pontiacratrod
New Member
I am currently mixed up in a claim with a subsidiary of Ebay Japan that is doing business under an assumed name. To this moment i have attempted to reach customer support to fix technical issues so that i may follow protocol and refund the "buyer" but i am being stonewalled. Do i have a case if they attempt to refer me to collections?
here is the letter i sent Ebay and a good description of the case:
Ebay Inc Corporate Officer,
On January 23rd, a company with the Ebay handle "Flight2hnd" won item #110636980154, a 1964 Mercury Comet Dash piece for the total amount of $393. Almost immediately after payment i began receiving automated messages from the company requiring me to enter my shipment information into their online servers as well as clearly writing the item# on the box. I immediately contacted Ebay customer support because i am weary of buyers demanding information with automated messages. I received no feedback and no response. I mailed the package away with delivery confirmation (#9105128882300526371948) and insured it for the full amount of $393. The package was received at the Carson, CA location on January 31st. February 9th i received another automated message from "Flight2hnd" stating that the item was damaged and that they required a replacement or a refund. I responded to the company in shock because this was a metal dashboard with hard molded plastic mouldings and could not easily be broken. A lady from the company "Sekaimon" contacted me with pictures outlining the damage. The item was damaged on all four corners and the box was completely split open on one corner indicating that the package was crushed under an extreme amount of weight. This fact confused me because typical USPS shipping for insured priority mail would not subject packages to freight handling or excessive stacking of large heavy packages. Also in speaking with my local Postmaster I was informed that if a box was split open or broken open such as in this case, that they would place a sticker or label indicating that the box was open or damaged. In the pictures provided from "Sekaimon" of the box, there were no markings or labels indicating that any damage was present during the shipping process. I also question any individual or company who would accept a package that was broken open or crushed as they claim and wait ten days to inspect said package and file a claim. On February 12th, I opened an insurance claim with the USPS submitting all of the documents that I had plus the pictures that were sent to me of the item and the box. It was at this time that I noticed that the Paypal transaction related to item #110636980154 had been removed and the details were no longer available. About two weeks later I received a notice from the USPS claims department stating that I had provided insufficient information and that they needed me to provide proof of value. Unfortunately for me I discovered that the Paypal transaction page that had been removed was the information that I needed to provide to the post office. It was also at this time that I discovered that Ebay's Buyer Protection policy blatantly contradicts a sellers right to collect compensation from USPS insurance by forcing the seller to refund the buyer and accept the return of the damaged item or product. USPS insurance claim information clearly states that reshipping of said damaged item would negate any compensation and that the buyer should retain the item and turn over the item with the original packaging to their local post office. On March 25, growing tired of the situation I decided to cut my losses with the insurance claim and request the package back and issue a refund. On April 1st, the package was delivered to me at my work location. The company "Flight2hnd" had simply taken the original box with my original packing material and taped up the sides. Curiously there was no damage whatsoever in transit this time. I immediately attempted to issue them a refund following the instructions in the resolution center. The "issue a refund" button did not work because it was linked to the Paypal transaction detail page that had been removed. I contacted Ebay customer support and asked them to look into it. I spent an entire hour online with an agent who had no clue what I was talking about and in the end simply told me to just send them the money via a Paypal money request outside of the Paypal transaction and Ebay resolution center and then cancel the Paypal transaction so that I would be refunded all of the applicable fees. I found this advice to be unconscionable because I would have no proof that I fulfilled my end of the resolution and there would be no way for me to "cancel" the Paypal transaction without the details page. I sent a message to Paypal customer support by the end of April 1st requesting that they reinstate the page immediately so that I may fulfill a resolution case. I have yet to hear anything save for an automated response from Ebay customer support saying that they will get back to me. Throughout this entire process I have researched the companies involved immensely and spoken to many individuals whom have had direct contact with these companies and have inside information on them. In my original message to customer support I referred to many complaints about the "Flight2hnd" company and its many variations in Ebay's member forums. Since my message all of those postings have been removed. It was during this research that I noticed that "Sekaimon" had my active Ebay Auctions listed on their site for the consideration of their Japanese customers without my consent which is a violation of my seller's rights and a violation of the agreement I entered into with Ebay. It became clear after I learned the new information about all of these companies to what was going on. "Sekaimon" is in fact Ebay Japan whom lists items from Ebay US sellers without their knowledge to Japanese bidders. The company "Flight2hnd" which refers to a geographical airport location, and has hundreds of variations across the country is the bidder on the Ebay US end. When an item is sold the Ebay US seller accepts payment from one of these "Flight" companies. The US seller is instructed to clearly write the item# on the box and upload the shipping information to Ebay Japan's website. The "Flight" company variants merely receive the packages at their warehouses called "Shop Airlines America Inc." The Shipping service