Seller rights when buyer has opened a case. There are none.

[Anonymous]

I sold a sewing machine at $950 to a buyer. She paid $76 for shipping. Shipping cost me $132. I shipped though a UPS store-purchased box and thick bubble wrap and had the UPS store employee pack for me. 
Buyer receives machine and sends me pics claiming a spool pin was broken off in shipping. (The machine has two spool pins so thread can still be placed on machine and machine can be sewn on. This piece does not affect function at all) 

Buyer asks me to pay for the replacement piece for $27. I decline bc when I left the machine with the UPS store everything was intact and I had paid double what the buyer paid me for shipping.  Buyer then threatens to return the machine if I don’t agree to pay. I agree to pay half and make her an offer of $20 toward the $27 piece. She declines my offer and opens a case. I then agree to pay the whole $27 to put an end to this and now eBay has closed the case in her favor and issued her a full refund and is charging me entire amount she paid despite I of course received about $200 less than the total bc of their fees. I didn’t agree to a full refund and the buyer was happy to accept the $27 credit we agreed upon. I have called eBay 4 times and I am basically getting nowhere. Sellers have no rights and I would like advice on how to proceed from here.  

edit to add: unless you actually have experienced something similar and can advise me on how you remedied it-don’t bother replying. I’ve gotten all the “here’s the list of every mistake you made in this situation” comments. I had never had something like this occur and obviously I mishandled it. I’m the only one on eBay to do that. My mistake. I came on here seeking advice and that was also my mistake. Thanks so much. 

[kensgiftshop]

Don't know what good an attorney would do?

You should have accepted the return and provided a shipping label if you wanted it returned before refunding.

When a buyer files an INAD, you only have 3 days to take care of it.

All you can do now is talk to the buyer and see if they'll return it if you provide a prepaid shipping label.

[Anonymous]

She didn’t actually want a return. She wanted me to pay $27 more dollars. I didn’t provide the return label because she was using a return as a threat to get $27. Once she got her way she was happy but now here we are. 

[fbusoni]

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@Anonymous wrote:

She didn’t actually want a return. She wanted me to pay $27 more dollars. I didn’t provide the return label because she was using a return as a threat to get $27. Once she got her way she was happy but now here we are. 

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Whether or not UPS incorrectly packaged the machine, my understanding is that the seller is responsible for the condition of the item until it gets into the hands of the buyer.

In the context of a $915 purchase, $27 seems (to me) to be an inconsequential sum.

And here on eBay, standing on principal, as you did, is a one way ticket to nowhere.

In the end, its all about customer service.  That's been my experience over many years here. 

You do have rights -- eBay would have seen that you offered her the chance for a return, OR offered her compensation (via Paypal for example) in your exchange of messages on the eBay messaging system and would have sided with you in the event of further trouble -- and you could have sidestepped this entire imbroglio. 

But unfortunately it seems that you failed to exercise them.  regards

[simba6]

If the buyer will accept an offset, that would be your cheapest option.  If it arrives with shipping damage, it's YOUR problem.  They don't always know how to pack and a heavy item with parts sticking out can suffer that kind of damage.  You other options are:

A  Issue a full refund and let them keep it for free

B  Issue a paid return label and refund in full when you receive it back.

If they file case, you must choose one of the above or eBay will choose A for you. 

Perry Mason Could not get you a better deal.

[slippinjimmy]

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@Anonymous wrote:

She didn’t actually want a return. She wanted me to pay $27 more dollars. I didn’t provide the return label because she was using a return as a threat to get $27. Once she got her way she was happy but now here we are. 

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Your buyer opened a Not As Described case which means they DID want to return!

Here are the mistakes you made......

- You had a third party pack the item

- You bought a label at the UPS Store when buying the same label via eBay would have been cheaper

- When the buyer opened a case you did not accept the return

If you were not willing to provide a partial that would satisfy the buyer (you are within your rights to do so) you then refused to accept a return and this is why you lost the case, lost the item, lost your money and didn't even get your fees back.

