Buyer accuses me of lying, very angry over simple error.

[nopike6777]

I am new to selling on Ebay.  I recently sold a pair of sunglasses.  The buyer messaged me and asked if they are polarized.  I did a web search of the model of the sunglasses and the information I found indicated that they were.  The buyer purchased the sunglasses and when they received them were very angry because they were not polarized.  

I did some more research and determined that the sunglasses I sold were not polarized.  This was an honest mistake on my part.  I quickly accepted their return and informed them that I will provide a full refund.  The buyer is now accusing me of lying and even stating incorrectly that the photos I provided did not match what he received.  That is not true.  I have no reason to misrepresent the glasses and will be able to resell them without issue.  I think the buyer is behaving unreasonably and am concerned about a negative rating due to a simple error that I quickly agreed to correct.  Any advise on the best way to handle this? 

[nopike6777]

I want to add that nowhere in my listing did I indicate that the sunglasses were polarized. 

[1tuna]

you should take them back with a return,of course the buyer is going to be upset

the description was false and misleading,you say its a mistake.what difference does it make if its a lie or not.you did not know what you were selling and want to blame the buyer

[washedashore]

First, to 1tuna, the OP did not blame the buyer.  He is only asking how to handle the situation.

OP,  just be humble and repeat your apologies, saying you are only human and just made a mistake.  Repeat your offer of taking a return for a full refund and send him a prepaid return shipping label.  Grovel a lot.  The buyer will calm down eventually. 

If you get bad feedback, answer honestly, say you made a mistake, you offered or provided a full refund, and you are sorry.  Your reply says more about you than anything the buyer says. 

[csbbct]

Technically that definition is not part of your listing, but any answers you give to questions asked become part of the description and eBay will have records of it.

The only thing you can do at this point is give a full refund including shipping in both directions so the buyer is not out any money.  Without sounding defensive and with as much professionalism as possible, briefly explain to them how you came to the original conclusion and how you now have found that to be incorrect.  Just apologize for the mistake and indicate it was not intentional.  Hopefully these steps will diffuse the situation so the buyer will not leave a negative.  If they do though, keep any feedback responses professional as other buyers may decide to buy from you based on how you handle something when a problem occurs.

[nopike6777]

Thank you for the replies, except for Ituna who sounds about as unreasonable as my buyer.  As you stated I am handling it in a professional manner.  My listing was not misleading. Nowhere in the listing did it state that they were polarized.  I, and I would imagine most sellers on Ebay have nothing to gain by misrepresenting what we are selling.  I will probably end up selling the sunglasses for more that the buyer paid for them anyways so I have no problem with a return.  

[nopike6777]

This was my first sale and if this buyer is indicative of most buyers on this platform I will have no issues not using it. 

[dhbookds]

---

@nopike6777 wrote:

This was my first sale and if this buyer is indicative of most buyers on this platform I will have no issues not using it. 

---

Don't repeat your buyer's mistake..........assuming something that isn't true......  There are millions of transactions on ebay every day..........sure there are problems of various kinds that you can find everywhere.......but the vast majority of sales are completed with both the buyer and the seller satisfied.........  I understand how hard it is to "begin" selling......and something like this is certainly discouraging, but you need to be able to handle it and then move on..........

[csbbct]

---

@nopike6777 wrote:

This was my first sale and if this buyer is indicative of most buyers on this platform I will have no issues not using it. 

---

Don't let this one sale necessarily discourage you.  I think on this kind of platform some buyer's initial response is to fear they were scammed and come in fighting, so if you immediately calm them by apologizing and letting them know you will take care of it for them, they may relax.  

[terrycece62]

Follow washedashores advice and be very careful of all item decriptions and learn as much as u can about any product you decide to list on ebay. And if you do not know an answer just state u do not know.

By the way BEST OF LUCK  on selling 

[1tuna]

please do not let one transaction ruin your idea of ebay,your response to the buyers question was not truthful,it has turned into a return situation.the buyer was mislead by your response to a question,it happens all the time

[nopike6777]

Thank you all for the encouragement.  I am only surprised at the level of anger from the buyer.  I have had many horrible customer service experiences in my life and would rarely behave in the manner the buyer is behaving.  For all I know the buyer may be scamming me.  Who knows what he will return to me and in what condition.   I understand that this is probably just a part of doing business on Ebay. 

[a_c_green]

---

@dhbookds wrote:

---

@nopike6777 wrote:

This was my first sale and if this buyer is indicative of most buyers on this platform I will have no issues not using it. 

---

Don't repeat your buyer's mistake..........assuming something that isn't true...... 

---

The buyer did not make any mistake here. According to the OP, he asked before purchasing whether the sunglasses were polarized, and was told (incorrectly) that they were. 

[myescape]

It is part of doing business ANYWHERE

[nopike6777]

The only mistake the buyer is making is assuming that I am somehow trying to scam him. It was an honest mistake on my part. The sunglasses that I am selling will bring me just as much return regardless if they are polarized or not and they will sell quickly. So I have no issues with a return and full refund.