Vintage clothing dispute
A buyer has received a 50 year old dress I sold in great condition. They sent me photos of “holes†which are a couple of tiny seam splits in places I never noticed. As a vintage lover and buyer I expect to find this in an item and consider this sort of mending a no brainer part of loving old clothing. But I didn’t note these minor issues. Not sure what to do here. I am not an extensive seller, just paring down. I will update my listings to say as is, and here will offer a return if they want? I personally would never consider this return worthy but I did fail to notice this what is to me a small flaw. The item is a piece of art- brilliant color, unique design, no smells or flaws to the fabric. It feels like a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to buy old vintage and the issue is so small I am not convinced the immediate answer is to say that I really screwed this up and here’s a refund because now they have a wonderful and wearable item. Thank you.
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·1 year agoYou basically have 2 choices.
Have them open a return case and you will be responsible for return shipping and giving them a complete refund
Let them keep the dress and give them a refund
Also As-Is doesn't protect you from returns.
klhmdg
·1 year ago"as is" doesnt work on listings. It doesnt hold up to the MBG.
There is no misunderstanding of what it means to buy vintage.
All listings should have photos of any and all issues and also in the description.
My standard response is "I am so very sorry. Please return for refund"
Once you get the item back, refund the customer.
fbusoni
·1 year agoYou might want to offer the buyer a partial refund, should she wish to keep the dress.
All sellers have overlooked imperfections on occasion. I certainly have and have always offered partial reimbursement, and the buyers were happy with that.
Selling something "as is" does not obviate you from accurately describing what you are selling, down to the smallest detail... especially if you want to avoid misunderstandings like the one you describe above.
PS: if the buyer wants to return the dress, I would suggest accepting the return and paying for return shipping, to avoid any negative feedback. Buyers are protected by eBay's money back guarantee, and it is always better to act proactively to assist the buyer rather than compel the buyer to ask eBay to get involved -- a move which will cost you the item and the money you were paid for it.
chevymontecarlo88
·1 year agoIf you do not catch those details, eBay will side with the buyer and allow them to return regardless of you stating you do not accept them. I would suggest taking more pictures, add more details like measurements and go over every inch so you don't miss a small defect. I agree with you on how i look at small flaws on certain items but understanding how eBay protects the buyers is important going forward. Everyone may have a different standard, so the eBay MBG is the equalizer. Fair or not.
I would offer a discount if they can get it repaired and if not, accept the return if they open a return stating it arrived in different condition as described.