Is this buyer trying to rip me off.?

[cannalicious]

I recently  sent a buyer three glasses. I  packed the glasses  as I always do -  with extreme care.  It turns out that the buyer chose to contact me four days after receiving his items to let me know that a stem of one  wine glass is broken. Insurance was paid for the items, however,  he has also  informed me that all packing has been discarded.  This means he cannot take any evidence of packaging to Australia Post for their assessment. 

 The  buyer has now asked me, what I am going to  do about it?

  I feel as if I  am being unfairly held financially responsible for something that Australia Post would normally cover.  I am also suspicious that the buyer has waited four days to contact me.  What do you  think?

[digupatin]

Ask them to send you a picture of the broken glass as proof.

If they do that you can either send another glass to the buyer if you have one or offer a partial refund as compensation.

If the buyer decides they don't want the glasses because one is broken you will may be liable to pay return postage.

If you refuse there's a good chance that the buyer will open a INAD case with eBay and they'll refund the buyers money and you'll get a strike.

If the glass was broken in the mail AP will say that they weren't packed carefully enough to be posted, standard reply from them.

[*tippy*toes*]

As it's taken them 4 days after delivery to contact you, it's possible they dropped one so are trying to pull a swifty. Sadly, there is no way of proving it. If they've thrown the packaging out, they would have removed the glasses first and known immediately that one was broken.

What's their feedback left for others like? Is there any pattern that shows they have been refunded more than a few times?

[saarzi]

Auspost wouldnt cover this, they will tell you it wasnt packed well enough (and if it did break in transit, it wasnt).

I dont think 4 days is a long time to contact you. Id probably take that long, just because I have a busy life and Im not hanging out for the phone to depserately call a seller back to let them know they provided poor service, and have an argument over getting my money back.

Not saying you did that of course, but in any circumstances four days isnt unreasonable.

Could they be trying to rip you off? possibly. But a stem breaking in transit is perfectly reasonable. If you cant drop 20kgs on something without it breaking, then pack it better, or dont send it though Auspost. They dont do "fragile".

Ask the buyer to send you a photo of the broken glass. If they are trying to rip you off, theyll decline, or ignore your request.

If they send a photo of the broken glass, refund them.

[springyzone · Accepted solution]

I think the glass really is broken but I have serious doubts it was broken when he opened the package. It has happened later and he feels he a bit hard done by, so this is his way of not losing out too badly.

A broken glass or broken item would send 99% of ebay buyers onto a computer within 24 hours, not 4 days later, to either contact the seller or make a claim.

And if they knew they had special Aust post insurance, you'd think they would save the box or wrapping so they could show it all.

You're probably being had, in my opinion, but you will not have a lot of choice, you'll have to pay up and refund all or part with a gritted smile.

I'd be interested to know how you get on with this one & what they settle for.

[englishrosegardens]

The problem is that a lot of sellers think they pack well but they don't at all.  I've had crystal glasses sent in a box with just one layer of bubblewrap and they boast about their good packaging.  The fact that they actually arrived intact was nothing short of a miracle.  You only need to look at the number of odd plates and saucers in collectable china to know how many cups (especially handles) didn't survive the trip because of inadequate packaging.  Also, teapots with broken and mended spouts.  Been there, done that, and never ever again.  The last straw was a box of rare fragile china worth $300 or $400 that arrived in fragments. 

I'm not having a go at the OP as I don't know who this applies to, but I do know that many sellers of fragile items are delusional when it comes to their packing skills.

I too think four days is not unreasonable - the stress of the situation would make a lot of buyers put off confronting the seller.  A lot of buyers know fragile goods aren't covered by AP insurance.

[springyzone]

I'd agree with you, there's definitely a chance of something fragile breaking in the post. Even very well packed items, I would say.

What gets me though is a buyer leaving it 4 days before saying anything. I think that is suss.

We were told the buyer asked what the seller was going to do about it. To me, that came across as a bit confrontational, not exactly what a timid buyer or anyone reluctant to make waves would say.

I could be wrong of course. It's an iffy situation which is why I think the seller will have to pay up, at least partially.

[englishrosegardens]

Well, on your assumptions I'd obviously be suss nearly ever time I receive something that's not quite right.  I'm only one of many people whose health makes them extremely vulnerable to stress and it takes me time to get over the blow of receiving dud goods, which is why I've practically given up buying on ebay.   If I bought something that broke because of inadequate packaging I'd probably be fairly confrontational too, but that doesn't mean I'd be jumping on the computer the moment it arrived. 

Not everyone has great verbal/written skills and you can't really read anything into them asking what the seller was going to do about it.  Some people find negotiation really hard and may not come across very well, or they may have had enough bad experiences (or even a bad week that was nothing to do with ebay) that they no longer expect sellers to fix their own mistakes and they don't mince words when they contact them. 

I'm immediately suspicious of a seller who claims that AP will insure fragile goods because they won't, and they state this clearly.  It always sounds to me as though the seller isn't prepared to take responsibility for their own packaging if they're relying on insurance.  If it's packed properly they should never need insurance.  I once bought 30 or 40 boxes of china from Canada and all it came surface mail over several months, and NONE of it broke or cracked, despite some of the boxes having huge holes gouged out of the side.  Sadly, I can't say that about what I bought from other sellers.

[rocket2retro]

Just for the record Australia Post don't cover glass in their insurance.

Everything else is 'up to their discretion' (which usually means if it was of low value they might pay out- If it was high value 'it wasn't packed adequately').

[4green2000]

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@cannalicious wrote:

I recently  sent a buyer three glasses. I  packed the glasses  as I always do -  with extreme care.  It turns out that the buyer chose to contact me four days after receiving his items to let me know that a stem of one  wine glass is broken. Insurance was paid for the items, however,  he has also  informed me that all packing has been discarded.  This means he cannot take any evidence of packaging to Australia Post for their assessment. 

 The  buyer has now asked me, what I am going to  do about it?

  I feel as if I  am being unfairly held financially responsible for something that Australia Post would normally cover.  I am also suspicious that the buyer has waited four days to contact me.  What do you  think?

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4 days to contact you ? thats suspicious is it ??.Not at all in my books..