My first "shoplifter"

[jfmgray]

Any advice welcome.

Buyer purchases $7 CD. He receives the CD but tells me he doesn't like it. I say - no problems I have returns policy (buyer pays return postage) so he says great I will send it back for the refund.  In the meantime I check the feedback he has left for other sellers. Out of the last 72 feedback left, 25 negatives and 35 positives but indicating there were problems but the sellers agreed to refund.

So the CD arrives back today at our post office (registered post). I open it in front of the AP staff and discover there is no CD inside the jewel case. AP staff are willing to confirm in writing that the jewel case was empty.

I know if I contact the buyer to let him know the jewel case was empty, he will likely call me a liar and leave negative feedback which he will kindly revise if I refund him - thus is his pattern. Of interest he has not opened a change of mind request via ebay. Even more interesting he spent $5.20 on return registered post (should have only be 5mm thick so he got away with that one) in order to get a $7 refund.

I reported the buyer to the Trust & Safety given his pattern. I am sure he will contact me in the next few days as the tracking shows the item has been returned to me. Hopefully eBay will intervene once he leaves me the negative feedback if I do not refund him.

[kopenhagen5]

Any positives from sellers saying package was empty ?

Could be genuine error CD was left out ? 

It would be interesting to see the response if your message simply said "Haven't received it" once he messages you.

[springyzone]

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@jfmgray wrote:

Any advice welcome.

Buyer purchases $7 CD. He receives the CD but tells me he doesn't like it. I say - no problems I have returns policy (buyer pays return postage) so he says great I will send it back for the refund.  In the meantime I check the feedback he has left for other sellers. Out of the last 72 feedback left, 25 negatives and 35 positives but indicating there were problems but the sellers agreed to refund.

So the CD arrives back today at our post office (registered post). I open it in front of the AP staff and discover there is no CD inside the jewel case. AP staff are willing to confirm in writing that the jewel case was empty.

I know if I contact the buyer to let him know the jewel case was empty, he will likely call me a liar and leave negative feedback which he will kindly revise if I refund him - thus is his pattern. Of interest he has not opened a change of mind request via ebay. Even more interesting he spent $5.20 on return registered post (should have only be 5mm thick so he got away with that one) in order to get a $7 refund.

I reported the buyer to the Trust & Safety given his pattern. I am sure he will contact me in the next few days as the tracking shows the item has been returned to me. Hopefully eBay will intervene once he leaves me the negative feedback if I do not refund him.

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I think I would get in first. If I were a buyer and sent something back & a seller ignored it and told me a lot later it was because the box was empty, I'd think it very odd, I'd be mighty annoyed- I'd be asking -well why didn't you tell me way before this? Your stars for communication would be way down.

So I would message him &  tell him exactly what you have told us. That there must be some mistake as the case was empty.

Emphasize that there was no damage to the package whatsoever so nothing could have fallen out-but most of all, let him know that you opened it in front of AP staff and they are willing to confirm in writing that the case was empty.

I'd probably politely tell him that he must have made a mistake and forgotten to include the CD but you will need it before you can issue a refund.

The whole saga does sound very odd as it is definitely a change of mind return so he was never going to be refunded that return postage.

At this stage, I wouldn't be worrying about his feedback, you can always reply to it if need be.  No matter what you do, there is no guarantee he would give good feedback so if you are going to get a neg, make sure (to the best of your ability) at least he doesn't get a refund till the item comes back.

[jfmgray]

Yes I will contact him tomorrow - I think I will get the AP confirmation in writing before I tell him what has happened. It may be a genuine mistake but the feedback he leaves others shows he gets refunded about 50% of the time and leaves negatives for another 40% when sellers do not resolve his concerns with refunds.  If genuine and he wishes to send back the disc, unfortunately his return postage will total more than the refund.

[digital*ghost]

I'd contact them first too - it's kind of a weird one, in that it seems a lot of trouble and expense to go for a $7 CD, only because I presume at that price it's not a particularly rare or collectible release (making the desire for the disc - even as a replacement for one they already have that may be broken or no longer usable - somewhat less likely), and if they just wanted the music there's easier and cheaper ways to steal it in the age of the internet for those who are ok with acquiring music through more nefarious means (even then, if it was impossible to source digitiallly, they still had options that would have meant the disc can be returned with the case). Not that any of these things rule it out entirely, of course, just one of those things that make you go 'hmmm', regardless of the buyer's motivations. 

The feedback is issue is still a concern, but that's one of the reasons I'd contact them first - pre-emptive strikes, and all that. To start with, I'd just give them the benefit of the doubt and say that there appears there's been an error, as the case was empty, perhaps they can check their playback device for the disc etc I wouldn't mention anything else at this point, unless they came back insisting it was in there, and / or made threats about FB and so on. 

[*tippy*toes*]

Any updates?

[collect247]

Not every day you see someone wanting to make $1.80 unless it's multiplying several times day in day out.

[jfmgray]

Yes I was incorrect in labeling the buyer a shoplifter. So the buyer agrees that he forgot to put the CD in the parcel. He asks me to return the CD jewel case so he can then place the disc inside the case and return it to me.  I point out the cost to him in additional postage for this to occur and even offer a part refund to try to put and end to this (he did manage to return 1/2 the item!!). I would have thought that it is not worth the additional costs and effort for him over a $7 CD. But he is insistent that he does not want the disc in his house as he does not like it (Adrianna Grande CD).  He wants a full refund once the disc is returned to me.  My refund policy for change of mind is set as buyer pays additional postage and I made it clear I was happy to refund the purchase price of $7 once the disc is returned. I also suggested the cheapest method of returning the disc with protection (no need for me to return the jewel case to him).

So if he proceeds as he says, he has already paid $3.95 for the initial postage, an additional $5.20 for the return of the jewel case via registered post and at least another $2 to return the disc. Lets hope it does not arrive smashed!!

He clearly is not out to get a free item. But from the feedback he has left for others, I suspect this is far from over.

[imastawka]

I think that he thinks a full refund is a refund including postage costs paid by him.

What a doofus   

[jfmgray]

Yep I have the same concern although I have been very clear the refund is on the purchase price only