Request for refund despite accurate description including photos.
A buyer is requesting a refund claiming that the book he bought is a reprint, not the original. It is very clear from the ISBN number that I provided as well as from the photo included in the listing, which very clearly and prominently says "Reprint " on the cover page. Also the original book is very old and wouldn't have an ISBN number. Furthermore, the buyer received the buyer received the book two weeks ago and is only now requesting a refund.
My store has a no return policy other than the Ebay guarantee for defective or inaccurately described items.
Am I running the risk of negative feedback if I refuse this refund?
Thank you very much for your feedback.
Harry
22 comments
pickapaper
·6 months agoI'd be curious what kind of book (i.e. novel, non-fiction, etc.) it is and the dollar amount on it.
This buyer had the book for two weeks before filing a claim. Maybe plenty of time to read the book and then return it, lying about the reason so as to not be out any postage? Not knowing what kind of book it is, it's hard to guess. And it doesn't matter because the seller still has to take it back and issue a refund.
tobaccocardyahoo
·6 months agoIs this a print on demand reprint made by scanning an original edition, rather than a professional reprint?
Many POD reprints are not fully readable, and selling them creates the possibility for a legitimate INAD claim.
I hate POD reprints.
albertabrightalberta
·6 months ago@elencan_12
How long ago did you sell the book?
Did you sell it on a different account?
Please post the item number or a link to your listing. I'd like to see it.
kennys-kollectibles
·6 months agoSo, as the policy is stated, any buyer can use the loophole of lying on all the claims,
and they will get a full refund including shipping.
I think most buyers know this loophole pretty well.
The question is....how many times can they abuse these loopholes and get away with it?
bdmh-enterprises
·6 months agoAnd this ^^^ is why it's vitally important that sellers report buyers that abuse policies. eBay will revoke abusive buyer's MBG protections if they make a habit of it.
kennys-kollectibles
·6 months agoYes, but what is a "habit"? 5 times? 10 times?. There is no transparancy on ebay. No one knows what they do. Wouldn't it be easier to close the loopholes?
jonathanbrightlight
·6 months agoThat type of thing shouldn’t be transparent. If buyers knew the exact limit, they could make sure that they stopped just short on any given account that they use, to maximize the amount of damage they could do.
simply-the-best-for-you
·6 months ago@elencan_12 As others are telling you, it's in your best interest (for your account) to accept the return, HOWEVER, once you do, you can both report the buyer for misusing the returns system AND you can contact eBay & explain that it was not a SNAD, as your photos clearly show that it was a reprint & they *may* issue you a courtesy credit the postage you had to pay to get it back. I have had that happen a few times, but it's not quite as easy to reach a human any more, so you have to decide if it's worth the trouble to get a few bucks back.
Having a No Returns policy IS completely valid, but it only allows you to decline properly opened Remorse returns, not SNADs.
inhawaii
·6 months agoHello Harry,
The buyer got the book 2 weeks ago.
You described it correctly.
Photos from the listing that show "reprint".
No returns policy.
ALL THAT DOES NOT MATTER!
If a buyer claims NAD (not as described) you have no choice but to refund.
A) Refund without them returning the book.
or B) Accept the return, pay for return shipping and refund when you get the book back.
If you deny the return or don't refund the buyer, ebay will force you to and you will get a strike against you for ebay having to get involved.
This is because of ebay's MBG (money back guarantee).
Sorry, but that's just how it is.
Good luck!
kennys-kollectibles
·6 months agoJust a lurker on this topic, is the buyer who obviously didn't read the ad, responsible to return the item at their expense or does the seller have to pay the return shipping back as well?
I ask this because there needs to be limits for abusing the return policy.
On this type of transaction the seller loses so much money on back and forth shipping
when they did everything right, that all profit is eaten up in this type of bogus return.
christworks
·6 months agoThere is nothing that stops a buyer from opening an Item Not As Described return. If they do that, the seller is responsible. If they admit to the seller either in the return claim or in messages that they did not read the ad, then the seller can report the buyer for return abuse. This does not mean the seller does not have refund. You still have to refund. If you get the item back before refunding, eBay will return up to $6 for the return postage if they determine from your report that the buyer did abuse the return process. They will also remove any negative feedback from that buyer. If you ask eBay to step in or refuse to address the return, then the buyer will keep the item, eBay will refund them from the seller's funds, the seller gets a strike on their account becuase eBay had to step in, and you lose any protection from negative feedback unless the buyer explicitely abuses the feedback policy. A seller, who like the OP, thinks they can just refuse the return and not have any consequences is sadly mistaken and will not last on eBay very long.
