Buyer wants refund for damaged item

[dhaga]

Buyer says piece arrived badly damaged. They sent me pics of box before it was opened (no noticeable mishandling) and pics  of a badly cracked cast metal casting that was inside. I am skeptical but benefit of doubt prevails. In all my years on ebay I have never had a buyer ask for a refund because the item was damaged (my packing is complimented on a lot). The buyer contacted me immediately wanting a full refund. I asked buyer to file the request through ebay and within seconds of me doing so they posted negative feedback on me. Something odd about this so I checked their history of feedback left for others and there is a pattern of recent negatives left for others. 

[maxine*j]

Your reply to that neg was calm, factual, polite, and professional.  It's a shame you got the neg, but it won't deter any good potential buyer because of your response.  Obviously, the neg was from someone fishing for a partial refund or who-knows-what.

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[sapphire_studio]

Your response was perfect and anyone reading the feedback will see how professional you handled it and that you simply wanted your item returned in order to refund her and she was demanding more than she should have.

I've heard of people getting feedback removed if the buyer mentions an ebay case. So it's possible that you could get it removed and definitely worth a shot.

Use this link:

https://www.ebay.com/sellerhelp

[dhaga]

Copy and pasted from an earlier reply from KLHMDG. I know good advice when I see it. 

[dbfolks166mt]

      While I have only had a couple of instances of shipping damage ironically one of them involved an ornate  cast aluminum sarcophagus. The buyer sent me a picture of the packing and the damage and this one was pretty straight forward since the box had tire track marks across it I assume from one of the USPS vehicles. I apologized to the buyer for the damage and asked them to retain the original packing and the item, let them know I would issue a full refund, which I did immediately,  and would be filing an insurance claim with USPS. I also had to ask them for their personal email and phone number since USPS will not communicate through an eBay ID. 

     I was fortunate enough to have a buyer who worked with me, provided the information I needed for the claim and we took the rest of the communication off eBay. Buyer was kind enough to take the item and original package to their local post office for inspection. Post master approved the claim and retained the packing and damaged item and I received a check from USPS about 3 weeks later. 

     If the buyer will not work with you chances are good that USPS will not approve the insurance claim but you can try. If they won't work with you and based on the negative feedback that may be the case, definite add to your BBL and potential report to eBay. You should also respond to the negative feedback in a civil manner which I see you have done. 

 

[dhaga]

Thanks, I used it word for word, it is a perfect response. 

[dhaga]

It actually ended up going through FedEx home delivery. This particular buyer will not be cooperating. They started in on me after I requested them to file for refund through ebay and have had more than six messages from them since with all sorts of crazy accusations, including a claim that I sent the item to them already broken. I must say the damage they showed on the item, and the condition of the box on the porch, does not seem to square up. But, we can only go by what is claimed in this case, not speculation. 

[dbfolks166mt]

It actually ended up going through FedEx home delivery. This particular buyer will not be cooperating. They started in on me after I requested them to file for refund through ebay and have had more than six messages from them since with all sorts of crazy accusations, including a claim that I sent the item to them already broken. I must say the damage they showed on the item, and the condition of the box on the porch, does not seem to square up. But, we can only go by what is claimed in this case, not speculation. 

     Not all that familiar with FedEx and their insurance claim process but I would suspect it too would require some assistance from the buyer to close out a claim. Not surprised that this buyer would not cooperate given their feedback. At least this was a $25 item and not a $250 item. I would simply wait for the buyer to open a case and would probably stop communicating with them. 

[dhaga]

I think you could be onto something here. I do pack well  but if we give benefit of doubt, this item was not packed well enough. The item sold for $25 and the buyer initially paid $62 just for shipping. I thought paying so much for shipping might be a red flag. I actually found cheaper shipping, let the buyer know right away, and sent a refund of about $30 right after I printed the shipping label. In any case lessons learned. 

[stuffygrotto]

Care to share the photo showing damage?🤓

[yuzuha]

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@dhaga wrote:

I must say the damage they showed on the item, and the condition of the box on the porch, does not seem to square up.

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Impact damage is usually like that. I work retail and I can't tell you how many times I've opened up a box of merchandise that was absolutely fine on the outside only to find that some of the things inside it were broken.

[chapeau-noir]

You handled this completely correctly, and anyone looking at that neg would know that you stand behind your items. Some people go off the rails when they're disappointed when something is broken in shipment and nothing you do will satisfy them - you could have refunded and they might still have negged you - that happened to me with a neut.

Also, someone upthread said insurance is not for items damaged in transit, but for items missing. That is incorrect. It is also for damage - I've settled claims myself (a forklift drove one of the tines through a package I had shipped with a plaster statue).

Yes, cast iron can get brittle and break - I had also that happen with 1920s plastic that was wrapped too tightly (was broken in half despite the package being fine, but was old and brittle) and some Cape Cod glass, another thing that tends to break along the casting lines.

[robbie31415]

Oh it's for damage, but most times it can be hard to get participation from the customer to go to the carrier.

Also, eBay only let's sellers really hold off issuing a label for 3 days, then the return can he escalated into an actual case.

So for lost items, the insurance always. But for damage it is a gamble.

[dhaga]

Sure, why not?

[kalyoth]

Working for one of the larger parcel operators - Amazon - I can let you know that packages go through extreme stress during transit. That package will be on at least 4 sets of electronic sortation, touched by human hands a minimum of six more times & impact adjusted inside a trailer a minimum of another 4-6 times prior to final delivery.

Unless you pack your item to survive being stepped upon with no container damage, it's never good enough & a buyer will always try to find a way to seek advantage. Some more than others. I true shame on that cast iron. I have several pieces late 19th century. Silver pieces as well 17th century. They truly knew how to craft back then.