@libersales wrote:
I just dealt with the same issue - the item took ten days from Arizona to Alabama. When I gave the buyer the refund I told her I expected the item to be returned to me at her expense. I just sent her a reminder. We'll see what happens.
Why handle the matter in a demanding way? The buyer is now free from an “eBay” obligation, and will not be required to return it at her expense. However, if the buyer is honest, and the wide majority are, then they will not be comfortable keeping the item under such circumstances.
There are a number of ways to work this problem out without alienating the customer. They could be advised to decline the shipment and then it would have made its way back to you with little inconvenience to all, for example. Suggesting the buyer pay return shipping and that you expect it, is a brusque way to deal with a customer who has done nothing wrong but only wants what was promised—her item in as-described condition, received in a timely manner. That didn't happen and the onus falls on the seller. That is how it goes, even for a situation outside a a seller’s hands. We need to work with our buyers, not direct them.
Having an expectation placed on the buyer like that is also an insinuation that they have done something wrong and are obligated to make it right for you. Which is not the case. Of course it is unfair for the buyer to get a refund and the item. We’d all go out of business if that were the case. But these are extraordinary times and require our best customer service skills. Not a veiled suggestion that the buyer could be a scam artist intent on keeping the item, that was then emphasized through a follow up communication. Did you think they would forget? If they turn out to be dishonest and their intention is to defraud, then it's a different story to be dealt with when it happens, and their are some effective ways to do so.
When an opening salvo is sent, the sender is far more likely to get a hostile reaction in response. It is usually best to give diplomacy a chance first. They bought your item and for that they deserve the benefit of the doubt unless something else happened to make you so wary, worried and suspicious.
