Buyer issue

[elementalon]

good evening, i need help. I sold a pair of shoes to a girl from France. A pair of authentic ugg size 39. My used shoes.

She received them and she sent me a message saying that the boots are not 39 but 37 and she sent me photo of a label that i dont recognize. unfortunately i dont have a photo of the label but i have another same pair with different label. i think she is telling me lies. what should i do????

thank you

[slideshopper]

Unfortunately there is not much you can do. You can request her to return the boots for a refund, but frankly you will most likely not get your boots back . She will probably send you something completely different (Garbage/Junk) back. Then she will have your boots and money. 

Sorry, I am just being brutally honest

[loveyourimagination49]

I’m not sure of the rules in Greece.
Maybe she confused you with another seller?

[tiramisu41]

---

@elementalonwrote:

good evening, i need help. I sold a pair of shoes to a girl from France. A pair of authentic ugg size 39. My used shoes.

She received them and she sent me a message saying that the boots are not 39 but 37 and she sent me photo of a label that i dont recognize. unfortunately i dont have a photo of the label but i have another same pair with different label. i think she is telling me lies. what should i do????

thank you

---

@elementalon  -- Unfortunately, not much you can do.  You say the boots were a Size 39.  She claims the boots you sent her are a different size.   Would have helped if your listing photos would have included a shot of the label inside the boot that showed the size.   That *might* have deterred your buyer from claiming you shipped the wrong size, but if she is trying to scam, you she just would have come up with another reason/excuse.

Has she just messaged you from inside eBay at this point?   Or has she filed a Return Request?

Either way, eBay won't back you.  They have no idea what you shipped.  The buyer is claiming the item is a SNAD (Significantly Not as Described) and in such situations, eBay will side with the buyer every time.

You're going to have to message your buyer.  Apologize for the problem;  you could also say you are baffled why the boots she received from you are a Size 37 as the boots were from your own closet, and you wear a Size 39.   However, you are happy to given her a full refund once the boots are shipped back and returned to you in the same condition as received.

If she agrees, then you'll need to send a prepaid mailing label to her to ship back the boots.  You can do that through eBay.  Wait to get the boots back, then you can refund her through eBay as well.  eBay will refund the selling fees you paid -- but you will lose the money you got for the boots, the cost of shipping them to your buyer AND the cost of shipping them back to you.

I can't tell from what you wrote, but it sounds like perhaps you don't live in France.  If so, the cost of having the boots shipped back to you might be pretty pricey.  In that case, you might also decide to tell the buyer to keep the boots and you'll just refund her money.    That may be exactly what she's hoping you'll say -- so she gets to keep a free pair of boots.

Many here would say they'd pay the cost of return shipping just so the buyer doesn't get to keep the boots AND your money.   But, up to you much you want to spend/lose on this transaction.  

Out of curiosity, where are you located?    Where were the boots shipped from?   Those details may complicate your situation.    Let us know so others here can try to advise you.

[orangehound]

I assume that the buyer has opened a MBG case with eBay, and my guidance below assumes this to be the case.

There are four possibilities as to what is happening.

1. The buyer is confusing your item with someone else's item.
2. You actually sent a size 37.
3. Your buyer wants to return the shoes, and since you didn't offer returns their only choice is to claim something is not as described (that is, they lie).  This is a common thing that happens a lot when a seller doesn't offer returns and a buyer wants to return it.
4. You are being scammed.  It happens sometimes, but it is rare ... more common with very expensive items (over $100 or $200) and new sellers.  Typically scammers will not interact with you via eBay messaging ... they just file a claim and wait out the process.

What to do?

1. Make sure that #1 isn't the case by professionally and politely communicating with the buyer.
2. If your buyer maintains that the shoe is 37 and it is the item that you sent, then most likely #2 or #3 is the situation ... you simply accept the return and wait on the shoes to arrive back.  Sometimes, buyers won't follow through on the return.  But, if you get it back and discover that the buyer was not telling the truth in order to get the item returned, all you can do is refund their money and report the buyer to eBay as abusing the Money Back Guarantee.
3. Finally, if you are convinced this is a scam (e.g., the buyer isn't communicating, it looks like a new account, etc.), then you just have to decide whether or not to risk paying for a return ... a scammer will likely return their old defective size 37 shoes.

[*eponymous*]

With or without a pic of the label in your listing, eBay's expectation is that you will authorize the return, pay for the label, and refund in full.  You can refund outright, accept the return, or offer a partial refund.

That's the reality of ecommerce for sites that value their buyers.  Whether or not the buyer is "lying" is immaterial to a return. 

The eBay policies that apply to all sales are the ones on the eBay site where the transaction occurred, not the location of the buyer or seller.

[emerald40]

In the future show a picture of the label indicating size and in this case you could have shown it on the box as well.

[elementalon]

for sure

[elementalon]

Greece.. i m very sad about this i didnt see it coming.. well she opened a return case and i accept a full refund when i get the boots back.. but if the boots arent mine what can i do then? can i not make a refund or contact ebay somehow?

[elementalon]

thank you all for the help

[castlemagicmemories]

---

@elementalonwrote:
Greece.. i m very sad about this i didnt see it coming.. well she opened a return case and i accept a full refund when i get the boots back.. but if the boots arent mine what can i do then? can i not make a refund or contact ebay somehow?

---

You might luck out and she won't return anything.  

Sorry this happened to you.

[orangehound]

---

@elementalonwrote:
Greece.. i m very sad about this i didnt see it coming.. well she opened a return case and i accept a full refund when i get the boots back.. but if the boots arent mine what can i do then? can i not make a refund or contact ebay somehow?

---

As I wrote earlier, this is much more likely just a buyer wanting to return an item, and not a buyer trying to steal something from you.   They might even decide to not follow through on the return ... I have found that buyers that open false SNADs will end up keeping the item about 25% of the time.

What if they really return the wrong item?  You can always talk with eBay customer service, but they can be quite unhelpful sometimes.  In my experience and observation, your only choice is to refund the money ... this will at least give you a credit for eBay fees and PayPal fees. 

But, if you choose to contest the dishonesty of the buyer (assuming, again, that the buyer returned the wrong shoes) and not refund the money, then you would likely lose the case given what you have written in this thread (it is your word verses the buyer's word).  Losing is bad.  Not only will eBay take the money from your PayPal account and refund the buyer, but you will not be eligible for a refund of eBay or PayPal seller fees and you will get an eBay "defect" ... all of these are worse outcomes.

But, wait to see what you get back before worrying too much ... again ... it is much more likely that the buyer just wants to return the shoes you originally sent. 

[elementalon]

thank you so much for your answers