posted on March 23, 2001 02:19:54 PM new
Hi All,
I have heard many stories of buyers bidding then once the item is received e-mailing the seller and saying something was wrong with itand returning the item but the item is a broken one that the buyer had and swithced with the mint one seller sent, and I beleive it has happened to me a time or two. I was wondering if any of the sellers here have found a way to prevent this happening other then NO Refunds. Is there a way you mark it??
I thought about puting a mark that is unusual on the item (Thats Washable) and then stating in my Tos that item must be returned with this mark so please inspect your item before washing. One mark is removed it is no longer returnable. This works for items that are in fact washable, But I am kinda stumped as how to mark other things that may not be washable. Have any of you more experienced sellers found a way around this. If so How?
posted on March 23, 2001 02:35:30 PM new
This issue came up awhile back..quite awhile I think and someone posted a URL for purchasing a special "invisible ink" pen that you could see the mark made under a black light. ANd it was suggested for this reason. I kept the URL and wrote them but never got around to ordering. I will try to find it or maybe some kind soul will remember it also and have it handy. The "kit" was for eleven or twelve dollars if I remember rightly..I will see if I can find it .
posted on March 23, 2001 02:42:19 PM new
I've only received one package with this marker-type seller protection, tho it wasn't invisible.
We opened the package and the mdse had this green stuff on it, which got on our hands and we wiped it off the glass and our hands, and then after inspecting the mdse, got around to reading the note the Seller had included. Buried deep down in the note was a warning NOT to remove the special ink or whatever it was in case the item needed to be returned for any reason they required that that be on it.
Good thing we didn't have to return it.
I also found it a little insulting. But if you sell in a category where that's happened to you, maybe a truly invisible ink would be a good ploy.
If you do a search on eBay, there's usually quite a few listed on any given week.
In over 1200 collectible items sold on eBay alone, I've yet to have anyone try & pull a stunt like that. If someone did, I'd keep their money & return the item they shipped back to me COD.
posted on March 23, 2001 02:57:27 PM new
Hi, knock on wood, I have been pretty lucky in the 4plus years I have been selling. I DID however, have one person ATTEMPT it with an antique doll. I keep my auction pics for a month after completion of a sale "just because" and this lady tried to return a SIX INCH doll stating that I had misrepresented it as a 21inch doll....never heard from her again when I sent one of my pics with my hand holding what was obviously a much larger than 6 inch doll....LOL...the only other time was a bidder who , after recieving my old halls pottery dish, stated it had arrive broken and asked me what my thoughts were on this. I told him to send it back and I would refund both his bid and postage costs. Never heard from him again....really wierd. I have never used this ink pen but had stored the info in case it ever was needed.....I stored it so well, I can't find it ....
posted on March 23, 2001 03:00:00 PM new
reddeer..I LIKE that idea......LOL...I will have to remember it if I ever need to. Frankly, I guess I have been lucky...and hope it continues . Most problems have been fairly mild and with a little communication on both sides have been satisfactorily resolved. I guess I kept the address for the pen (or thought I did) after reading some real horror stories....
posted on March 23, 2001 07:29:28 PM new
I bought one of the blacklights and marking pens a couple of years ago after being stung badly on a return. Now when a bidder wants to return an item they are informed that they are welcome to return the item as long as it is the same item shipped and I mention that all items are marked for identification purposes. In a several cases that was the last heard about the return.
I don't really mark everything that I sell. Even though the ink/fluid is invisible I try to place it in out of the way places. It has been cheap insurance.
posted on March 24, 2001 03:29:24 AM new
YOU have to mark without leaving a permanent mark ... so I go for things that are easy to remove, but hard to remove without destroying.
I would NEVER mark directly on clothing ... but I would run a thread through the label, or a buttonhole or even the stitching on a seam, with a sealing-wax blob holding it in place. Thumbprint on the wax, or a unique widget for a stamp. This works for jewelry or anything with a loop or chain.
For glass and ceramic and metals ... a swash of white tempera or latex on the bottom with your signature: easily removed, and impossible to move. A blob of wax with your thumbprint works too. Just be sure you don't cover damage or marks.
Paper items are a different matter ... if it's flat, seal it into a plastic baggie, with something signed or unique caught in the seal.
Books ... run a thread through the spine, sealing it like clothing. OR, select a page and LIGHTLY pencil in the openings in three or four e's or o's (write this down!).
posted on March 24, 2001 04:12:35 AM new
I sell used computer drives and power supplies. I stamp on them with a regular address stamp and put a piece of clear tape over it to protect it. I have it easy.
posted on March 24, 2001 06:43:37 AM new
Since I have heard stories of this happening, I thought I would be better safe than sorry so I bought one of the invisible ink pens and a black light.
I sell a lot of pottery and dinnerware and it works great on them.
But now my problem is that I never remember to mark the item until I already have it all packed up!
Fortunately, I've never had a problem with returned items!
