Buyer used product and is saying unhappy not sure what to do

[shankador2011]

Hey Fellow sellers, 

I sold an item on ebay. I have been selling for some time now and have the whole top rated seller. I have never had any issues and I got a message from one of the buyers saying the following:

" I followed the very exact instructions on the YouTube video for this item, and even after I cure them for several minutes they still do not stay. I am very unhappy with this purchase. Help!"

I honesty don't know what to do. Ebay says to just tell them sorry since they used the product and a return can't be made.  But what is the proper etiquette here? 

[jonathankirkland]

I would try to state that you cannot accept a used product.

However even though ebay told you that, the buyer can still open a "not as described" case and ebay will also force you to accept a return and refund the buyer.

I would politely explain you can't accept a return on a used product and hope they go away.

If they do file a "not as described" case however you can't fight it. You need to accept the return.

Good news though, if you are top rated as you say then you have some protection. If a buyer returns something falsely using "not as described" (which you have proof of in this case), you can get some money back on the return shipping, and you only have to refund 50% of the purchase price.

I know its not ideal but its better than eating the entire cost.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/service-and-payments/top-rated-program.html

[downunder-61]

The rep you spoke to has no idea, how could someone NOT try to use them to find out they didn't stay.

For the sake of customer satisfaction I would refund or offer to send another lot, if the buyer opens INAD you will need to do that anyway.

Depending on price of course, but it could be a bad batch as well, I have had some that did not work the way they should have, only cost me $10 at a B&M so it didn't bother me, but faults can occur in manufacturing.

[shankador2011]

Thank you! I ended up just refunding the product (not shipping of course) and calling it a day. I don't want to deal with it. I just hope that after I refund, they can't open a not as described case against me and get a second refund or something. I also blocked the buyer because I just don't want to deal if they try to buy more. I know its petty but after selling 100's of things I have not had issues. Yes the product could have absolutely been a dud, but after they replied again when I asked how I can "help" it seemed like they wanted me to send more and I don't want to get scammed. 

[inhawaii]

If the item is no longer usable or re-salable, depending on the cost, i would just issue a refund and tell her to keep the item. 

[braus3449]

There is no guaranty for happiness on Ebay, just for your money back.

[fashunu4eeuh]

You put the ball back in their court re: what they wanted. So they replied stating they would have accepted another set. Then you decided rather than deal with it, you refunded and blocked. That’s your right. But it may have been a hasty choice.

Out of dozens of sales with no issues, it could well be these were rare duds. Of course it could be user error, but in that case some troubleshooting might be all that was needed. 

These are not high scam goods. The chance of this buyer trying to scam you is minimal. There are easier methods if she were going to defraud you. She didn't demand a refund or a partial, she reached out to you for help, and your reaction was to block her instead, possibly losing repeat business, and potentially costing a hit to your feedback.

In this case, giving the buyer the benefit of the doubt seems in order.  I would have refunded and sent another set, with my apologies for her difficulty and inconvenience. 

Not every sale is going to be trouble-free. Not every customer with an issue is a scammer. 

[lightlily_arts]

Were these the artificial nails?  Perhaps the glue was old.  I've bought artificial nails and the glue does expire.   I've also bought tubes of glue that wouldn't stick either.  It's a manufacturing problem. I think refunding was fine.  I wouldn't send a replacement.

[whattheactualfox]

That only applies to the following below:

Sellers who offer free returns and who are not Below Standard are eligible for this protection

• You can deduct up to 50% from the refund to recover the lost value of the item
• We will take care of any issues directly with the buyer for you, including removing any negative and neutral feedback, defects, and open cases in service metrics

If we are asked to step in and help, you will no longer be able to issue a partial refund to the buyer. Learn more about refunding the buyer.

So if @shankador2011 did not offer free returns on this listing, they are not eligible for this seller protection

(https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-protections?id=4345)