Return Request

[munchkin83munchkin]

I sold some thongs a few weeks ago and got a return request the other day which says 'Item Not as Described' and her messaged added says she can't wear them.

They were brand new as described and they were the size that they were described as, so I don't know what she means that they aren't as described and why she can't wear them.

The Return Request gave me the option to send a message, so I asked in what way were they not as described and why she couldn't wear them.  I didn't get a response.  I see that she only joined ebay just before buying them and therefore has no feedback.

I contacted ebay via they're chat line aand explained the situation and said I'm always happy to refund and have done in the past, when there is a problem, but that I wasn't prepared to do it on this occassion as I know they are exactly as they were described. I told them that I had sent a message, but so far had not had a response

The person I was chatting with said that I had done the right thing by messaged and agreed with me that I shouldn't have to refund....though I do take this with a grain of salt. 

They said to wait the 3 days and if I don't hear back to contact them again and they would escalate the matter.

I'm concerned that if I do escalate this matter that they will turn around and find in their favour and automatically refund them.  I mentioned this to the chat line person and they were all 'No, we wouldn't do that....blah, blah'

It's now been 4 days since the return request was received and I sent a second message to them explaining that I had contacted ebay and they had suggested that if there was a genuine problem to send  me pictures to support their claim.....but I have had no response from them.  If it is left as it is, what will happen?  Or should I contact ebay and ask them to escalate the matter?

[davidc4430]

---

@melbourneclearance wrote:

The seller should be able to set their own conditions of sale.

Unless there is something wrong with the item or the item is mis-described, if the seller says No Return then it is no return. If the seller advertises a piece of clothing as M, for example, then the buyer should be careful. "Medium" is a loose word, it may or may not fit the buyer. The buyer is free to ask for the measurements in cm, but if the buyer buys without any question and it does not fit then the buyer has no one to blame but himself.

I have had a few complaints about my items being too small. In my mostly-unprejudiced opinion, if the listing did not state the size and you did not know the size when you bought it, then you void the right to complain about size. Heck, buyers complain about sizes anyway whether or not it is stated. The worst case I've had was a buyer who bought an item with "14cm Large Keepsake Urn" in the title, the very first line of the description in bold and bigger font, and the bottom of the description. The next thing I knew she opened a SNAD case - "I bought a large urn, I received a miniature item". I sell a handful of 14cm large keepsake urns and over 80 normal sized 7cm keepsake urns. Even if I did not have "normal" keepsake urns "14cm" was repeated 3 times. Even if "14cm" was not mentioned the word "keepsake" should have been a clue. Needless to say I won that case.

---

except the seller is selling on the ebay platform and as we all know when we sign up to sell on the ebay platform we agree to all their rules and demands.

ebay doesnt just go by laws, they creat their own 'policys' which we all either agree with or we take out business somewhere else.

the boards are full of complaints about ebay does this or ebay does that.

the bottom line is ebay makes the rules if we dont like them we have the right not to sell on their platform.

if we go way back to when ebay began, it WAS a great place to sell your unwanted carp, on a buyer beware rule, no returns, ect ect.

those days are long gone, now ebay is best suited to selling 'new in original box' items.

anything 'used' can wind up costing the seller money.

the same rules cover clothing that buyers get from B+M stores, not happy get your money back.

[enigmabear]

Is that like jandals for man holes ? 

A hole whole new way of having a foot up the bum

[munchkin83munchkin]

Well, they escalated the claim. So I contacted ebay again and was advised not to worry as they had asked the buyer to return the item and if it isn't received or it is received in different condition to what it was sent, then they won't be refunded. I asked them how they would know if it is in different condition or not and it would be a matter of he said she said and they would probably side with the buyer. They assured me that they have experienced people that are able to review this matter and not to worry....yea sure.

Then I got a message from paypal....they had lodged a claim with paypal. So I contacted ebay again and was told it was now out of their hands, but not to worry as they are sure paypal have experienced people to help me.

I contacted paypal and explained the situation to them. I also added that if they chose to refund the buyer, I would have no choice but to take the matter further against the buyer, as in my opinion committing fraud and I would also take action against paypal if they removed money from my account.

