As an ebay member with almost 500 transactions and 100% positive feedback, I have always had good experiences on Ebay. Among other things I buy and sell high end saddles (personal, not a business). In October I sold a saddle that I have personally owned since it was new, and cared for myself. It worried me a little that the buyer was making their first transaction on Ebay, asked no questions, and purchased through Buy it Now. Saddles of this type are highly customized and must fit both the horse and rider, and I do not accept returns, so this behavior was both unusual and troubling -- but they did pay, and we exchanged email messages briefly to arrange shipping. No contact with me since. On Nov. 14, a dispute was filed with Paypal and they claim the saddle is defective "internally and externally." Without waiting for the dispute to be decided on, it *appears* they have returned the saddle to me -- I got a Paypal notice of a return, but with no tracking number. Paypal cannot tell me what that means, but one rep told me, unbelievably, that if I get my saddle back, why would I keep the money? The answer is, because I'm terrified that in three weeks they damaged the saddle. I'm horrified that someone can have such an expensive item for so long, with no communication, and get their money back (which, judging from this forum and other information, seems possible if not likely). I KNOW the saddle was in excellent condition, and that there were no defects. I rode in it last year and competed in regional competitions, and rode it in this year up to the point of sale. It received regular maintenance by a qualified fitter. If it is damaged, I *suspect* they tried to have the tree adjusted and they damaged, OR they dropped it or damaged it in some way. Some saddles are not at all adjustable, some fully adjustable, and some can move up or down a tree size, but this saddle is only minimally adjustable, which I would have told them had they asked. If you adjust it more than a cm or so, you risk breaking or damaging the tree. These people bought the saddle no questions asked and I fear that that when it did not fit the rider, or the horse, they tried to adjust the tree. So where is MY protection for this expensive item? I have heard through this forum and on an equestrian forum that Paypal generally sides with the buyer in these cases, and I'm devastated. I held the money for about ten days in my banking account, but after three weeks I spent it (my dad got sick and I had to fly home -- $1500!). I was so thankful I had the money at that time, but now there is a hold on it, and I don't have the funds to cover it. I'm so angry, and so disappointed, to learn that my saddle is not protected. In the world of saddle sales, a trial is usually 4-7 days. Too much can happen to these delicate items to permit someone a longer trial, and Paypal buyers have FORTY-FIVE days to use/abuse the item, and still return it! That is crazy. These buyers had it for nearly a month, and I did not have the chance to experience the chronology of their problems, which would have given me confidence that they are at least telling the truth. Had they called me as soon as they experienced a problem or had a question -- this would be a different story. I currently have a $6,000 saddle for sale on Ebay. I don't know for sure whether Paypal will stand by me -- but if I'm made to take this saddle back, and refund the money, this will be my last saddle transaction on Ebay and my last high end transaction on Paypal. The unfairness of this situation has me very distraught. Thank you for listening.
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