have got a shocking buyer

[jasonindustries96]

Hi i had a buyer ask for my compression expensive kids 2xu top cheaper.  I accepted she then.... asked for it to go express post.  Ive had a hectic day but drove with my petrol to the post office especially to send it off for her.  Bit annoyed as i wouldnt have bothered accepting cheap price if i knew this.

Added measurements but now she is getting funny because it doesnt fit her son.  The long sleeves are too short for him and abit loose. 

I said she can send the top back but it wouldnt be worth it as im not going to pay for her postage as the item is not faulty or broken just doesnt fit her son.  I said she can use my photo and sell it on but she doesnt want to.  OH MY GOODNESS i wish there was a scanner to auto block these kind of buyers arggghhh.

so my question surely ebay/paypal wont go on her side.  if they do goodbye selling here as this is a joke

[kopenhagen5]

Well if you are happy to accept a return and the buyer is prepared to post it back then just wait until you receive the item back before refunding less initial postage cost.

[digital*ghost]

In these kinds of cases you just have to be polite, fair but firm. 

You've outlined the options available to the buyer (return for refund of item price, I presume, or onsell it with the free use of your photos etc). You don't have to do or offer any more than that. Don't get sucked into any conversations with the buyer trying to wheedle a different outcome (eg say something like, "I definitely understand that sometimes a purchase doesn't work out, so I am more than happy to offer you the options already discussed. Please let me know if you would like to move forward with a return, or need any assistance with obtaining the images from the original listing" - put it on repeat if you need to). 

Her communication history outlining the problem she has with the item will help you if they try to open a bogus dispute, but you will need to contact eBay directly if that happens, rather than go through the dispute process as is. I can provide more detailed advice on what to do if the buyer does end up opening a return that isn't for change of mind.

[jasonindustries96]

she is saying because i didnt give measurements on the arm length she seems to think she can  have a full refund LOL LOL.   I do have a few that ask for hip or arm or different measurements.  I normally only do length and width to give an idea.  She sent  a photo to show me they are too short in the arms for him LOL.   Ive told her i buy online if it doesnt fit me i just resell it i def wouldnt be asking the seller to refund my money.

She asks for it cheaper, then asks for express, i have to pay petrol and my time which was flat out and then i get this.  She did email to say its not here yet it should be overnight ARGGGHHH  it arrived this morning an hour after she asked.  Days like this i ask myself WHAT THE HECK AM I SELLING ON HERE FOR lol

[davewil1964]

Lol.

I would ask the same question.

From what I can gather from the boards, ALL relevant measurements should be included in a listing for clothing. The same 'size' in different brands can be markedly different.

Lol.

When did eBay start charging 12%? And 112% of $8 is $8.96, not $9.50.

[countessalmirena]

Follow digital*ghost's advice; it can't be bettered.

Just for your information, "doesn't fit" is one form of  change of mind/buyer's remorse.  Other forms are: colour doesn't look the same as it looked in the photo; different shade of grey/green/whatever than I thought it was; doesn't fit on my car/on the wall. (There are other forms of buyer's remorse - this isn't inclusive.)

Since you didn't include sleeve length measurements, the buyer should not be successful in claiming "not as described" and would not be entitled to a refund on the basis of "sleeves are too short for son". If I were buying clothing online and the listing didn't include important measurements of that nature, I would be asking before I purchased - but after the fact is too late.

[jasonindustries96]

yes i agree, i told her in future to ask for the measurements she wants to know to make sure it will fit.  And even with measurements sometimes it still doesnt fit like you want.    This is one of the reasons i dont like buying clothing for myself even with measurements as some dont fit.

shes stopped communication now, maybe she can see how stupid she is being.  $10 dam dollars minus fees minus my petrol i would be lucky to make $3 on it.

[davewil1964]

And if the listing says $9.50 for postage, that is what you will be charged FVFs on.

Unless the Paypal fees are more than $1.50 (which is about $46 all up) you will be making even less than if the buyer uses Paypal.

And have the buyer rely on your goodwill if things go awry. Like sleeves not fitting.

[digital*ghost]

It's the 80 / 20 rule, which suggests that 80% of your profit comes from 20% of your customers, and likewise for your problems (i.e. 80% of your problems from 20% of your customers, and the two stats probably look a bit like a venn diagram). Some clients just aren't worth it, and often you'll find that the more special demands you acquiesce to, the more that is expected of you under normal circumstances.

The sleeve length not being included doesn't make the top not as described. It would only be INAD if they were included but wrong. 

My personal advice, if you would find some of it useful...just in reponse to the last line about why you're selling here. 

Create as consistent a routine as possible - I post once per day, towards the end of the day. This means if someone messages me about postage times, I can provide this information and make it clear these are the only possible options. This kind of consistency will help create expectations that you can manage much more easily.

Another thing you can do is create some policies for yourself. Decide what kinds of things you will or will not be willing to do, and use them as a guideline to help you respond to buyers who ask for exceptions to be made for them. Write down a few template replies to common questions  / requests. It might sound weird, but you'll basically be training yourself on how to respond to buyers like this, and it will provide a much more confident tone to the way you respond to problematic buyers. I definitely think people pick up on that sort of thing, and can see they'll not have much luck in trying to manipulate you. 

[brerrabbit585]

It sounds to me like she would have found some reason to want to return it, no matter what you did, and she's picked on the length of the sleeves simply because you didn't mention that in the listings.

Of all the people I've had asked for express post, all except one have changed their mind as soon as I've mentioned how much extra it'd cost. One even took two days to pick her reg'd envelope up from the PO when it did arrive, so it obviously wasn't all that urgent. If anyone asks about express post now, I don't jump through hoops to accommodate them (but I will do it if it's convenient). That doesn't help with your buyer but it might help you be more prepared for the next one who asks for express.