What would you do? Need insight into recent selling transaction
I recently sold a pair of brand new children's slip on clogs. Buyer receives the shoes and sends me a message that states: " Hi seller, is there any way to partial refund me? The shoes have a dent in them that irritates my son's foot. "
I reply same day with: " Hi,
I am sorry that happened. That area you are pointing too is foam and was probably dented in the shipping process.
You might want to pack the opening tightly with any tissue paper you have left over from the holidays or tightly balled up socks so it applies pressure to make it rounded again for a day or so. If that does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, please return them for a refund as I do not want them to irritate your son's foot.
Thank you. "
11 days go by without any further contact from the buyer: Today, the buyer leaves me this negative feedback: " Shoes bent on arrival and seller didn't want to partial refund me..no matter what I did I couldn't unbend the shoe. Their only solution was to send it back and take more of my time to go to post office when I don't drive. I would not purchase anything from here again. "
Why would anyone want to keep shoes that hurt their child's feet? Personally, I think she was just wanting some money back. I have free returns so all she had to do was print the return label and put it in her mailbox. No need for a trip to the post office. I am a reasonable person and would have worked something out, if she would have just contacted me again.
1) Would you email her and offer her a partial refund and ask her to revise the feedback?
2) Report her. (Not that I think this would do any good)
3) Reply to the feedback?
4) Do nothing, block and move on? Negative will fall off in a year. Ugh.
Thanks in advance.
wastingtime101
·2 years ago1. Absolutely not.
2. Yes, there is a report reason for demanding partial refunds. If she makes it a habit and every seller reports her it will make an impact.
3. Yes. Probably with something like: Sorry to hear you are disappointed with your purchase. We happily offer no-hassle, free returns, and USPS offers free package pickup.
4. Yes, block her.
Edit: Never mind. I see I'm very late to the party.
hawkwind5454
·2 years agoWow.... So much ebay drama, over a $20 sale. I'd be interested in knowing what kind of a partial refund your buyer had in mind. Of course it's all hindsight now, but with that kind of money, I probably would have just offered them half of the sale price, refund, and been done with it. On second thought, I may have just refunded the whole amount, minus the shipping. I can't think that your buyer was willing to sell their soul for such a nominal amount of money, so I don't know what any pseudo-sinister backstory might be. It's actually all a little strange.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoThis could have been settled by a message: Am sending you a prepaid return shipping label. Use it to return the purchase. Upon receipt, will issue you a complete refund. Your child should not have to wear shoes that hurt. And then do it.
gurlcat
·2 years ago^ THIS is what creates buyers who hit up every seller for a partial refund, as routine. Why not? -Some sellers will just agree to do it no matter how illogical, just to avoid "drama."
dryophelia
·2 years ago@royalprincessdesigns
This verbiage is more prominent than the real return policy.
Returns are accepted with prior approval ONLY if item is misrepresented in the listing. You must contact me first before returning an item. I do NOT accept returns for buyer choosing the wrong size/item not fitting. There are NO returns/refunds on pageant and special occasion wear.
She did contact you first!
If you have free returns, why didn’t you send a return label instead of instructions on how she might fix it.
If you have free returns, then you take returns for any and all reasons, even if they don’t fit or are for pageants or special occasions.
royalprincessdesigns
OP2 years ago@dryophelia If you read my response, it told her to return it if my suggestions did not work. I would not make my child wear shoes if they hurt. I had no issue with taking it back and refunding. I think she was looking for a discount.
dryophelia
·2 years agoAnd I stand by my answer.
The listing said to contact the seller first for approval.
Going forward, know that buyers don’t need the sellers approval when the seller offers free returns. They allowed 11 days for the seller to send a label and got tired of waiting.
What else could this buyer have done?
fern*wood
·2 years agoMaybe she was, but that still doesn't make excuse offering free returns and then prominently claiming you don't in your listings. Buyers shouldn't have to contact you for permission or hope you will see fit to take the item back. Ebay promotes items with free returns and gives you a discount, so I don't think they would appreciate this feature to be used in this manner. That disclaimer describes a no return policy.
Actually it's worse than a no return policy, because if the item isn't as described, they don't have to get prior approval from you either.
.
mam98031
·2 years agoI do too. Because would a partial refund make those shoes hurt their child's feet any less.
Also if they filed a Request for Return, they would have to submit a picture. Maybe they didn't want to do that?!?!?!
bill.purvis2012
·2 years agoEbay will remove the negative feedback since you offer free returns. When you offer free returns the buyer is made whole by your refund. Ebay protects those sellers and will remove it.
mam98031
·2 years agoThis is not a guarantee of removal. All sellers, no matter their stated return policy, pays for return shipping on an INAD. But that does not determine if FB will get removed. Depends on what the FB says.
In this specific case, they are upset they couldn't get a partial refund. IDK how that unbends those shoes, but it seem that the buyer thinks it fixes that issue. However there is no requirement on Ebay for buyers to issue a partial refund. And for that reason alone, the FB should get removed.
mandisattictoys2014
·2 years agoNot anymore they don’t. They even changed and updated their help section and took out most reasons and protections why feedback will get removed. They got and are still in lots of trouble for many things and have tightened their ship on removing feedback as it’s “the opinion†of the buyer and their services received from the seller
mam98031
·2 years agoIt was never a thing. There has always been other factors. And sellers with any type return policy pays for return shipping of an INAD.
You are correct, they just recently tightened up feedback removal. Not sure they got in "lots of trouble" for it. I'm not sure who that "trouble" would have came from.
Opinions of the buyer has always been a thing. But when they start stating facts about a transactions that are untrue and the seller can prove they are incorrect, then there is a fighting chance to get the FB removed, even in today's rules.
mam98031
·2 years agoI would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.
Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service. Please be aware that for social media CS, you send them a Private Message and briefly explain what your problem or issue is. Feel free to leave your Name, address, phone number and/or your email address in this message. It is private and secure and it may help to speed up the response for you.
https://twitter.com/askebay
https://www.facebook.com/eBay/
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/
Your options will be on the left. If you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant or Chat box type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options. Not all options are available 24/7. It will depend on staffing available. So sometimes you can request a call back and sometimes you can't. Sometimes you have the Chat option available and other times it won't me. If it is important to you to use one of those options, just try back later.
If you use a cell phone or other mobile device, you may need to turn off your Spam filter so that Ebay can call you.
If you are a seller outside of the US or Canada, you will need to use the Chat Option.
https://www.ebay.com/help/home
sapphire_studio
·2 years agoThat feedback looks way worse for her when people look at her feedback left for others to decide if they want to take offers from her, then it looks for you. Anyone reading that would know you did the right thing as a seller and she's just a crazy buyer.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoI agree that most parents would return for the offered refund, rather than keep shoes that are uncomfortable .
I would be contacting customer service
The phone reps have a terrible reputation for getting you off the phone as soon as possible even if that means giving you the advice you want to hear instead of the advice you need to have.

