kenchu2000 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Hi, I sold an item last week where the shipping method was listed as Standard Shipping (It's FedEx Ground and Home Delivery to be exact) and it was free shipping. Today I received a message from the buyer saying she wants a full refund because she didn't receive the item today. That's fine, I have no problem doing refund. This is the first time I am dealing with return/refund on ebay, so is the buyer. I did some google search and it appears that she shouldn't be refusing the package or else she would lose the ebay buyer protection. However, if she doesn't refuse the package, that means one of us will have to cover the return shipping cost. What's the proper process for dealing with this type of return? Can some experienced ebay sellers shed some lights here? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman12323123 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Hi, I sold an item last week where the shipping method was listed as Standard Shipping (It's FedEx Ground and Home Delivery to be exact) and it was free shipping. Today I received a message from the buyer saying she wants a full refund because she didn't receive the item today. That's fine, I have no problem doing refund. This is the first time I am dealing with return/refund on ebay, so is the buyer. I did some google search and it appears that she shouldn't be refusing the package or else she would lose the ebay buyer protection. However, if she doesn't refuse the package, that means one of us will have to cover the return shipping cost. What's the proper process for dealing with this type of return? Can some experienced ebay sellers shed some lights here? Thanks in advance. If she refuses the package . you will get screwed over . The post office will make you pay for the return shipping or hold your item at the post office until you pay the cost. This is the very reason why from dec 15th - dec 26th I put all my shipping dates 1-10 business days + 2 day handling .. I probably lost out of some sales but in the end I avoided missing the christmas deadlines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchu2000 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 So now what can I and the buyer do to make the return/refund as smooth as possible? I think the package is going to be delivered on Dec 26th Thursday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thombockerman Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Found this in the back yard honey, fell out of santas sleigh! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman12323123 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 So now what can I and the buyer do to make the return/refund as smooth as possible? I think the package is going to be delivered on Dec 26th Thursday. Most likely tell him you have no control over the post office if they were backed up and did not get his item before christmas. At this point you are most likely going to have to give him a refund so best bet is to tell him to just accept package and ship it back to you. Once you get it just give him a refund and be nice to avoid a negative feedback. Worst case he gets mad wants you to cover his shipping to you + a full refund (which sucks, but you should unless you dont care about a negative). But than again I have over 2k+ postive so 1 negative doesnt really sting that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justafrog Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 And, use this lesson to set up an official return policy - you can use eBay's managed returns to take all the drama out of these situations (in which you can specify a variety of criteria that eBay will back you up on if you do your part right - that except for items not as described, the buyer pays return shipping, or you can specify no returns of an opened item, or you can charge a restocking fee, etc.) For this one, tell the buyer to accept the package and ship it back to you via the same method you used to send it. You can state she has to pay the return shipping, you can be nice and cover it, you can offer to split it with her, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNotInsertIntoMouth Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I am always in favor of enforcing policies over being nice - I would definitely make her pay return shipping since you did nothing wrong. Its not just your money - this buyer may do this again and fight for not having to pay return shipping. In my eyes, if you make the decision to return the item, then you should pay return shipping. Now you can run the risk of someone tearing it up and then saying its not as described. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman12323123 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I am always in favor of enforcing policies over being nice - I would definitely make her pay return shipping since you did nothing wrong. Its not just your money - this buyer may do this again and fight for not having to pay return shipping. In my eyes, if you make the decision to return the item, then you should pay return shipping. Now you can run the risk of someone tearing it up and then saying its not as described. Not as Described my worst enemy .. idiots just press not as described .. wins case .. even tho item was as described I guess thats just the best one to choose if they want to win the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jharrison Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Silly question from someone who ultimately wants to sell on eBay but lives in fear of those evil customers... If you took video of a close-up of the Lego Set, then pan out to show yourself putting it in the shipping box, filling with packing materials, closing and taping the box and finally slapping the shipping label on it... would that be enough to win a "not as described" case? Also another thought I had is as a buyer I would love it if an ebay seller did this and then posted the video for me to see. Would take the anxiety out of waiting for it to arrive wondering what I really bought. Also if the buyer knows the video exists they are much less likely to file the "not as described" in the first place. It's a few minutes extra burden so maybe only worth it for the more expensive sets or ones that are going overseas?