Beyond Frustrated: My First Return, Clear Listing, Still Forced to Refund!

[joseph115]

This is my first time dealing with a return. I sold an Apple Magic Keyboard, and the buyer's claiming I didn't describe the Arabic layout. But I clearly showed it in the photos and mentioned it in the description. The return got automatically accepted, and I can't appeal. What do I do now? Thank you!

Sold Listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/286605252692?itmmeta=01JX537P4F2YRRKZ49S2DRP94J&hash=item42bb011854:g:8J0AA...

[soh.maryl · Accepted solution]

ALL sellers, as well as ALL buyers, owe it to themselves to get well acquainted with eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers, preferably BEFORE beginning to sell or buy here.

Without going into great detail,  just please be aware that a buyer can open an item not as described case on eBay and eBay will require that the seller send a prepaid return label and to refund in total when he receives the item back.  The buyer is not required to prove his claim.  The seller can contest the ruling, but it very, very seldom-- possibly never-- changes the outcome.  

[eburtonlab]

Accept the return and refund the buyer upon return of the keyboard.

You would have been better off mentioning the fact that the keyboard was the Arabic version in the title of the listing, rather than simply mentioning it in the very last line of the description text where it was not easily searchable. What could have been a major selling point for a user searching specifically for that version, instead became an unwelcome surprise upon receiving it.

What may appear obvious to you looking at the enlarged picture of the listing on your desktop computer may not be quite so obvious to someone scrolling through the search results using a phone or a tablet.

[joseph115]

Thank you! I'll keep all of this in mind for my next listings. One thing I'm wondering though: if that buyer leaves a bad review, can I do anything about it?

[joseph115]

Thanks for the advice. I'll add the layout to my listing titles moving forward.

[eburtonlab]

You are welcome -- good luck!

[lakefor94]

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@joseph115 wrote:

Thank you! I'll keep all of this in mind for my next listings. One thing I'm wondering though: if that buyer leaves a bad review, can I do anything about it?

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@joseph115 

Maybe. It depends upon what the buyer writes.

Come back to this thread if that happens. 

[house*of*paws]

Hi @joseph115 

I just wanted to point out that the reason the buyer’s return request was ‘automatically accepted’ is because you have a ‘14-day return’ policy.

What did you think your return policy meant?

[kensgiftshop]

You accept return on the item, so buyer can return for any/no reason.

[soh.maryl]

Not really.  Depending on what he says, eBay's stance is that's the buyer's accurate reporting of how he felt about the transaction.  

[glorybells]

@joseph115 , @soh.maryl ,

about the only times I’ve heard of negative feedback being removed is:

1) if the buyer states they were expecting something that was not in the listing 

2) if the buyer was leaving the negative in regards to an INR or SNAD on a EIS shipment (I’ve personally had a neg removed for that)

[joseph115]

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. The buyer hasn’t left any negative feedback yet, though I’m expecting to receive it soon.

[annadryl]

Both times I've tried using AI to come up with a description I've had to delete half of it and rearrange the rest. Stopped using that after two tries. It's better just to write your own. Every listing I see (you can tell) I know it's not a very reliable description of the actual item, especially if it's used.

[lakefor94]

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@joseph115 wrote:

Thanks for the advice. I'll add the layout to my listing titles moving forward.

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@joseph115  you have the right attitude to learn, progress and be successful selling on eBay.

We don't get many like you coming through here that can accept suggestions and implement them. We get a few but not that many. The majority want to kick, scream and throw a tantrum. 

Best of luck moving forward with sales.

[albertabrightalberta]

@joseph115 

My suggestion for when you relist it is to put "ARABIC KEYBOARD" in large font and possibly even in color at the top of the description before even writing anything about the item. Make it so clear that the buyer won't have any questions and won't miss that it's in Arabic. 

I agree with @annadryl about losing the AI description. Use your own words to describe the item, flaws, extent of use, scratches, etc. 

On another note, does your used (current) listing really include a 1-year manufacturer warranty? Will Apple honor it if it's from a resale site?