item not as described? what should I do about this return?

[old-corner-stamps]

Dear sellers,

I am distributor of auto parts.  I got a return request from a new buyer today. (He opened an account on the day he placed the order). The reason for return is "item not as described".  eBay automatically approved it according to its policy.

Since I have to submit evidence to show the factory that it is not as described, either wrong parts sent, or wrong size, etc, Then the factory will move forward with replacement, exchange, or refund. Otherwise, I have to pay the factory half of the price even if the buyer returned the item. Additionally, the factory will not send a free return label if I can not prove it is product problem. 

Anyway, I messaged the buyer to send me photos to show why it is not as described, e.g. too long, too short, etc. and the part number on the package. However, the buyer never never replied.  But eBay asked me to send the buyer a return label by a certain date. The date is approaching...

It is a high value large piece part. Shipping is very expensive. I would not pay for the shipping fee if the factory does not send a return label. 

It is a tough situation. The buyer never showed up until now. Maybe he is a new buyer who does not know how to or .... a scam?   

What should I do? Any suggestions? 

Thank you！

[downunder-61]

You accept the return of the item and refund once you have it in your possession.

You will be required to send the buyer a return label fro shipping back to you.

If it is as described could you not just resell it, if not as described then the factory should cover you.

Bottom line is, if you don't accept return eBay will do it for you and you will be out the money and the part.

Add this buyer to your BBL so they can't purchase from you again

[kensgiftshop]

@old-corner-stamps 

The buyer didn't buy from the factory, they bought from you and you have to take care of the return.

If you want the item returned before refunding, you need to accept the return, pay return shipping and refund the buyer once it's returned.

You deal with the factory once the item is returned.

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Could be a scam, but it's also very possible that it's a new buyer that used a guest account and they either ordered the wrong part or don't want to pay for return shipping.

Here's what's going to happen:

• If you do nothing, 2 days from when the buyer opened the claim, eBay will find in their favor. They may provide the buyer with a return shipping label charged to you, or they may outright refund the buyer and not require a return at all. Again, the refund would be charged to you. If you go this route you will also forfeit your fees. You do not want to end up in this situation.
• If you send a return label, the buyer will have to return something to get a refund.

Have you tried calling the buyer yet? Their phone number is on the order details page. A lot of times with motor parts and computer parts, a lot more can be resolved with a quick phone call than with eBay messages.

If you can't get through to the buyer then you have to decide between providing a pre-paid return label, or refunding them without requiring a return. The buyer is covered by the MBG and they're not required to cooperate or provide photos. eBay doesn't get involved in he-said-she-said - they just find in favor of the buyer.

The situation you find yourself in is a side of drop shipping that you need to be prepared for and build this kind of expense into your business model. If you can't handle the financial risk that comes with selling a large and heavy $200 truck bed cover, then don't include it as part of your inventory. Pick items that are more affordable to ship.

[katzrul15]

Is this for the Tonneau cover?  Are these ordered by you custom to the type/size of truck?

Unfortunately, if you are waiting until you receive an order and then ordering it elsewhere, this is the risk you run when it is not your actual inventory.  Are you ordering from an entity that does not allow any returns from you?  If yes, on higher dollar items, it is kinda risky.  Who is actually shipping to your customer?  You or are you having it shipped to them direct?

You will have to accept the return and the return shipping cost.  

[bigdeals.etc]

I can’t comment on what the buyer might be doing or how to handle it. But the way you explain how returns are handled with your factory, it obviously doesn’t work well with eBay’s return standard/process that you must abide with. For future sales, it’ll be wise to adjust how you handle returns so you can make it work with ebay and your factory. It might require price adjustments as well as a different process.

[7606dennis]

Accept the return and pay for the return shipping.  There is nothing else that you can do without getting yourself a defect.

[nguyenp_76]

Just refund to that buyer after you get the item returned. You can't do anything cause Ebay's side with the buyer.

[old-corner-stamps]

Thank you very much for the suggestions!  The buyer 's phone number is not there in the order details.  This is a good tip though. You are right. It is truck bed.  This is a risk that I was not aware of. That is why I ended all listings of truck beds today. I just started drop shipping. This is a good lesson learn.... a long way to go. 

Thanks again. 

[kensgiftshop]

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@old-corner-stamps wrote:

Thank you very much for the suggestions!  The buyer 's phone number is not there in the order details.  This is a good tip though. You are right. It is truck bed.  This is a risk that I was not aware of. That is why I ended all listings of truck beds today. I just started drop shipping. This is a good lesson learn.... a long way to go. 

Thanks again. 

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Dropshipping isn't as easy some people try to tell you it is.

[old-corner-stamps]

thanks for the advice. Actually, the factory allows return but they need evidence / proof to support a return. Let's say, they sent a wrong product, they need to see the pictures from the buyer... true it is kinda risky since as other sellers said, buyers are not required to send pictures. What they claimed will be favored.  

P.S the factory's warehouse ship the item directly to my customer. 

[downunder-61]

Agreed, you need a very responsible supplier who will work with you, not just send goods and with very speedy shipping because you are the one holding the ball at the end of the game.

It can work, but as soon as I see 'DS' - I think of the word disaster.  Good luck with it all

[old-corner-stamps]

Thank you guys for your prompt replies. I never expected so many responses in such a short time. That is why I enjoy doing business on eBay. 

Many good advices. But it only allows me to choose one solution. I thought I could choose multiple. 

As you suggested, large sized items of high value is a potential financial risk for new drop shippers like me. I really need to think about rebuilding my inventory and business processes. 

It seems that what I can do is to accept the return and refund the buyer. But I might not send the buyer a shipping label since the shipping fee is way too high.  

I planned to call eBay customer service after the holiday but it might not help since buyers is not "required" to send evidence or proof. 

Thank you! 

[katzrul15]

I just started drop shipping. This is a good lesson learn.... a long way to go. 

This is why I asked you the q's I did.  Your OP stated you were a 'distributor' of Auto parts.  Not exactly the same thing.

You can wait until tomorrow and call e-bay as you state in your last post - however, as soon as they issue a shipping label, you will earn a big fat defect.  As a new seller, you might wish to avoid that.  And avoid selling items you do not have ownership/possession of.  Good luck.

[wastingtime101]

Contacting eBay CS isn't going to help. There's nothing they will do except tell you to send a return label.

You need to weigh your options on this and choose the option that works best for you. I suggest to choose the option that makes the most financial sense.

You can:

• Refund the buyer and not require a return.
• Pay for a return shipping label, wait to see what, if anything, is returned.
  • If it's the same product then you can resell it, perhaps locally would be a good option.
  • There's also a chance the buyer won't return anything and the return would time out in your favor.

You have no way of knowing in advance what the buyer's going to do, so prepare for the worst which is sending a return label and getting back a box of rocks. It's your money, your decision.