handling a return request after buyer asks question before he purchased the item.

[legacylaptops]

i have a return request from a  buyer who purchased a lot of 2x CPU's specifically 

"2x Intel Xeon E5-2630L V3 1.80GHz LGA2011-3 2630LV3 CPU Processor SR209"  the description is as follows

These CPU's are tested and working 

These units are used and may show signs of previous use 

CPU Tray not included

eBay shelf location:47

the buyer sent this question before purchase 

"Are these a matched pair"

to which i replied 
"they are the same model cpu as far as out of the same machine i wouldn't know off hand, we go through a lot of processors here as we are an electronics recycling facility." 
and then this i get a return request with this as the message

Description has 2x Intel Xeon e5-2630LV3 CPU, which implies a matched pair. However, the last numbers of both CPUs on the heat spreader, excluding the serial numbers, do not match, which is NOT a matched pair. Should be clear in description or title not a matched pair otherwise in my opinion it is deceptive or misleading and not as described

is there anything i can do about this and have this reversed since he asked the question and i answered him there was nothing in the listing stating that they are a matched pair i just stated that there are two of that same model as i told him when he sent the question (he is not saying they don't work or anything like that just that they aren't a matched pair 

[luckythewinner]

How you handle the return depends upon

• your return policy, and
• whether the buyer filed a "Not as described" dispute

If your return policy is that you accept returns, you accept the return. If the buyer filed a dispute, you accept the dispute and accept the return.

What you have in your description and what questions he asked really do not matter all that much.

Especially when your answer to his question ('I wouldn't know offhand') did not actually answer the question. You should have either looked and told him, or simply said "no, they are not a matched pair"

[legacylaptops]

i was not at the facility at the time of the question and was answering from home and did not have access to the CPU's he asked about. he did a "item not as described" case  however there were clear photos of the front and the back of the cpus in question 

[kensgiftshop]

If you want them returned before refunding, accept the return and provide a shipping label.

[luckythewinner]

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@legacylaptops wrote:

i was not at the facility at the time of the question and was answering from home and did not have access to the CPU's he asked about. he did a "item not as described" case  however there were clear photos of the front and the back of the cpus in question 

---

I am not sure I understand this statement about the photos.

If the photos showed whether they were a matched pair or not, you could have looked at the photos and told him. If the photos did not show whether they were a matched pair or not, then you should have said "no" if you were unable to check. If you did not really know what he meant by "matched pair", you should have asked him what he meant by a matched pair.

But all of the above aside ...

The real goal of a good description and answering buyer questions is to head off disputes, not to defend against them.

On eBay, a buyer who files a "Not As Described" dispute is going to win. So if he filed a dispute, it does not really matter what sympathy you gather here or what logic you use to suggest the buyer was "wrong" or that you were "right". You still need to handle the return, or risk a transaction defect.

[penguins_dont_fly]

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@legacylaptops wrote:

i was not at the facility at the time of the question and was answering from home and did not have access to the CPU's he asked about. he did a "item not as described" case  however there were clear photos of the front and the back of the cpus in question 

---

With an "Item not as described" you MUST either.

1) Accept the return - you will be paying for the return shipping.

or

2) Refund the buyer without a return of the item.

There is no other option.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115

The buyer has the MBG on their side.

https://ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=...

[legacylaptops]

i didn't look at the photos as i was on mobile and just saw the message come through it wasn't until this morning that i realized that you could see that they were not a matched pair from the photos. a lot of the time with CPU's you can't see the writing on the tops of them due to the lighting (however in this case it was very much visible) not trying to gather sympathy just curious if there was anything to be done since it seems like a misuse of returns since he purchased it after i told him i wasn't sure if they were or not and just having 2x in a title in no way implies a matched pair only that there were two separate CPUS

[legacylaptops]

i ended up accepting the return (not that i have much choice) however i also used the report a buyer option