Today eBay reversed a payment I received for selling a phone. I had sent the phone on the way to the airport and kept the receipt in my backpack in case I needed to verify that I sent it. A couple weeks later I saw the receipt, figured everything was done, and threw it away.
And then this guy files a claim that he didn’t get the phone. I write him back asking for more information and giving him the dates and times I shipped. He doesn’t respond. Ten days later I write him again to make sure he got the phone and everything was okay. No response.
Paypal had taken the money out of my account, making it negative, but after a while they reversed the money back into my account. Seemed like everything worked out.
And then this morning I wake up to see that the seller, without contacting me, escalated to eBay and eBay sided with them. So the guy got a free Nexus 5 on me.
My first reaction was to be angry, at the guy for pretending he didn’t get the phone, but mostly at eBay for taking the money and not even asking me for my side of the story. I’ve had an eBay account for fifteen years now with perfect feedback! What are the chances I really decided to scam a guy for a $300 phone?
Deep breath.
What do I know about eBay? Well, their customer service is horrendous. What do I know about buyers on eBay? They’re mostly good, but there are some scammers out there. I’m familiar with the claims process and know that it has only a fleeting relationship with actual justice.
And what did I do with that information? Basically ignored it. Oh, this is my fault.
How hard would it have been for me to take a cameraphone picture of the receipt? Super easy. What’s my excuse for not doing it? Well… umm…
Could eBay and the buyer have been more fair? Sure. But that doesn’t excuse me from doing everything I can to secure myself in a situation I know is sketchy.
The point of blaming myself isn’t to make myself feel bad. In fact, I feel a lot better. The point is to accept responsibility, figure out mistakes, and learn from them. That process feels good, even if it stings a little bit to have a phone stolen.
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Photo is my friend Brian and I at the salt flats in Atacama, Chile. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.
Check out this awesome article about me on the official Winnebago blog, WinnebaGoLife.
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