How to handle a not as described item

[spacetomatoes]

Hi guys 🙂

I recently bought an item of clothing. It arrived and I'm pretty sure it was unwashed given the dirt marks and faint yellow staining.

I would like to return it. I'm planning on contacting the seller but I was just wondering what to do after I get a reply from the seller?

I don't want to give any unwarranted defects if this was somehow a genuine mistake but I think I have to open a Money Back Guarantee case so my return shipping costs are covered right? And so the return can be monitored by Ebay? 

Sorry, I'm not really sure how it works now since they introduced the MBG.

Thank you in advance 🙂 

[curraone]

The really really best thing is to email your seller - just by using the CONTACT SELLER button.   Tell her the problem and see what she says.    Any good seller will admit any fault and offer the return postage and a refund.

The worst thing to do is open a ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED straight away.   Under the new scheme this gives the seller an immediate defect and defeats the whole negotiation process.

You have plenty of time to apply for the ebay or paypal protection scheme if the seller is hostile or unwilling to help you.

[spacetomatoes]

Hi, thank you for the information 🙂 Just to confirm though - if the seller is happy to offer return postage and a refund - is it safe just to send the item back like that? Hope this isn't a silly question.

[curraone]

Well if the seller immediately  refunds you - and sends you a prepaid satchel for return - you have lost nothing. 

If they want the item back to inspect before refund, and then do not refund, I presume you will be able to use the email messages as proof if they do not refund, and open an item not as described.     Other sellers might have better information on how they refund.

[spacetomatoes]

Oh, is that how it works 😮 I thought I would have to send the item back first before the seller would refund me anything. Are good sellers usually happy to refund first then send someone a prepaid satchel?

In any case, I will contact the seller and see how they respond.

Edit: Didn't see the extra stuff you posted at first. Thanks for letting me know the possibilities. I will see how I go, thank you 🙂

[curraone]

Probably if the seller does not refund in good faith and send you a return satchel - I would open a dispute .... as a seller I hate this because it does give the seller a defect which is very hard to remove even if you reach a favourable outcome

from the seller's point of view:   I quote ebay's policy:

• In situations where the item wasn't as described, the buyer may have to return the item to the seller before getting their money back.

• While an item not received or not as described request or case is open, it does count as a defect and could have an impact on your seller performance.

[curraone]

Just a bit of lateral thinking -   perhaps you could get the dress dry-cleaned?     Do not do this if you intend to file a dispute however.

Maybe the seller will offer dry-cleaning costs?

[lane-ends]

One of the options is a part refund if an item is otherise ok but not quite what you were expecting. If its just dirty not a lot of difference if you wash it rather than the seller. Except it is something you wouldn't have expected hence partial refund compensation.

Sellers are often open to this as no one wants to keep handing money over to AP.

As the others have said, contact seller first. Once you raise a MBG sellewr gets a defect and so incentive to then be more helpfull than minimimum is gone.

I can guarantee you that the bulk of preowned items have not had a presale clean. Even if they have they wont have been spot cleaned.

[spacetomatoes]

That would probably be a good way to go but I don't have any experience with dry cleaning and I know I would be upset with myself if I accepted a partial refund and the dress couldn't be cleaned properly.

So I think it may be best for me that I just return it 😞

[spacetomatoes]

Hi there, thanks for your reply.

I do think a partial refund would be a good way to go but I'm just worried that the stains won't come out 😞

When you say that the bulk of preowned items have not had a presale clean - do you mean that they were worn then cleaned then stored and not cleaned after that?

Or do you mean never cleaned after being worn?

And I have contacted the seller so I will wait to see what they say.