Returns for not as described

[charlleines]

I just got my first return on eBay, really any platform. Anyway, the buyer claimed "Not as Described" but in the message they clearly didn't check all the photos or bothered reading the description. 

Just a quick browse of the community I knew to accept it but the reason is bogus and I'm sure other sellers have felt that before. 

Can eBay require some sort of proof: photos, measurements, explanation as to what's not as described (compared against listing) before automatically taking buyers side? 

Some buyers are gaming the system and, surely, some have scammed sellers with these bogus reasons when they just changed their mind or used it and returning it. 

[katzrul15]

@charlleines 

Not much you can do when a Buyer claims a SNAD.  Accepting the return, especially if you want the item back, is best.

ETA:  you can report the Buyer for return abuse once you get the item back and inspect it, if they lied about the return.

[donsdetour]

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@charlleines wrote:

I just got my first return on eBay, really any platform. Anyway, the buyer claimed "Not as Described" but in the message they clearly didn't check all the photos or bothered reading the description. 

Just a quick browse of the community I knew to accept it but the reason is bogus and I'm sure other sellers have felt that before. 

Can eBay require some sort of proof: photos, measurements, explanation as to what's not as described (compared against listing) before automatically taking buyers side? 

Some buyers are gaming the system and, surely, some have scammed sellers with these bogus reasons when they just changed their mind or used it and returning it. 

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Not much you can do about it as eBay has no Idea what you sent or the purchaser received.

That said I expect you to receive junk back if this was a gold item.... Just saying.

[m60driver]

As others have mentioned, you need to issue a return label and accept the return. And then you get down on your knees and pray to Baby Jesus that the item they send back is the item you sold and shipped.

And hopefully you have not shipped out that $1,400 piece of jewelry.  Best to cancel the transaction.  You do not have the selling experience to sell such expensive items unless you can afford to take that size of a loss and it will attract scammers who know how to game the system.

[fashunu4eeuh]

No, eBay does not require proof from a buyer. You are experiencing one of the primary risks of selling on eBay. eBay puts the buyer's interest first. 

[southern*sweet*tea]

All Ebay does is reverse the transaction when a buyer files a return. They don't get into a he said, she said situation, and yes, dishonest people take advantage of it.

[glasser]

The whole INAD thing is a disaster.  I think in most cases buyers just want to make a return as they would with 98% of other online retailers but eBay makes them give a reason and that would be INAD. Sellers think hey the item was perfectly described and want "proof," which they are not going to get.

The idea behind INAD was to build trust in the marketplace so more people would be comfortable buying online and on eBay. I think online buying is pretty much an accepted fact of life for most people and confusing returns processes like INAD have run their course.

All items on eBay should be returnable. With just three options: seller pays for label, buyer pays for label, or seller refunds money and doesn't ask for the item to be returned.

If you are in business, and no matter if you sell 1 item a year or 10,000 you are in in business, returns are the cost of doing business.

No one is going adjudicate a disagreement between a buyer and seller on an INAD. Only in authenticated goods will that happen.

[femmefan1946]

Did it come back in saleable condition?
The postage both ways is a tax deduction.

Refund, relist, resell.

And if you still feel hurt, add the liar buyer to your Blocked Bidder List.

Hmm - another option:

[frommichel]

Yes, that first negative experience stings and it can stay with you for a long time. Sympathies. Every seller who has had a negative experience can totally relate. You just want to shout "that's not fair!". For many years, I sell mostly gems here and I have had a few experiences along the way.

So, you did not tell us the listing number or the exact complaints that the buyer gave you or the amount of money involved. So, we want to help but we cannot know for sure whether the buyer might have had a point. A few years ago, we helped a seller in a similar situation. When we looked at the listing, it was not so clear that the buyer was wrong or cheating - turned out that the photos did not show an important angle. Things that are so obvious to the one who took the pictures and wrote the listing are not necessarily so obvious to others. I know this is contrasting with the other rather acidic responses to your post. But, please save yourself the anguish of blaming the buyer unless you absolutely know that they are not being honest. That anger is toxic. At the risk of sounding like a life coach, learn from this to become even better. Maybe get more info from this buyer to clarify their point of view so that your future listings don't allow for the same thing to happen again? Opening a dialogue with the buyer in a kind way to let them know that you are sorry for the situation and that, while of course you approved the return, you want to understand what happened - this may also prevent them from giving you bad feedback.

A gentle side note to us all - we all need to be careful of actions or words that encourage hate or exclusion or resentment - it seems too easy to go down that awful path these days.

[dbfolks166mt]

    Unfortunately eBay caters to the buyers and no proof, pictures or anything else is required for a return.  As others mentioned I would be more worried about getting back exactly what you sent rather than the fact that you had your first return. You have listed, and have sold, some high value, high target gold items which are an easy target for scammers who simply smelt the metal down and sell it for market spot price. They then move to a different account/ID and essentially steal their next item.

     There are far better ways to sell this type of item than listing it on eBay.