How to deal with this situation

[ellenshideout]

I have an issue with a buyer. They only have 2 feedback, shocker.

They are demanding a refund NOW instead of when I get the item back. Not happy since clearly say do not accept returns. Nothing wrong with item, it has not even arrived yet. 

They have been rude the entire time and I am always polite but unsure how to proceed. Have had a person ask for money before I get money back and was burned so do want to wait.

[solidguitar1961]

Politely remind them that under Ebay's policy you do not have to issue a refund until you receive your item back .

[albertabrightalberta]

I'd respond to the buyer and tell the buyer that when she receives the item to open a return request since she changed her mind. Let her know you will accept the request. 

If she chooses a remorse reason, since you have "free shipping," you can't deduct the original shipping charge but you can require her to pay return shipping. Upon receipt, you issue a refund for her payment amount. 

When I buyer is honest enough to admit to remorse/changed mind/doesn't fit, etc., I think it's unfair to deny the request. Accepting it only cost you a bit of your time since you have to get the item back and relist. If it sold the first time, it'll sell again 

I used to have a no return policy and rarely had return requests so it wasn't a problem, until it was. 

Although I had a statement about not taking returns but that I'd consider if a buyer contacted me, I had a NAD request, presumably because the buyer saw "no returns" and thought she needed a reason to have to return. So she damaged the item and opened a claim. 

I since changed my listings to 30-day returns, buyer pays return shipping and the number of return requests remains as low as it always was.  

[chapeau-noir]

Tell them to open a return request when the item arrives. You will refund them promptly when you get the item back. Do not argue with them or get into a back and forth - just keep repeating for them to open a return request and you will refund when it gets back to you.

The alternative is for them to mark the unopened parcel with "return to sender" and put it back into the mail. Again, you will refund when you get the item back.

It's not common practice in retail to refund without receipt so they're off on their demands.

Agree with @albertabrightalberta - no returns policy these days isn't a great idea on most items.

[12345jamesstamps]

For me it's a matter of whether I want a negative feedback or no feedback from a nasty buyer.

We will always have nasty buyers out there.

I looked at prices of items for sale. Is this a 2 buck sale?

I usually just refund anyone if it's a few dollars and usually tell buyer keep it.

I do block the buyer from future purchases.

I understand it's more of a principle than the amount of money.

No returns does not mean no returns on eBay. That's why I changed it to buyers pay for a return.

If it was like 50 bucks that would be a totally different story of course.

But some buyers are never happy with a purchase.

I have had a few returns the items returned were not what buyers purchased. 

You might not even get back what buyer bought...and then those are hard to contest.

I did contest a return once and lost and got charged an additional 20 bucks for doing a contest.

So now I just refund if it's a small sale.

Goog luck.

[ellenshideout]

I forgot you can mark buyers pay for returns. Now I need to redo my edits of all my listings another way. I tried to take a couple of days to relax and Have to spend on eBay fixing stuff. Ugh! 

[albertabrightalberta]

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@ellenshideout wrote:

I forgot you can mark buyers pay for returns. Now I need to redo my edits of all my listings another way. I tried to take a couple of days to relax and Have to spend on eBay fixing stuff. Ugh! 

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If you're going to revise your listings to have a return policy, I also recommend changing your shipping. 

With remorse returns, you don't have to refund the original shipping if you charge for it separately. But if you have free shipping (i.e., you (seller) pay for shipping), you cannot deduct original shipping since they didn't pay for it. 

If the buyer files NAD (lie or not), you have to pay return shipping plus refund original shipping, whether charged separately nor not. 

[a_c_green]

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@ellenshideout wrote:

I have an issue with a buyer. They only have 2 feedback, shocker.

They are demanding a refund NOW instead of when I get the item back. Not happy since clearly say do not accept returns. Nothing wrong with item, it has not even arrived yet.

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@ellenshideout: I'm not clear on whether you mean that the package has arrived at the buyer's place, or is already on its way back to you. If the latter, tell them that you're watching the return tracking and will refund as soon as you receive it.

If the buyer hasn't received it yet but is already shrieking for a refund, just tell her to mark it clearly as Refused/Return to Sender and return it unopened to her carrier or post office. Again, you'll refund as soon as it's received.

Just for clarity: how much money was the sale, and what does their feedback left for others look like? Why do they want a refund so fast? They may have simply watched a YouTube video on How to Get Free Stuff on eBay, and plan to complain loudly in the hopes that the seller will cave without requiring a return first.

[chapeau-noir]

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@ellenshideout wrote:

I forgot you can mark buyers pay for returns. Now I need to redo my edits of all my listings another way. I tried to take a couple of days to relax and Have to spend on eBay fixing stuff. Ugh! 

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It's always some danged thing with this job lol. 

I see situations like this as "tuition".

[mam98031]

So far you have been doing the right thing.  Hang in there.  I've had to deal with buyers like this myself and it is no picnic.

When I run into a problem with a buyer that is being unreasonable, I invoke Ebay if I can.  So in this case I would say, of course staying professional and polite, that the Ebay's policy is for the seller to refund once the item has been returned to the seller and the seller has the opportunity to inspect the item.  I will do that promptly upon the return of the item.

Now a caution.  Sometimes this is just an impatient person or one that is in deep need of having those funds back.  But too often it is a buyer that has sent you an empty box, a different item than was purchased from you and/or a damaged item.  Luckily you are TRS and can deduct up to 50% of the refund if any of those things come to fruition.  

Keep your chin up.  You are absolutely responding to this buyer as a GOOD seller should !!!!

[mam98031]

Regarding your Return policy.  Did they file a Return Request using a Buyer's Remorse reason?  If so, you are right, you did not have to even process this return request.  And when you refund you do not have to refund the original shipping paid by the buyer IF it was separately stated on the listing.

But if the buyer opened a INAD, even sellers with No Return policies are required to process these return requests or simply refund the buyer if they prefer.  All of us are required to meet or exceed the coverage in the MBG.