Shipping

[iowabrig]

I have been a seller for a long time.   How do I protect myself from being held hostage by a buyer who plays dirty and threatens to make me pay return shipping when they know it will cost me more the item is worth.   I recently sent a lamp from Southern California to New York.  Sold it for $50.  Shipping was $33.  They accused me of not describing it properly.  This was is lie!  They want $20 back.  If not they request return shipping.  This will cost me more than they paid for the item.  What do I do?  

In hindsight I should not have kept the lamp in tact!  I would have done much better selling it off in pieces, I.E. Shade is antique and lovely!  Chimney, & Brass base.  The buyer got a great Deal!

[santamonicajeweler]

Sometimes a bluff will work to your advantage. If the item is a good deal and worth the money, just tell them; No(By not responding at all)

They either have to return or keep. No partial refund. If you pay $33 for return shipping, you could sell the shade for that!

I have a feeling this Buyer just wants a partial refund and will keep the item if you don't respond. Let it be, don't respond, they have 30 days from receiving the item to decide 

[titipeo]

Hello, the sad reality is that you are stuck in bad situation and eBay wont do much for you. eBay's Money Back Guarantee protects buyers. For starters, one big thing you should have learned from this experience is that sometimes is best to sell things through other channels, in this case a local channel, with local pick up, thus no having to deal with this. eBay is not always the best place. 

At this point, your choices are limited, give in & offer the $20 and hope the buyer is satisfied with this. Return at your cost, loose on the shipping, while also hoping that the buyer indeed sends the item and not just an empty box full of rocks, garbage, etc. 

What exactly was the error on your part that buyer is claiming? 

In the end, no matter how you look at it, there is no positive outcome. Loss $20, or all. 

Could you provide additional info, such 

[soh.maryl]

Maybe I'm missing something, but wouldn't refunding $20 and letting them keep it be better than having to send them a $33 shipping label and then refunding at least $83 when you receive it back?

What part of the lamp does the buyer claim to be not as described? 

[santamonicajeweler]

Item sold for $50. Seller earned appx $44. Seller with partial refund of $20, ends up with $24 for the whole deal

Pay the $33 for return shipping. Resale for parts. However, I don't think Buyer has desire to return. Buyer wants the item for nothing!

[house*of*paws]

Hi @iowabrig 

You offer 'free returns' ... so you have no basis refusing a return ... no matter what the reason.   ☹️

Another issue is that the buyer isn't likely going to be as careful as you were in packaging the lamp ... which has fragile parts.  You risk receiving a box of broken glass ... with the possibility of reselling only the base ... if you go with the return.

You have an awesome feedback profile.  It looks like you haven't had any problems in the several hundred transactions I looked at.  

I think it might be worth sending the buyer the $20 and putting them on your BBL so that you done with them for good.  

[psfhobbies]

Yes you will loose in any way Had the exact thing happen and I had to give them a partial refund to save myself the aggravation.I don't sell stuff like that anymore. Absoultly NOTHING you do will help you with ebay not giving them a full refund...just move on and learn. FB better place to sell anymore with big items 

[simba6]

By not selling items that cost a lot to ship.  Otherwise your open to scam "discounting".  Buyers that do too much of that can be removed from the protection plan.  By then they have cost sellers a lot of money.

Still I would make them send it back.  Many never get around to it.

[12345jamesstamps]

Careful...some return with nothing in the box! 

I don't do partial refunds which is what this is...that it is a red flag!

If they paid $33. for shipping give them the $20 bucks.

They can always open their purchase on their  institution of payment and you WILL lose plus cost of bank. I got charges through Ebay $20 bucks from institution plus losing purchase price and no returns.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@santamonicajeweler wrote:

Sometimes a bluff will work to your advantage. If the item is a good deal and worth the money, just tell them; No(By not responding at all)

They either have to return or keep. No partial refund. If you pay $33 for return shipping, you could sell the shade for that!

I have a feeling this Buyer just wants a partial refund and will keep the item if you don't respond. Let it be, don't respond, they have 30 days from receiving the item to decide 

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@santamonicajeweler  - You aren't giving accurate advice! 

The buyer is claiming SNAD and if the OP doesn't respond, ebay will give the buyer a FULL refund and buyer will keep the free item! 

@iowabrig You must respond. If you don't want to give a partial refund, tell him "return for refund" and pay for return shipping. If the buyer is simply fishing for a partial but wants to keep the item, they will likely ignore your instruction to return it. Then if not returned by a certain date, you can get the case closed.

[mtgraves7984]

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@albertabrightalberta wrote:

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@santamonicajeweler wrote:

Sometimes a bluff will work to your advantage. If the item is a good deal and worth the money, just tell them; No(By not responding at all)

They either have to return or keep. No partial refund. If you pay $33 for return shipping, you could sell the shade for that!

I have a feeling this Buyer just wants a partial refund and will keep the item if you don't respond. Let it be, don't respond, they have 30 days from receiving the item to decide 

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@santamonicajeweler  - You aren't giving accurate advice! 

The buyer is claiming SNAD and if the OP doesn't respond, ebay will give the buyer a FULL refund and buyer will keep the free item! 

@iowabrig You must respond. If you don't want to give a partial refund, tell him "return for refund" and pay for return shipping. If the buyer is simply fishing for a partial but wants to keep the item, they will likely ignore your instruction to return it. Then if not returned by a certain date, you can get the case closed.

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@iowabrig ^^^ This.

I'm no fan of issuing a refund without a Return. With that being said, in this particular case (cost, fragility, dollars), I'm in the camp with @soh.maryl and @house*of*paws. Why chase good money after bad? Good luck and good golly... it's your call.

[santamonicajeweler]

@albertabrightalberta 

SNAD is not a death sentence for Sellers. Actually, if you care to read the original post, OP is not in an open case, just yet!

Pardon me but I am not going to respond to you anymore. This was a Thanksgiving special 🙂 

Enjoy,

[chapeau-noir]

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@santamonicajeweler wrote:

@albertabrightalberta 

SNAD is not a death sentence for Sellers. Actually, if you care to read the original post, OP is not in an open case, just yet!

Pardon me but I am not going to respond to you anymore. This was a Thanksgiving special 🙂 

Enjoy,

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We don't know that - it hasn't been made clear by the OP - being "held hostage" is a bit dramatic, so has this buyer indeed opened a case for NAD and then demanded a partial refund?

[santamonicajeweler]

@chapeau-noir I assume no case, because OP writes;  "If not they request return shipping", meaning; a return case hasn't been open yet. 

I might be wrong but it says what it says. And you're right, there might be no INAD case and I am assuming there is none, just yet!