Buyer claims used purse smells, wants a return

[johnpsychdoc]

I've been trying to sell my used coach purses on eBay. I sent out a $40 purse to a buyer and they recieved it about a day ago. The buyer now claims that the purse smells like a "moldy basement" and wants to send the item back and get a full refund. He also mentioned that he is contacting eBay and filing a case. I know for certain that the item did not smell when I sent it out. On the original listing, I did put that it was stored in a "smoke-free environment." I am fine with him sending the purse back if he pays the return shipping. I had already lost $8 on a previous return for a different bag since the buyer thought the bag was fake when it wasn't (I bought it directly from the coach store). Is there anything I can possibly do or am I stuck with paying the return shipping??

[the_fancy_fox]

If you want it back... your stuck.

[phcd1]

If the buyer opened a SNAD, you'll have no choice but to issue a pre-paid return shipping label.

It's best not to make any claims on "smoke free" or other smells. It's been publicly stated by eBay that odors are NOT covered by the eBay MBG in Message 244 of 293 of this post. So IMO, it's best to say nothing unless there is an obvious odor.

It might be worth trying to fight with eBay, citing that post, but I would think a "moldy smell" would be hard to fight, myself. You do have 3 days to fight it, its always worth a try.

The buyer might be just fishing for a partial, most sellers don't give in to that, but that's a personal descision IMO.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

If it's not your purse you have no idea how it ha s been handled in the past. Closed packaging or humidity can bring out smells. If you're a smoker your sense of smell may be compromised.

careful with returns for counterfeit goods even if they're wrong. Once you're on eBay's radar they will watch you like a hawk. If you're not already you should hang out on the fashion board. There are a lot of coach sellers who share experiences

[albertabrightalberta]

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@johnpsychdoc wrote:

I've been trying to sell my used coach purses on eBay. I sent out a $40 purse to a buyer and they recieved it about a day ago. The buyer now claims that the purse smells like a "moldy basement" and wants to send the item back and get a full refund. He also mentioned that he is contacting eBay and filing a case. I know for certain that the item did not smell when I sent it out. On the original listing, I did put that it was stored in a "smoke-free environment." I am fine with him sending the purse back if he pays the return shipping. I had already lost $8 on a previous return for a different bag since the buyer thought the bag was fake when it wasn't (I bought it directly from the coach store). Is there anything I can possibly do or am I stuck with paying the return shipping??

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I don't see any Coach bags in your current or completed listings. When did you sell them?

You say, "I had already lost $8 on a previous return for a different bag since the buyer thought the bag was fake when it wasn't (I bought it directly from the coach store)."

I assume it was a different buyer who returned the allegedly fake bag because if a buyer thinks you sold a fake, she certainly isn't going to buy another. And the fact that it was a different buyer and a different case, that has absolutely nothing to do with this buyer's claims of a moldy smell. She's not responsible for other buyers!