It is easy to look at this as being unfair to the seller - and it is. However, eBay has given sellers many tools to help protect them from this. First, they encourage sellers to offer returns and even better if they are free returns. There are a lot of benefits to that. At a minimum you get Top Rated Status, which gives you the ability to reduce refunds, even for Item Not As Described returns. You do not want to abuse that, but it isn't too hard to justify even a partial reduction that may help offset the original shipping that you cannot withold for an INAD.
The problem is you get sellers on here who have no clue about eBay's MBG, they don't know the rules, they don't bother to learn. They think they will make some quick cash, sell things, and not have to deal with any refunds. Wrong! Then, they get upset when they sit back and let eBay handled, and they find out they have no seller protections. The sellers with an entitled complex believes eBay owes them because they sell a lot of things. Their ego is so big they wrongly believe eBay's business model is built around any single seller. They may show some more latitude to very high volume sellers, but the people who come here to complain are not high volume sellers.
mtgraves7984
·6 months agoJust a lurker on this topic, is the buyer who obviously didn't read the ad, responsible to return the item at their expense or does the seller have to pay the return shipping back as well?
@kennys-kollectibles
And the flipside to @christworks' eloquent comments... a buyer is responsible for return shipping if the Return cites a remorse reason. Here's the long read, and a good read for buyers and sellers alike. >> eBay Money Back Guarantee policy
christworks
·6 months agoUnless the seller has free returns. Then, the seller would be responsible for the return shipping cost, even if it is for a remorse reason. Just want to clarify that in case other lurkers are reading along.
bgt_masters_of_tiki_d
·6 months agoYou don't have to offer free returns to have access to the 50% refund tool. At least I don't. Many of the items I sell because of a close cost to sale price and shipping price the 50% tool does very little to help reimburse me for any loss, and the 50% is rarely ever as much as it seems especially with large/heavy items.
Ebay really screwed sellers over with removing the ability to withhold shipping costs with bogus INAD claims with no warning calling it merely a site glitch that needed to be fixed. In truth, ebay wants to push/force sellers to offer perks like amazon does such as free returns/30-60 day returns, etc. and really sticks it to any sellers who don't conform to helping them compete with said sites.
@elencan_12 Unfortunately there is nothing you can do. Accept the return and move on because if you don't ebay will do it for you, you will get a defect on your account and you will also be out the item. I deal with these bogus returns all the time and it is actually a form of return fraud but for some reason its become the norm and no one seems to care anymore.
christworks
·6 months agoI did not say that. Let's look at what I did say in post 9.
jonathanbrightlight
·6 months agoThe way I’m reading that is that offering Free Returns would give you Top Rated Status, which of course is not true. That may not have been your meaning, but it is how that paragraph reads to me.
@bgt_masters_of_tiki_d is correct that Free Returns are not the only way to get the ability to reduce the refund.
If you are Top Rated, you only need to offer 30-Day Buyer Paid Returns.
If you are Above Average (but not Top Rated) you need to offer 30 Day Free Returns.
soh.maryl
·6 months agoALL eBay sellers, as well as buyers, need to read the Money Back Guarantee, preferably BEFORE beginning to sell here.
If/when any buyer opens an NAD case, the seller is required to either send a prepaid return label if they want it back, or just refund and allow the buyer to keep the item.
Perhaps you've not noticed, but eBay is heavily biased in favor of buyers.
With your current feedback rating, your status here may be precipitous to begin with.
Sorry.
stainlessenginecovers
·6 months ago@elencan_12 it's ONLY accurate as YOU say. Means nothing. Accept and refund when it arrives. No choice.
caldreamer
·6 months agoEBAY 30-Day Money Back Guarantee (supersedes "no refund" policy) and allows customers to return item by claiming "not as described, counterfeit, defective, missing parts". EBAY does NOT require the customer to prove their claims. EBAY always rule in favor of the customer.
If customer opens "not as described" case and you refuse to "accept it" (EBAY will take your money and give customer "immediately refund" (and tell customer to "keep book"). You will also get a "defect" against your account for not following EBAY rules.
dhbookds
·6 months agoCan't see the listing so can't make any judgement about the description......
kensgiftshop
·6 months agoIf the buyer files an INAD, you can't refuse it, if you want the book returned before you refund.
kibble-net
·6 months agoHonestly...... If you are not willing to accept this refund, I would quit selling on ebay. It's not for you. You will need to grow a thicker skin if you want to succeed here.