Found defect before shipping

[victoriasattic61]

I need advise on this subject.  A buyer bought a serving plate which I had listed as free of scratches, cracks, or chips.  Upon reinspecting, before shipping, I found a chip on the plate.  I've tried to contact the buyer, and offered to cancel the sale, or ship the plate for shipping cost only.  The buyer has not responded.  What is the best way to proceed?

[dnasilver]

If you sent a message through eBay to your buyer, how long ago was it?

[frodobagginskennedy]

@victoriasattic61   I have had this pop up a few times as I also sell china etc.  What I usually do is send them a message offering the same as you.  IF no answer I will send the item and eat the shipping cost as well as the sale price.  Basically free item.  But it was MY mistake so it is what it is.

[luckythewinner]

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@victoriasattic61 wrote:

I need advise on this subject.  A buyer bought a serving plate which I had listed as free of scratches, cracks, or chips.  Upon reinspecting, before shipping, I found a chip on the plate.  I've tried to contact the buyer, and offered to cancel the sale, or ship the plate for shipping cost only.  The buyer has not responded.  What is the best way to proceed?

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The "correct" thing to do in eBay's eyes would probably be to cancel the sale for "out of stock", refund, and take the defect. 

The devious thing to do would probably be to shut up, ship the chipped plate, and only refund if the buyer files a dispute. 

What most sellers would probably do is exactly what you did - try to get the buyer to request a cancellation so you can avoid the "out of stock defect" by choosing "buyer requested" instead. 

IMHO the mistake you made was to send an open-ended question to your buyer, without saying what you will do unless you get a different response within specific period of time (which hopefully ends within your shipping window). 

[cstpos]

@victoriasattic61  I would send another message to the buyer and (depending on your timeline that you have to ship by) say, "Unfortunately, I found a defect in the item as I was preparing to ship. I did send you a previous message asking how you would like to proceed, but have not heard back. If I don't hear back from you by ( day and time), I will assume you want to cancel. If you do want the item, I am happy to send it to you and refund you, but I don't want to just ship it to you if you don't want. I apologize for any inconvenience.

It's a rough idea, but you can edit to fit your situation.

Most buyers aren't checking their ebay account like most sellers do. They may already have a chipped plate and don't want another one. They can always contact you if they do want it.

[divwido]

I also vote a nice note to the buyer and cancel the sale and take the hit.  Why throw good money after bad by shipping it?   I'd wait as long as I could and then cancel.  Maybe include a picture if it's a deal breaker type of damage.

And we have all been there.  It doesn't matter how many times I've looked at something, I still miss things.  An honest apology and a discount on future sales usually smooths things over.  

[m60driver]

I would give the buyer the option you noted but I would also tell the buyer that if your receive no response that you will be obligated, due to Ebay's policies, to ship the item and make any adjustments afterwards.   The worst is that you refund and eat the shipping.  The best is that the buyer does not notice or accepts a partial refund.

[gracieallen01]

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@luckythewinner wrote:

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"What most sellers would probably do is exactly what you did - try to get the buyer to request a cancellation so you can avoid the "out of stock defect" by choosing "buyer requested" instead. "

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But, wouldn't/isn't that also be a rather 'devious' way of handling it?  It is still the seller's mistake - a seller who should have been more careful.

Personally, I think the buyer should make the decision on how it should be handled, within the parameters of 'reasonable', and going with that.  How ebay wants it handled shouldn't be in the equation.

(personal opinion - your mileage may vary)