Advice regarding difficult seller\return

[eyem4jesus]

So July 2nd I purchased a perfume gift set for my wife. It arrived but I noticed that the perfume bottle was a lot smaller than normal. I double checked the listing, and it was described as 3.4 oz perfume, and what I received was 1.7 oz. Half the amount.

The transaction total was $22.70. I contacted the seller and explained the issue.  I offered to keep the item if they would refund me $5. They insisted on me returning it.  I said I would if they provided a shipping label, and they agreed to do so. A day later I gotta refund for the whole amount. I was puzzled, and waited for the shipping label. A week later they asked why they had not received the item. I said that I had not shipped it as I had not received a label.

After a few back and forth messages of the seller saying I should ship it because I got a full refund, I stopped and said that I would contact eBay and whatever they told me to do, I would do.

eBay, over the phone, told me the transaction was closed, and there was nothing for me to do. I explained that the seller was still contacting me, and I asked if they would read our correspondence. The Customer care representative did, and told me not to have any further correspondence with the seller.

A week or so later I get a message from the seller saying they would be providing me a shipping label. I did not respond. Later that day or the next they said that they could not send a label because the transaction was closed already. I did not respond.

This morning, 8/12, 41 days after the original sale, I get this message: "Hope you are enjoying your goods you couldn't send back and trust me to pay for the label Your not with Jesus"

Sorry for the lack of punctuation, but that is how I received the message.  

I don't know exactly what they are saying, but it sounds like I was supposed to know to send them the item at my expense, and wait for a postage refund, which we never discussed.

I never left feedback. Should I? Or, should I report them to eBay for harassment? Or, what suggestions does any have at this point?

Thanks in advance!

[fab_finds4u]

How it works is if isn't as described the seller provides  a return label or reimburses the buyer  for return shipping.  International sellers can't furnish return labels.  The buyer is supposed to ask eBay for the label if the seller doesn't provide one.  But what happened here is the seller REFUNDED instead of accepting the return.  And that's because the way eBay words it makes the seller think if they don't refund they'll get a defect,,,so some sellers think it means refund NOW.......... so I'm sure the seller wanted their item returned..........Nothing was discussed but maybe they were waiting on you to return it and then reimburse the postage.  But you shouldn't keep the item and get your money back too, and the seller give their irtem away.    eBay is not going to force you to return it.  You should end this amicably and ask the seller to send you return shipping or just ignore the seller.  Let your conscience be your guide.  

[myangelandmyprincess]

I wouldn’t expect the seller to send money for shipping at this point you can ask but I doubt they will.  If they don’t pay for shipping or provide a label nothing more I would do 

unless you want to pay back the partial you had said you’d keep it for originally. 

[creoleorchid]

I would leave it alone. The seller made a mistake not once, but twice.  If they really were on the up and up they would send you the postage money up front since they can't issue a label.

[7606dennis]

Since the seller failed to properly send you the return label and issued you a full refund, they have pretty much relieved you of the responsibility of returning the merchandise.  This is a time when I would follow eBay's advice and not communicate with them further.

Frankly, I think the not being with Jesus comment was inappropriate, but I doubt if I'd bother with leaving any feedback for the transaction.  That's just my opinion though.

While buyers don't really have much use for a BBL, I keep a list of sellers I do not with to do business with in a bio-mechanical data storage system on my desk. (That translates into notebook.) I've found this to be an excellent method of keeping track of things like that so that I don't inadvertently buy from them again.

By the way, if you enter your data in this system using cursive it adds a certain amount of security since a lot of the younger folks can't read cursive. 

[missjen831]

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@fab_finds4u wrote:

How it works is if isn't as described the seller provides  a return label or reimburses the buyer  for return shipping.  International sellers can't furnish return labels.  The buyer is supposed to ask eBay for the label if the seller doesn't provide one. 

