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It is the buyer's fault (along with the carrier possibly), but they may still try to open a Return on it - no telling what eBay will do if that's the case.
Does tracking show a clean delivery - ie, left at door, porch etc?
Which carrier and was the package insured?
Has the buyer complained to the carrier yet?
I don't see how you're liable, but they apparently think you are.
How have you responded to them so far?
I agree with you 100% but buyers can be pushy - did they actually open a Return Request?
If they do, you do need to handle it, and that's where it can get tricky.
You can't decline it if the buyer used "not as described" or "damaged" as a reason for the return.
OTOH if you let eBay "handle" it, they may close the case & refund the buyer.
Would you weigh in on this one - I don't know what to advise the seller now that a case is open.
@ferncliff-39 wrote:
You can't decline it if the buyer used "not as described" or "damaged" as a reason for the return.
OTOH if you let eBay "handle" it, they may close the case & refund the buyer.
Would you weigh in on this one - I don't know what to advise the seller now that a case is open.
Hi @ferncliff-39 - in a situation where a buyer requests a return for the reason 'arrived damaged' we'd encourage @p.schiess to accept the return, provide a means of return shipping and issue a refund when the item is delivered back. If shipping insurance was purchased you can pursue a claim with the shipper, but that is to reimburse a seller, not compensate a buyer.
We hold sellers accountable for the delivery of the item in the condition in which it was described in the listing. Because a seller cannot feasibly hand deliver each item, it's industry standard to contract with a third party shipper to act on your behalf. In this particular situation, it seems like the courier chosen let OP down.
Going based off of what has been said within this thread it's likely that if eBay were asked to step in we would ask OP to accept the return, provide shipping and issue a refund. In that situation there would also be some account performance impacts ('cases closed without resolution', etc). For a more thorough review of the situation and options, the best thing to do would be to contact CS so they can have a look. Thanks!
@p.schiess wrote:
Greetings, tyler@ebay - Thank you for the reply! I reached out to CS and they seem to think that the buyer is at fault in this situation and that I shouldn't accept the return. I can't get the buyer to confirm if the item is still in working condition or not. It's very frustrating to be in the middle of this right now. I don't really know what to do anymore.
Howdy @p.schiess - I'm really sorry to hear about what's gone on with your sale. I can only speak to what the standard processing and policy would be on this. It would be very unusual to me for us to step into this return and find it in your favor.
With that said, again, if there are any considerations or exceptions to review that's best done with CS specifically. Just bear in mind there is not an exception I'm aware of that would override the handling I've mentioned earlier.
