I feel like buyers are walking all over me lately!

[kitty-kat-kollection]

I am annoyed. Again.

First, a buyer was not happy with their maxi dress because they thought it was not long enough. 147cm is LONG. They filed an "item not as described" dispute against me as I do not accept returns and claimed the dress was too short and they could not wear it.

I spoke with Ebay who said I had to accept the return and issue a refund as they had lodged the dispute and disputes are automatically flagged as valid, but that I would then appeal and receive my money back from Ebay, as they agreed with me that the item IS as described and IS a maxi dress. They said the return is a "remorse return". I'm still annoyed that the buyer gets a refund at all though.

Secondly, another buyer wrote today to say she was very unhappy as the dress she had bought, a size 14, was too small, and she thought the dress had to be a children's size 14 and could not be an adult size 14. No. The clothing brand has a whole separate kid's line and this certainly is not it. And again, the measurements were there, but not noticed it seems. Neutral feedback was left after I did not refund her. HOW IS THIS MY FAULT!?

I reiterate that I include measurements in all my listings. It seems these buyers neglected to read those measurements and to check them against their own similar garments.

As I said, I do not accept returns. So why is it that in the first case, the buyer was able to get around that by claiming the item was not as described, when all the facts / measurements confirmed it was exactly as described?

And why is it that in the second case, the buyer wrote to me expecting a refund and when I politely declined, I end up with neutral feedback with a sad emoticon face? She could have lodged an item not as described claim too I suppose, but didn't because she knows she simply didn't check the measurements.

WHY AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR BUYERS NOT CHECKING THINGS!?

Am I supposed to be FORCED to accept returns in these cases so I can avoid feedback issues and items not as described disputes?

What's the point of giving us the option of not accepting returns?

AND WHY DO BUYERS NOT READ THE LISTINGS PROPERLY!?!?!?!?!?!?

[glenbankloel]

Wow sorry to hear that you have had some issues. I think selling clothes is fraught with many dangers and you probably have to use the KISS principle. Will be a pain but you might just avoid some of these problems.

If it were me we would be displaying ALL clothing on a model, whether " in the flesh" or artificial model. And stating that sizing is Womens Adult size 14 or Childrens size 14, Mens Adult size....etc etc..... Think about if it as if you were buying the item what would you want to know? (Yes said that it would be painful) but you just have to cover yourself, and shoot for the lowest commen denominator so that you are fully covered. Might give you some extra grounds for "discussion" with eBay. Although can't help with the people who can't/won't read!

The only way buyers can get a return easily and without question is "not as described" so you have to be very detailed with your information. And very very clear so there are no grey areas where they could slide through. Perhaps print off a couple of your descriptions and re-work,  discuss with a couple of friends/family members you could be surprised what they suggest. Think that clothing must be very hard category to sell in, and also a super large pond to swim in.   

You have been a member for a few years and am presuming that you have been selling for a good part of this period so you have seen how much eBay has changed and how hard it is to deal with customers, all any of us can do is be accurate, good photos, give great service, and be professional. The bulk of your feedback is very good/excellent so you must be doing the right thing. 

Don't know if this helps but try to focus on the positive, as once these bums have burnt enough people they will find their choices very limited, block block block and move on.

Good Luck.       

[kitty-kat-kollection]

Thank you so much! I feel less grumpy this morning and your encouraging words helped!

[glenbankloel]

Your very welcome, glad to hear you are feeling a bit brighter today.

Amazing what a new sunrise can do for us all. Don't give up!

[springyzone]

I feel for you as I agree, clothing (and shoes) must be hard areas on ebay.

I have bought a few online items in the past that have been a bad fit but never did i seek to blame the seller.

I suspect that even with measurements and models, the fit and appearance of an item on a buyer isn't always going to match what they had in their mind's eye.

All you can do is cover yourself with detailed descriptions to the best of your ability. 

I think it is a reality of ebay though that occasionally you're going to strike people for whom that won't be enough. They'll want their money back & they won't want to pay for return postage so they'll look for the way to accomplish that.

I wouldn't worry about the neutral. As long as she didn't open a case & you aren't out of pocket, that's a win.

[south.coffee]

One trick we do with clothing listings is to run a tape measure across the important size areas, for example the waist, and then take a close up photo of the tape measure at the edge of the garment showing the measurement.

Just like in retail you also need to factor in a return percentage as not every buyer is a decent understanding individual and clothing is a tough product to sell online.  The more detail the better and lots of close up photographs help make an informed decision and happier sales.

---

[kitty-kat-kollection]

Mmm, I never thought about taking photos of the tape measure! I already provide the relevant measurements laid flat - length, width (armpit to armpit), waist, hip and sleeve (whatever is applicable to the item), and I try to take as many photos as possible from various angles.

Yes, I too have occasionally bought clothes on ebay and I either didn't pay attention to the measurements or I did check, but for whatever reason the item just wasn't quite right. Never did I expect the seller to refund me though! I also left positive feedback because apart from ME not doing my due diligence, the seller and item were fine and good.

I either threw out the item, donated it to an op shop, re-sold it, or just kept it for slob wear around the house.

Thank you again, everyone!

[purplemon18]

I'm starting to wonder if there is an inflection point. I have much less trouble now (knock on wood) than I did 18 months ago. Part of that is probably just due to experience, but I do wonder whether the less honest buyers target sellers with less than 3000 feedback?

In any event, just try not to take it personally, that's why they have that old addage "It's just business".

An extra service I use is size.ly It helps you make a measurements schematic that you can upload as a photo. At least then you get the people who only look at the pictures. They have some free stuff, and a subscription to get access to all the templates.

[kitty-kat-kollection]

Thank you so much!!

[designers*n*more]

You can leave a follow up reply to the buyer,s nuetral comment along the lines of “ALL measurements clearly listed in description. Unfair neutral when buyer didn’t read description”