also located at these facilities named "Yamoto Transport" is a freight carrier that ships air direct to Japan utilizing bulk cargo loading techniques. This is where the seller writing the item# on the box is very important. The "Flight" variant company or "Shop Airlines America" never opens the packages. The packages are handed over to "Yamoto Transport" where they are loaded unopened in their original packaging into cargo boxes and shipped directly to an affiliate in Japan whom matches the item numbers to transactions and processes them accordingly. This is where my package and presumably many other sellers' packages were damaged in an attempt to cram as many boxes on a freight carrier destined for Japan as possible to save money. My item was received by the bidder i paid and then reshipped with my original packaging which should immediately void said buyer protection. In fact legally the company I am doing business with is merely an escrow to a customer in Japan, therefore buyer protection should not apply to "Shop Airlines America" or the "Flight" company variants as they are not "buyers." It is also my understanding that there is no buyer on the other side waiting for their money to be refunded by me as per typical for a regular Ebay transaction. Instead the buyer in Japan has already been compensated or may have never even paid because the item did not reach its destination intact. On March 27th I received an email regarding changes to Buyer Protection policies. In it I found the sentence "If an item is re-shipped after being received at the address in the Order details page or PayPal Transaction Details page, it won't be eligible for eBay Buyer Protection Policy coverage." I am astonished to find out that this was not already a stated policy. To this point I have made every effort to follow protocol and do right by Ebay policy and buyer standards. I have been a dedicated user since 2002 and a seller since 2004 and never experienced any problems with any aspect of Ebay's service. As a seller on the wrong side of this bad deal I am out $405 for the total including shipping and a damaged product that is now unsellable. When I checked all of the companies involved with the Better Business Bureau, I was shocked to learn that each company at each location variant was listed as reporting income up to 5 million dollars a year. It is clear that I am not dealing with an average bidder. It is also clear that Ebay is attempting to shroud these practices by utilizing many different names and companies. I don't believe that I should be held responsible for the damages involved in this case. I believe that since Ebay is in control of these companies either directly through Sekaimon aka Ebay Japan or indirectly through its connections with Shop Airlines America Inc & Yamoto Transport that Ebay is also responsible for implementing these practices and therefore should be responsible for reimbursement of payment to "Flight2hnd", not me. It should also be noted that this appears to be a direct violation of fair trading practices as Ebay is knowingly doing business under assumed names with the general trading community un-beknownst to them. Any company controlled, owned by, or affiliated with Ebay should also not be allowed to collect compensation in any resolution or claims cases from any sellers do to the lack of a fair adjudication process. I look forward to your response.
here is the letter i sent Ebay and a good description of the case:
Ebay Inc Corporate Officer,
On January 23rd, a company with the Ebay handle "Flight2hnd" won item #110636980154, a 1964 Mercury Comet Dash piece for the total amount of $393. Almost immediately after payment i began receiving automated messages from the company requiring me to enter my shipment information into their online servers as well as clearly writing the item# on the box. I immediately contacted Ebay customer support because i am weary of buyers demanding information with automated messages. I received no feedback and no response. I mailed the package away with delivery confirmation (#9105128882300526371948) and insured it for the full amount of $393. The package was received at the Carson, CA location on January 31st. February 9th i received another automated message from "Flight2hnd" stating that the item was damaged and that they required a replacement or a refund. I responded to the company in shock because this was a metal dashboard with hard molded plastic mouldings and could not easily be broken. A lady from the company "Sekaimon" contacted me with pictures outlining the damage. The item was damaged on all four corners and the box was completely split open on one corner indicating that the package was crushed under an extreme amount of weight. This fact confused me because typical USPS shipping for insured priority mail would not subject packages to freight handling or excessive stacking of large heavy packages. Also in speaking with my local Postmaster I was informed that if a box was split open or broken open such as in this case, that they would place a sticker or label indicating that the box was open or damaged. In the pictures provided from "Sekaimon" of the box, there were no markings or labels indicating that any damage was present during the shipping process. I also question any individual or company who would accept a package that was broken open or crushed as they claim and wait ten days to inspect said package and file a claim. On February 12th, I opened an insurance claim with the USPS submitting all of the documents that I had plus the pictures that were sent to me of the item and the box. It was at this time that I noticed that the Paypal transaction related to item #110636980154 had been removed and the details were no longer available. About two weeks later I received a notice from the USPS claims department stating that I had provided insufficient information and that they needed me to provide proof of value. Unfortunately for me I discovered that the Paypal transaction page that had been removed was the information that I needed to provide to the post office. It was also at this time that I discovered that Ebay's Buyer Protection policy blatantly contradicts a sellers right to collect compensation from USPS insurance by forcing the seller to refund the buyer and accept the return of the damaged item or product. USPS insurance claim information clearly states that reshipping of said damaged item would negate