Don't Get Burned on eBay

Chapter 3. Don’t Get Burned on Packaging

Let’s say you had a smooth-as-silk transaction with a friendly seller who shipped promptly (with a tracking number, of course), so now all you have to do is sit back and await the arrival of your fabulous Tiffany lamp.

One glorious morning, a handsome delivery man (or a gorgeous delivery woman—your choice) arrives with your eagerly awaited package. You sign for it, take it inside, and joyfully rip open the box only to find a disaster.

The seller wrapped your delicate lampshade in flimsy brown paper before tossing it into the box. Those colorful glass shards will sure come in handy if you ever find a mosaic art project, but you had something a little more intact in mind.

Or perhaps your newly acquired Aeron chair is missing its wheels because the old, battered box in which it was packed tore in transit, resulting in the loss of the small pieces.

Now what?

If you’re the buyer in a situation where your auction item has arrived in bad shape, you should start by contacting the seller. If you aren’t satisfied with the resolution the seller proposes, you can file an INR/ SNAD complaint with eBay by going to Help → A to Z → I → Item Not Received/Significantly Not As Described Process (Figure 3-1). You can also file a grievance with PayPal, providing you used it for payment (see Chapter 2, “PayPal: Read the Fine Print”).

Figure 3-1. The first page of the ...