what would you do!! buyer claims he messaged me about a issue in pics and never did?? saw sold!!

[incrediblefinds199]

so i sold a old saw about a month ago, buyer claims he asked me about a crack in the saw, i have not a single message about the item.  i searched my messages and cant find any messages from him or any other person asking that question. 

he claims it was in the pics before he bought it, his pic he sent is a small like 1/8 inch stress fracture in wood but hard to even tell what it is even if its a saw let alone, me being a tool seller for past 20 years all over the web, would say that is totally normal kinda wear to a item of its age. 

so buyer claims he messaged me and didn't message me at all. what i am asking is how would you handle this situation. i think he is a typical buyer fishing for a discount like i deal with on the reg. but in this situation he is lying about the prior message and admits in the pics that it was there in the pics. i did call ebay and asked them to search my messages to and they said he did not send a message to me at all prior to message just recieved. the alsy on the phone told me not to respond and just wait for a claim or return. i feel i should message him. also i did write in description as i always do comes as seen in pics and provide lots of pics. i take care of all my buyers but i dont tender to scammers and seems like there are a lot out right now.  my feedback should show that i take care of everyone. 

buyers message. 

Hi,
Prior to purchasing this saw I asked if there were any cracks in the handle. Upon inspection there is a clear crack on the top of the handle. Upon reviewing the ad I can see it was present prior to purchase. Please let me know how you would like to resolve this issue.
Thanks,

[1tuna]

keep it short and sweet

if you are unhappy please return it for a refund

[incrediblefinds199]

buyer just sent me a message stating he made a mistake and did not message me. and mistake on his part. so resolved,  i guess. i feel like i keep getting people fishing for extra christmas money last year and this year all this time of the year the dumb messages start to happen. 

[kensgiftshop]

@incrediblefinds199 

I always tell them to return it for a refund.

Most of the time, you don't hear any more.

[slippinjimmy]

The only answer you should give is this:

"I'm sorry you are not happy with the saw, if you would like to return it  please open a return request"

You can add this link if you like so that the buyer will know how to start the process.

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-refunds/returning-item/return-shipping?id=4066&

It's possible the buyer will decide to keep the saw rather than return since the buyer is being vague and may be looking for a partial refund but want to keep the saw.

Thing is about their message, if they didn't get a reply why did they go ahead and buy without an answer?

[lamber9347]

@incrediblefinds199 There is no reason for you to get into a back & forth as you will lose. Makes no difference whether the buyer sent you a message or not, if he opens a return case you will lose. This platform doesn't get involved in messages as to who was correct or not, it favors the buyer in every situation. 

I would suggest a simple and short reply. "I'm sorry for any misunderstandings. I never received a message from you or I would have responded. If you are unhappy with the saw please open a return and after I receive the saw back you will be fully refunded." 

That should be your only message, or something closely worded to that. No other discussions need to occur and will only lead to further disappointment. This is nothing personal against you or how you wrote your listing. This is an online business negotiation only. Best of luck to you....

[incrediblefinds199]

you should read my previous post, i had a buyer snag parts off my wood plane i sold and i was sure ebay was going to side with them. but they sided with me and i got my item back with changed parts and did not have to refund the buyer. possible ebay just took the bullet and decided to refund them on their dime because i have sold over 100k this year alone on this account. they take a 11.7% out and that's a good chunk of change made just from me alone. thanks for the response and all to that responded so quickly. buyer did message me back just a few mins ago saying he made mistake and that was his fault and not my saw. problem already solved. luckily that was easy. 

[incrediblefinds199]

thanks for the response, funny but unrelated. my dad buys watches from you time to time, he is always showing me stuff you have for sale!!

[lamber9347]

@incrediblefinds199 Perfect ending, buyer admitted it was their error. You couldn't have asked for anything better. I'm so glad this worked out for you....