Return when buyer admits she modified the item

[mynewfindstore]

So this buyer bought a formal dress from us that comes with a home security tag attached....the manufacturer puts these on the dresses.  It's nice because, if it's removed, we know that the buyer could have worn the dress.  This buyer messaged me and told me she removed the security tag but still wants to return the dress since it is too small.  I have free returns on my items.  In this case, when the item comes back, I intend to give her a partial refund since the item's condition has been modified.  She swears she did not wear the dress but I have had this situation before.  My question is, if I refund say 20 percent off, will I receive ALL my fees back from the original transaction?  I tried this recently before and it looked like I wasn't going to get ANY of my fees back....anyone know?  Thanks!

[lakefor94]

If you provide anything less than a full refund, the eBay fees are not returned.

[mynewfindstore]

That's awful then....not much use for free returns then!  ugh!

[chapeau-noir]

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@mynewfindstore wrote:

That's awful then....not much use for free returns then!  ugh!

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If you're TRS level you can take the discount on damaged returns with just a standard 30-day return policy (not free returns).

[lakefor94]

@mynewfindstore 

Depends on how much the item sold for and the percentage amount of the deduction. Some times it could  be a winner and sometimes a wash.

[mynewfindstore]

OK thanks for the info....need to do some hard thinking then!  This item was a $68 sale so not a small one to me....

[stainlessenginecovers]

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@mynewfindstore wrote:

OK thanks for the info....need to do some hard thinking then!  This item was a $68 sale so not a small one to me....

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I thought this thread was about a $1000 wedding dress or something in that fashion.

$68?.... So you are talking about $6 in fees....so, WHY do you care about the FEES??

If you are TRS and want to 'utilize' the 'up to 50% from refund'....then you COULD take UP TO $34. 

So, take your 20% PLUS your $6 (plus shipping cost of??) and you would STILL be under the 50%. 

I am amazed that someone with over 9000 feedback which means you probably have done Thousands of $$ in sales, yet you can't figure this part out?? 

[chapeau-noir]

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@mynewfindstore wrote:

OK thanks for the info....need to do some hard thinking then!  This item was a $68 sale so not a small one to me....

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@mynewfindstore  Since the TRS Plus is a listing designation and not a seller designation, you can decide which listings you want to apply it to. In those categories where returns and/or return abuse might be high, you can simply have the 30-day policy rather than the free returns, in other categories leave the TRS Plus listing designation.

[mynewfindstore]

We have to promote our items to compete with the millions of clothing items out there so our fees would be well over the 14% level you are assuming.  We rarely do less than a full refund so this is not a situation we encounter frequently.  I don't think I am going to post here ever again....

[mementomoria]

In my book, this is a 50% refund on item and no refund on original shipping.  She cut the tag off and you can no longer sell it as new with tags. If she complains, Ebay will pay her the other 50% out of their pocket. You need to be a top rated seller for this.

[mtgraves7984]

"We rarely do less than a full refund so this is not a situation we encounter frequently.  I don't think I am going to post here ever again...."

@mynewfindstore 

Your lack of experience with this is an excellent reason to post here. Welcome to the jungle.

Since you're a TRS who offers 30-Day Returns, you have the ability to reduce the amount of the (impending) full refund by (up to) as much as 50%. It's one of the last seller protections left and I'd suggest that you use it. 🙌  Good luck.

[robbie31415]

You do not need to be a top rated seller.

There are TWO protections that are very similar.

Abusive buyer and Top Rated.

The abusive buyer policy will work for non top rated sellers (above average) who offer FREE 30 day returns.

The top rated seller version requires 30 Day returns, doesn't have to be free.

Both give the seller option to give up to 50% partial refund for items returned with altered condition.

[chapeau-noir]

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@mynewfindstore wrote:

We have to promote our items to compete with the millions of clothing items out there so our fees would be well over the 14% level you are assuming.  We rarely do less than a full refund so this is not a situation we encounter frequently.  I don't think I am going to post here ever again....

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@mynewfindstore  I've sold thousands of clothing items and have NEVER dealt with the damaged return refund issue, so the fact that you haven't isn't surprising. Don't worry about it - on chat boards take what is helpful and ignore the rest.

[broto_64]

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@mynewfindstore wrote:

We have to promote our items to compete with the millions of clothing items out there so our fees would be well over the 14% level you are assuming.  We rarely do less than a full refund so this is not a situation we encounter frequently.  I don't think I am going to post here ever again....

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What you experience on this forum is that you will get a variety of answers, from those you want to hear to those you didn't want to hear... I hope you stay, just takes a little of developing a thick skin but in the long run this forum is far more helpful than any other resource many of us have found.

[mynewfindstore]

Yeah I am just having a bad day.  I've been dealing with a lot of pain the past 4 years since my latest knee replacement.  Doc says there's nothing wrong with it but it bothers me most of the time, from stiffness to really bad aching.  I don't have a lot of tolerance for negativity lately!  At least I am getting an answer here that I can believe rather than try to call eBay customer service and deal with a heavily accented representative that probably doesn't know the answer!