Buyer protection case despite documented DHL pickup – eBay violates its own guidelines during the appeal | Members help members

nerdkram · 2026-06-22T16:41:12.385034Z

Hello everyone,I'm a private seller on eBay and I'm currently stuck in a case where I'm slowly running out of options. Maybe someone has had a similar experience and can help me out.How it all startedIn mid-May, I sold a high-quality smartphone for €1,380 and shipped it properly the same day via DHL Parcel with tracking — I even have a video recording of the drop-off. So far, everything normal.The problem with deliveryThis is where it gets complicated. The shipment could not be delivered to the Packstation the buyer had on file because, according to DHL, his Postnummer was invalid or not activated. DHL then automatically rerouted the parcel to a nearby branch — standard procedure, no mistake on my part. On May 22, DHL then confirmed in tracking, verbatim: "The recipient picked up the shipment at the branch."From my point of view, that means: delivery successful, case closed.What the buyer did nextSoon after, the buyer opened an “item not received” case. eBay sided with him, ruled in his favor, and charged my account the full amount of €1,386.Interestingly, after the documented pickup on May 22, the DHL tracking then showed completely contradictory scans for weeks — new delivery attempts, return shipment due to supposedly incorrect Postnummer, repackaging by DHL, rerouting again. Technically, that should not actually be possible if the shipment had already been picked up. In any case, nothing ever arrived back with me as the sender.Where eBay, in my opinion, is violating its own policiesI then read through eBay's policies carefully and came across three specific points:First: eBay rejected the claim on the grounds that I had not provided signature confirmation — for an order value over $750. According to eBay's own “delivery confirmation policy,” this requirement explicitly does not apply to eBay.de transactions. eBay.de doesn't even appear in the threshold table. So the only stated reason for rejection is factually wrong.Second: In the “eBay Buyer Protection policy,” the exclusions explicitly state: “The buyer provided an invalid or incorrect address at the time of purchase — not covered.” That is exactly what happened here — DHL documented it three times. eBay completely ignored this point.Third: eBay's policy expressly recognizes as proof of delivery also the status “delivered” in the respective local language or an equivalent status message. The DHL entry “Recipient picked up shipment at branch” is exactly that.Current statusAfter several calls and emails that went unanswered, and a callback from a supervisor that never happened, the case was most recently allegedly forwarded to a “special department.” I'm currently waiting for a response within 48 hours — but to be honest, I'm skeptical that anything will actually happen.My questions for youHas anyone had a similar case where eBay applied its own policies incorrectly — and did it eventually get resolved? Is there a department at eBay that actually reviews these cases substantively, or do they always end up at the arbitration board in practice? And how did eBay respond for you to a complaint to the Federal Universal Conciliation Body — did that actually make any difference?I'd be very grateful for any experience reports.

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Buyer protection case despite documented DHL pickup – eBay violates its own guidelines during the appeal | Members help members | eBay Germany