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No thats actually not what the buyer is supposed to do. And some international sellrs CAN furnish labels. Ebay can't provide an international labels. The buyer is supposed to inform the seller how much return shipping will cost & ask the seller to send the funds through paypal. If the seller doesn't, the buyer is supposed to ask ebay to step in. Ebay will put the return on hold to give the seller an additional 5 days to pay for return shipping. if the seller does not either come up with a label OR send the funds through paypal & give ebay the PP transaction ID, ebay will refund the buyer in full.

[tenbigdogs]

@eyem4jesus,  @missjen831 gave you the correct information.  Under no circumstances are buyers supposed to pay for return shipping for an item not as described.  Sellers are supposed to pay it.  If the buyer pays it, eBay has NO WAY to get their money reimbursed.  It would be pointless to ask eBay to step in.  There would be nothing they could do. 

This was not your situation to figure out.  It was the seller's.  If they're going to sell internationally, they should know how to handle returns.   And the obvious solution was for them to send you the correct item in the first place.  They screwed themselves.   By insulting you, they made it seriously no longer anything you should give a second thought to.  They have to live with the consequences.   Go forth and shop with better sellers.  Good luck!

[directbuys2017]

I am guessing but I am thinking you opened a return for wrong size / doesn't fit (1.4oz. instead of 3.4oz.) in which the buyer is responsible for return shipping. With a bit of confusion in the returns process and the fact that the seller accidentally refunded you in full prior to the item being returned, you ended up with the item and a full refund. They may have been desperately trying to get you a return label and accidentally fully refunded you in trying to do so. Yes, the seller made a mistake in issuing a full refund prior to the item being returned but it is now a windfall for you at the seller's expense. I would try and work it out with the seller, I don't think they should be punished for doing a hasty refund as I don't think that was their intention and more of an accident. The case is closed but the seller can purchase and print a shipping label from USPS and either mail it to you or take a photo, download it into an E-mail and send you the E-mail so you can print it out. If the item is now used maybe you can match your original offer and send them a Pay Pal payment. Definitely do not leave negative feedback as it is natural for them to feel upset that they lost the item and the payment. 

[eyem4jesus]

I really appreciate this community. It makes eBay life a lot easier. 

A couple things I would like to add, for what it’s worth:

I do think the seller made a couple honest mistakes. The original listing may have been a template format that wasn’t intentionally inaccurate.

The full refund may have been an accident, or just inexperience, not knowing how it works.

This wasn’t an international sale, but I appreciate the advise of that were so.

The real hassle was born when the seller was trying to say that I was responsible for the shipping.  They would not listen. At that point I asked eBay for direction, and I was directed to have no further communication with them.

I would still prefer to pay for the item, but the seller was being unreasonable, before, and now. 

The consensus so far seems to be: Don’t leave negative feedback, and don’t ask ebay to get involved any further.

As far as paying for the item, I still could, but that would have been a lot easier without that last sting! I was trying to handle this thing professionally this entire time, and that was uncalled for, feelings or not. 

[virtualwhimsy]

If a seller, after making numerous mistakes told me I needed to get with Jesus ...

I'm leaving negative feedback.

But that's just me.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@virtualwhimsy wrote:

If a seller, after making numerous mistakes told me I needed to get with Jesus ...

I'm leaving negative feedback.

But that's just me.

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@virtualwhimsy

The reference was to the OP's username.

[virtualwhimsy]

I realize that penguins.  Doesn't change my stance.

🙂

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@virtualwhimsy wrote:

I realize that penguins.  Doesn't change my stance.

🙂

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I have my own stance on usernames that declare their virtuousness, goodness, happiness, honesty or holiness 😉

[mediafirstnj]

If I were you, I would just refund the seller the amount minus the offer you made originally for the smaller bottle mistake.  That way you would being doing what you thought was right originally.   Plus no need for anyone to pay for the return postage.  And your wife would probably think what an honest person she married.  I would.

[eyem4jesus]

Thanks again for all the feedback.  This forum helps me a bunch.