what would you do if you had this return

[buytodayshipnextday]

buyer purchased a vintage working radio. claimed it did not receive signals. it did in our test but you can smell a return so i gave him two options, a partial refund or a return. he opted to return.

arrived today not just no longer working but busted. blown fuse & a busted on/off switch. i do not believe it was due to carrier neglect.

ebays advice: send the buyer photos explain the issues (which did). do nothing. do not refund the buyer. HOWEVER THE CASE WILL CLOSE IN THEIR FAVOR & THEY WILL BE REFUNDED!

ebay will then open a dispute or possibly i have to? (unclear about that).

no surprise, buyer sends a very long angry message alleging it was carrier neglect, he did not tamper with it, it's busted because the replacement on/off switch is cheap/fragile although i don't know how the fuse would just blow by itself

here's where it gets dicey...once ebay reads his message claiming he did nothing wrong i suspect they will close the case in his favor and then i'll get a defect  for not resolving the return or case in the buyers favor when i was just following the advice of the ebay rep.

here's the question?

do you just refund him & deal with the carrier claiming it was due to their neglect?

or EAT IT?

[buytodayshipnextday]

thanks & yes this is common ebay practice. it's their way of saying, yeah the guy is a scammer or he most likely busted the unit but...he says he didn't even though you have PROOF he did sooooooo we'll just give him his money back from our own petty stash of cash & you don't lose the sale...& by the way just between us, (ebay & the seller,) report him, of course this does nothing but  it'll make you feel good.

[rugerskick]

Contact ebay, get a us rep.  Explain the item was returned not in the same condition it was sent to the buyer.  Discuss any info they need from you, or anything they would send you need to fill out.  There are options that will result in you getting partial or full coverage from buyer returning you a damaged item (item returned not in same comdition it was sent to buyer).

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@buytodayshipnextday wrote:

thanks & yes this is common ebay practice. it's their way of saying, yeah the guy is a scammer or he most likely busted the unit but...he says he didn't even though you have PROOF he did sooooooo we'll just give him his money back from our own petty stash of cash & you don't lose the sale...& by the way just between us, (ebay & the seller,) report him, of course this does nothing but  it'll make you feel good.

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What you experienced is one of the greatest risks selling on eBay—the possibility of buyer fraud in a Money Back Guarantee case. Sorry you went thru this ordeal.

As you are a seasoned seller on eBay, (with the kind of success others could only hope to attain), it is not surprising that your experiences have well-honed both your judgment and instincts. Your estimation of buyer fraud in this case is well founded.

In the case of a he said-she said scenario, establishing  proof of buyer culpability can be elusive. What kind of evidence are you referring to? Is there a way to know for certain the buyer deliberately vandalized the radio? Yes, there is strong suspicion with the probability of buyer guilt. But that in itself would not constitute proof of buyer wrong-doing.

Things can happen in transit, so even a tested and working vintage item like a radio, carefully packed, could be vulnerable to shipping damage. It is possible when the radio arrived at the buyer’s destination, some components were loosened and the fuse was blown when he turned the radio on for the first time.

[mam98031]

You've gotten some great advice on the thread @buytodayshipnextday .  Not advice that will put a smile on your face, but good advice in the situation.

I would however STRONGLY suggest that you report this buyer after you have completed the refund.  State the reasons that it arrived back not in the condition sold and not carrier damage.  Describe the damage.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/reporting-issue-buyer?id=4084

Please don't think this is a waste of time.  It goes to a team that tracks how many reports any individual member gets.  The more they get the more likely they are to take action.  But they can't know that a buyer did what they did to you unless you get it reported.  We ALL need to be doing this.