Buyer Filed item not as Described- for the boots not fitting

[andreagranos]

Hi! 
I recently sold a NIB pair of size 8 Sorel boots.  I do not offer returns, as I am not a store just sell my personal things.  However, the buyer filed an item does not match description or photos  and then messaged.

“Hi, I ordered pair of Sorel boots. Normally, I wear a 7 1/2 size shoe but with boots I order size 8 as I wear heavier socks. I received the boots in size 8 and they are way to small (even though I ordered 1/2 size bigger). Would like to return for refund”

I  not sure what to do.  I explained I am not a store and that I listed as a size 8 which they are.  This seems like a false claim to get their money back.  I did write back I would be willing to reimburse for the actual boots minus any shipping fees.  (Otherwise I’m out almost $30 in shipping, because of what seems like buyers remorse). 

Any advice?  I haven’t heard back and EBay said I have to wait 3 days to ask them to step in.  

[bonjourami]

Dont ask Ebay to step in, they see that as a non responsive seller and will refund the buyer immediately, and let her keep the boots.Buying shoes online is a problem, if you cant try them on, sizes can vary.Provide a return label, and refund after return.Doesnt matter if you are not a store in a snad complaint,Ebay will rule in her favor.

[fab_finds4u]

If a dispute or a return request is opened  with the reason Not as described or doesn't match, and they wrote in the notes they don't fit you will be forced to refund and be responsible for return shipping. eBay doesn't read the notes, they just force the seller to refund if they claim they don't match the description. eBay doesn't care if they ordered an 8 and they received an 8.

If  they opened a dispute or a return request case using the reason wrong size or doesn't fit, and they wrote in the notes they bought a larger size than they normally wear but they still didn't fit you can decline the return if your policy is no returns. 

[lamber9347]

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@andreagranos wrote:

Hi! 
I recently sold a NIB pair of size 8 Sorel boots.  I do not offer returns, as I am not a store just sell my personal things.  However, the buyer filed an item does not match description or photos  and then messaged.

“Hi, I ordered pair of Sorel boots. Normally, I wear a 7 1/2 size shoe but with boots I order size 8 as I wear heavier socks. I received the boots in size 8 and they are way to small (even though I ordered 1/2 size bigger). Would like to return for refund”

I  not sure what to do.  I explained I am not a store and that I listed as a size 8 which they are.  This seems like a false claim to get their money back.  I did write back I would be willing to reimburse for the actual boots minus any shipping fees.  (Otherwise I’m out almost $30 in shipping, because of what seems like buyers remorse). 

Any advice?  I haven’t heard back and EBay said I have to wait 3 days to ask them to step in.  

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This platform offers a MBG to all buyers. Your own no returns policy is superseded by eBay’s return policy in the TOS. Most of us who sell on eBay are also just selling our personal items. Once the buyer selects INAD you will have to pay for the return shipping or eBay will deduct it from your account, regardless of what you stated in your own listing. If you contact eBay they will consider that getting involved and charge you an additional $20, plus you will lose the boots and your money. Your best bet is to accept the return and issue the return label or you will also receive a defect on your selling account. It happens; it's a part on selling online. Best of luck to you....

[caldreamer]

Really no such thing as "no returns" because EBAY guaranteed offers full refund (plus return shipping) by claiming "defective or not as described".     Buyer does NOT need any proof.   Seller must accept return (if you fall to refund money promptly EBAY will step in and give full refund (and tell customer to keep the item for free).   Also you will give "a defect" for no following EBAY rules.    

[gunthermax]

eBay rarely sides with the seller and now they have full control over our funds.  They're impossible to get a hold of for help and when you do, they don't speak English.  I'm incredibly frustrated with them.  I'm dealing with 3 returns at this very moment where buyers have made false claims.  I feel like eBay has become a haven for scammers.  Be careful.  We no longer have control over anything.

[andreagranos]

Thank you! It seems like a buyer can just go ahead and file a INAD claim no matter what?!

