โ29-05-201905:52 AM - edited โ29-05-201905:54 AM
If a buyer claims that the item was damaged in the post, the seller may want to ask the buyer to include photos of the packaging as well as photos of the item itself.
The seller may also want to ask the buyer to take the item plus its packaging to their closest post office; the packaging forms part of the evidence in a claim to AP.
There are items the nature of which requires very particular packaging (e.g., bubble wrap around every part, each separate part wrapped separately, double-boxing with packaging material (such as packing peanuts) to absorb shock)... Sometimes one can demonstrate to AP via the nature of the packaging that an item was adeequately packaged and thus eligible for a claim, but if the item wasn't insured, it may be a loss that the seller bears under the eBay MBG policy for items not as described.
The buyer will be covered by eBay's MBG if the item didn't arrive in the condition in which it was described, but the buyer certainly assists the whole process by being co-operative with providing reasonable evidence. There are cases when the seller may be more certain than not that an AP claim is either not worth it or impossible to pursue - in which case photos form the basis of the evidence for a swift resolution. If the seller can see from the photos that the damage claimed has occurred, the seller can instantly contact the buyer with a "So sorry that your item arrived damaged" and issue a full refund through the buyer's original payment method. The buyer will not have to go through a dispute process or wait (or - if the damage is substantial so that it's not worth the seller receiving the item for repair and resale - have to repackage the item and post back to the seller), so it is worth the buyer co-operating in this way.
Or, as davewil said... no. (May the sacred cauliflower be slow-roasted with much butter... he's outdone me again in succinctness.)
you could accept the return and (but not refund until the item arrives) and see if the item is damaged considerably or any differently to when you sent it. if they are trying to make a false claim, this should get them to back off if they aren't willing to return the item. you may have to provide the cost of the return postage though and depending on the cost of the original item, this may not be worthwhile, or the whole process may not be worthwhile.
have they given any indication as to how it was damaged or the severity? i'm sure this would need to be provided to ebay; but then again, i'm not sure of much when it comes to their inconsistency these days.