https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.
https://www.instagram.com/ebayforsellers/

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.


The social media Chat accounts are covered by trained eBay employees with some authority.
And you get a transcript so you can compare what you heard with what you were told.
janet9988
·2 years agoDo nothing. You could respond to the feedback that a partial refund would not have made the shoe fit the child.
It is laughable that a partial refund will magically stop the child's foot from being irritated.
Return for full refund is the only right thing to offer. The bueyr is just looking for a deal. LOL
mam98031
·2 years agoIt doesn't hurt to contact Ebay and ask for their help and hopefully removal of the FB. The worst thing they can say is no.
mandisattictoys2014
·2 years agoWell asking for a partial refund and stating so in the feedback is part of he extortion policy and I would go through the removal process first by using eBay help section. But since the bots won’t remove it anyway while doing that, also just go ahead and go into Facebook messenger and message eBay for business on there. By the time either one respond after waiting for hours you’ll be able to talk to someone from here in the good ole USA and tell them they extorted you and maybe have a shot at getting that removed.
royalprincessdesigns
OP2 years ago@mandisattictoys2014 Maybe I am wrong but isn't it extortion only if they tell you they will leave you negative feedback if you don't give them a partial refund? This was not the case.
mandisattictoys2014
·2 years agoYou know it depends on how they look at it. If your feedback literally states, wouldn’t give partial refund; that’s against policy anyway. They are not allowed to demand partial refunds. They are allowed to return for a refund. I know it’s a gray area, but I am pretty sure this is against policy and the feedback as long as it states wouldn’t give partial refund, it may be removed.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoI find it odd that so many people consider that asking for a partial refund is extortion when eBay explicitly suggests that offering partial refunds is a means of resolving a dispute, and has a mechanism for doing so.
mam98031
·2 years agoThe buyer clearly posted the negative FB because they didn't get a partial refund. That a buyer can't try to force upon a seller. The buyer apparently was unwilling to open a Request for Return.
royalprincessdesigns
OP2 years ago@mam98031
@reallynicestamps
I just contacted ebay for business on facebook and the negative feedback was removed. Thank you for your help! Have a great night!
mam98031
·2 years agoI'm so glad it worked out for you. I do think it was the proper thing to do, remove the feedback.
Congratulations, good job.