I am so disappointed in the process and have just gone ahead as suggested and allowed a return.  I am now out so much money for boots and I’ll never see it.  

one more question   Do I get reimbursed fees from eBay or am I stuck with paying that added money too?

[andreagranos]

It absolutely seems like buyers are going to figure this out and either get a full refund with free shipping by filing a false claim. Or just get to keep the money and also get the item.

Is it worth leaving negative feedback warning other sellers?  

I’ve already removed my other items off of EBay because I can’t afford all of this mess!

[s.scharmu0]

Hi,

You have the message the buyer sent you. Make sure & let E-bay know to read that. You should win then. It was there fault. Good luck!!

[andreagranos]

This is one expensive pair of boots I was trying to just make some money on 😂.  Does eBay reimburse fees do you know? Otherwise add that to the bill

[fab_finds4u]

@s.scharmu0  that's useless information, and telling the OP she should win as if she can win this dispute is totally untrue.  If the buyer filed a not as described dispute they get their money back. Buyers don't have to provide proof they're not as described and eBay won't look at the seller's proof.  Sellers can have a message saying, "Hi dear,  I got too close to the fire, and much to my dismay I burned the toes on the boots, and now they're defective. Please send me a return label,"  and the seller will be forced to refund.

The seller can contact eBay and will be told bad buyers happen, to suck it up.  The seller can report the buyer for abusing the returns process for forcing her to accept a remorse return and at the most eBay might give the seller a credit on the return label but they'll still be forced to refund the buyer.  Supposedly eBay will keep a record of seller complaints and if there's a pattern of abuse they'll lose their MBG.

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

@andreagranos. May I ask a question, were these your boots and did you try them on? The reason for asking is I wanted to purchase a pair of these that came into my Thrift shop where I work and they were new. I tried them on as they were my size and ouch! I would have had to gone up an entire size in those things. I don't know who makes Sorel boots but their sizing is strange. So quite possible your buyer is telling the truth, she just went about it all wrong. They are really cute boots but man they sure don't feel good on the tootsies!

[*madison]

Is it worth leaving negative feedback warning other sellers?  

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Sellers don't have the option to leave negative feedback.

[dentalsales4u]

Yes, once you get your boots back and refund the buyer, you will get a refund on your FVF.

Be sure to report the buyer for abusing the return policy. Let them know what happened and what was said in the messages in the report.

This will put the buyer on eBays radar for future sales.

It may not help you with this sale, but it will help other sellers down the road.

It might also help you get the service metric ding removed for NAD.

[farmalljr]

If you refund the buyer of your own accord, eBay refunds the final value fees, minus the 30 cent processing fee (processing fee is NEVER refunded). If eBay has to step in, there is no refund of any fees. P.S. the $20 fee only comes into play in the case of a chargeback from a CC/bank dispute. In almost all cases, you are better off refunding in those chargeback cases. Few are ever won. 

Here are a few lessons for you:

1 There is NO such thing as no returns. The MBG insures that the buyers get what they are supposed to. It also leaves the door open to scammers, unfortunately. It happens sometimes, but not most of the time. 99% of transactions are good.

2 Never offer an item for sale, you cant afford to lose. I've seen it many times on this board, someone getting robbed of something they can't afford to lose. Sell those items locally, and for CASH. 

3 Selling your "extra" or unwanted stuff, or re-selling for profit. Doesn't matter, you are treated the same and fall under the same TOS to use eBay. 

4 It's probably a good idea, to avoid selling heavy/heavier stuff. Shipping is expensive on those items, and a return can cost more than the item in most cases. If you don't have volume to cover the loss, it can hurt real bad. I once sold some magazines to a lady in France. The shipping was $100 and the magazines were $60. Luckily the sale went smoothly. 

5 If you are not well versed on the rules or selling here in general, you may want to get some more knowledge before continuing to sell. Otherwise this may happen again. There ARE benefits to being a TRS, that can help cushion the blow of returns. But even us TRS's get taken advantage of once in a while.