Sold electronics to happy buyer. Buyer discovers item is now on sale elsewhere and wants refund?

[hsilsky]

Not sure what to do here as it seems like eBay is all about favoring the buyer in almost every situation.

I sold a smartphone brand new to a buyer just a couple of days ago. The handset was new, comes with proof of purchase/warranty, is factory sealed, etc. I even took $100 or so less off my original asking price when they made me an offer.

The same item was literally just announced as being significantly discounted on various websites here in Australia. It's now being sold for about ~$300 less than what my buyer paid.

The buyer sent me two messages today, one stating "Hi they sell this item now much cheaper at so and so" and "Would you consider a return?"

Can I decline their request for a refund?

My main concerns are 1. If they open a case, 2. If they refuse to sign for the package as it has not yet been received and 3. If I accept it back and it's no longer factory sealed or tampered with.

What do you recommend, community?

[shoppingbag*]

This is a bit of a tricky one...We have all bought things and then seen it somewhere else cheaper. The fact that the buyer has used the word "consider" would indicate that they realize they probably shouldn't ask, but did so anyway to see if you would oblige. I don't see that you are under any obligation to accept a return. I would probably send a message saying "sorry, but all sales are final" and then let the chips fall where they may. Others may have a different opinion.

[designers*n*more]

If the buyer refuses to accept the package, he's not eligible for a refund (I believe this is the case, I thought I read somewhere that they're not suppose to refuse delivery but I could be wrong)

you don't have to accept Change of mind returns unless you stated in your listing that you do.  If the buyer opens a case, keep the emails they sent stating they've seen it elsewhere at a cheaper price and that's why they want to return it.

If it hasn't arrived yet, wait until it has arrived and then reply (how many days does tracking say until it's due for delivery?)

if they open a case for not as described, eBay will most likely side with the buyer and even if the product has been opened eBay don't care, they're excuse is generally "we don't physically see the item so we have to side with the buyer".  Let's hope if he opens a case, it will be for change of mind, then you don't have to accept it.  If the buyer is decent, he will request a return for change of mind. If he's deceitful he may even deliberatly damage the phone just to open a not as described dispute. It has on many occasions happened unfortunately.

you can also report the buyer for falsely using eBay's money back guarantee.  Since he's already requested a return as he's found it cheaper you have that as evidence to back you up if the buyer opens a dispute for not as described if mysteriously, the item suddenly arrives damaged

https://www.ebay.com.au/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/reporting-issue-buyer?id=4084

[curraone]

Ebay's own policy states:

The ACCC advises Consumer guarantees do not apply if you:
(a)  got what you asked for but simply changed your mind, found it cheaper somewhere else, decided you did not like the purchase or had no use for it
(b)  misused a product in any way that caused the problem
(c)  knew of or were made aware of the faults before you bought the product
(d)  asked for a service to be done in a certain way against the advice of the business or were unclear about what you wanted

[springyzone]

I think it is a really tricky one.

You have every right to politely reply that unfortunately it has already been posted and you don't accept change of mind returns. You could even quote what curraone stated as the consumer terms.

Your buyer sounds as if he is a reasonable person. He hasn't demanded a cancellation/return, he has asked if you would consider it. So he may take the disappointment on the chin.

What is his feedback/past buying history like? I know sellers can only give positive feedback but sometimes it contains a clue, as does the feedback the buyer himself may have given in the past. Does it look as if he has ever given other sellers grief over nothing much?

If you follow this path-knocking back a refund-you do risk him opening some sort of a case for item not as described. To do that though, he would have to claim either a part missing or that it was not working properly or was not the model in the ad, something like that. Most of those options would mean he would have to open it to at least give the appearance of legitimacy. If he starts an INAD claim, he would most likely win, as you realise.

Your other option is to say that yes, you will accept a change of mind return but he will need to pay for return postage and that the refund is dependent on the item being exactly as sent, unopened and in original condition. Quite a lot of shops have options like that and in this case, the shop has some power because they are the ones who determine if it is in pristine condition.

I think if you did this, you would have an excellent chance of getting the phone back unopened etc.

It wouldn't be ideal of course as you'd be back to square one, but at least you'd have a phone to sell.

Normally, I wouldn't necessarily be prepared to follow this option if i were a seller but I'd consoder it here on ebay, only because I think a $300 difference is a great temptation to a buyer to try for INAD.

[beautbots01]

You could also offer them a further "discount" suggesting that just because it is on sale elsewhere that they will automatically get it. If it is a popular phone at a low price they sell quickly and customers end up on a waiting list for weeks with no guarantee when new stock will arrive. . (has happened to me)

This would mean a cut to you but at the end of the day perhaps your customer may be happy just to get it a "little" bit cheaper and not have to go through the hassle of reordering. May be a win win.

Just a thought.

[chameleon54]

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@beautbots01 wrote:

You could also offer them a further "discount" suggesting that just because it is on sale elsewhere that they will automatically get it. If it is a popular phone at a low price they sell quickly and customers end up on a waiting list for weeks with no guarantee when new stock will arrive. . (has happened to me)

This would mean a cut to you but at the end of the day perhaps your customer may be happy just to get it a "little" bit cheaper and not have to go through the hassle of reordering. May be a win win.

Just a thought.

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That's not a bad idea. If the phone is now cheaper in the stores, its not going to worth the same price as you sold it for last week anyway, so that may be a way to get out of it and salvage something. Unfortunately with ebay you have to take a haircut from time to time and if you deal in high risk items such as phones, you need to factor that into pricing.