Return Help Please!

[thriftytreasurevault]

I am a relatively new reseller and thankfully have not had to deal with returns.   Any advised would be appreciated 

On 1/4 I sold a New without tags pair of moccasin shoes. Very soon thereafter I received a positive review from the buyer saying shoes were as described.  Several weeks later She said the shoes were defective and sent me pictures of her feet ( ugh) she said that she thought the beads on the outside of shoes  were to heavy and caused blisters. Since a new seller and did not want my reviews to suffer I said I would be happy to refund but she needed to pay for shipping. She then opened a claim saying product was defective and Ebay said I had to pay for the return shipping since she opened the claim. I received the shoes today. The heels are scuffed and bottoms of the shoes show wear and dirt. No longer can sell these.

What do I do now. Do I just have to take the whole loss and refund her money so my ratings do not take a hit. Seems so unfair since she obviously does not deserve a refund.

[titipeo]

Refund her, otherwise she ask eBay to step in and they will side with her, give the refund, and put a defect on your account. 

When it comes to selling on eBay, 

1) Buyer is always right

2) Never sell anything you can't afford to lose

3) when in doubt, re-read from #1.

The shoe, write it off as a loss and deduct it for taxes purpose. 

[kensgiftshop]

Being a TRS, if you accepted returns, you could have deducted some from the refund.

[thriftytreasurevault]

Thank you for the response- Thought it would be the case but stings anyway to see people like her out there

[thriftytreasurevault]

Thanks for reponding

[lakefor94]

@thriftytreasurevault 

For the future,  here are the basics,  laid out. If anything comes up outside of what follows,  come back here with questions for solid answers.

If the buyer opens a Item Is Not As Described type return case, you have choices.

1. You can refund the buyer now and let the buyer keep the item. eBay refunds the final value fees on the sale to you, the seller.

2. If you want the item back before refunding, accept the return and make sure a prepaid return label is available in the return case. The buyer returns the item and then you refund in full. eBay refunds the final value fees on the sale to you, the seller.

Seller protection:
Top Rated Sellers who accept 30 day returns and sellers who offer free 30 day returns can do partial refunds, up to 50%, if the item is returned in a condition different than when you shipped it.

3. Do nothing, contest the case or allow eBay to handle the case, eBay will close the return, refund the buyer and allow the buyer to keep the item. You also receive a serious defect on your seller account for having eBay step in and refund, thus doing your job as a seller. And, eBay keeps the final value fees for the transaction.

Here is an eBay link with just about all you need to know.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115

[thriftytreasurevault]

Thanks for the response- very helpful. I appreciate it