serious dent that can affect playability. 

 

Tried to play with the OPs photo to create contrast of the lines.  This is the best I could do with iPhone magic haha. 

[Ghost_Orchid]

8 minutes ago, lookylookitzadam said:

 

Tried to play with the OPs photo to create contrast of the lines.  This is the best I could do with iPhone magic haha. 

Nice job.  That doesn't look like bag chatter...it looks deliberate by the seller to return the club as being not as described.  Good luck.

[jeffrey r]

Looks like OP is getting scammed, but he'll probably still get hosed by eBay unfortunately.  Good luck.

[Greenie]

Nice job on the blown up pic. I hope the seller wins his case. It would be some justice for all of us that have been scammed by buyers.

[LeftyBobby]

4 hours ago, golfisit said:

Actually, I can see the dent in both your pic and his. It is much more pronounced in his pic - looks like the lighting was better- but if you look closely at your pic you can see the faint lines of an I indentation in exactly the same area of the face.

 

Edited March 6, 2021 by LeftyBobby
Edited because I was looking at wrong pic. Seller's photo does not have a dent that I can see

[tungstenplug]

9 minutes ago, LeftyBobby said:

Agreed. I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I've opened up your pic and blown it up multiple times, compared your pic and his, and I see the dent in your pic every time. I do think his picture, with the lighting and angle makes the dent look more pronounced than it actually is, so it's possible you didn't notice it the dent when you took the pic...but it's there. Accept the return and move on. 

 

This is the photo posted by the seller. You see the dent here?

[tomuch23]

15 minutes ago, LeftyBobby said:

Agreed. I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but I've opened up your pic and blown it up multiple times, compared your pic and his, and I see the dent in your pic every time. I do think his picture, with the lighting and angle makes the dent look more pronounced than it actually is, so it's possible you didn't notice it the dent when you took the pic...but it's there. Accept the return and move on. 

The original picture from the eBay listing is the middle one above and I don't see much. The buyer pics definitely show a big dent which we would all see in the middle pic if it was already there I believe. 

[LeftyBobby]

My apologies, thought the first pic was the sellers photo. You're right, I don't see a dent in the seller's photo.

[rollen]

Not sure how you guys  see the dent in the 2nd pic. I cannot see it…even after enhancing the photo.  Remember the 1st and 3rd pics are from the buyer and only the 2nd pic is the sellers. 

[5baytjd]

20 minutes ago, rollen said:

Not sure how you guys  see the dent in the 2nd pic. I cannot see it…even after enhancing the photo.  Remember the 1st and 3rd pics are from the buyer and only the 2nd pic is the sellers. 

Would have made it a TON more clear if the OP, had posted his pic FIRST and then the two pics from the buyer, instead of them being interspersed.

 

BTW, I can't see the dent in the right-side-up pic (seller).  But I will be taking pics of things from different angles on my eBay listings from here on.

[snapier]

4 hours ago, CbusPGA91 said:

Zoom in on his picture and you can see where the grooves are crooked just left of center. Look at my picture and you’ll see the grooves are straight all the way across just left of center. Why would I go through trouble to photoshop the picture and say it’s in good condition when I know how easy it is to return? And I don’t even have the slightest idea how to work photoshop. If eBay wants to refund him that’s fine but I’m not going to do it. 

 

Your middle photo does indicate a putter face in better condition than the 2nd (last) photo from the buyer.  The buyer's 1st photo however compare to your photo.  Not sure if camera angles or lighting are masking or exaggerating a flaw.

 

 

 

[Valtiel]

3 hours ago, lookylookitzadam said:

 

Tried to play with the OPs photo to create contrast of the lines.  This is the best I could do with iPhone magic haha. 

I took it into Photoshop and found the same thing, no evidence of any dent. 

[brew4eagle]

29 minutes ago, Valtiel said:

I took it into Photoshop and found the same thing, no evidence of any dent. 

If I was the seller I'd force ebay to make me take the return.  Buyer is the lowest of the low, I hope he lips out every putt he looks at

[AzSuperHack76]

Looks like the buyer is trying to screw you. Hope everything works out for you. 

[dxdgenert]

8 hours ago, golfisit said:

Actually, I can see the dent in both your pic and his. It is much more pronounced in his pic - looks like the lighting was better- but if you look closely at your pic you can see the faint lines of an I indentation in exactly the same area of the face.

This. That dent was there in your first “upside down” photo.