I bought something on Ebay but I don't know how!

[An Haddock]

This just happened a moment ago and it was so surreal I had to post it.


We sell stuff on Ebay for people as a service through our store. Guy comes in who was here maybe 4 years ago that tried to sell something.


He tells me that he purchased an item on Ebay (I think it was a bracelet or something) but that when he went to pay for it Ebay said he had a Paypal account already.

Here's where it gets weird:

He seemed to think that we created an Ebay account and Paypal account for him when we tried to sell his stuff a few years ago. Which is wrong, because it's my company's account. The most we would do is give someone the user name so they can watch their auctions - obviously we would never give them the password. Plus we change the password every few months anyway for security purposes. Same with the Paypal account.

But then the guy tells me that he used a credit card to pay for what he purchased and they took the money off the card.

Of course, he had no idea what Ebay account name was used. Put me on the phone with his sister who offered no help, either.

All I need is an email address to work with, but the guy doesn't even have that. Doesn't have his own computer and uses his sister's.


Only thing I can think of is that he used his sister's Ebay account and either was given the option to pay with a credit card (I've seen that before, when purchasing parts through certain sellers) or possibly he used her Paypal account.


My brain hurts. I'm going home.

[bainsidhe]

I agree with you on the last bit. Some computers can be set up to remember passwords and the like, so he probably just clicked through the screens that already had details saved on them and assumed you were magically handling it somehow.

[PepperElf]

yeah. he may want to talk to his sister.

if he was on her computer he very well may have just used her account and her credit card for the purchase, using her store login information.


now i know why amazon makes me log in whenever i buy...

[MoonCat]

I second what Pepperelf says.

Sometimes after my sister uses my computer, when I go online to Paypal or Amazon, the screen brings up her info instead of mine (not her password, obviously, but her username).

[depechemodefan]

Laving out that he might have used his sister's account, did he recently create an ebay account and thought some magical way you guys got his ebay account, even though you havn't dealth with him in 4 years?

[An Haddock]

Laving out that he might have used his sister's account, did he recently create an ebay account and thought some magical way you guys got his ebay account, even though you havn't dealth with him in 4 years?

Wasn't my impression. I don't think the guy knows how to create an Ebay account... plus you'd have to have an email address to do it, which he says he doesn't.


Man, I'm glad this is a short work day today.

[underemployeed]

....some people just shouldn't be allowed to use a computer.

[Dips]

Just a word of advice (which you are completely free to ignore, of course ).

This has nothing to do with you other than the coincidence that he was in your store four years ago. I'd not get sucked into trying to help him fix it because helping him validates his irrational belief that you somehow caused the problem.

It could start a cycle where he expects you to fix everything that goes wrong with his computer from now on because you were the last ones he talked to about it.

I'd politely but firmly refer him to eBay, PayPal and/or the seller.