[duffy4444]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I sold a sewing machine at $950 to a buyer. She paid $76 for shipping. Shipping cost me $132. I shipped though a UPS store-purchased box and thick bubble wrap and had the UPS store employee pack for me. 
Buyer receives machine and sends me pics claiming a spool pin was broken off in shipping. (The machine has two spool pins so thread can still be placed on machine and machine can be sewn on. This piece does not affect function at all) 

Buyer asks me to pay for the replacement piece for $27. I decline bc when I left the machine with the UPS store everything was intact and I had paid double what the buyer paid me for shipping.  Buyer then threatens to return the machine if I don’t agree to pay. I agree to pay half and make her an offer of $20 toward the $27 piece. She declines my offer and opens a case. I then agree to pay the whole $27 to put an end to this and now eBay has closed the case in her favor and issued her a full refund and is charging me entire amount she paid despite I of course received about $200 less than the total bc of their fees. I didn’t agree to a full refund and the buyer was happy to accept the $27 credit we agreed upon. I have called eBay 4 times and I am basically getting nowhere. Sellers have no rights and I would like advice on how to proceed from here. I’m probably going to contact an attorney tomorrow. 

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@Anonymous:

    The broken piece "not affecting function at all" is immaterial. The fact is that it was broken during transit, which IS material. That $27 was your ticket to avoid the trouble you created. At a $950 sale less shipping, the request for $27 to fix the problem was a freaking bargain!!

   This is a case where "standing your ground" was a foolish position to take. And then making her an offer of only $20 was an insult, whch would have ticked me off big time as well. Then your full offer of $27 came too late after you ticked her off and she opened a legitimate case against you.

   Now you're out your payment, and very possibly not getting the sewing machine returned to you so you could repair it yourself for around the same $27 and then sell it again. Seems you should have just paid her the $27, don't you think? As a seller, I would have jumped at the opportunity of such a quick and relatively harmless, cheap settlement.

   This situation is not eBay's fault, and not that of the buyer either.

Cheers, Duffy

[12345jamesstamps]

Refunding $27. for an item that sold for $950...I would do it in a flash immediately. 

And emailing back and forth about it will upset the buyer.

An attorney...we heard this all the time...still waiting for a 'win' from a seller....or even what the outcome was of such a thing.

[kensgiftshop]

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@Anonymous wrote:

She didn’t actually want a return. She wanted me to pay $27 more dollars. I didn’t provide the return label because she was using a return as a threat to get $27. Once she got her way she was happy but now here we are. 

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When she declined the $20 offer, that's when you should have accepted the return and provided a shipping label.

Then left it up to the buyer if they returned it or not.

[monica-sells]

"...and I had paid double what the buyer paid me for shipping..."

Always, when an item is large, heavy, etc...estimate your shipping accurately PRIOR to selling

uh...if UPS actually packed it, and it was insured, they are the responsible party for the damage. That is the only way (without hassle) they will entertain an insurance claim is if they do the actual packing.

Is it worth it for 27 bucks?

That being said, I, too, would have jumped at 27.00 to make this go away....

[Anonymous]

Yep got it. Mistake all mine. 
I had never had anything like this happen before so I did not know how to handle it, but thank you to everyone for pointing out all

the ways I handled it wrong. I had kinda hoped perhaps someone had actual advice who had maybe been through something similar and had an idea of another approach I could take. The buyer agreed to the $27 credit so I’m currently trying to work with eBay to get us back to where I can issue her the partial refund. I guess I came on here thinking I might find some information I didn’t already have but as with all platforms like this, it’s just a lot of “here’s where you screwed up idiot” after the fact that is not helpful at all. 
I will figure it out. Thanks all.

[pickapaper]

@Anonymouswrote:

"She paid $76 for shipping. Shipping cost me $132. I shipped though a UPS store-purchased box and thick bubble wrap and had the UPS store employee pack for me. "

"Buyer asks me to pay for the replacement piece for $27. I decline bc when I left the machine with the UPS store everything was intact and I had paid double what the buyer paid me for shipping." 

If you did not take into consideration that you would have to pay for supplies and labor to have the UPS store pack the machine for you (and they aren't cheap), that is on you and is not the buyer's fault.  And then for you to tell her that you were not paying another $27 for a part broken in shipping because you had already had to pay more for shipping than you charged her (because you made an error in determining the shipping cost), is unprofessional and just not right.   

She didn’t actually want a return. She wanted me to pay $27 more dollars. I didn’t provide the return label because she was using a return as a threat to get $27. Once she got her way she was happy but now here we are.

The buyer received an item that was not as described.  She tried to work with you to resolve the issue but you refused.   You call it "getting her way" but with eBay's Money Back Guarantee, she was doing what was within her rights to receive an item as it was described in the listing and she was actually trying to make it easier for you.  She could have filed a Not as Described Claim right off the bat and you would have had to issue a label for the return of the machine if you wanted it back. 

