eBay

Anonymous · ‎01-25-2024

I do not regularly sell on eBay, but lately I have been trying to make some extra money by selling some stuff from around the house. I have a 100% rating and less than 20 sales.

I listed my Super Nintendo console, OEM accessories and about 10 highly rated games for auction as a single lot/bundle. The listing received a lot of attention and traction and ended with nearly 100 bids. The winner paid about $360 plus $40 shipping. I believe it was the included games that bidders were after - probably not so much the console.

I tested everything over a couple of days and ensured everything was in working condition. I listed the item as 'used' and only described the condition as "working". (Of course I tested everything before taking photos and listing it).

The auction winner has an eBay store that sells vintage video games. I do not see any consoles listed, only games and accessories. About a week after delivery of the items, he contacted me asking for a partial refund because a piece of plastic casing in the AC port is missing, causing the power cable to be loose. I honestly never noticed and I didn't experience any issues, but the photo he sent me confirms it. My listing photos did not clearly show the port so he definitely has a INAD claim. I apologized and explained I did not realize the casing was missing and I offered to accept a return of the whole bundle. He responded that he would prefer to keep the items and receive a $15 refund.

Here is where things get interesting.....I reviewed his feedback he has left for others and it appears that he has already sold several of the items. Some recent feedback was left for other buyers of one game, two controllers and some dust sleeves that were purchased after my delivery date. I do not see any duplicates of these items on his store currently. I also see all of the games that I sold him in his store inventory as "newly listed".

At this point I feel like he's just trying extort $15 out of me. I know it isn't much, but I really don't want to be taken advantage of. I offered to accept a return and refund him, but I am guessing he won't opt for that because he's already flipped several of the items.

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks for any objective feedback.

simba6 · ‎01-25-2024

Sounds like discounting. I would advise him to return it for a full refund.

buyselljack2016 · ‎01-25-2024

@Anonymous

Personally, I would just chalk it up to whatever it is, and give up the $15

I could call the buyer's bluff. Could win, could lose.

The return is going to cost you the shipping for that return as well as the shipping when it was sent.

Whatever gets shipped back (if anything does).................. you will have to refund in full.

Sometimes we are the windshield, sometimes we are the bug.

Weigh your options, and decide.

mtgraves7984 · ‎01-25-2024

What would you do in my situation?

Thanks for any objective feedback.

@Anonymous

1) I'd ignore the request(s) for a $15 partial refund for now. If what you suspect is true, maybe the buyer will go away.

2) I'd honor the $15 partial refund if the buyer's messages became too much for you to ignore.

I offer those options (in that order), but always revert to 3) 'Return for a full refund' as a last measure. I say a "last measure" since you fear that you won't get all of your items back and you'll be refunding for all of your items. (Normally, this would be my first recommendation, but not if you fear some of your items have sold.)

Good luck and good golly...

tobaccocardyahoo · ‎01-25-2024

$15 is cheap black mail. Return shipping would cost you more, and if he is a criminal sort, the return has more potential to cost you more, or everything.

Give him his refund and block him as a buyer.

You are not convinced you did not miss the defect, you could be at fault for the issue.

This is a business decision you have to make, and the numbers point in one direction.

house*of*paws · ‎01-26-2024

Hi @Anonymous

Are you willing to spend $40 on a return shipping label to get everything back … assuming the seller is able to return everything you sent him?

You are NOT responsible for sending a partial refund to a buyer … but you ARE responsible for paying the return shipping if a buyer claims an item is ‘not as described’ in some way.

Anonymous · ‎01-26-2024

Update:

Buyer sent a hostile message at 5am (my time) this morning and left negative feedback before I woke up and responded. It dropped my positive feedback rating down to 50%.

I have been prompt, professional, and consistent all week and yet they say in the review that I am "difficult to work with".

I continued to offer a full refund for a return, but they were only willing to accept a partial refund/discount. Now they also claim both controllers are defective, but when I used/tested them before listing they were working.

Their negative feedback has basically ruined me as a small seller. The buyer was a business that flips vintage games with 175k reviews. They found a small defect in the console that the average user like me wouldn't notice (which is why it wasn't disclosed in my listing) and it feels like they took advantage of that. Yes I could have just given them the $15, but the whole experience just felt like I was being bullied into a giving a discount. I stood up for myself against a professional seller/business and ultimately lost. Disappointing, but a good lesson on the risks of being a small time seller.

Thanks to those who offered some objective feedback on this thread.

umccars · ‎01-26-2024

This is sad. These people know the game real well. Ebay has decided that sellers are expendable. As long as "we" sellers continue to just give the refund because Ebay won't back us on anything that takes an actual human to look at, they will continue to screw us every chance they have. I will not give a partial for any reason. Return for refund. Unfortunately, sellers relying on Ebay for income can't always do this. I once sold a lot of 100 fishing lures, all brand new in package. Buyer said it wasn't what he wanted and I returned them. He had opened some and actually spilt beer on some. I called, yes Ebay had a number, I asked if the product had to be in the same condition and was told yes. Explained and I got to keep the lures, my money and Ebay paid them back. Those days are long gone.

Anonymous · ‎01-26-2024

Agreed - those days appear to be very long gone. I starting looking at how to contest the feedback and I am having a hard time navigating eBay CS.

68barbie · ‎01-26-2024

Several years back I had the misfortune of a sale to a person who demanded a partial refund for a non existent blemish on some makeup. When I politely insisted on a 100% money back return if they weren't satisfied, they left negative feedback . A check of their feedback left for others uncovered a sea of red donuts with a scant few positives mixed in. I surmised they only left a positive feedback when a seller gave in to their demands, negatives were left for those of us who insisted on a return. A couple of months after that I was contacted by another seller who suffered a similar negative from this buyer. They told me the buyer was a seller under another name and proved all their aliases. The seller maximized their profits by buying from other sellers, extracting partial or complete refunds for imaginary "damaged" goods and then reselling for full price. Sure enough I found the makeup I sold them on their page, listed as being in perfect condition. It sounds like this method is your buyer-turn-sellers' business model as well. And it's a perfect example of why I will rarely ever give in to a partial refund demand. If it's good enough to keep, it's good enough to pay for in full.

If you are unable to get the negative removed, you could post a well-tempered reply stating you offered a full refund upon return. Resist the urge to get a jab in to the buyer. Your business-like reply can make a huge impression on future buyers.

-C

mr_lincoln · ‎01-26-2024

Hi @Anonymous

I would refund him $ 15 and thank him for his business. If the Buyer were planning to scam you they could have filed an INAD return claim, forced YOU to pay the return shipping and sent back a rock. You would have been limited to how much you could deduct on the refund and in the end lost more than $ 15 on the transaction.

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor