One frequent Ebay horror story involves buyers who abuse the return policy. They might use an item for a while and then return it saying it was defective. Sellers end up losing money on restocking fees and the item's depreciation. Also, there are cases where Ebay's customer service doesn't handle disputes fairly, leaving either the buyer or the seller feeling cheated.
One of the most prevalent ebay horror stories is when the item gets lost in transit. The tracking shows it's been shipped but then it disappears. Buyers are left in a lurch as they've paid for the item but don't have it. Sellers may blame the shipping company and the shipping company may say it was the seller's fault in packaging. Ebay then has to step in to mediate, which can be a long and drawn - out process.
Late deliveries are common horror stories. Sellers may face shipping delays due to various reasons like bad weather or carrier issues. For example, a seller promised a quick delivery for a holiday gift but it arrived weeks late, and the buyer was furious. Another is getting scammed by buyers. Some buyers may claim items didn't arrive when they actually did, just to get a free item and refund.
One horror story is when a seller shipped a very fragile item carefully but the buyer claimed it was broken on arrival. The seller had no proof of proper packing as the post office didn't document it well. So the seller had to refund the buyer even though it might not have been their fault.
One horror story I had was when I returned an item on eBay. The seller took weeks to acknowledge the return. I sent the item back as per the instructions, but they claimed it was damaged when it wasn't. I had to go through a long process with eBay customer service to prove my innocence. Eventually, they refunded me, but it was a very frustrating experience.
Receiving counterfeit goods is common. Like when a buyer thinks they're getting a genuine brand - name watch and end up with a fake. It's frustrating as they've paid the price for the real thing.
One horror story is getting a completely different item than what was shown in the listing. For example, a buyer ordered a brand - new designer handbag, but received a cheap knock - off instead. The seller then refused to take it back or refund the money.
There was a case where a buyer paid via Paypal on Ebay for an item. After receiving it, the buyer filed a false claim of 'not as described'. Paypal immediately refunded the buyer without giving the seller a chance to respond. The seller lost both the item and the money. It was really unfair as the item was exactly as described in the listing.
I heard of a case where a cosplayer bought a very elaborate cosplay outfit from eBay for an important convention. The seller promised fast shipping. However, the package got lost in transit. When the cosplayer tried to track it down, both eBay and the seller were not very helpful. So the cosplayer had to scramble to put together a new cosplay at the last minute.
A common one is misrepresentation. Sellers might use photos of really nice cosplay items but send out something completely different. For example, a beautifully designed sword prop in the picture could turn out to be a flimsy plastic thing in reality.