This latest "refund me because it's counterfeit" but won't return the item thing...
It's getting old and really annoying, seems to me some buyers think they can just get a refund simply by accusing me of selling them something "counterfeit." Fact is, return for refund, all I do is rinse and repeat that chant but they don't want to do that - a week later they leave negative feedback.
You read that right - Buyer purchases something from me, usually an item I've sold 100's of already.
Then after they receive it they accuse me of selling them counterfeit merchandise, demand a refund...
And when I mention "please return for a full refund" they don't go that route.
A week later I get negative feedback.
Third one this year.
Does anyone else deal with this?
I'm getting kind of tired of it.
What can be done?
31 comments
d.c.enterprises
·1 year agoHere's a newer variation on the theme whereby they don't even buy the item, two attempts in the past couple of weeks. I sell used products some of which have serial numbers. Potential buyer then asks for the serial number so they can confirm if it's a "special issue" or "limited edition" before deciding to buy. You send the info and they message back that they checked the serial number with the manufacturer and that they "regret to be the one to tell you" that it's a counterfeit, hoping to get you, the seller, to panic. In both cases I know full well there's no manufacturer verification available as they claim. Understanding immediately what was happening I bluff and tell them I can't afford another "black mark" on my account and ask them for "advice" on how to keep this from getting reported to eBay. Guess what comes next, you guessed it - just send them $XX in a gift card and they'll commit to not reporting you to eBay as a goodwill gesture.
kennys-kollectibles
·1 year agoThis sounds like a pretty simple scam.
Accuse seller of counterfeit item.
Demand refund without returning.
If they don't refund, and don't fall for the scam, retaliate by neg. feedbacking.
It's called feedback extortion.
Very common here on ebay.
gurlcat
·1 year agoYou're not wrong, but as far as eBay is concerned it's only feedback extortion if the buyer specifically threatens to give bad feedback. Of course we know the threat can be implied without any mention, but it doesn't count as far as legitimate grounds to report them.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoEven with a No Returns policy, the seller is allowed to demand the return of the disputed item before refunding.
The seller will probably have to send a Return Shipping Label.
And when I mention "please return for a full refund" they don't go that route.
A week later I get negative feedback.
You can leave a Response.
"I accept returns for refund. Buyer kept item instead".
If anyone is looking at feedback, and eBay doesn't, that makes the buyer look like a whiner and you look professional."
So if they use a FF for shipping items from the US, returning isn't an option.
The Return Shipping Label is sent to the Freight Forwarder.
It's up to the buyer to get the purchase to the FF and persuade them to use the label.
An older conversation that I have bookmarked.
Now -- if the GSP is not involved, but the buyer uses a freight forwarder, does the seller provide Return Shipping from the forwarding address or from the buyer's address?
Oooh this is a good clarification question ...! A seller is only required to provide return shipping from the buyer's input address at time of checkout - that goes for any return where a seller provides shipping ('free' returns, etc).
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/All-Items-Are-Free/m-p/31966203#M1772511
Message #20 from tyler
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoWe don't know how the title or description or anything how it was worded.
'rope'...'hardware'... don't know what it actually is.
Not sure what the cost was...refunding 15 bucks so I don't get a negative feedback from a buyer...I have no problem with that refund.
If it's over 50 bucks I would request a return maybe.
But I don't argue over 15-20 bucks plus as a seller to pay for return shipping which wouldn't even get to me.
'sold 100's of already'...wonder what exactly it is and where would it be stored before sold.
gurlcat
·1 year agoSo let me get this straight. When someone asks for a non-return refund, not because they claim the item doesn't work, or broke, or wasn't described well enough ... but accusing you of being a fraud who sells "counterfeits" .... you just go right along with that and refund them, as if they rightfully busted you?
Like I always say, scammers aren't born; they are made.
conelmd63
·1 year agoUnfortunately, I am also one of those buyers who received from the seller for money... - garbage (or, as they say, a fake). And the seller knew about this...... what kind of product he was selling. (maybe you didn’t know about your product, but this does not relieve you of responsibility..... It was right to severely punish such sellers with large fines, since they disgrace the Ebay platform, and will not limit themselves to negative comments and returning goods in order to deceive future buyers in the future.... And for the sold product (which you consider not a fake), conduct an independent examination and, based on the results of the examination, destroy the product, and not return it to the seller, pay for the examination at the expense of the seller....... And what did you want? - laws don’t work until we work.....
broto_64
OP1 year agoDear Buyer, I am so sorry you are unhappy with your purchase. If you wish to receive a full refund please return the product through the ebay returns system.
Thank you,
Seller
gurlcat
·1 year agoS/he lives in Moldova. Or at least their account is registered there. So if they use a FF for shipping items from the US, returning isn't an option. (Which is one reason not to use a FF).
broto_64
OP1 year agoThat could be the case, unfortunately I don't have much of a choice either, if a buyer makes a purchase it is my duty to ship the item but yes I understand what you said.
inhawaii
·1 year agoGreat response.
gurlcat
·1 year agoI am sure the laws in Moldova have some differences from the ones in the United States.
lakefor94
·1 year agoYou can of course request removal. If that does not work, respond to the neg with a highly professional response that turns the neg into a positive.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@broto_64
Can you give us an idea of what the negative feedback said?
I am wondering if, in a situation like this, you could get away with a response such as:
"The buyer appears to have left feedback for a purchase from another seller. I do not sell counterfeit items and have no idea what the buyer is referring to."
chevymontecarlo88
·1 year agoIf you personalize the "buyer", they may have a case to have it removed.
