Slightly OT: Snipe issues on eBay

[swarmee]

Well, eBay posted this today:
http://announcements.ebay.com/2014/0...84.m2301.l3955

"Earlier today, some eBay users experienced issues when visiting our site. The issue has been resolved and site functionality has now been restored.

Based on our initial investigation, this was the result of a technical issue that occurred during scheduled server maintenance. While many users were unaffected, we know any interruption for our users is frustrating. And we know that some of our affected sellers may have questions about their selling activity; in the coming days, we will provide them with additional information separately on possible fee adjustments and related seller protections.

We’re very sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused to the buyers or sellers involved.

Sincerely,

The eBay Team"

[MikeGarcia]

...so then it's safe to list an auction now ?

...and exactly what these ''seller protections'' mentioned ?

...I've read horror stories on this forum about a buyer keeping the item and E-Bay and Paypal refunding his full payment ? How is this remotely possible ?
.. Or is it just an internet legend ?

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by MikeGarcia

I've read horror stories on this forum about a buyer keeping the item and E-Bay and Paypal refunding his full payment ? How is this remotely possible ?
.. Or is it just an internet legend ?

Only in rare cases does this happen. I think I've had it happen twice over the years, and in both cases is because the buyer absolutely squawked about having to return the item to get their refund. Ebay finally released the funds back to me AND refunded the buyer (meaning the refund came out of EBay's pocket), and allowed the buyer to keep the item. Again, this is VERY rare, and in my experience, only happens on relatively low-priced items.

Much more common is the scenario of a buyer forcing a return, squawking about having to pay return shipping until the seller finally foots the bill, then the buyer leaves a neg feedback anyway when it's all over. You definitely have to have thick skin when selling on eBay, as they have removed nearly every means for well-meaning sellers to defend themselves from the abusers.