any compensation and that the buyer should retain the item and turn over the item with the original packaging to their local post office. On March 25, growing tired of the situation I decided to cut my losses with the insurance claim and request the package back and issue a refund. On April 1st, the package was delivered to me at my work location. The company "Flight2hnd" had simply taken the original box with my original packing material and taped up the sides. Curiously there was no damage whatsoever in transit this time. I immediately attempted to issue them a refund following the instructions in the resolution center. The "issue a refund" button did not work because it was linked to the Paypal transaction detail page that had been removed. I contacted Ebay customer support and asked them to look into it. I spent an entire hour online with an agent who had no clue what I was talking about and in the end simply told me to just send them the money via a Paypal money request outside of the Paypal transaction and Ebay resolution center and then cancel the Paypal transaction so that I would be refunded all of the applicable fees. I found this advice to be unconscionable because I would have no proof that I fulfilled my end of the resolution and there would be no way for me to "cancel" the Paypal transaction without the details page. I sent a message to Paypal customer support by the end of April 1st requesting that they reinstate the page immediately so that I may fulfill a resolution case. I have yet to hear anything save for an automated response from Ebay customer support saying that they will get back to me. Throughout this entire process I have researched the companies involved immensely and spoken to many individuals whom have had direct contact with these companies and have inside information on them. In my original message to customer support I referred to many complaints about the "Flight2hnd" company and its many variations in Ebay's member forums. Since my message all of those postings have been removed. It was during this research that I noticed that "Sekaimon" had my active Ebay Auctions listed on their site for the consideration of their Japanese customers without my consent which is a violation of my seller's rights and a violation of the agreement I entered into with Ebay. It became clear after I learned the new information about all of these companies to what was going on. "Sekaimon" is in fact Ebay Japan whom lists items from Ebay US sellers without their knowledge to Japanese bidders. The company "Flight2hnd" which refers to a geographical airport location, and has hundreds of variations across the country is the bidder on the Ebay US end. When an item is sold the Ebay US seller accepts payment from one of these "Flight" companies. The US seller is instructed to clearly write the item# on the box and upload the shipping information to Ebay Japan's website. The "Flight" company variants merely receive the packages at their warehouses called "Shop Airlines America Inc." The Shipping service also located at these facilities named "Yamoto Transport" is a freight carrier that ships air direct to Japan utilizing bulk cargo loading techniques. This is where the seller writing the item# on the box is very important. The "Flight" variant company or "Shop Airlines America" never opens the packages. The packages are handed over to "Yamoto Transport" where they are loaded unopened in their original packaging into cargo boxes and shipped directly to an affiliate in Japan whom matches the item numbers to transactions and processes them accordingly. This is where my package and presumably many other sellers' packages were damaged in an attempt to cram as many boxes on a freight carrier destined for Japan as possible to save money. My item was received by the bidder i paid and then reshipped with my original packaging which should immediately void said buyer protection. In fact legally the company I am doing business with is merely an escrow to a customer in Japan, therefore buyer protection should not apply to "Shop Airlines America" or the "Flight" company variants as they are not "buyers." It is also my understanding that there is no buyer on the other side waiting for their money to be refunded by me as per typical for a regular Ebay transaction. Instead the buyer in Japan has already been compensated or may have never even paid because the item did not reach its destination intact. On March 27th I received an email regarding changes to Buyer Protection policies. In it I found the sentence "If an item is re-shipped after being received at the address in the Order details page or PayPal Transaction Details page, it won't be eligible for eBay Buyer Protection Policy coverage." I am astonished to find out that this was not already a stated policy. To this point I have made every effort to follow protocol and do right by Ebay policy and buyer standards. I have been a dedicated user since 2002 and a seller since 2004 and never experienced any problems with any aspect of Ebay's service. As a seller on the wrong side of this bad deal I am out $405 for the total including shipping and a damaged product that is now unsellable. When I checked all of the companies involved with the Better Business Bureau, I was shocked to learn that each company at each location variant was listed as reporting income up to 5 million dollars a year. It is clear that I am not dealing with an average bidder. It is also clear that Ebay is attempting to shroud these practices by utilizing many different names and companies. I don't believe that I should be held responsible for the damages involved in this case. I believe that since Ebay is in control of these companies either directly through Sekaimon aka Ebay Japan or indirectly through its connections with Shop Airlines America Inc & Yamoto Transport that Ebay is also responsible for implementing these practices and therefore should be responsible for reimbursement of payment to "Flight2hnd", not me. It should also be noted that this appears to be a direct violation of fair trading practices as Ebay is knowingly doing business under assumed names with the general trading community un-beknownst to them. Any company controlled, owned by, or affiliated with Ebay should also not be allowed to collect compensation in any resolution or claims cases from any sellers do to the lack of a fair adjudication process. I look forward to your response.