Buyers take advantage of sellers ALL the time...

[profark-0]

Online buyers take advantage of sellers *ALL* the time and then...

*When* a buyer makes a mistake (yes it does happen) in the midst of a transaction (which turns the tables in the seller's favor), *THEN* they want sellers to help them out!!!

And IF that seller is unwilling or unable to assist they get NASTY!

Oh yes, as in please just take that money out of the account and GIVE it to the buyer already!

Even if that seller leads the buyer to contact the venue and assists them in getting their refund in ways that do NOT involve the seller's bank account...No good, horrible service.

I am guessing the seller should've let the buyer keep the item, refund their money and send them "a good one" too. 

Watch out, here comes that negative you bad, bad seller.

Just thought I'd share.

*This account is marked as useless after this post.

[coolections]

Not sure of your problem but if you do it right no buyer will be able to take advantage of Ebay's return process. Buyer are allowed to return items, and you can make those same buyers return the item before getting their money back. The best solution is to cover your bases by giving great descriptions and taking good picture. Very few, and I mean very few, buyers purchase to take advantnge of you.

[mtgraves7984]

Did you buy an item and then request a cancellation? If it shipped and is not as described you can open a Return request. The buyer usually wins those every time.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Without more info, i can only add this to the discussion:

It is never a good idea to hold a buyer’s error over his head and/or then send them an unwanted item. This is not a battle—sellers vs. buyers, us against them—it is commerce. As such, every shopper who clicks on a listing becomes a potential buyer, and that requires respect in handling such issues.

A mistaken buyer effort often needs a seller’s patience and effort to set it right again. It is not the time to make a quick buck, but an opportunity to make a loyal customer for the future.

[southern*sweet*tea]

ALL the time?

Really?

I've been selling here since 2003 and have never been taken advantage of by any buyer.

[redline_auto_llc]

I disagree. I recently had a buyer admit to dropping and breaking an item, then returning it as SNAD. Like, they literally said "I accidentally dropped it and it cracked" through the messaging center. I was forced to pay return shipping, buyer escalated case the second it was returned, and despite speaking to multiple reps over the phone I lost the case. This is not an isolated incident; I have a collection of rocks in my shop that have been returned in place of the item that was purchased, and I had to go to the police for all of them before eBay would consider reversing the outcome of the case. 

It is all too easy for buyers to abuse sellers, all you have to do is select SNAD as the return reason and the seller is more or less screwed.

[coolections]

@redline_auto_llc 

You are one of the unluckiest people On Ebay. Everyone says the buyer said this and that. OK, your story. Been selling for 22 years and not a single scam and only a couple returns and one lost mail delivery in all that time. It is very very very rare to get scammed as you say.

[mssales_6]

I recently sold an expensive watch that was brand new with tags.  In spite of my pictures posted on Ebay, showing there was no scratch, the buyer sent me a email two weeks later stating there was a scratch on it.  The buyer wanetd a 30% refund.  While I was hesitant to do this, I did not want to have the buyer return it and have to buy it back.  So, I refunded 30% of the purchase amount.  One week later the buyer sends me a second email saying the watch quit working and wanted me to reimbuse him the cost of getting it repaired.

At this point, I asked the buyer to contact Ebay and request a return shipping label ( at no cost to him) and advised him a  refund would be forthcoming after the item was returned and I inspected it. I was willing to refund his payment, but did not want this person to also have the watch.

He did not go back thru Ebay, instead he went around the normal process by going directly to his credit card company, who reversed the payment.  I was not given an opportunity to explain my side of the transaction to the credit card company and my willingness to buy it back, once I received it.  It was clear to me that this individual was scamming the system.  Ultimately, he got both the watch and a full refund.  I was left with nothing, so yes a buyer can beat you out of your money and product. Rare, but it can happen. 

[aldente28]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

I've been selling here since 2003 and have never been taken advantage of by any buyer.

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How? Do you sell something only honest, responsible buyers buy?

I had a buyer lie to me just an hour ago in an attempt to get a refund. Who knows how that'll work out. Maybe I've heard the last of it...but maybe he one-ups his lie, or initiates a return at my expense and returns nothing, or leaves a negative review to punish me for not giving in to his demands.

How have you avoided all these things? I'd like to do what you're doing.

[luckythewinner]

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@profark-0 wrote:

Online buyers take advantage of sellers *ALL* the time

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Perhaps.

But online transactions also go off without a hitch all the time. 

Luckily for me, all of mine go off without a hitch. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@aldente28 wrote:

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

I've been selling here since 2003 and have never been taken advantage of by any buyer.

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How? Do you sell something only honest, responsible buyers buy?

I had a buyer lie to me just an hour ago in an attempt to get a refund. Who knows how that'll work out. Maybe I've heard the last of it...but maybe he one-ups his lie, or initiates a return at my expense and returns nothing, or leaves a negative review to punish me for not giving in to his demands.

How have you avoided all these things? I'd like to do what you're doing.

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It's not that people haven't TRIED through the years, I just know how to handle them I guess. Having a loss fund (self-insurance) is a must as well. Even if I were to lose out, I'd still not be out financially because of my loss fund.

My answer to most buyer issues is "Return it for a full refund, the return shipping is free, it's on me." You would be surprised at how many issues will be resolved when buyers find out you aren't going to fold like a cheap suit and throw money at them because you aren't going to be intimidated. 

I want my buyers to be happy with what they get. If they're not, I'll gladly pay for the return, because I don't want them keeping something they're not happy with.

That said, there are some things I wouldn't list here for all the money in the world. No way would I list any sort of computers, cell phones, purses or women's clothing or shoes.  Mens, yes. Women's, no.

 I'm getting too old to be dealing with the headaches that come along with that sort of thing.

 I've sold many different kinds of things. When I first started I sold my handmade candles and soaps, and occasionally some books and clothing. When I closed my candle business (I was burnt out after 30 years of it) I added more books and sold glassware, vintage model kits and old tube radios, until my supply sources dried up.   Every now and then I would list some laptops for parts. Then I went to all books (mainly cookbooks) for a while, then started adding paper ephemera. Now I'm trying to get out of the books and stick mainly to old paper.

I sell what I like, and I sell (for the most part) what I know. I think that helps a lot, too.