[sin-n-dex]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I sold a sewing machine at $950 to a buyer. She paid $76 for shipping. Shipping cost me $132. I shipped though a UPS store-purchased box and thick bubble wrap and had the UPS store employee pack for me. 
Buyer receives machine and sends me pics claiming a spool pin was broken off in shipping. (The machine has two spool pins so thread can still be placed on machine and machine can be sewn on. This piece does not affect function at all) 

Buyer asks me to pay for the replacement piece for $27. I decline bc when I left the machine with the UPS store everything was intact and I had paid double what the buyer paid me for shipping.  Buyer then threatens to return the machine if I don’t agree to pay. I agree to pay half and make her an offer of $20 toward the $27 piece. She declines my offer and opens a case. I then agree to pay the whole $27 to put an end to this and now eBay has closed the case in her favor and issued her a full refund and is charging me entire amount she paid despite I of course received about $200 less than the total bc of their fees. I didn’t agree to a full refund and the buyer was happy to accept the $27 credit we agreed upon. I have called eBay 4 times and I am basically getting nowhere. Sellers have no rights and I would like advice on how to proceed from here.  

edit to add: unless you actually have experienced something similar and can advise me on how you remedied it-don’t bother replying. I’ve gotten all the “here’s the list of every mistake you made in this situation” comments. I had never had something like this occur and obviously I mishandled it. I’m the only one on eBay to do that. My mistake. I came on here seeking advice and that was also my mistake. Thanks so much. 

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I'm not going to tell you all the ways that went wrong (since everyone else already has).

My two cents is that I sew, my sewing machine has two pins for thread spools and I use BOTH (for different coloured threads) so I can unthread and rethread quickly when I'm making two coloured items and need different threads.

If I spent $950 for a sewing machine it better be perfect with nothing wrong, or I would be expecting replacement parts (provided it can actually be fixed, otherwise I'd be returning it). I'm sure that's the buyer's point of view as well.

I'm not sure if all machines work this way, but with mine you can push the pins down so they wouldn't break off. I'm presuming you couldn't do this with yours or you would have. That's the only way I can see avoiding this particular problem with shipping.

C.

[aproudparent2010]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I sold a sewing machine at $950 to a buyer. She paid $76 for shipping. Shipping cost me $132. I shipped though a UPS store-purchased box and thick bubble wrap and had the UPS store employee pack for me. 
Buyer receives machine and sends me pics claiming a spool pin was broken off in shipping. (The machine has two spool pins so thread can still be placed on machine and machine can be sewn on. This piece does not affect function at all) 

Buyer asks me to pay for the replacement piece for $27. I decline bc when I left the machine with the UPS store everything was intact and I had paid double what the buyer paid me for shipping.  Buyer then threatens to return the machine if I don’t agree to pay. I agree to pay half and make her an offer of $20 toward the $27 piece. She declines my offer and opens a case. I then agree to pay the whole $27 to put an end to this and now eBay has closed the case in her favor and issued her a full refund and is charging me entire amount she paid despite I of course received about $200 less than the total bc of their fees. I didn’t agree to a full refund and the buyer was happy to accept the $27 credit we agreed upon. I have called eBay 4 times and I am basically getting nowhere. Sellers have no rights and I would like advice on how to proceed from here.  

edit to add: unless you actually have experienced something similar and can advise me on how you remedied it-don’t bother replying. I’ve gotten all the “here’s the list of every mistake you made in this situation” comments. I had never had something like this occur and obviously I mishandled it. I’m the only one on eBay to do that. My mistake. I came on here seeking advice and that was also my mistake. Thanks so much.  

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 You should have just offered the $27 for the piece in the first place instead of forcing buyer to open a case and then decide you wanted to offer $27 and losing it all.

[aproudparent2010]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Yep got it. Mistake all mine. 
I had never had anything like this happen before so I did not know how to handle it, but thank you to everyone for pointing out all

the ways I handled it wrong. I had kinda hoped perhaps someone had actual advice who had maybe been through something similar and had an idea of another approach I could take. The buyer agreed to the $27 credit so I’m currently trying to work with eBay to get us back to where I can issue her the partial refund. I guess I came on here thinking I might find some information I didn’t already have but as with all platforms like this, it’s just a lot of “here’s where you screwed up idiot” after the fact that is not helpful at all. 
I will figure it out. Thanks all.

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That ship has already sailed.