Would you pay $23 to avoid a Negative?

[collectibles_in_canberra]

I sold a portable CD player - I actually had 3 of them , tested each for 1/2 hour & all worked fine.

Sold all 3 with 2 positive feedback but the 3rd apparently is not working.

I received an email & I quote 'The junk you sold me doesn't work You lied in your description'.

I politely asked what the problem was but no reply. I followed up with another email & was told it doesn't work & that it has been thrown in the bin.

After checking their feedback I can see they are most likely genuine & I do believe they couldn't manage to work the player but their people skills need a little work (as do mine at times).  They don't leave a lot of negatives & have left positive feedback in the past after getting a refund.

Now my dilemma is do I refund the total $23 (purchase & post) and avoid a Negative or just leave it & cop the Neg - Would you pay $23 to get a negative removed or in this case avoid one?

[harley_babes_hoard]

nope I won't be blackmailed ......... I would ask them kindly to send the item back then and only then refund. so you give them what they want, item + refund and they leave positive feedback........by doing this you are letting them to continue to rob sellers.

How many times have they left positive after getting a refund?

[bigbrickshop]

There's no guarantee that refunding will avoid a neg.

I would refund or replace if I felt the claim was genuine.

[collectibles_in_canberra]

I agree that refunding buyers without getting the item returned can create problems for other sellers but I tried the refund on return earlier this month & copped a neg instead.

They are not trying to blackmail me & havn't actually asked for a refund but I'm thinking from their feedback history I will get one if I don't refund.

I don't want my feedback to get any uglier and if Ebay asked for $23 each to get my other negatives removed you know what - I would pay it.

There's another money making idea for them!

[letscleanupmycupboards]

No. If they binned it they can't return it for a refund. Can't walk into Kmart and show them a receipt and ask for a refund because what you bought doesn't work, but you threw it away. Doesn't work like that.

[kopenhagen5]

For the sake of $23, I would refund.

Regardless of what feedback I might get.

It's only a small amount and I can hold my head up high knowing I have gone beyond the call of duty. 

[letscleanupmycupboards]

Surely a negative out of 19000 isn't a big issue is it?

[letscleanupmycupboards]

For some reason it won't let me edit my post but I forgot to add that wouldn't the OP be out more than $23 - refunding item cost plus postage plus OP has paid the postage to send it and lost the item.

[bigbrickshop]

---

@collectibles_in_canberra wrote:

I don't want my feedback to get any uglier and if Ebay asked for $23 each to get my other negatives removed you know what - I would pay it.

There's another money making idea for them!

---

Shhhh, don't speak too loudly, it might give them ideas  🙂

[millj40]

Personally I would only refund if she can return the item.  But I would offer to refund the return postage on receipt of the item as well, so she is not out of pocket at all.

  Regardless of her FB who knows how many times she has tried this on. 

She can get it out of the bin and send it back if she wants the money that bad.  If your FB can take a neg (and it looks like it can), just respond saying 'buyer wouldn't send back for refund inc return postage'  or something like that.  And just to make ebay customer service work a bit, send them all messages and see if they will remove the neg.