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Buyer broke item and is trying to return it
A buyer sent me a threatening message while the item was in transit. Then when they received it, they broke it and are now trying to return it. What do I do? I don’t want to have a broken item returned to me.
7 comments
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months agoHi @stoemama44
There must be more to this story. By chance was it this item: Shy Guy Red Nintendo DS Lite Console Only
Did they tell you they broke the item? Did they send pictures of physical damage? It is not out of the realm of possibilities that the Buyer was just setting you up in hopes of scaring you into refunding them for a perfectly good item. If you have not done it yet ask for pictures for your records of both the packaging and the item, then wait.
If it were me I would advise them to file an official return claim through eBay and that you will provide a return shipping label through the claim process, then wait. Depending on what happens some of eBay's Seller protections may apply and if the return winds up being bogus you might be able to withhold the original shipping they paid and up to 50'5 of the item price to help cut your loss. Seller protections | eBay
Definitely use the Report Buyer link on the sold item after you get the item back. This is an important step in cases where Buyers are being bad actors.
stoemama44
OP5 months agoThank you for your reply! Yes it is the Nintendo DS item. The full story is:
They purchased the item on a Friday. I was out of town and shipped Monday. They send me a message “You will get your first negative feedback unless you give me a compelling reason why you didn't ship my DS until four days after I bought it”. To which I replied that I was out of town for the weekend and shipped it as soon as I got home and had the item in hand. They then replied that they were sorry for their tone but they had been dealing with bad sellers. I reminded them I am not those people.
They claimed a hinge was damaged - but it was not damaged before the item shipped. The DS was secured with multiple layers of bubble wrap and insulation. The buyer said they believed it was in good condition when I shipped it and it must have been damaged in transit. The only way for the hinge to break is if the DS was physically opened, which I mentioned. I asked them if they accidentally broke it and they said no but then began to insult me, call me a liar, etc. which seems to be projection.
Im disappointed because I know they broke it - they seem to be mentally unstable judging by the character they expressed in the messaging. They even claim I have a low positive feedback when my feedback was 100% positive except their review 😂. My issue is once they return it, I may not be able to sell it again because they broke it.
Is the only option to go forward with the refund through eBay? I feel cheated that they damaged it and it will put me at a loss.
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months ago@stoemama44
-Depending on how your shipping preferences are set up Sat & Sun are NOT considered Business days for shipping and a sale on Friday with 1 Day handling does not have to ship until Monday ... of course Buyers are blind to that fact.
-Was it shipped in a box? If not then it was not shipped with sufficient protection regardless of the amount of bubble wrap you used.
-Did they at any point provide pictures of the damage??? If not then you cannot be sure of their claim and as suggested up thread ask them for pictures for your records.
-Don't just refund them, have them file an official return through eBay and that you will pay the return shipping. If the item is damaged and you can't sell it that way then the refund is a deduction on your annual tax return from your eBay sales.
-You use the eBay default No return policy, it sends the wrong message to both sellers and Buyers. Many Sellers think they are immune from returns which is not true at all. Inexperienced Buyers who think they cannot return something can and do resort to the type of treatment they gave you "thinking" they are stuck when in fact they aren't. Additionally, you have no clue how many Buyers pass up your items because you don't offer returns, to me it does not show any confidence in what you are selling.
stoemama44
OP5 months agoYes, it was not a delay in shipping by any eBay standard. And again I shipped within the acceptable window but this person clearly had a problem that has nothing to do with shipping.
I did ship it in a box. It had multiple layers of bubble wrap and other packaging materials inside to keep it protected, then yes was shipped in a cardboard shipping box. It absolutely had sufficient protection and again the way the item was damaged, it only could happen if the item itself was opened (the top screen bent backwards would cause it.)
This person sent me pictures of the damage. I believe they are the one who cased the damage. The seller admitted to using AI in my original picture to “prove” I was damaged before shipping but when I lighten the original picture the damage is not there. So they’re using AI to try to fake it was broken. They even admitted in our messaging that they have anger issues l, but they didn’t break it out of anger. It felt like a confession even though they deny doing it.
I do offer refunds (I did not know there was a way you could not?) although I’ve only had 1 refund request in my 10 years on eBa. This is my second and again I am certain that the buyer broke the item (apparently out of anger) and now I have to deal with their bad behavior as a loss to myself? Seems ridiculous.
They did request it through eBay and I took care of the return shipping.
I will write it off on my taxes as a loss though, thanks for that reminder. It is still frustrating that buyers can’t be held responsible when they are…
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months ago@stoemama44
Very true, regardless of some Buyers and their bad behavior they can still be protected. We've had a few bad experiences over the years. Fortunately they have been few so they wind up being a deduction at the end of the year. Just make sure you use the Report Buyer link on the Sold item to alert eBay of a problem with that member.
Add them to your blocked list and move on. Buyer management | eBay
stoemama44
OP5 months agoThanks Mr. Lincoln, I appreciate your time and energy on the matter!
mr_lincoln
Mentor5 months ago@stoemama44
You are more than welcome!