posted on November 21, 2013 06:30:04 PM new
A buyer opened a case without contacting me first. She is un happy with the items sent. I responded via the resolution center. I am awaiting her response. I am willing to refund as long as she sends the items back. what happens now?
posted on November 21, 2013 08:14:56 PM new
Good question. The same thing happened to me.I keep responding & she is taking forever to resolve. She sent an item back & I sent a replacement which is what she requested & still no resolution.
posted on November 22, 2013 03:33:00 AM new
You have done your part now just wait and see. If they return the item give the refund through PayPal. Sometimes the buyer looks at the cost of returning the item and just forgets about it. If I made the mistake I pay for the buyer to return item also but that is up to you it is not required.
posted on November 22, 2013 05:34:31 AM new
If she opens case with Ebay,Ebay will withhold the payment from your paypal account,if the dialogue goes on and on and she does not return the item,when will the fund be released?
posted on November 22, 2013 08:11:35 AM new
Merrie.
did you try closing the case ,if she agrees,then you will get the fund released plus ebay FVF returned to you.
posted on November 22, 2013 11:50:09 AM new
Lost, it is sort of complicated. She bought 6 identical items. Said one was scratched ( did not contact me, just opened an INAD complaint). She wrote in her dialogue that she loved the other 5, did I have another. I said, yes, i would replace it. She returned "damaged" item. Tiniest scratch, almost invisible, buf I sent another. Each time I have responded promptly, sometimes several times between her responses. It has been almost 2 weeks since I sent the replacement. No word!
posted on November 22, 2013 11:57:19 AM new
Basically, it is a waiting game.
Other than being unhappy, what was her exact reason for not wanting it? Not knowing what it is, was it sold as new or used? Did she indicate if she tried using it or if it was defective?
If she has buyers remorse, I usually make the buyer pay return shipping. If it something you made an error on or described incorrectly, then you should pay return shipping. Of course, all of this is pre-determined in your return policy, unless she claims Item Not As Described.
Either way, the item needs to be returned. A few months ago I posted about a situation where I sent the wrong item and the buyer was a bit rude and wanted a refund. Then she wanted me to send the correct item.
It was my error, I sent her a pre-paid return label and she didn't return it. She opened a case through eBay and eBay told her she could get the refund if she returned it and they sent her a free return label as well. She never followed through. IMO, she just wanted to keep the wrong item and also get a refund and/or the correct item.
Some people disagreed with me, but all she needed to do was return the item with either of the provided labels to get her item.
posted on November 22, 2013 12:25:50 PM new
I don't understand why the buyer has not responded after she opened the case so fast. I am more than willing to work with her. Now the waiting game.
posted on November 22, 2013 04:00:08 PM new
I had a not as described case opened about 2 months ago. Even though the measurements were given exactly in the description, customer said it "looked bigger in the photos".
Didn't want to get involved in a drama over who was right. Just said please return item and full refund will be given. Then just waited for an item that never showed up.
After 30 days eBay automatically closed the case as the item was never returned.
posted on November 22, 2013 04:03:52 PM new
I had a similar problem and gave a partial refund which she accepted.
Didn't want to bother with it being sent back to me, too heavy and the postage I would of had to pay wasn't worth the return.
She took forever to close the case. I contacted Ebay and they told me they close the case automatically in 30 days if it has not been escalated. My buyer eventually closed the case and since your buyer hasn't escalated the case, I don't think you will have a problem.
posted on November 23, 2013 05:46:11 AM new
Merrie,
You said she bought 6 items and returned one which is scratched,did EBAY hold back payment of 6 or 1?
When you sent her a replacement,did you use DC and did it show it has been delivered?
If delivered,you should ask Ebay if they will close the case.
YOur buyer has nothing to lose if they close the case,if she did not get her 6Th replacement,she can always appeal.
I dont know how long we sellers can put up with all these?
I have a buyer who returned an item from Japan saying it has been polished and it should not be polished and he used express mail so he can prove he returned the item.
I have another buyer from Taiwan saying I sent the wrong item and quality is poor,she sent me a picture upside down and too small to view,she is sending back the item.
I have a buyer on our East Coast who bought a nice gold watch for her mother in law whose watch was stolen ,she invited her mother in law to view my watch on line and her mother in law got angry and said heriloom cannot be replaced,I dont want your watch?
So she is confused and depressed and want to return this watch,it costs $750,an antique watch over 100 years old and running .
How many of us will refuse a free gold watch ,her daughter in law spent a lot of efforts to find one similar to the one stolen?
I have a restocking fee of 7 1/2% and she is asking me to give her a break,who is going to give me a break on the insurance I took out and the express shipping I used?
posted on November 23, 2013 10:55:19 AM new
In every single situation, I say stick to your policies. I have a philosophy that policies are made to allow both parties to understand the terms of the sale. When you make exception to the policy for one, then you should pretty much remove the policy altogether. Why have a policy that you will break? Why tell someone what you will do when in the end you change it?
Sure, there are exceptions to situations that are unforeseen, but sellers shouldn't have to give away money to satisfy a buyer who made mistakes in their purchase or have buyers remorse.
More often than not, requiring the item be returned properly (same condition, unused, insured, proof of signature, etc) is all that it takes to deter a refund. Most of these buyers are trolling for "after the fact" discounts.
My policy is that something needs to be returned no matter the issue. If it my fault, I pay to return the item, otherwise they pay to return the item. The likelihood of my item arriving broken is very small. The last two items that arrived damaged were done by mishandling. Fed Ex punctured the box with a forklift and chipped a marble top table, the other was the driver threw a 30 pound large box with a ceramic planter over a 8 foot wall for delivery. In both situations Fed Ex paid the claim.
Lost- your restocking fee should be charged. the woman who purchased it should deduct your fees from the cost of the watch and give her relative the difference to find her own watch. Done!
[ edited by shagmidmod on Nov 23, 2013 10:57 AM ]
posted on November 24, 2013 10:53:41 AM new
Thanks,the restocking fee will help pay for the insurance and expedited shipping.
Do you know Fed Exp has just lost a suit for overcharging its customers for residential delivery when it is not a residential address?
A $16 MILLION dollar settlement to be paid out to its customers,it turns out that Fed Exp gets these addresses from a third party data base which inaccurately label some addresses as residential when it is not,thats what Fed Exp said ????????
Fed Exp has cancelled my Ebay account for discount shipping because I dont use it much,I used it twice overseas and found it expensive and no better than USPS express intl guarantee.
Fed Exp will charge me local fuel charge once it arrives at overseas destination while USPS Intl Express guarantee costs less,it turns our package over to Fed Exp to deliver locally and does not charge extra.
posted on November 24, 2013 03:44:35 PM new
Lost so if a customer returns an item they not only pay for return shipping and insurance but refund you that amount in a restocking fee. Sounds like customers should be suing you. Some costs are just the cost of doing business and most sellers include it in the item price.
posted on November 24, 2013 04:29:29 PM new
lost, Ebay did not hold any payment.She did have DC & so did I on the exchanged item. I am just going to wait and see what happens.
alldings, most Ebay sellers cannot afford to absorb shipping when a buyer just changes his or her mind. Even Replacements charges a restocking fee on most returns & their shipping fees are quite high and I am sure they can afford the cost more than most Ebayers.Amazon charges you for return shipping if you decide you do not want something.
My motto is: If you are unsure you want / need something,or it is a gift, you should buy locally where you can physically inspect it & personally return it if you change your mind.
posted on November 24, 2013 04:30:19 PM new
When Ebay changed its policy to 14 days return or no return,no more 3,7,10 days return,it allows seller to charge a restocking fee,in fact Ebay has hinted so.
Some of us decide we will charge a restocking fee,I have seen 15% from some sellers,a 7 1/2 % is fair for my items.
If they dont like the policy,then they can buy from someone else.
I have prospective jewelry buyers who read my policy and decide they would not buy from me,which suits me fine,as I dont want to deal with return,when it comes to diamond and other precious stones,I dont want to waste my time wondering if they have replaced the stone,one never know !!! not that I have Hope Diamond for sale on Ebay or any expensive stones,but one never know what kind of buyers are lurking on Ebay.
This restocking situation does not come up often,usually a guy bought the item and his wife does not like it,or in this case,daughter in law bought it and her mother in law does not want it .
[ edited by lostmymojo on Nov 24, 2013 04:36 PM ]
posted on November 25, 2013 10:15:07 AM new
restocking fees cover the expense of having a customer try it out and is fair. If the buyer really wants to be a jerk, they can simply file an "item Not As Described" claim agains the seller and don't pay a restocking fee.
Sounds backwards rewarding a liar while charging an honest seller doesn't it? What else would you expect from eBay???
A few years ago I made the mistake of buying an audio cable from a buyer who ended up in China. I received it and it was broken. They used eBay policy to their advantage stating I had to return the item to them. It would have cost me more money in shipping than what it was worth to bother with it.
As a consumer, we have to make decisions based on what is best for us. I have a situation right now that has me really miffed at a local business that I have bought thousands of dollars in hardware over the years.
I purchased a box of dust masks. The box was not sealed, but there was an inside bag that was tied. I opened it, put on the mask and it was way too tight. My girlfriend tried it on and found it too tight as well. When I attempted to exchange it, the hardware store refused claiming I was returning an opened item that they could no longer sell. How does one know if it will fit until its opened? In hindsight, I should have opened it in the store and checked (if they would let me).
I support buying local, but will be more careful in the future about return policies, and at the same time I do not accept returns for our items unless it is misrepresented.
[ edited by shagmidmod on Nov 25, 2013 10:16 AM ]
posted on November 25, 2013 01:37:51 PM new
I dont buy from overseas sellers anymore,no matter how wonderful the item is,since USPS raises overseas postage by 60%.