Keep it simple and state your policies (returns) and that you encourage communication before and after the sale. If you end up blaming or accusing the buyers, future buyers may not understand who is telling the truth and it give reasons for the machine to remove it. IMHO
These types of feedback are frustrating and i would just contact the Facebook/ebay group to handle it. Hopefully they would be able to correct it.
broto_64
OP1 year agoI agree, I may try the Facebook channel, I'm just tired of it.
I don't care that they accuse me of whatever, I've had people return items because it looked different in sunlight than under cloud cover, it doesn't matter to me... Just return it and I will issue the refund.
My issue is them assuming that if they claim counterfeit that I will simply issue a refund and they get to keep the merchandise - I am aware certain dropshippers do refund without a return - perhaps these buyers see me as a dropshipper, who knows but I'm not playing that game.
a_c_green
·1 year ago...and what was the item, anyway? For example, another response could be to identify the item that was sold (as it's not always easy or possible to determine what a buyer actually bought from their feedback comments alone) if it's something that no reasonable person would suspect to be counterfeit: "We're sorry that you are not happy with your purchase, but we do not sell counterfeit shoelaces."
broto_64
OP1 year agoRope.
Hardware.
The buyer stated the material it was made of wasn't what the sales page stated.
If that's the case then the supplier is misrepresenting it too because I am merely copying what the label states, but I doubt that because we're all USA based and have seriously no reason to sell counterfeit ROPE.
The one before that was something similar, not the same thing but they also claimed it was counterfeit material... We're talking hardware, like nuts and bolts and washers and springs type stuff here, which is why I'm pretty sure they just think they're getting a refund without having to return the product. I suppose the sheer number of dropshippers may have given off that idea because some do just issue a refund and all you have to do is complain but that doesn't mean all sellers do things that way. Maybe I should "clarify" this in the description part of all my listings, maybe that's why old sellers list all their "policies" there instead of actually using the space to DESCRIBE the item.
Make it make sense.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@a_c_green
I like your formulation better.
broto_64
OP1 year agoThank you for that response, the buyer stated (and I paraphrase for reasons of anonimity):
Item is advertised as "A MATERIAL". It is not. It's clearly B material and not A Material. Asked for a refund as what I was shipped is counterfeit. Seller told me to return item. Please don't ask me to return item when shipping something that is clearly falsely advertised.
And my reply basically stated "We offered the buyer a full refund upon return of the product, unfortunately I can not simply issue a refund on a counterfeit claim because that would open the door to fraud however despite this outcome the offer for a refund on return of the merchandise stands."
But that doesn't stop the lameness, I catch bad feedback for what?
I have done nothing wrong, my items are definitely not counterfeit but even if they were simply return it and I issue the refund, instead the buyer chooses to be petty but what bothers me is the insinuation that we're supposed to just kowtow to their demands and refund while they get to keep the merchandise.
rugerskick
·1 year agoI like your response idea to this. 🙂
fbusoni
·1 year agoThanks, but I think @a_c_green has the right idea.
"We don't sell counterfeit shoelaces."
Drives home the point that the buyer is a moron without actually stating so. ðŸ˜
broto_64
OP1 year agoI may use that in the future, "we don't sell counterfeit rope" in addition to stating that to receive a refund buyers must return the item - I do make occasional exceptions but not when a buyer is accusing me of something I didn't do (which, the whole gist of the matter here is that I feel the buyer was fishing for free money - shaking the tree some would call it - demanding a refund without having to return the item).
Heck all I have to do is message every seller I buy something from and see how many give me my money back without further question (and I get to keep the item) - I bet it would reduce my buying expenses by at least 20%, granted it would likely also earn me some placement in some seller's Best Buddy lists lol
gurlcat
·1 year agoI believe there are buyers who live by that very practice: just go ahead and try to lie, intimidate, trick, or annoy every merchant into refunding, because why not? At worst they'll get nothing; at middle they'll get some amount of after-sale discount, and at best they'll get something 100% free. That is why it makes me so mad to see sellers state (proudly, it seems) that they go along with such scams, as long as it's not for "too much" money. It seems to me like thinly-disguised bragging, like they're so successful they don't have to care about "small" amounts of money. Whatever, I'm sick of having to deal with buyers who've bought from them and learned that it pays to be a pain in the a..... !!!!
broto_64
OP1 year agoIt's why I stick to the rules - It is literally the only protection we as sellers have - So long we stick to the rules there is a minimal chance of being scammed. Certainly it can (and does) still happen but I know from my own experience as both a buyer and a seller that buyers don't return to do business with difficult sellers...
And that may come across wrong, but it isn't in me to be difficult per se... I've even gotten pretty immune to the insults and accusations hurled my way, I'd love to tell you I can avoid reacting to them all the time but I don't want to test faith so here's the deal: Return my item and I refund you the money.
Shipping paid, in advance, just take the QR code to the post office or print out the label yourself.
Yes it is inconvenient for a buyer but then again so is having to ship items back and forth to buyers who aren't quite sure if that's what they want so they order it as part of a "window shopping" experience since they can just return it if it doesn't suit them for whatever reason.
The other point I had not considered: Freight forwarders.
That one, because it's not my fault someone from a country I expressly do NOT ship to decided to circumnavigate my settings by ordering through a third party shipper (or however that's phrased) - then when the item fails to meet expectations they expect me to make it right...
Which I'm not sure where the failure happens here, I dare say the FF plays a role in this by having failed to properly inform the buyer of all the restrictions and nuances especially concerning refunds and product returns, or perhaps the buyer simply assumed it wouldn't be a problem and now can't face the reality?
Personally I think they would contact the FF first and then the FF directs them to the ebay seller...
Who can't help them.
Crazy, but I won't cave to refund without a return demands.
Guess I have to live with a few negative feedbacks.