Within 1 hour I received a message from paypal saying that they had decided to refund the buyer.....but due to the unique circumstances of the claim, they would cover the refund themselves and not remove any money from my account.

Thought I would let you know the outcome in case it might be helpful to other sellers

[*tippy*toes*]

That's good news, but even though the money didn't come from your account, the buyer still got away with it. That means they will keep doing it because they know they can. Don't forget to block this nincompoop. You really don't want to deal with them again!

[redders_60]

I have a Wertheim  (Melbourne made) Aussie piano in my lounge room! It's nearly 100 years old & still going strong! Better tone than the Kawaii on the other wall!

[countessalmirena]

@munchkin83munchkin,

You weren't penalised, which is a good outcome for you. It's terrific that you were on the ball with contacting both eBay and PayPal.

But I agree - poor outcome in terms of the buyer succeeding in getting a refund.

It's always interesting when a seller follows members.

To follow a member, go to the member's profile (https://www.ebay.com.au/usr/membername, where "membername" represents the member's name),

 

Membername (xx )     Based in [country], membername has been an eBay member since [date].

                                                    9x.x% positive Feedback

                                   ♡ Save

Click onto "Save", and the heart will be filled.

Membername (xx )     Based in [country], membername has been an eBay member since [date].

                                                    9x.x% positive Feedback

                               ♥ Save

Other members can see who a member is following. That can be useful.

[digital*ghost]

---

@munchkin83munchkin wrote:

I contacted paypal and explained the situation to them. I also added that if they chose to refund the buyer, I would have no choice but to take the matter further against the buyer, as in my opinion committing fraud and I would also take action against paypal if they removed money from my account.

Within 1 hour I received a message from paypal saying that they had decided to refund the buyer.....but due to the unique circumstances of the claim, they would cover the refund themselves and not remove any money from my account.

Thought I would let you know the outcome in case it might be helpful to other sellers

---

That is really strange, TBH.

If a buyer opens a PayPal claim, the eBay claim becomes void, and can not be re-opened. I have to wonder what it was about the ebay dispute that made them think of going to PayPal instead (being told to return?)

But, a normal PayPal dispute would / should have resulted in the same thing, but with the added benefit (or disadvantage, depending on your disposition) of the buyer having to pay for tracked postage while ebay technically requires the seller to pay - and that's only if the claim was escalated, and if the claim was then found in the buyer's favour (it isn't always with PP), or the seller agreed to accept the item back. To go from being opened, to that decision, in such a short timeframe is very unusual (the one and only time PP did that with a case of mine - where I was the seller - I had actually accepted the return, but the buyer didn't send the item back, they did send something, and I went to great pains to prove it wasn't what I sent them, and that was ultimately the decision PP reached - refund to the buyer, but not from my account  ). 

[munchkin83munchkin]

Yes, that is right.  I made a point of replying to Paypal's message. I said that I appreciated them not penalising me and taking money from my account....BUT I added that I was very disappointed that they chose to refund this buyer and that I believed their policy was encouraging and allowing scammers to continue to steal from innocent sellers, as they make it easy for them to do so. I said that the seller's forum on Ebay clearly shows that many, many sellers are being ripped off and are not as fortunate as myself.

Not sure if this will make any sort of impact, but I felt it needed to be said

[munchkin83munchkin]

I'm guessing they didn't want to return the item....because there was nothing wrong with them and didn't want to be caught out, or they didn't want to pay for the return postage.

But they had the gall to comment on the Paypal claim that the item was not as described and had been returned to me and they had not received a refund.....Still waiting for so-called returned item

[casbit33]

totally agree. I have ticked "buyer pays the return postage" when listing items. But now when someone wants to return an item, there is no option for the buyer to pay. You have to reprint the label and you get to pay. Or you can give a full refund and they keep the item - you lose again. Or give them a partial refund and they keep the item - you lose again. Or just message the buyer which usually gets an answer "please refund me" or "please send a return postage label" - you lose again.
Why does ebay even have that buyer pays return button to tick?
It's useless.