topic Re: help please with a return in Selling

help please with a return

ann4206 — Tue, 26 May 2020 12:54:41 GMT

Help please with a return request customer opened tonight. I sold a top by TS Taking Shape and customer has sent a return request as "not authentic" going as far as calling it fake. She sent an email and thanked me on the 20/5/20 for sending an extra top in the parcel and never mentioned anything.

Tonight I get the return request through ebay reason "Doesn't seem authentic." I sold it for $14.99 and $8.80 postage. She is requesting refund of top and postage. I have been selling for a lot of years on ebay and never had a return request. I sent a message via the request to say it is authentic and why did she not contact me and saying I will not give a refund or pay for return postage. I also attached a copy of the photo in listing of the TS label.

What I want to know does ebay take into account the information I have provided, as I have read on the boards so often that buyers just get refunded and the Seller is out of pocket? It is the principle if it was an error on my behalf I would have refunded straight away, but just a little bit angry at the moment.

Thank you in advance.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Tue, 26 May 2020 13:39:19 GMT

The short of it is, there's nothing you can do to win this case - if you dispute it, eBay will side with your buyer, and they'll be refunded for it anyway.

Accept the return request, refund the buyer only once you've received it, and then try to forget about it - that amount of money is not worth stressing about, and if you've been selling clothing on eBay for years and not encountered this before, you've done very well!

Re: help please with a return

ann4206 — Tue, 26 May 2020 13:51:16 GMT

Thank you so much for your reply I thought that would be the case, its not the money I know it is a small amount, it's the principle and false return request. Will take your advice but will wait the 3 days before refunding.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Tue, 26 May 2020 14:04:11 GMT

Yeah it's a **bleep** feeling when a buyer does that, but just remind yourself that they're the one with the issue, and add them to your blocked buyers list.

Re: help please with a return

ann4206 — Tue, 26 May 2020 14:14:04 GMT

Yes definitely blocked bidder list, just a bad night tonight had 2 non payers. Also I just realised because this LOVELY buyer says not authentic and fake she does not have to return it. I refund and she gets to keep item. She knows which option to pick on a return.

Thank you for your help, I fee so much better after venting. Have a good night.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Tue, 26 May 2020 15:45:06 GMT

@ann4206 wrote:
Yes definitely blocked bidder list, just a bad night tonight had 2 non payers. Also I just realised because this LOVELY buyer says not authentic and fake she does not have to return it. I refund and she gets to keep item. She knows which option to pick on a return.

Thank you for your help, I fee so much better after venting. Have a good night.

Ok, I wasn't aware of that, sorry.

If it's the buyer of the crinkle top, have a look at her feedback - she's bought a few pieces of clothing in the last month, she is habitually abusing the returns policy you might find another seller who's mentioned something in a feedback comment (they're not supposed to, but some do). And if that's the case I'd report the buyer to eBay.

Re: help please with a return

ann4206 — Tue, 26 May 2020 23:25:50 GMT

Thank you for your info, I have looked at her feedback and it is good. Sellers may be like me and as soon as I post leave Feedback. She even sent me an email on the 20/5/20 thanking me for the extra I put in the parcel, She had messaged me before bidding could she have extra days to pay and I said no problem. No warning signs at all. Kept me updated when she would pay and did.

This is the only information she put in return request "I want a FULL REFUND INCLUDING POSTAGE for this fake". ( this is copied from her request). I would have thought buyer would have had to put a reason why they thought it was fake???

I will just refund and move on I think she may have purchased too much this month and now needs money back.

Have a great day:)

Re: help please with a return

curraone — Wed, 27 May 2020 00:04:07 GMT

As you know that is not fake, why roll over for them. Refund only after the item has been returned.

Make sure you reply to the dispute stating that you will accept return. (Is there an option for that?)

Re: help please with a return

ann4206 — Wed, 27 May 2020 00:23:02 GMT

There is an option for accept return will wait a bit longer before agreeing. I have just chatted with ebay asking them if buyer has to reply to my message and give a reason for her statement. They have stated yes the buyer has to reply and give a reason. Also I mentioned I had not had a request previously and heard it is always found in buyers favour. They have told me that is not the case. We will see. (even sent me an email with chat coversation)

At this stage will wait for the buyers reply as I not worried about item being returned or the price of the item. I just do not want to refund a buyer who is trying to pull one over me.

Thank you for taking the time to assist, everyone has been great. I have only posted on boards a couple of times but often come in and have a read, full of helpful information for Sellers.

Re: help please with a return

padi*0409 — Wed, 27 May 2020 00:41:24 GMT

Don't leave it until the last minute to agree to accept the return and then provide the buyer with a refund, or eBay could well close in the buyers favour and you'll lose the item and the cost of it.

It used to be the case that if a buyer claimed the item was fake, they had to provide evidence from an authorised supplier that the item was indeed fake. If that is done then you won't get the item back - it's illegal to send fakes by AP.

Re: help please with a return

ann4206 — Wed, 27 May 2020 01:32:13 GMT

Oh dear it makes sense what you said and all the other helpful replies with accepting return and I know thats what I should do to keep my selling record perfect but I have not had any strikes on my account before and just thinking one may not make much difference. Last night and earlier today I was ready to refund but now feel I want to stand up for myself .

Will keep you updated, I have until tomorrow to make a decision. Stand up for whats right or give in to a dodgy buyer . Plus I am keeping in mind the advice from your helpful posts regarding accepting return and know that is what I need to do to avoid a strike.. At the moment I am waiting to hear back from buyer in reply to my message as on the Return Request was an option to send message to Buyer. Nothing as yet.