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quacs Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Silly question from someone who ultimately wants to sell on eBay but lives in fear of those evil customers... If you took video of a close-up of the Lego Set, then pan out to show yourself putting it in the shipping box, filling with packing materials, closing and taping the box and finally slapping the shipping label on it... would that be enough to win a "not as described" case? Also another thought I had is as a buyer I would love it if an ebay seller did this and then posted the video for me to see. Would take the anxiety out of waiting for it to arrive wondering what I really bought. Also if the buyer knows the video exists they are much less likely to file the "not as described" in the first place. It's a few minutes extra burden so maybe only worth it for the more expensive sets or ones that are going overseas?? It's not a bad idea, and may help to head off "Not as Described" claims, but I don't think it will help prove a claim to eBay. The seller is still responsible for the packages during delivery, and as we all know, anything can happen during delivery. Also, I'm not sure a video is "proof" as there's no true away to prove the video was filmed the day you claim with the actual merchandise that was sent. Plus, it's a LOT of work to do this, and would really make shipping more onerous and time consuming than it already is, especially if you're doing any amount of volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNotInsertIntoMouth Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Yeah to me its easier to just insure it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuttfarkas Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 Silly question from someone who ultimately wants to sell on eBay but lives in fear of those evil customers... If you took video of a close-up of the Lego Set, then pan out to show yourself putting it in the shipping box, filling with packing materials, closing and taping the box and finally slapping the shipping label on it... would that be enough to win a "not as described" case? Also another thought I had is as a buyer I would love it if an ebay seller did this and then posted the video for me to see. Would take the anxiety out of waiting for it to arrive wondering what I really bought. Also if the buyer knows the video exists they are much less likely to file the "not as described" in the first place. It's a few minutes extra burden so maybe only worth it for the more expensive sets or ones that are going overseas?? You talk about taking a video...but how would the seller know that that's the item you actually sent? Insurance is your best defense in regards to selling on E-Bay. E-bay will more or less flat out tell you that Insurance on packages doesn't protect the buyer...but the seller. Even that isn't perfect....but at least it gives you something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c4dreams Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 there are always going to be difficult customers, but as long as you do your best to properly describe and properly ship you will get very few problems. I'd say about 1 out of every 100. I don't think videoing is worth the trouble. just be prepared to take a small loss on your sales like any other business does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anakinisvader Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 It's Christmas. Just take the loss. Welcome to reselling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veegs Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I film and insure just for my own peace of mind. I'm sure it will get put to the test at some point, but thus far so good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold-Arrow Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I just slapped a 14 days return policy on all my Christmas shippement in case anything was delivered late-in all truth I didn't promise anyone a Christmas delivery. Everything but one was delivered. The one shows no tracking but haven't heard from buyer yet and so I'm gonna leave it at that . If it arrives lates they can return it, I probably will pay for return shipping if they make a huge fuss since one negative will kill me at this stage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justafrog Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The video idea gets floated a lot amongst eBay sellers, but scuttfarkas has it correct: it's pointless. I can show myself wrapping up my best pearl necklace, putting it in a box, and sticking a label on it, but there's nothing to say that as soon as the camera's off I don't unpack it again, put in a string of white beads, and ship that to the customer. Don't be scared of eBay. It's like selling anywhere else - you can protect yourself to a very significant amount using various eBay tools, obeying the rules, shipping with insurance if you're worried about the dollar amount or you get a "feeling" about the buyer, etc. You'll still occasionally get ripped off, but it'll be a very, very minor part of your business and EVERY business owner gets stuff stolen occasionally, regardless of where or how you sell. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoNotInsertIntoMouth Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 The video idea gets floated a lot amongst eBay sellers, but scuttfarkas has it correct: it's pointless. I can show myself wrapping up my best pearl necklace, putting it in a box, and sticking a label on it, but there's nothing to say that as soon as the camera's off I don't unpack it again, put in a string of white beads, and ship that to the customer. Don't be scared of eBay. It's like selling anywhere else - you can protect yourself to a very significant amount using various eBay tools, obeying the rules, shipping with insurance if you're worried about the dollar amount or you get a "feeling" about the buyer, etc. You'll still occasionally get ripped off, but it'll be a very, very minor part of your business and EVERY business owner gets stuff stolen occasionally, regardless of where or how you sell. I just do it by putting a camera on the box - it shows me putting it in and never goes off until the person receives it. Then it tapes them opening it. Sure, I pay thousands of dollars in cameras, but I don't lose packages. