Returning items, selling and having eBay step in

[esdcah]

Hello,

I purchased a used Fluke 79 Multimeter for  $89.99 and $19.99 for the shipping. It's still in the process of being delivered. The auction has an eBay 14 day return policy.

What happened is I was on EEVBlog forum site discussing electronic repairs and also the Fluke 79 (recently puchased via buy-it-now)  and was told for the type of electronic repairs I need to perform that the Fluke 79 doesn't have neccsary features.  I would need for example a Fuke 87, which come in versions I though V. Many of the Version 1 and some of the II and II are less than what I paid for the Fluke 79 with shipping.  Version V the most recent and popular version is more expensive than earlier versions and  found one for $150.00 (shipping included). I needed to puchase a rubber protective case that Flukes usually come with for another $25.00 = $175.00 total.

Ok so I contacted the seller about returning the Fluke 79 (refund would be auction price excluding the $19.99 for shipping.) and he replied that he has overhead such as warehouse / storage and packing fees (apparently pays a person or persons to perform packing of items)

I told him that I may be willing to accept a partial refund to cover any seller expenses and fees.

He wrote back with a $40.00 refund offer then wrote again with a $60.00 refund offer. I wrote back stating after thinking it over that I would only accept a full refund minus shipping and that I couldn't be held responsible for a sellers busniness expenses.

I've been a eBay member as both a buyer and seller since the 1990s and have one hundred percent feedback. I told him as a seller I too have needed to pay addtional while selling items and for my self it's just the cost of doing business.

e.g. I've sold items where the eBay auction calculator was off by $25.00 (less) than actualy UPS shipping cost. (eBay's auction calculator isn't always very accurate) I just chocked it up as a sellers business expensive along with eBay and Paypal fees, packing material, fuel to deliver packages to drop off centers, etc. (UPS and Fedex are over 30 miles away, cost for a pickup is at least $12.00)

Anyway I'm wondering about eBay's 14 day return policy and if the seller has a choice to either refuse a return or make a return conditional for the provided reason such as changed mind, didn't need item, etc.

The USPS tracking shows the Fluke 79 was Delivered on Thursday, Dec 20, 2018 to my PO Box, which I haven't yet picked it up.

What I was planning on doing is to refuse delivery where upon USPS will return it back to the return address on the shipping label at not cost.

The seller when offered a partial refund of $60.00 did include a return address but I'm uncertain if it's the same as what's on the shipping label.

At this point in time I'm not able to ask eBay to step in until the 25th (next tuesday) as I've decided to let eBay make a decision about the return and item refund.

If not able to get a full refund (- minus shipping) I'll probably put the Fluke 79 up for auction  as I already have an older Fluke 75 as a backup meter.

However I'm wondering what options does the seller have when  there is an unconditional 14 day return for an auction? I don't see any conditions that are required to perform a return and refund. Such as for DOA, item not as described, etc.

As a seller If I don't want an item returned what I usually do is list it AS-IS / no returns or include a condtion returns only if DOA or not as described, etc. But even then I'm fairly resonable and will allow buyers to return items. I often have 30 and longer day returns and make it very easy for a buyer to return an item without worrying about the reason for the return. (which often are mulitple reaons)

[esdcah]

Yeah you're probably right nobody wants to have items returned, even it it’s become part of the processes of manufacturing and business. Items are no longer designed  to last and to be repaired. Products are designed to be replaced under warranty, which usually involves returning an item   for a replacement. Many if not most modern products aren’t repairable as they require special tooling and technology that only the manufactures can afford for their mass production and high volume sales.

Since manufactures have gone from design and manufacture of products to last 30+ years, returns are inevitable since most products no longer can be repaired or the cost of a repair would be the same or more than a new product.

Were in a mass production and high volume sales society. Manufactures make money on how many products can be sold in any given amount of time not the selling of quality product that are made to last as well as to be repairable. So were sorta thinking in our minds just return it for a new one.

Not that many years ago this wasn’t the mindset.

 We are in a society today of manufacturing and selling of products  with new features and not better quality, made to last and repairable.  

Many more products these days just end up in landfills only after a short while. Unless they’re under a warranty return there’s usually no need to try to repair them. Most warranties that use to be 3-5 years are now one year.

Business don’t want items returned they want you to go out and purchase a new version of the same product, most of which now only come with a one year manufacture warranty as manufactures over have reduced most of the warranties to one year, possibly two years. Sure you can purchase an extended three to five year warranty. However you need to remember that products use to be designed and manufactured to last 30+ years. I’ve had older refrigerators made in the mid 50s that were running well keeping food cold and frozen at the correct temperature after fifty years.

I guess it’s because there’s so much cheap junk to weed through, making it difficult to make the correct product decision. That consumers have become disillusioned. Even the so called name brand quality products has become pure junk ending up in landfills.

For thousand of years humans have been producing products,  most of which were good quality for their time period, but it seems like only the last 50 or so have humans started to produce mostly “junk” with new features, that manufactures pray you never return.