eBay

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-30-2018

A buyer who bought a shirt from me initially complained why did I ship in a small bag. They said the bag was torn (because it was so small) and the shirt has hole in it because it got dragged on something. They claimed a larger bag wouldn't have gotten torn/mishandled (which I don't agree with, size of bag wouldn't matter here).

They eventually gave photos. From my experience, it seems the photos show the bag was cut pretty cleanly with scissors. No dirt or smudges on the bag, no jagged tears. The holes on the shirt are in one straight line... and they are more like clean cut slits by something sharp like scissors. It shows no signs of being dragged.

I realize I can be wrong here, but I've sold enough shirts to be able to make educated guesses. Is there anything I can do or say (professionally of course) to the buyer to try and find out if they used scissors and not offend them? Or is it pointless because you think I'll lose out ultimately by any buyer with this complaint?

As preemptive, I'm not out to mess with the buyer. I simply would like more info as the photos go against other ones I've seen that show carrier damage. A larger bag WILL however fix the issue of scissor damaging the package.

chrysylys · ‎01-30-2018

wrote:
They claimed a larger bag wouldn't have gotten torn/mishandled (which I don't agree with, size of bag wouldn't matter here).

It's very likely a larger bag would have allowed more room to cut it open with scissors while avoiding damage. They have been a lot of threads about items being stuffed into packages far too small suffering damage while being opened.

Forget keeping up with the Joneses. Be the Finklegrubers!
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orangehound · ‎01-30-2018

I deal in a lot of mail-order retail returns, and knife cuts on fabrics are a common reason for some returns. I see knife cuts on packaging as well. My guess, like yours, is that the customer cut them.

But is that your fault? I think customers sometimes blame sellers for packing in such a way that the cuts are inevitable, and they return the item.

When I'm shipping out items, I'm sensitive to how customers will open packages ... and, if I believe that a package is vulnerable to knife cuts, I have stickers that I put on the opening area such as:

kattinsanity · ‎01-30-2018

OP~~Many have heard this story from me before but it's just an example of how ebay looks at returns for buyers damaging items.

I sold an electric knife sharpener to a buyer. I have a no return policy. The buyer left me a neg saying I used so much bubble wrap on it that it caused him to cut off the power cord while removing the bubble wrap. I called ebay 3 times and talked to 3 reps and they all refused to remove the feedback because it was "his opinion on my packing of the item".

I was ALSO told that IF he filed a return request I would have to accept the return, pay return shipping and refund in full even though he admitted to damaging it himself because I used too much bubble wrap causing the damage. Luckily he never asked to return.

Ebay may take the same outlook on you using too small a bag resulting in the buyer cutting the shirt. When I ship something in a padded envelope I always wrap it in bubble wrap larger than the item & ship it in a larger envelope. That way the thick bubble wrap is sticking out further than the item and the buyer will cut the envelope beyond the thick bubble wrap and the item won't be damaged. They won't (hopefully) try to cut through the thick bubble wrap to open the envelope. So far nobody has.

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-30-2018

wrote:
wrote:
They claimed a larger bag wouldn't have gotten torn/mishandled (which I don't agree with, size of bag wouldn't matter here).
It's very likely a larger bag would have allowed more room to cut it open with scissors while avoiding damage. They have been a lot of threads about items being stuffed into packages far too small suffering damage while being opened.

You are misunderstanding the buyer's claim. They are saying the item got torn and dragged/damaged by USPS, not that they cut the item themselves. The buyer is saying that a larger bag wouldn't have gotten torn/dragged. You basically repeated what I said in the last sentence of my initial post.

@orangehoundThanks for the suggestion of a sticker. I've been trying to find a way I can include a message in my postage label thru stamps.com with the same warning too (without having to manually type it into each label but have it automatically included).

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-30-2018

I just realized I can just post the photos here to see what you guys think huh. Any of you with experience recognizing scissor cut clothing, feel free to weigh in if you think I'm right or wrong in my assumption.

If it's against rules to post these photos here, let me know too.

On the closeup photo, you can see the holes are all in a straight line. There is a light crease in the middle of those lines because that's where the shirt was folded when packed. If you line it up while folded, you can see the holes are somewhat symmetrical which leads me to believe it was caused by a puncture of a scissor while trying to cut open the poly. One side has bigger holes because that's the side that the scissor entered into the shirt.

the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth · ‎01-30-2018

It looks to me like it could have gotten caught on something and the buyer used that hole to start cutting across the package? If it was a straight line scissor cut I don't think you'd see all the stretching around the hole.

southern*sweet*tea · ‎01-30-2018

There are a few reasons why I ship fabric items in boxes or sandwiched between cardboard. This is one of them.

The easier you are to offend the easier you are to control.

We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did. - Thomas Sowell

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-30-2018

I see. That stretched out hole looks to me that it was widened by hand. If it were caught on say a metal corner it wouldn't be that widely stretched but more like a thinner puncture or protrusion, right?

But beside that point, does the hole in the shirt itself look like it was damaged by a snag or a cutting tool?

ed8108 · ‎01-30-2018

wrote:
I deal in a lot of mail-order retail returns, and knife cuts on fabrics are a common reason for some returns. I see knife cuts on packaging as well. My guess, like yours, is that the customer cut them.

But is that your fault? I think customers sometimes blame sellers for packing in such a way that the cuts are inevitable, and they return the item.

When I'm shipping out items, I'm sensitive to how customers will open packages ... and, if I believe that a package is vulnerable to knife cuts, I have stickers that I put on the opening area

People need to take responsibility for the result of actions they undertake, like when not taking sufficient care when opening a package to not damage the contents.

I do so can others.

bigdeals.etc · ‎01-30-2018

wrote:
There are a few reasons why I ship fabric items in boxes or sandwiched between cardboard. This is one of them.

Yea I hear ya. Good thing for me this doesn't happen often, just enough for me to somewhat try to recognize. Regardless of how it got damaged, I know I'll still have to replace it. If I find out it was truly by buyer actions, I'll have to rethink my packaging and probably spend more money into that. But if not, I'll just chalk it up to one of those USPS things.

conniedecember · ‎01-30-2018

great idea Thanks

secretsquirrelisnowhere · ‎01-31-2018

Looks like the package got caught in the machinery and the shirt torn. You need to package better.

coolections · ‎01-31-2018

wrote:
does the hole in the shirt itself look like it was damaged by a snag or a cutting tool?

YES, it looks like a snag during shipping. Even if it was not you packaged the item too tight for the buyer to open it safely. Live and learn, I think we have all been there at one time or another.

rolenboy01 · ‎01-31-2018

I never understood why people feel the need to use scissors on poly mailers anyway are their fingers that weak? do they really need to attempt to save and reuse that 5 to 10 cent mailer?