Report buyer -- Refund or not?

[lux-libri]

If you report  a buyer for misusing returns, does that trigger a review process with eBay? Or will eBay still expect us to refund shortly after the return is received (with eBay label tracking.)

Specifics: Sold a dress (under wife's account) that was new with $180 tag attached. Buyer waited 20+ days and requested a return for "Doesn't fit." She mailed it back on the 30th day after purchase. Got it today, and it smells like perfume and has clearly been worn. AND the original tag is gone, and a beat-up old tag from the same designer was attached with a safety pin. It's from a different dress priced at $135 -- not the $180 tag clearly shown in our listing.

Needless to say, it's a loss and we will probably just donate the item.  Sale price was $49 with free shipping, but we're sick of getting used. We've had several similar cases in the past year and usually just refund to protect feedback. Any advice appreciated.

[ittybitnot]

eBay expects you to refund for a faulty return.   They have always called it "part of doing business on the net."  The practice just seems to be more of a function of "doing business on ebay."   

[buzzapparel]

Here is verbatim my most recent report, I honestly don’t think any human being will actually read it :

“The buyer returned a pair of used, scuffed boots. I sent him a pristine, new pair of nearly perfect Ralph Lauren boots. The boots I received had deep creases in the toe, the soles were scuffed, the scuffs were so severe in the toe area that the flat portion was rounded, the "Ralph Lauren" wooden plate on the sole was crushed and scuffed, one boot has a catastrophic scuff on one side on the leather, one boot has deep scratch on one top toe portion, the tongues are both extremely indented and weathered from being worn, aside from this the soles had dirt and little rocks embedded into them. Obviously the buyer wore them for the few days he had them. He formally was messaging me about the size and fit.

I'm sick to my stomach to have to refund yet another person for abusing the returns. You offer me no protection and count my word as worthless, I have not received any benefit of the doubt, or any level of authority in how I describe situations. My word means nothing to you, the buyer could have essentially sent me a bag of trash and the results would have been the same.”

[dhbookds]

You offer free returns so you should have the option of taking off up to 50% off the refund.........  which will leave ebay on the hook for the rest if the buyer squawks........and it will certainly put the buyer on a list ebay must keep somewhere.........

[evelyb30]

The safest option is to eat it, unfortunately, and report buyer abuse.  Not that it will do you any good.  Best outcome is the buyer gets suspended/banned and can't do it to anyone else. 

You can try calling Ebay and setting up a squawk.  Show full documentation that what was returned is NOT what you sent.  You might get lucky and Ebay might refund you out of their own pocket.  Ebay might go after the buyer for it but most likely not, because then they run into....   The buyer, if they bought with a credit card, could always go nuclear and file with their credit card company and Ebay loses the money twice, plus the fee the credit card company chooses.  Either one could also file with Paypal,  if Paypal was used, which could end up with Paypal freezing YOUR account until the matter was settled.  

Odds are the whole thing is a no-win for the seller.  

[goodluckselling]

---

@lux-libri wrote:

If you report  a buyer for misusing returns, does that trigger a review process with eBay? Or will eBay still expect us to refund shortly after the return is received (with eBay label tracking.)

---

I am not sure a seller can determine a buyer is misusing the return process before they get the item back? 

I think sellers should wait to get the item back, issue the refund and then decide if they have enough proof or evidence to report a buyer for misuse.  eBay has told us they take these reports seriously, so that sounds like to me that they do some investigating.

Good Luck Selling!

[castlemagicmemories]

Ebay will still expect you to refund.

If you were in free returns, you could refund 50% of the purchase price on the grounds that it was not returned in the original condition.

[mama11bears]

I've been selling a LONG time, back as far as when buyers cared about THEIR feedback as well as their numbers, so they actually left FB. When I encounter a scammer I let them leave neg FB! I had a guy tell me the magnets in 2 Kissing Bears didn't work, said item wasn't as described, and that the magnets repelled each other. I explained there is NO WAY to 'break' a magnet unless high heat is involved. F ers at Ebay took his side, I had to pay for return and refund sale price. When I got them back, they worked just FINE!   You are NOT a Walmart store obligated to take every return!!!

[velvetturtle73]

I too just got scammed by a buyer who returned stainless steel flatware instead of my sterling silver flatware....in-spite of my numerous calls and reporting the buyer....they refunded the buyer all his money...so now he has my flatware and his money. I have been selling on ebay 20 years....he has been on 6 months....buyer always wins. Time to leave ebay.

[tunicaslot]

Folks when you receive something back other than what was sent as in the sterling silver case - I first contact the buyer and asked if they mistakenly sent the wrong item back as it wasn't the item I mailed them. If they did send the right item back - it was obviously tampered with along the way and I will have to notify the Post Office who will be opening an investigation as this is a Federal crime and the PO may interview them for additional information.

Most buyers will find some excuse such as the wife packaged up the wrong item for return ect. These buyers are still reported to Ebay and I still file all the necessary forms to get them on everyone's radar.

Now if an item is returned worn and I have free returns - pictures are taken and sent to Ebay with a report notifying them of why I am only issuing a 50% refund. You can't always make your situation right but you can possibly scare the buyer enough and get them on eBay's radar - that you'll protect other sellers on the site from it happening to them.

[hargan]

My new mantra is "Shopping on eBay can be fun. Selling not so much!"

for the most part I'm usually a buyer on eBay. Every few years or so, I sell some things from around my house I no longer need or have room for. And during those few times, it never fails I have one bad buyer. This time I just had a buyer return a game for not working, though it did work when she received it.  She even said so. I accepted the return but it was incomplete because the hard copy instructions were missing and it smelled strongly of smoke, as if it had been in a fire. I actually had to pay someone to clean it. That's how bad it was. Oh, and the game works now that I have it.  I called eBay & spoke with four different persons, including two in mediation and a return specialist who informed me that I could wait for the receipt of the instructions and then, issue a refund. However, in the end, eBay took it upon themselves and issued the buyer a FULL REFUND and I still don't have the instructions. Oh, I appealed it, but the appeal "specialist" didn't even want to talk to me and relayed instructions/questions through the mediation specialist. eBay already made their decision and no matter what actually occurred or what I said, it didn't matter. I pointed out the eBay's Condition of returned items, which clearly said "the buyer must return all of the items sent in a return that was sent to them including manuals, etc. in the same condition as sent out.  It didn't matter.  I reported the buyer for three different infractions to no avail. That doesn't mean I wouldn't report a buyer again. Report the buyer. Present evidence. Have witnesses. That is if you can. Problem is eBay doesn't know what we actually sent the buyer and what they sent back. eBay and the buyer knows it and uses it. Now, I have another buyer claiming a "cheap pedometer" she made several offers on "doesn't work". Strange how the other four out of five do. I'm close to having her send it back just to see if it does, but don't feel like wasting my money again. Report the buyer. Complain to eBay and if you can, control how much of a refund, if any you issue. Good luck and best wishes. One final word, on eBay the customer is always right, but some few sellers, very few have won with evidence.

[hargan]

P.S. Don't get caught up in worrying about your feedback. There are lots of sellers out there that according to their feedback shouldn't be selling, but eBay doesn't care. I won't buy from them. They just want the money (eBay, too). Besides, I'm one of those sellers that "100%" doesn't really mean anything. I actually read the feedback to see if any negative and neutral are real or just ignorant statements. i.e, I had a buyer several years ago who left me negative feedback, stating, "I know I've been ripped off. " Because a patch he ordered during the holiday season didn't arrive fast enough. My reply was "tracking showed it was delivered." He didn't counter my statement.