Buyer gave wrong address, and expects refund, who is in the right?

[tcg_cards_au1]

On December 17th I sold an item and the printed the postage label via eBay. Today the buyer contacted me asking why it hasn't been delivered, and it turns out the buyer gave the wrong address on eBay, and therefore parcel wont reach them. My problem is that the buyer wants a refund, even though they gave me the wrong address which is 100% a fault of theirs. If they bring eBay into this, do I stand any chance at all? Or do they get their money back and I get screwed over because of their stupidity?

[lyndal1838]

If the buyer paid with paypal you should send it to the address given in paypal.

Did the buyer use paypal and what address was on the paypal notification that you received?

[tcg_cards_au1]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

If the buyer paid with paypal you should send it to the address given in paypal.

Did the buyer use paypal and what address was on the paypal notification that you received?

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Their PayPal address is the same as the one i sent it to

[davewil1964]

You would almost assuredly win a Paypal dispute. I'm not sure about an eBay one. You would probably have to fight them.

[lyndal1838]

The buyer really does not have a leg to stand on if you sent it to the address in paypal.

Just a tip.....do NOT say you sent it to the ebay address or you will lose any dispute immediately.  Stress that it was sent to the paypal address.

[digital*ghost]

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@davewil1964 wrote:

You would almost assuredly win a Paypal dispute. I'm not sure about an eBay one. You would probably have to fight them.

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They would win an ebay request as long as the tracking status is delivered. (In this regard, it's no different than if someone intends to provide an address that's different to where they are).

If the status is 'refused' or 'return to sender', they should still win, but that might require reminding eBay of the T&Cs of the MBG (the buyer is responsible for collecting, and they're not eligible for the MBG if they fail to collect, or refuse delivery, unless they can provide written proof from the carrier - in this case Aus Post - that delivery was refused due to their being obvious damage, or it arrives COD due to underpaid postage, and in this case it's not possible for them to do either). 

To the OP, the buyer is not due a refund - they might not like to hear that, but it's the truth. You did exactly what they told you to do, and if it was the wrong thing, the responsibility for that lies with them. They could try reaching out to whoever is at the old address, or (if the package was RTS but still in transit), see if they can get it redirected to their current address. The only reason I would provide them with a refund is if the package was returned to me, and in that case I would provide them with a refund minus costs incurred, like the outgoing postage, and if there was any postage due on the return, as AP will sometimes charge the sender again for a returned package. 

[black*poppy]

If you used the eBay labelling system you are absolutely covered. The buyer had a chance to verify the address in ebay Checkout when they paid, they obviously didn't read properly before pressing the big blue button. The label was generated from the address they confirmed in Checkout. Ebay can see this and they will lose a dispute.

[lane-ends]

yep if they pay via paypal then whatever ship to address is selected in paypal overwrites whatever their original ebay address maybe. Ebay checkout always correlates with any paypal payments. It is one of the benefits of paypal.

Sometimes a buyer may process a payment but forget to check/alter ship to address in paypal, then ask you directly to send to a different address.

Did they even advise you of a different address?

[black*poppy]

It's a bit different to that.... paypal actually doesn't get any say.

What actually happens is that it is only in ebay checkout that the buyer gets to confirm their address. 

When they have marked payment by paypal and pressed the big blue Confirm button (confirming all the details such as post-to address, total price etc) the buyer gets taken to the paypal payment window.  There is no option here to change any details.  Zip.  Nada.  Zilch.     If at this stage the buyer wanted to change their address they have to cancel the payment and  go back to ebay checkout.

Where the confusion often  lies is in the initial ebay "Your item sold!" email.  It is dangerous to work from this address when sending to the buyer because this email is sent when they press Confirm to Buy but have not yet gone through Checkout (assuming you don't use automatic payment).

So the upshot is if you are generating ebay labels through ebay you are all good.  Also, if you are writing/printing out your own labels then the ebay Order Details page is the place to go to get the correct address.  You could use Paypal as well as Paypal synchs with ebay to get the transacion details, but it is not that paypal overwrites ebay.

[grampian_girl]

 I had this situation twice recently.No refunds given.Buyers problem,one acknowledged it and the other took it to Ebay and lost.