eBay

dhaga · ‎09-26-2023

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.

bonjourami · ‎09-26-2023

Sounds like the buyer resented being asked to open a case, he just wanted an instant refund. Not much you can do about the fb, Ebay will tell you he is entitled to express his opinion on the transaction.

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“Never pick a fight with an ugly person. They don’t have anything to lose.” ~Robin Williams

heckofagame · ‎09-26-2023

My advice is to not refund any money until a case is opened either with eBay or their payment company.

dhaga · ‎09-26-2023

Thanks, that is how I see it as well. Was I wrong to want to have the buyer go through ebay? I think they spent more time DMing me with their disappointments vs time it would take to file a claim.

mtgraves7984 · ‎09-26-2023

You were not wrong. Maybe the user has lost the ability to open a Return, maybe the buyer just wanted free stuff.

hartungcards · ‎09-26-2023

You're never wrong telling a buyer to do things the way eBay wants them done.

inhawaii · ‎09-26-2023

Sorry, I don't think there is anything you can do about the feedback.

Just hope that the buyer does not do a damaged or NAD (not as described) return.

If they do, just accept the return.

Do not refund until you get the item back.

NOTE:

Because they sent you pics of the damaged item,

you MAY want to consider just refunding them and letting them keep the item.

No sense in paying return shipping on a broken item that has no value.

Totally up to you.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone - The Temptations

cstpos · ‎09-26-2023

@dhaga They might have thought you meant they had to deal with ebay to get a refund, in which case, they took offense because they didn't know the process. That's the benefit of the doubt part. But since you said they have a habit of doing this based on their feedback left for others, they were probably hoping you'd say they could keep it and get a full refund. I would message them via ebay that all you were requesting was that they follow ebay policy by opening a case, aka filing a claim for a return on the ebay website. This will allow you to send a return label, and is a policy to protect both sellers and buyers. Let them know that the steps for opening a return are easily available on ebay.

You have beautiful items. You could ask ebay to remove the feedback as the buyer is trying to get a refund outside of the ebay system for returns.

klhmdg · ‎09-26-2023

Since you requested that the buyer file a return request -

Maybe think about responding to the negative.
"requested buyer file a return request per eBay MBG so the refund could be processed."

klhmdg • Volunteer Community Mentor

12345jamesstamps · ‎09-26-2023

Buyer might be afraid to open a claim against you because they did too many refunds already with eBay.

Buyer has a lot of feedback and knows what needs to be done.

Buyer thinks a refund and keeping the item(you stated "no returns") would be the right solution but it isn't.

And don't be so quick to give positive feedback....sometimes it's better to wait until you receive it.

Not sure if the feedback can be removed by eBay...worth a try...she didn't want to open a claim with eBay.

And of course...feedbacks can be changed for only 30 days....You can request a revise with the buyer...can't hurt.

And you can reply to her negative feedback as well underneath her feedback...but be honest and nice when you do it...otherwise eBay will delete it.

It is possible it did get cracked in shipment..."shadow of a doubt". Maybe a partial refund?

She was nice to send photos of it...Most buyers would never do that.

And insurance is only for lost items by the way...not damaged items in shipment.

house*of*paws · ‎09-26-2023

Hi @dhaga

It's impossible to assess the buyer's behavior without knowing exactly what you said in your message.

Did you express an apology for the damaged item ... and let the buyer know that you'd be happy to issue a full refund as soon as a return request was opened ... or did you simply tell the buyer to open a return request?

Buyers are always hesitant contacting a 'no returns' seller about a damaged (or otherwise 'not as described') item. I'm thinking that your 'skepticism' about the damage might have seeped through your message ... and angered the buyer.

inhawaii · ‎09-26-2023

@house*of*paws wrote:
Hi @dhaga

It's impossible to assess the buyer's behavior without knowing exactly what you said in your message.

Did you express an apology for the damaged item ... and let the buyer know that you'd be happy to issue a full refund as soon as a return request was opened ... or did you simply tell the buyer to open a return request?

Buyers are always hesitant contacting a 'no returns' seller about a damaged (or otherwise 'not as described') item. I'm thinking that your 'skepticism' about the damage might have seeped through your message ... and angered the buyer.

I agree.

How the seller responded to the buyers initial complain is key.

Papa Was A Rolling Stone - The Temptations

dhaga · ‎09-26-2023

As a seller I always leave positive feedback for a buyer as soon as they pay I see it as being the equivalent of thanking a customer immediately after a sale. In any case I am happy to see there is agreement that asking for them to go through the ebay process is not out of line.

inhawaii · ‎09-26-2023

@dhaga wrote:
As a seller I always leave positive feedback for a buyer as soon as they pay I see it as being the equivalent of thanking a customer immediately after a sale. In any case I am happy to see there is agreement that asking for them to go through the ebay process is not out of line.

I agree with you on feedback.

But that a whole nother debate here. 😉

Papa Was A Rolling Stone - The Temptations

stuffygrotto · ‎09-26-2023

I looked your sale up and that's such a cute old timey thing. I'm sure you know this but one of the first things about heavy (and brittle) old cast metal things such as this, is that you a have to pack it extremely well against dropping or being thrown. The weight if the object itself forces it to shift during shipping and, if there isn't enough inches of *dense* packing material to withstand shifting and drop impact, it will definitely break.

So, for the future you should ask how formidable is your packaging and imagine it being dropped or thrown.

Sadly, it's also common for dishonest people to swap their broken cast metal things and claim damage. After the fact, it matters not. Unless you try to claim damage by USPS.

And we cannot prove the customer swapped his broken part, unless we mark it secretly somehow and get it returned to inspect. When I was a new seller I had an antique cast iron bookend set of hunting dogs and one of the the darn Pointer's tails broke off in shipping. Pretty common I was told.