When an overseas buyer bids on an Australia only item.. what to do

[springyzone]

My sister just sold a glomesh bag. When you click on postage and handling details, it clearly says Posts to: Australia.

The postage cost for the boxed bag is pretty much only Aust post price ($13), maybe even a fraction less and her dilemma is the winner of the auction is someone from NZ.

I just looked up the postage to NZ and for this item it would be $28.15 (for one with a signature required).

My sister isn't a professional seller, just we are trying to clear a few bits and pieces lately from an estate.

What would you suggest she do?

I suggested she write to the buyer and explain she sells only to Australia, as outlined in the ad, because postage to NZ would be too dear.

But should she ask for a cancellation and if she does and the buyer ignores it, can she later open an unpaid item dispute?

But what if the buyer pays? I have said if that happens to refund it.

If my sister does that and asks for a cancellation, will she get a defect?

We are having a bad run lately.

First she sells a bedroom suite and the buyer messages next day to say sorry, no transport not buying, have a nice day, then this!

What is wrong with some buyers lately??

[springyzone]

My sister has offered her a full refund including return postage costs if she returns the bag.

At the moment, we suspect the woman may be wanting a partial refund plus to keep the bag. She has not said that, but she asked 'What are you going to do about it?"

A partial refund plus her keeping the bag is not going to happen.

My sister doesn't care at this stage if she gets a neg or a defect, we are more concerned at the entire waste of time and money.

Maybe we could win a case against her, maybe not, I don't know as we have never been in this situation.

We are just waiting to see how  the woman responds to the email offering full refund.

[misterforgetfulsbooks]

lesson - in future don't sell to o/seas buyers

[springyzone]

You are totally right, but my sister didn't think she was going to. The ad was listed as posts to Australia. There was not a thing in it to even vaguely suggest international post and this woman just bid.

The woman has replied that the PO told her postage is slow this time of year so to avoid receiving the bag back late, she had a solution as she didn't want to be out of pocket with postage and have nothing to show for it. Why didn't my sister just refund her the cost of return postage and the woman would keep the bag.

[chameleon54]

Its buyers like this that really spoil it for everyone. Your sister is right to ask the buyer to return the bag and to h**l with the cost. Unfortunately there are a few lowlifes like this hiding under ebay rocks waiting to scam honest sellers. Lets hope they dont start breeding up with the new return policies.

[thecatspjs]

Have they even bothered to send through photos of the flaw they are claiming exists?

[cq_tech]

Springy, as long as she has photographic evidence to prove that there's no damage to the bag, why not get your sister to pre-empt this scumbag buyer by lodging a Paypal complaint herself, thereby preventing her from opening a complaint under eBay's MBG which very much favours the buyer. That way the onus will be on the buyer to provide evidence that the bag is damaged, and even if she intentionally damages it herself, it will be quite obvious to Paypal that it was done intentionally in order to garner a refund and the case should be rejected. And even if a refund is the end result, at least the buyer will have to pay for the return postage rather than your sister.

[springyzone]

Yes, she did send my sister through some photos. The photo of the back of the bag that the buyer took-I looked and looked but could not see a thing.

There was a close up of one spot, I can only assume maybe under the bag, where there was the slightest rub on the stitching. I wish I could upload a photo to show. To me, it didn't look like damage at all.

My sister just got fed up and decided to refund the woman $11.25 (which was the cheapest international postage back from NZ, without tracking). My guess is the woman is happy now as she got the bag at roughly the postage price she wanted in the first place.

And I suppose my sister is only about $13 down overall on the sale now (which was only about $37 from memory).

The woman gave positive feedback but said bag was damaged.

I said to my sister just leave it, don't bother to reply, don't give her feedback either.

Look, in some ways it is our fault as we never took photos of every cm of the bag. The photos of the back show it to be fine but we never took close ups of underneath corners. We are talking of minute areas now. My sister also examined it before posting and it looked fine. It was advertised as a vintage item, my sister at no time said it was brand new and unused. I said to my sister though that next time (if there is a next time) to just say vintage and put up photos, not say no signs of wear as this woman obviously went over it with a fine tooth comb to find something.

I guess you can't win them all, but this one felt like trouble from the start. I suspect the woman onsells as she buys a lot of vintage items and her feedback, although positive, does in one spot mention she got cheap postage but was ungrateful, so it sounds as if my sister isn't the only seller to get stung.