Buyer received package over a week late - wants over half amount for refund USPS at fault

Question

I believe as a seller, I am in a no-win situation. The buyer was patient, the USPS lost/re-routed the package finally delivering it 2 weeks after shipping which turns out about a week late. I refunded the shipping to make the buyer happy, but they requested more than half of the original purchase price as a refund in order to keep it, or they said they would return it. I know that if the buyer opened a return request, eBay would side with the buyer. What to do?

inceptions · Answer

HI @dimaulo123

I would have apologetically explained to my buyer that while it's rare that packages are sometimes misrouted, it can happen. I would have advised the buyer that USPS does not guarantee a delivery date unless the item is shipped via costly overnight Priority Express shipping and that what she saw on the listing was shown as estimated delivery date.

That being said, I would have invited the buyer to return the item at my expense for a full refund.

lady_madonna · Answer

You do nothing unless the buyer files a Return Request.

disneyshopper · Answer

It's up to you to decide. Do you want to pay return shipping and then refund 100% of the item, or issue the partial refund that the buyer asked for?