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Buyer claims two days after receiving it to have received a damaged item
Summary: uwearno sold a smartphone, and the buyer claimed it arrived damaged, with a loose battery cover. The buyer demanded a partial refund and threatened to leave a bad review. Other participants recommended checking the return policy and possibly arranging a partial refund through the platform. uwearno eventually agreed to a partial refund and expressed concern that the damage had been caused intentionally. It was noted that support from platform staff was no longer available, and they were advised to contact customer service.
Hello and good day
I sold a smartphone last week.
+++++
I’m offering a somewhat aging SONY XPERIA 10 III smartphone
The device is fully functional with no issues. And it would still serve its purpose perfectly well.
MUsic Player, dashcam, navigation, etc.
Too good for the trash can
SONY Xperia X10 III as shown in the photo's
Battery replaced
6GB RAm
128 GB internal storage
up to 1 TB external storage Micro SDX
Plus a small speaker also from SONY BSP 10.
Charger incl. cable
For international shipping or to the German islands - please ask separately about shipping costs.
This is a private auction. Therefore warranty and returns are excluded.
+++++
Now the buyer claims, two days after receiving(15.09.2026) the item, that it was damaged.
Battery cover is said to have come loose.
Now the correspondence is already going into 17.09.2026.
Today the buyer now claims that he also wants to have unpacked the item damaged already. (from the original packaging)
A demand for 20,-€ was made immediately to make the "damage" go away. I would also then be guaranteed a positive rating.
How can help be provided here?
Many thanks for helpful comments
anna_s@ebay
·3 weeks agoHello @uwearno ,
your buyer has received the smartphone and says that the battery cover is coming loose. That is a defect that was not described. Therefore, your buyer may return the item, even if you are a private seller.
If the buyer, as in your case, complains about an item that differs from the description, you must also accept the return request as a privately registered seller. In such cases, the reason for the return is a defect in the item, for example damage or a color that the item was not ordered in.
@perfect-sally has already given you the correct recommendation.
@bootyooty Thank you ❤
I wish you a nice day.
Best regards
Anna
uwearno
OP2 weeks agoHello Anna, unfortunately I'm replying a bit late. There was no defect for me to mention, because there wasn't one. And the way the buyer presented the defect in the photo. It is apparently obvious that the battery cover was removed manually. In my description I mentioned that the battery was replaced. Nothing more happened there. And the smartphone showed such a defect for the entire time of use. Now I have agreed with the buyer on a partial refund. Then I am hopeful that he has now gotten his way. Although I consider the whole thing to be malicious.
Best regards Uwe
bootyooty
Mentor2 weeks ago · EditedHey, @uwearno Anna can unfortunately no longer read this, she is - like the other eBay employees - no longer there since 25/9 and will not be coming back either.
All the best to you
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
Mentor2 weeks agoHi @uwearno
unfortunately, the helping eBay employees are no longer available as of this weekend.
For further assistance, you need to contact customer service.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
bootyooty
Mentor3 weeks agoHey @uwearno unfortunately you don’t say what kind of damage it is or whether the buyer sent you photos of it.
In general, you can issue a partial refund.
If the buyer reports a different item, you have to take it back, whether you want to or not. The status of private sellers doesn’t change that either; buyer protection applies.
uwearno
OP3 weeks agoHello
Thank you very much for the reply. Everything is described. The two photos show - once how the buyer presented this defect to me, on the second photo the phone can be seen in the condition it was in when listed and shipped.
bootyooty
Mentor3 weeks ago@anna_s@ebay 😘 as an eBay employee, I’ll write here what you should do now.
perfect-sally
Mentor3 weeks agoYou'll have no choice but to either take it back or issue a partial refund.
However, I wouldn't do that outside of a return opened by the buyer. That means the buyer opens a return with the corresponding reason and you offer a partial refund, and the case is closed.
Or you send the buyer a return label within the return and refund the full amount after receiving it back.
uwearno
OP3 weeks agoGood day - but why ?? I ship an item as described. And the buyer simply claims (while getting tangled up in contradictions) that he received it damaged.
perfect-sally
Mentor3 weeks agoAs a seller, you’re in a really bad position on eBay if the buyer complains, even if it’s just a pretext. eBay couldn’t inspect the item before it was shipped, nor can it now after the fact. And since there is buyer protection, eBay will act accordingly, and in 99% of cases the sellers will come off worse if they decide to take the risk and let eBay decide.