Advise on buyer falsely saying item is damaged
Summary: fecloud-20 is dealing with a buyer claiming that a jacket purchased from them arrived with a broken zipper, despite being in good condition when shipped. They requested clearer photos from the buyer but received unclear ones. Participants advised fecloud-20 to accept the return and issue a refund to avoid penalties from the platform, with some suggesting a returnless refund if resale isn't feasible. Several participants shared strategies for managing returns and suggested implementing a clearer returns policy to prevent similar issues in the future.
Hello! I just sold my first item, a jacket I wore myself, and the buyer is saying it arrived with the zipper broke. I am having a hard time believing this as it was fine when I was photographing it. She sent a photo that was too blurt to see any details. I have requested clear photos. Any advise?
authentic*vintage
·3 weeks agoOffer free returns if you dare.
It stops most scammers hoping for a partial refund.
Otherwise, weigh your options - if you truly believe the zipper is fine and you can relist it, have the buyer return it and refund them.
If you think for a moment that the zipper may be something you overlooked, take the L and refund.
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoFor clothing...I dare not. If I were a big seller, maybe. I've found that 99% of people are honest.
pickapaper
·3 weeks agoYou appear to be a new seller and may not realize that, because of eBay's Money Back Guarantee, even if you put "no returns" on your listings, that does not mean "no refunds". if a buyer files a "Not as Described" claim, you have two options: You can issue a return label and have the buyer return the item and when you get it back, you issue a refund. Or you can just give the buyer a refund and let them keep the item. If you refuse or fight it and eBay has to step in, they will force a refund from you and probably let the buyer keep the item, plus give you a defect on your account for not taking care of your customer.
Since you are selling clothing items, if a buyer files a claim as "doesn't fit" or "don't like", that is a remorse return and a seller can refuse those, so buyers have found out that if they say something is wrong with the item and do the "Not as Described", the seller has to accept the return and pay to get it back and refund or issue a refund without the return. Or, by claiming damage, they could just be fishing for a partial refund to see if the seller will cave in and give part of their money back rather than go through a return hassle.
inhawaii
·3 weeks agoWhat would you advise?
shire123
·3 weeks agoWelcome to the world of selling on ebay. Unfortunately, the buyer is always right on a Not As Described claim. Whether they are lying or not, ebay cannot determine who is correct. Photos prove nothing.
Do what many other posters are telling you. They are correct.
bashort
·3 weeks agomost of the time I make them send it back regardless of if it is actually worth return postage. This is the only way to weed out buyers hoping for a partial refund or a returnless full refund.
I actually had a buyer open a case because I would not give a partial refund and would only give them a full refund on return, that made my day.
brazztazz
·3 weeks agoWith the cost of shipping so high today buyers know that if you pay return shipping on a low priced item even thought you can deduct up to 50% of the item for devalue for a fraud you will end up better just refunding it in full and cut losses that are lower. Example below
Item $10
S&H $10
$20 sale or refund and customer keeps - loss
Return S&H $10
Org S&H $10
50% deduct $5
$25 loss - Lower to refund and not do a return
Hope this helps. It's sad people do this, I call it Walmartism and Amazonism easy return system enabling customers to comment fraud. Ebay returns is 1.7% Amazon is 12% Walmart is 11%
chapeau-noir
·3 weeks agoMy advice (as a clothing seller):
Beyond taking the return,
Provide measurements: bust/underarm to underarm, length.
Consider a 30-day buyer pays return policy.
That will tend to circumvent problems.
kensgiftshop
·3 weeks agoTell buyer to return for a refund.
bonanza125
·3 weeks agoMy advice to you is to accept the return and once you receive the jacket back issue a full refund. If you do not do this or fight it Ebay will step in and you get a defect on your record which you do not want.
fern*wood
·3 weeks agoBuyers don't have to provide any proof. If they filed a not as described return, then provide the label if you want it back. Sometimes an item doesn't fit and if you don't have a return policy, they make up an excuse to be able to return. I didn't see any measurements in the listing to help with fit.
tobaccocardyahoo
·3 weeks agoAccept the return if you think you will be able to sell this item again. Refund without return if you do not think you will be able to sell it.
This buyer is going to get a refund, in any case, and if you choose to fight that, you will wind up with a black mark against your account and Ebay will not refund your Final Value Fee.