Dilemma , either way, Iose.

[yhlml]

I sold as baseball cap, pre owned in very good condition for $39, it looked unused. I just got this message from the buyer..."Thank you I just received the hat and it’s great. It has an issue. The Velcro back has come apart see picture. Please let me know how to proceed" . He sent me one tiny photo of the back strap that is falling apart. The hat had no issues and you can even see in my photos that there was no damage. I have a close up of the strap.  I asked for more photos with the surrounding area. I thought I might offer him a partial refund because that seems like what he is insinuating. If I just ask him to return for a full refund, I'm going to get back a damaged hat. Seems like I lose either way. 

[bonjourami]

yes nowhere on the listing does it say vintage, that was just an assumption made by a previous poster. Op has no returns so he cant claim a damaged return.

[this*old*attic]

It’s a used item, not new. I just fall into using vintage automatically sometimes in that case. That’s not the point.

An item doesn’t need to be 20 years old to have rot. Sweat rots clothing if it’s not washed.

Cheap fabric can also tear along the sewing lines like that. As can happen when one material is much heavier than the other (i.e. stiff Velcro vs. the cap fabric).

To me, the little torn strips appear perfectly credible, I’ve seen damage like that.

But the pic is crummy. I’d want better.

[yhlml]

I never said it was vintage. Don't know where you saw that in my listing.

[this*old*attic]

And I meant to add - those of us who DO handle vintage have a lot of experience with thread and fabric rot. It can behave in some surprising ways, like those little strips everyone is assuming must be dog chew damage.

[yhlml]

Thank you for that. We do sell a lot of hats and my husband checks all of them . If there is a defect or stain I put it in my listing.  

[yhlml]

I do list as no returns but if he shows me better photos of the hat I will gladly accept a return. I have done this a few times. Once an item didn't fit. The price was low enough that I just gave a refund without a return. I want to keep my buyers happy. I love reading my feedback. 

[bonjourami]

Well you do know the buyer is not obligated to send photos to get a return...if you do get your own cap back damaged, I guess that will prove it was a legitimate complaint..and I hope you do..

[bonjourami]

your no returns policy is for remorse returns, not snad..but Im sure you know all that.

[city*satins]

I pulled this side by side from the fashion board that albertabrightalberta posted, and lightened the buyer's pic.   I am not even sure these are the same hats, but in my opinion, the damage to the buyer's hat appears to have been done by just yanking the velcro of the strap without regard for taking any care.  No different than unbuttoning a shirt by pulling the sides in opposite directions as hard as you can and all the buttons flying off.

JMHO based on what I see.

[bonjourami]

I dont think this  is the same hat either..wheres the tag in the buyers picture,and even the plastic piece looks different.Op can fight this, but she probably wont win.

[emerald1830]

No doubt it's the following two explanations:..

1. Dog chewed it..

2. It's a different cap and buyer bought a "replacement"..

Ugh..sorry OP..seems you got one of those buyers.

[*madison]

One of my caps is the same as in the buyers photo, but it took constant use for the velcro to loosen, it didn't happen straight away, and it's only a cheap cap too..

[this*old*attic]

That isn’t the point. It came up because  we see that damage pattern fairly often and recognize it. It’s not dog chew damage.

Whether it’s your hat or not I can’t say - it’s a fuzzy pic that doesn’t show the whole cap.

[this*old*attic]

Hard to say if it’s the same hat - the angles are so different.

[7606dennis]

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@this*old*attic wrote:

Perhaps.

But look at it in another way. From a customer’s view it’s petty and a number of other negative attributes not to offer a REALISTIC partial when there’s a problem but the item is still good enough to keep.

They wanted the item, took time searching for it, put some effort into buying it, waited for it to arrive, had plans for how to use it and were invested in all ways.

Only for there to be an issue - it’s disappointing.

And if it’s a bad, boneheaded, possibly lying intentional issue (in the eyes of a now disappointed AND suspicious buyer), they are rolling their eyes and possibly ANGRY when the seller expects them to go through the hassle of letting go of it and shipping it back - all because they won’t refund a few bucks so the item price now reflects the item’s true worth or the cost of actual repairs.

I know I sound like EBay, but it creates a poor buying experience and it’s annoying AF.

 I am one of those buyers who would rather work out a stain or repair a zipper,  barge glue a shoe, pay a jeweler to fix the clasp, keep 5 cute mid century bar glasses when the 6th is chipped, etc.

I may still want whatever it is but it’s essentially SNAD and not the item that was described, so it isn’t worth the original price.

That’s what most buyers are thinking; they aren’t out to “get” sellers.

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I'm still not a fan of partial refunds.  If the item was damaged during shipping I don't want my customers to have to settle for a damaged product for a few bucks off the price.  If there is an issue with the item that I didn't catch (shame on  me) I still don't want the buyer to have to settle for less than they should have received.  Besides, I want to see the defect myself to determine if it is something I need to discuss with my supplier.

If I, in my judgement, determine that the defect is something I missed and should have disclosed in the listing or should have caused me not to list the item and I deem the cost of the return isn't worth it, I would simply apologize for my mistake, refund the buyer in full and ask them to dispose of the item as they see fit.  Of course, I would have to accept whatever feedback the buyer would deem appropriate.