mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
I sold a very large item (swimming pool tank with filter) it was about 42"x15"x15" that cost me $60 to ship and it sold for $329.99 I had free shipping on the item. The buyer waited until it got from Nevada all the way to Miami, FL to open a return due to "found it $30 cheaper". I offered him up to $60 refund on it if he would not return it because I explained that at the very least the box and item would likely get beat up shipping back and forth a large item that distance. He ignored my message until 5 days later and said he had already sent it back. I just go down to the post office and sure enough the box is ripped up to the point you can stick your hand through it, and I have only seen the top part of it so far which shows plastic broken off of the top (I'm assuming there will be more damage when I take it all the way out). He was telling me that he did me a favor by paying the shipping back, but I think he would have gotten a free return due to me being a top rated seller? Anyways I am just trying to figure out how to handle this situation now as I am already out the $55 I paid to ship it there, plus the $227 I made after fees and shipping, and I can't resell it now. I know I can't recoup shipping and what not but it says that I can deduct for damages. The item obviously wasn't damaged when he received it because he returned due to finding a lower price. To add insult to injury I had to walk this thing 2 miles to the post office and back.
We need some clarity on this subject. If I'm incorrect in what I have been sharing on the thread, then of course I need to know as well as all the people reading and posting on this thread.
When a seller receives an item back [due to a return] damaged in transit, who is responsible for that? It is my understanding it depends on who the shipper is. If the buyer used the label provided by the seller, then the seller is the shipper. But if the buyer purchased their own label, then they are the shipper.
As a second point, some are advising the OP they can give the buyer a partial refund because the item was damaged. I'm of the opinion that Damaged in Transit is not covered in the guidelines by Ebay for sending a reduced refund.
Whatever the correct information is, please share with us. Thank you.
@bestpricedeals247 wrote:I paid for the shipping label through eBay using FedEx to ship it to them and then he used eBay return service to ship it back to me. The label says Priority RTN SVC and in the upper right corner it says "no postage necessary". He said he paid the return shipping but eBay says they do free return shipping for top rated sellers usually (not sure if something that big)
I think I missed answering this. Sorry if I did or sorry if this is a duplicate.
With that said, the labels read "no postage necessary" so that the buyer knows as does the carrier that the fees had already been paid and nothing additional needs to be charged to ship whatever the label gets attached to.
Now I know I've said this. But if they use the label you provided, you will get charged for the label through you MP account. If the buyer doesn't use it, you will NOT be charged for the label.
@mam98031 wrote:
We need some clarity on this subject. If I'm incorrect in what I have been sharing on the thread, then of course I need to know as well as all the people reading and posting on this thread.
When a seller receives an item back [due to a return] damaged in transit, who is responsible for that? It is my understanding it depends on who the shipper is. If the buyer used the label provided by the seller, then the seller is the shipper. But if the buyer purchased their own label, then they are the shipper.
As a second point, some are advising the OP they can give the buyer a partial refund because the item was damaged. I'm of the opinion that Damaged in Transit is not covered in the guidelines by Ebay for sending a reduced refund.
Whatever the correct information is, please share with us. Thank you.
Hey @mam98031 for damage claims, it does depend on who the shipper is, and you hit the nail on the head on how that is determined.
To your second point, generally speaking, you are right, but there is going to be some overlapping gray area there too. So a seller may still have the ability to use the partial refund tool, even in an instance where the item was damaged in transit.
Kyle,
@mtgraves7984 wrote:To your second point, generally speaking, you are right, but there is going to be some overlapping gray area there too. So a seller may still have the ability to use the partial refund tool, even in an instance where the item was damaged in transit.
With the missing gauge that @bestpricedeals247 mentions in Post #10, it would qualify as 'Poor Condition', right?
I completely agree. But hard to say with the condition of the box shown in the pics, did the gauge come off in transit or did the buyer take it off. Likely no way of knowing that. But as kyle@ebay said, there is some gray area that would allow for a deduction for damaged in shipment.
