Buyer opened "not authentic" return case 9 days after delivery....Can I beat this one?

[vintageantique77]

I sold a towel warmer a few weeks ago, and it was delivered to the buyer *9* days ago. The buyer messaged me today sending me a picture of the item, unplugged, stating that it didn't work and they wanted their money back. The thing is, I proved without a doubt in my listing that this item worked perfectly - with pictures of operating light and even a digital temperature reading of the unit working...I do not accept returns BTW.

The buyer also used the " Doesn't seem authentic" option instead of " Not as Described" - which we all know is a bullet to the head to your chances of beating a return.

I suspect the buyer is trying to cheat me out - seeing as there is little to no way the item did not arrive in working condition. I suspect they may have damaged it unintentionally, and now want their money back. Can i prove that? Not really...

With this being an " Authentic" case - can I beat this one?

Thanks,

[lamber9347]

---

@vintageantique77 wrote:

<snip>
With this being an " Authentic" case - can I beat this one?

Thanks,

---

If you choose to sell on this platform you really need to read and understand the TOS. Your no returns policy is trumped by the MBG from eBay. It means you will still have to refund. You are welcome to waste your time fighting this but you will lose. If you don't send a return label you will also lose your item and your money. Plus you will get a demerit on your selling account. Really not worth it. 

Also doesn't seem authentic and not as described are both the same type of case. If you get your towel warmer back you can sell it again and increase the price to make up the difference that you lost. Best of luck to you....

[lightlily_arts]

Buyers lie all the time to get a return.  eBay can't determine who is truthful and favors the buyer.  You can't fight the return.  All you can do is get your item back and then report the buyer for a false claim.  Put them on your block bidder list.

[m60driver]

The quick answer is no, you can't beat this one or any similar situation.  Nor is it worth paying shipping twice on an item where shipping is almost twice the cost of the item.  Your sales are good enough to just abandon the item and move on.  All you can do is perhaps report the buyer and block.

[gracieallen01]

What the other posters said. 

One must keep in mind that on ebay no returns does not mean no refund.  Also, to ebay, 'doesn't seem authentic' means the same thing as 'not as described' when it comes to returns.

[fashunu4eeuh]

With electrical items one cannot be certain it arrived in working condition. We cannot know beyond a shadow of a doubt because things happen in transit beyond our control. 

That said, it is likely your buyer simply made up the not working story in order to force a return. There is a good chance you will get it back in working condition and can resell it.

While fighting the case may seem appealing, it is a big risk. Sellers who fight usually end up losing and suffer the consequences: 1) getting an account defect that can downgrade one’s status on eBay, 2) having to pay the Final Value fee as a penalty, and 3) sometimes not getting one’s item back before the forced refund is removed from their account.

You can appeal the ruling within 30 days. Below is the link on how to do that. Good luck.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/appeal-ebays-decision-return-missing-item...

[1tuna]

whether the item in question is authentic or not is not the problem.  the buyer chose to say it does not seam authentic..............big difference if you ask me but it really does not matter

its certainly not up to the seller to proove anthing.the buyer wants an out and ebay has given that to them with an ambiguous reason

you can take it back and maybe deduct some but fighting any kind of return can backfire

[farmalljr]

There is NO such thing as "no returns" selling here, and there are NO "seller protections" to safe guard that for sellers.  If you sell it, you may have to take a return or issue a refund for any given item, for up to 180 days, depending on the direction a buyer would go to get their money back.

Yeah, I know that seems pretty unreasonable. Welcome to selling stuff on the internet and taking CC payments. 

This is why selling ecommerce isn't for everyone (despite the dozens of YouTube channels that try to convince people otherwise). A LOT of thought should be going into every item listed, and your risks should be calculated. While returns generally are not a large percentage, sometimes the loss can be overwhelming, depending on the seller. 

I wish there were required training for everyone who wanted to sell, on every platform, in order to list/sell. That each person would have to fully understand their responsibilities and roles in selling. This would eliminate 95% of the common questions/problems most people end up having. This would also make the "buying experience" better for everyone. This would also make it easier, IMO, to boot out the bad sellers who don't follow the rules. It would also make the serious sellers (even if they are occasional) more aware of their responsibilities, and make their time here easier.  

[fern*wood]

I say it all the time.  If a buyer wants to return something, they usually find a way.  That's why offering a return policy makes sense---it gives them a way to do so without making stuff up.  

Having said that, though, you don't know whether it works now or not.  You must provide a label if you want it back.  You state several things that just don't matter in a not as described return.  Nine days--doesn't matter.   A no return policy -- not relevant.  That only applies to remorse reasons.

[lightlily_arts]

The one that gets me is using "Doesn't Seem Authentic" for your towel warmer as a reason for the return.  How can it not be authentic?  In any event I would get it back and relist at a higher price.  I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of keeping my item.

[kensgiftshop]

---

@vintageantique77 wrote:

seeing as there is little to no way the item did not arrive in working condition.

---

Since there is no way to prove the item worked once the buyer received it, you don't have many options.

[portlander]

It does not have to be a complete loss.  You can just offer a partial refund. 

[*smedley*]

---

@vintageantique77 wrote:

With this being an " Authentic" case - can I beat this one?

---

no... sellers have no rights since ebay turned into a de facto approval service...

[moondogblues]

I agree with lily...who would knock off a towel warmer?

[silverstatetreasureboxes]

Tagging on to moondoggie, and agree with her....that is crazy OP get your towel warmer back, your authentic one!!!, give them their lousy bucks back, block em, and bump price. 

So we got the 4 B's...back, bucks, block and bump! 

Some buyers you just can never satisfy!

     Best to you dear!