Returning an item question

[kameti]

First of all, apologising in advance for asking a question that must have been asked so many times before. The more i read the more confused i am, so i'm hoping you'll have the patience to guide me through the returns process.

On 29th August i used B.I.N. to buy S.B. sheets , standard delivery, and immediately paid for through Paypal.

They were posted to me from Victoria  on the 2nd September, and i received them in Perth on the 11th September.

The sheets i received are Q.S. and while, according to the price tag on the back, are 3 times the price of the ones i paid for, i cannot use them.

On 11th September i contacted the buyer through Ebay to say the size is incorrect and i'd like the correct bedsheets.

On 13th September i received a polite apology with the following request:

'' You can send it back and we can refund you the postage.

Once received we will send you the correct size.

Let me know when you send back the item and the postage cost. ''

Is the above the correct procedure and i'm guessing i will have to return them with tracking?

How can i prove i actually sent the unopened sheets in the package?

Should i be going through Paypal?

Given the time everything has taken, now to return them and then to wait on receiving correct bedsheets, will i still be able to eventually leave F.B. for the seller?

Again sorry for these questions, my first time doing this,  and i really want to get it right. Thanks 🙂

[kameti]

Just found this :

''If you're returning an item because it isn't as described in the listing, the seller is responsible for return postage costs, regardless of the seller's return policy. 

When you're returning an item and the seller is responsible for return postage costs, you'll need to agree on postage costs and method before you send the item back. If you are unable to reach an agreement, you can ask us to step in and help.''

The above is exactly what has transpired with the unexpected result that when i asked Ebay to step in and help this morning, my money was refunded.

[bakeandfry]

Ok, that is my fault when i said you called ebay, and im sorry for that and if i mislead anybody.
When you say you were quite happy to send back untill advised otherwise, at that point no one knew you had already opened the dispute when you first started the thread.
And concerning the return, i think Lyndal was spot on with taking the sellers word, after all you were in negoitiation with the seller for how to handle the postage, (seller says post back and let me know of cost and they refund you), ebay can access these messages and read them if it came to the seller not refunding you, also you would of had a tracking number to support your postage to ebay.
im not having a go at you by the way, infact i encourage you to read more posts, ask questions, and contribute to the community, by doing so you can educate your self and others that come to the boards.

[digital*ghost]

Having only just now read this thread in full, and now seeing what the full circumstances are / were, I think I might understand where the seller was coming from and hopefully some of this will help if anything similar happens in the future (though, I don't agree with their refusal to supply a postage label - I've had to do that myself a couple of times as a seller, and it's easy enough to generate one and then email it for the buyer to print out). 

I note that the seller originally offered to send the correct size out, i.e. replace the incorrect item for the correct one, and unfortunately eBay's MBG doesn't facilitate replacements at the moment, only full refunds with or without return, at the seller's discretion usually (there's an option to issue a partial refund, but in that case you get to keep the item and the case is fully closed if you accept), so they may have been thinking that was the best way to resolve, get you the item you ordered, then offer you a partial refund for the return postage once you had the correct size to get the case closed (sometimes they remain open after the seller resolves by replacing, because the buyer doesn't realise they need to close it manually). 

In terms of whether you could have received a refund of the postage you would have paid to send them back if the seller didn't make good on their promise - yes, you would have, because the seller clearly approved a specific postage method and cost for you to send back (this is one of the requirements for return postage to be covered by the MBG), so even if you had to bug eBay for it, they would have ultimately credited you for it one way or another, and then more than likely charged the seller (the seller may also be fully aware of this). 

Just a quick note re: who is responsible for return costs under consumer law, bake is correct in that the buyer is, generally, initially responsible for the cost of return, but if the goods are faulty or not as described, the buyer also has the right to seek compensation for those costs (outside of eBay, it's set up this way primarily to give retailers / manufacturers the opportunity to first receive, then inspect the goods to determine what the cause of the issue is, because they are actually supposed to have the right to dispute/reject the buyer's claim if, when they receive it, the goods are found not faulty, or it's a direct result of misuse etc).  So, eBay's MBG (at least effectively) both presumes the buyer would have had the right to claim postage costs back, and attempts to eliminate that necessity. 

[padi*0409]

Top reply as usual digi,

Unfortunately eBay's MBG is probably the worst "improvement" they've made for many years, very closely followed by the defect policy (that 90% + of buyers aren't aware of) and it's subsequent impact of small/medium sellers. 

[springyzone]

Kameti said:

didn't know i was opening a dispute. I thought clicking on 'item not as described' was how buyers let sellers know the wrong item had arrived

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I'd say most buyers would assume that this was the official way to go about it. They wouldn't necessarily know about defects. So that's an ebay system fault more than a buyer's.

I can see the point about the buyer not wanting to pay return postage costs upfront when it is a situation where they were not at fault in any way.

I've twice (on other online buying sites) needed to make claims for faulty items.In neither case was I expected to pay return postage and wait to be reimbursed. I was emailed a postage label to print and told the drop off centres available for the parcels. Mind you, I didn't get the refund till they got the item back.

Ebay has something like that available, doesn't it? (as in labels). Why doesn't the seller just email one across, at least they would get their sheets back that way.

[padi*0409]

springy, the problem is not just the unfairness of the MBG or the 180 day PayPal guarantee, it's the perception of some that they can easily rort the system and stich up sellers that don't know how to defend themselves......................

[lyndal1838]

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@kameti wrote:

Omg. In reply to above posts....

I didn't know i was opening a dispute. I thought clicking on 'item not as described' was how buyers let sellers know the wrong item had arrived

 You let sellers know of any problems by emailing or messaging them, not by clicking on any of the ebay buttons.....most of them automatically give the seller a defect before they even have a chance to answer you.

[springyzone]

kameti wrote:

Omg. In reply to above posts....

I didn't know i was opening a dispute. I thought clicking on 'item not as described' was how buyers let sellers know the wrong item had arrived

 You let sellers know of any problems by emailing or messaging them, not by clicking on any of the ebay buttons.....most of them automatically give the seller a defect before they even have a chance to answer you.

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I know you are right but I think this is where ebay is being unfair to sellers. On any website, people look for the official way to do something. For instance, when you purchase an item, it comes up later in your purchase history with a big 'return this item' tab. Who on earth wouldn't think that was the correct way to go about it?

Who would think-hmm, need to bypass this and send a private message instead.

I know people on the message boards do, but I don't think it is something most buyers would be aware of.

The defect system needs to change drastically, simple as that.

With evidence of defective/incorrect item purchases, ebay could insist on prepaid return postage by a seller but they should not actually refund till the item has been returned (where that's a safe option).

[*tippy*toes*]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

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@kameti wrote:

Omg. In reply to above posts....

I didn't know i was opening a dispute. I thought clicking on 'item not as described' was how buyers let sellers know the wrong item had arrived

 You let sellers know of any problems by emailing or messaging them, not by clicking on any of the ebay buttons.....most of them automatically give the seller a defect before they even have a chance to answer you.

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I mention in my invoices for buyers to use the ask about using my item or ask seller a question option if there are any problems with their purchase. Surprisingly, most of them do (not that I've had many issues)! Or, if there has been pre purchase correspondence, I just tell them to reply to the message they sent previously.