Buyer says item's fake and wants full refund

[maki!bananas]

Hi there. I just encountered a buyer who purchased a pair of [brand name] jeans from me and contacted me to say that she has many of those same [brand name] jeans and that it's a fake. As this is an indie brand, I had no idea there were fakes going around! In my listing, I provided all photos, never once indicated in description that it is genuine/authentic/similar fashion because I didn't feel I had the need to. I just listed the item as it is, with the inclusion of the said brand. It sold for less than $10, and she's asking for a refund for cost + postage (she will pay return postage). How will you handle a situation like this? I felt like if she knows way better than I do about the jean's potential value as an authentic item (easily retails $200-300), she could have contacted me to verify its authenticity, given how low I started the bid at and how low the eventual fetching price was. She thinks it's unfair she's getting something fake, while I think it's unfair I have to refund her full cost! I'd be happy to refund her for what she paid for it. I'd love some input on this. Thanks y'all!

[bsal6160 · Accepted solution]

If the item actually is FAKE the buyer can and should report it to ebay and open a dispute through paypal. I would tend to think that for a refund IN FULL, paypal would want to see evidence of it being a fake and then the fake item being destroyed NOT returned to seller. Why is it unfair to refund the buyer in full when they expected to buy then genuine item not a fake?

Prices have nothing to do with this problem.

[maki!bananas]

Thanks for your reply. There's a destroy fake policy? I didn't realise that. Maybe I'm the type of bidder, if informed that there are fakes being circulated, will ask seller and double check to be certain, especially if those brand items fetch higher prices on average. But yes you do have a point.

[phorum_junkie*]

It is extremely difficult to get Paypal to agree to a buyer getting a full refund and then providing proof the item has been destroyed.

If you have proof by way of a retail receipt or one from an authorised reseller then just tell them you can prove authenticity if they care to open a Paypal dispute. If you can't prove it then tell them you are more than happy to refund on return or will of course refund without return if they can provide written evidence from a qualified source that they are not genuine.

That is what will happen with a Paypal dispute anyway.

[*crikey*mate*]

I felt like if she knows way better than I do about the jean's potential value as an authentic item (easily retails $200-300), she could have contacted me to verify its authenticity,

You're the seller. You need to know your item. The listing and it's contents are your responsibility.

She thinks it's unfair she's getting something fake

It is.

while I think it's unfair I have to refund her full cost! I'd be happy to refund her for what she paid for it.

full cost as in the amount of the auction plus initial postage? That's fair. If they are fake,, you have sold her something "not as described"

In saying all that - it does all sound sus to me - she says she has many of those same brand name jeans? So why the need for more? Maybe she has a pair of fakes and wants to change them out with yours?

Hard one - the entire transaction is about $20, no? On one hand, if you make it hard for her - i.e get her to prove its fake through paypal, she will prolly neg you. On the other even if you bend over and take her word for it and refund voluntarily she may still neg you.

With that in mind, I don't believe you should bend over too easily.

The ethical thing to do is to reassure her that if the jeans are fake that you will be happy to reimburse her ALL costs (including return post) but she has to prove they are fake, - only pitfall here (apart from the inevitable neg) is if she does do the ol' switcheroonie trick.

You'll have to gauger her communication - do you think you will get negged anyway?

If so, let her go through PayPal, make her work for her money and at least prove they are fake - but if she can prove it, ethically, you "should" refund original and return post plus cost.

REMEMBER - do not discuss or even mention feedback with her - eBay don't like that very much and DO NOT refund until you either have the pants back in your posession, or P{ayPal advises you to do otherwise.

[kewl2442]

PLEASE, in my many years of Ebay-experience most  things on Ebay are fakes, and despite thousands of complains and as it appears, Ebay does nothing about it. Look at all the so called silver, gold and gem stones. They are even stamped despite that they are fake. Look at all the counterfit designer ware. They are telling us that they keep a CLOSE eye on it, while really they seem to keep a CLOSED eye on it.

Ok, as long as the buyer does not pay much for it one may tolerate it, and if someone pays a lot for it they often feel too ashamed to admit that they fell for a scam. The point I am making is that these things have been going on for donkeys years and Ebay must be  very much aware of it. I myself Have reported several items over the years , like fake stamped  'pure gold' ingots, fake Swarowsky crystals (Ebay is full of it) , 925 sterling silver which was only silver plated, gemsones made of glass and the list goes on.

As long as I was with Ebay, once as a power seller with a 100% good reputation, now as a buyer, after Ebay ruined my perfectly good little business through too much red tape, I have never, as I recall it  received individual help from the so called costumer-service. All they send are tips to solve the problem they should solve, tips  that send you around in circles and archieve nothing except wasting your time.

Ebay seems to be only interested in the big sellers, otherwise they would not make it so hard for the small sellers who have practically no rights, not even to give fair feedbacks to lying, shonky buyers; on the contrary. The seller Has TO give the buyer a good feedback, no other option. Which other company with some common sense would treat there honest sellers, which are the ones who pay Ebay, with so much contempt, while they turn a blind eye to their dishonest sellers?

[kewl2442]

In a real world that would be the case. In the Ebay world they have been paddling counterfeits for years, for just as long as people have been complaining to Ebay about it.

[i-love-my-sheep]

Good advice, but given the thread is 18 months old, I would hope that the issue was sorted long ago 😄 It looks like the buyer didn't end up trashing the OP's feedback, so one can assume the problem was sorted.

[kewl2442]

if I understand this case right, the seller never mentioned that this is a designer jeans. All the seller did was selling a jeans, describing it and addings photos. If the buyer assumes that he gets a brand new designer jeans for $10 he can not blame the seller for that assumption. Could this case not be a typical 'sleeping dog' story?

The buyer saw a brand new jeans on Ebay for $10  which the buyer identified as a expensive pair of designer jeans. Perhaps the buyer assumed the seller was not aware of the real value and that's why the buyer did not question the low price, as it could have resulted in missing out on a good bargain?

In this particular scenario I am with the buyer who did not pretend anything. Not like countless sellers of fake Gold, silver and gem stones ore fake counterfeit designer clothing that are overpriced.

$10 for a brand new jeans, no matter what brand sounds to me like a reasonable price.

[i-love-my-sheep]

I think both the buyer and the OP are long gone and won't see your messages. Also, the last person you replied to hasn't been to these forums since last year, so is also unlikely to read your messages.