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy341 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 What was your return policy as stated in the listing? Ebay now requires you to state one. If your return policy states that the buyer pays return shipping, then they pay it. If it states that you pay it, then you pay it. Now, you can decide to pay it anyway, that is your decision. I usually don't pay return shipping unless there is something wrong with the package or if I make a mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenchu2000 Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Thanks everyone for the input. The return policy stated in the listing is as "No returns or exchanges, but item is covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee.". I have notified the buyer to just return the package back to me for full refund, and I will cover the return shipping. I think this situation probably falls into a special case since the buyer expected the package to arrive before Christmas but it didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legoman12323123 Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 there are always going to be difficult customers, but as long as you do your best to properly describe and properly ship you will get very few problems. I'd say about 1 out of every 100. I don't think videoing is worth the trouble. just be prepared to take a small loss on your sales like any other business does. I only take video of large orders $500+ worth .. as a reputable seller with 2k+ feedback it would be hard for some yahoo to claim i sent him a empty box when I have over 2k+ positives saying otherwise. But for small orders I just send it if they complain and make to much noise just send a refund ( meh minifigures sell for $10-$15, I just take a small loss to avoid neg. feedback) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest betsy805 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Another ebay question: Been selling since last February and just got my first return. She's upset because the box got kinda smooshed in the mail (that and usps took 8 days to deliver her priority mail). I'm fine with paying return shipping, but she opened the case with ebay, I approved it....and....nothing. No more word. It's been a week, which is odd because she had been so responsive before. Is there a limitation on time that she can pursue this return, or does it not matter since she technically opened the case within the 14 day window? And how do I reimburse return shipping if I can't refund over the original paypal total? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exciter1 Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Another ebay question: Been selling since last February and just got my first return. She's upset because the box got kinda smooshed in the mail (that and usps took 8 days to deliver her priority mail). I'm fine with paying return shipping, but she opened the return case, I approved it....and....nothing. No more word. It's been a week. Is there a limitation on time that she can pursue this return, or does it not matter since she technically opened the case within the 14 day window? And how do I reimburse return shipping if I can't refund over the original paypal total? You should be able to send her a Paypal payment for the return shipping. You should have the Paypal information from your EBay transaction. If you replied and they aren't responding, the case should close after a certain period, or you can contact EBay and let them know. EBay can close the case for you if the required time period for response has passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asharerin Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 You should send a PDF for the return label. That way you can void it if it does not get used and get your money back. If you Paypal return shipping costs as a separate payment they will simply keep the item and get a nice little discount and you have no recourse whatsoever. Sounds like your buyer wanted an extra kickback but wants to keep the item (what a surprise huh?). Personally I never pay for return shipping. Simply tell the buyer you are sorry they are not happy with the item and you would be more than happy to give a full refund if they return the item. 99% of the time you won't hear from the scammer again. Add them to your BBL and move on. Make sure all dialogue is done using the ebay message center so you can later call and get any neg removed if need be. It is a pain in the you know what but that is ebay for you. Never, ever, opt into the managed return program. The majority of the time you will be footing the bill for returns using the program. There are forums just like ours dedicated to scammers targeting managed return sellers. They simply order the item, do an automatic return choosing item not as described (in which case you the seller get billed for the return), mail you junk and you have no recourse whatsoever. In our case they will blowdry open the lego set seals, fill the box with whatever, reseal it and send it back all free of charge to them (paid by you). You may not even know the item was tampered with and resell it to someone else. The scammer will later sell your new set in bags with no box on their selling account. Avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smuddger Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 This is the biggest hassle on ebay. Its all about the customer. I personally am a powerseller and it hurt a bit jumping through their hoops but my advice is. Clear picture, clear description and returns policy. The title is key people dont always read the description make sure you say new, used. mint ,boxed etc Set out your returns policy I personally have stated buyer pays return, if the item is faulty I credit that back. Know your postal provider and how they pay for insurance etc. Also I only send recorded/registered postage on all items over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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