This is going through my mind - Pride comes before a Fall

Thank you

Re: help please with a return

cezm — Wed, 27 May 2020 03:54:43 GMT

I would ask the buyer to return it.

Having to package the item up, and head off to the post office may dissuade her if she is not genuine.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Wed, 27 May 2020 04:33:58 GMT

But I think the issue is if it's considered a fake (whether correct or not) eBay can't ask the buyer to return it as mailing a fake is illegal, as padi mentioned earlier.

Re: help please with a return

cezm — Wed, 27 May 2020 05:04:02 GMT

@tazzieterror wrote:
But I think the issue is if it's considered a fake (whether correct or not) eBay can't ask the buyer to return it as mailing a fake is illegal, as padi mentioned earlier.

I've never been able to find any reference to that in relation to domestic freight through AP's website but I could be using the wrong search terms. There is information re import and export. Does anyone have a link to the domestic information?

I'm not questioning it, rather I've had a couple of instances when being able to quote the source would have been useful.

Thanks

Re: help please with a return

lyndal1838 — Wed, 27 May 2020 05:04:25 GMT

If the buyer is in Australia no-one is going to know what is in the parcel as there is no inspection of the contents.

If I was the seller I would ask for the item to be returned for a full refund or show some proof that it is fake.

I have never known ebay not to ask for 3rd party confirmation that an item is a fake....or to ask the seller for proof that it is not a fake.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Wed, 27 May 2020 08:44:17 GMT

@lyndal1838 wrote:
If the buyer is in Australia no-one is going to know what is in the parcel as there is no inspection of the contents.

Yes but in the same way, we're not allowed to send some hazardous/dangerous items by air despite no one checking. So regardless of the process eBay does/doesn't follow to verify if an item is counterfeit, if their final decision is that the buyer received a fake, AND if Australia Post forbids the carriage of such items (I'm not bothering to verify this myself), then eBay can't very well compel a buyer to return that item.

On the other hand, eBay should probably require evidence of the item being destroyed before refunding the buyer.

If I was the seller I would ask for the item to be returned for a full refund or show some proof that it is fake.
I have never known ebay not to ask for 3rd party confirmation that an item is a fake....or to ask the seller for proof that it is not a fake.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Wed, 27 May 2020 08:46:06 GMT

I've never checked its accuracy either - I'm going by what I've seen posted by other members here - maybe we're all wrong?!

Re: help please with a return

digital*ghost — Wed, 27 May 2020 09:14:45 GMT

The MBG says the buyer has to provide "compelling evidence" that the item is counterfeit before they are not required to return the item for a refund, and they are also supposed to *cough* agree to destroy / dispose of the item if they aren't required to return. However, the lack of "compelling evidence" won't mean that the claim will be decided in the seller's favour, it just means eBay don't let them keep it, in a nutshell. This kind of claim, without "compelling evidence" from the buyer, or irrefutable evidence to the contrary by the seller, will almost certainly result in the buyer being required to return for a full refund, at the seller's expense (I can't guarantee it, as these things sometimes have a tendency to be surprising in the worst ways 😞 ). .

You can report the buyer for abuse of the MBG system regardless of how the case goes, it may not do anything right now, but if the buyer has or develops a habit of things like this, sooner or later eBay will take action (I mean seriously, counterfeit TS? I used to sell quite a lot of that, they're popular [or at least used to be] and aren't exactly cheap, but no one's falling over themselves to produce knockoffs),

I'm putting "compelling evidence" in quotations, because eBay find certain things compelling that I do not.

Re: help please with a return

ann4206 — Wed, 27 May 2020 12:50:39 GMT

Some great help from yourself and all the other lovely sellers with your messages, but the latest I was typing a message to seller and went to another tab to get info from item and when I went back to message my mouse went over agreed to refund. Cannot change now. Chatted with ebay and asked them to cancel what I clicked and they could not. They advised to send a message to buyer saying I accept return but buyer pays for return postage. I then messaged buyer and say I agree to refund but she pays return postage. Her reply was she never asked for me to pay for return postage????

She also said she has not left Feedback as she was waiting to see the outcome. I dont think Feedback will be good as I know I should have been polite and apologise and offer refund straight away etc. but I got on my high horse and refuted her claim and it made me feel better. Selling secondhand clothes have never had a Neg before and buyers are usually so nice. (except for the two 0 Feedback I have to open non payment for, both messaged they changed their mind but have to wait the four days.

Sorry if I as a buyer thought something was a fake would not be offering to pay return postage. I will just put this down to lesson learnt and maybe it is a good thing my mouse did this as now I will just wait for item to be returned and refund. what she paid . As stated previously was never about the money was the accusation and the way she went about this. I also was confused as per previous comments ebay cannot ask for a counterfeit item to be returned, but they have.

On the bright side I did have a chuckle ****seriously counterfeit Taking Shape*** could be a new trend. be careful when buying TS.

Re: help please with a return

tazzieterror — Wed, 27 May 2020 13:09:25 GMT

Oh no! The accidental-return-acceptance strikes!

If she leaves a neg you can probably get it removed anyway as you have a perfect record.

We might have to clarify eBay's stance on returning "fakes" as it seems some us might not be accurate in our current understanding (I'm looking at myself here).

In my experience on these boards, anything digital*ghost writes can be pretty much accepted as gospel, so keep that in mind whenever you're reading through on here 🙂