Seller Sent Wrong Item

[platinum1400]

I recently bought a dress from a seller in Australia. I’m in the US. Shipping was pretty fast given the distance and I got the package yesterday.

I opened the package and discovered that instead of a dress, she sent me a skirt in the same pattern as the dress that I bought. I figured this was a mistake that anyone could make. So I messaged the seller to let her know what happened. It’s been a day now and I haven’t heard from the seller. I’m not sure what to think. She has other items listed on eBay, so I would think she’d be checking her messages regularly.

Any advice as to what to do in this situation would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

[pickermall · Accepted solution]

I'm sure it was an honest mistake... open an "Not As Described" return. They will either take it back or offer a refund.

[natoman777]

Open up a return.  Reason "Item Not As Described".  You will get a prepaid label.  You can either print it out or use the QR code at the post office and they will print the label out.  No way to know if it is an honest mistake or if they sent wrong item intentionally.  It is frustrating for you, but no worries as you will get your money back

[soh.maryl]

Now would be a good time for you to read eBay's Money Back Guarantee for buyers.  

[ms.rodriguez*]

Open an item NOT as described case immediately.  Follow the directions. In a few days, you will escalate it if the seller has not responded.  Most likely it was an error but it's still their fault.  Do NOT close the case if they ask.  Do NOT post any feedback either.  Now is not the time to post a feedback.

[platinum1400]

Thank you. Should I open the Item Not as Described case before sending a second message? I just find it odd that she hasn’t replied to my message.

[pjcdn2005]

It is up to you but you might want to wait another day before opening the claim. There is a good chance though the seller will tell you to do that anyway.  

If the seller wants the item returned, there are no prepaid ebay labels issued for international sales so they will have to figure out a way to print and send you a label that you can use from the US or send you the money for a label via Paypal.  

[soh.maryl]

Just curious:  Why do you recommend that the OP wait another day before opening an item not as described case?  

[soh.maryl]

You need to open the case now.  And you need to stop messaging the seller.  There's nothing to be gained by that action.  

[pjcdn2005]

Actually I said it was up to the op on whether they waited for a reply or opened a claim.  Some buyers are more comfortable with communicating with the seller first. The seller should have relied within a day but I don’t think that it hurts to wait one more day, especially when someone is in a totally different time zone. 

[platinum1400]

Thanks. I guess one of the things I’m considering is that the seller apparently still has the dress that I bought in stock, but only one of them. So I’m really hoping that I do somehow get the dress that I wanted and wouldn’t want to make her mad.

But of course she did make a mistake, and I don’t understand why she’s not replying if it was a mistake. She has a high feedback score, so the no reply seems kind of strange. But regardless of that, opening the case now or soon makes sense?

[pjcdn2005]

Yes, it makes sense.  eBay isn’t set up very well for exchanges so even if she still has the dress, it’s probably best for you to return the skirt, get refunded and then repurchase the dress.   
Do not mail the item back until you have a return label or money for one.  eBay cannot force the seller to pay you for the label after the item has been shipped back.  If the seller accepts the return but does not provide you with a label or money you will have to contact eBay customer service who will then either contact the seller or refund you outright. You can send a private message to cs on Facebook or Twitter in that happens.

I assume that you have looked at the sizing and quality of the skirt so that you know you will probably be happy with the dress? 

[wastingtime101]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

Just curious:  Why do you recommend that the OP wait another day before opening an item not as described case?  

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I always give a seller a couple of days to respond. If it's an honest mistake, the seller should jump at the chance to either refund the buyer, send out the dress without the need for a claim, or get the ball rolling on arranging return shipping which can take some communication back-and-forth when buyer and seller are on different continents. 

Opening a claim harms a seller's account - search demotion for 4 weeks plus a hit to service metrics. I'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt and a chance to fix an issue before filing a formal claim. A decent seller will step up. Since there are 30 days to file a claim it's not like there's a rush to open one today instead of waiting a day or two. And as PJ pointed out - different time zones so maybe give an extra day.

Of course a buyer that wants to open a claim immediately would not be wrong and they have every right to do that. There is nothing that requires them to communicate with a seller first. But the question was why recommend waiting a day or two before opening a claim so that's where my response comes in.

[platinum1400]

Yes, I have no complaints about the quality of the item. As the poster below said, if the seller made an honest mistake, they should jump at the chance to try to fix it. I really expected that I would have heard from her by now. If I still haven’t heard from her tomorrow, should I just open the case, or try sending the seller a second message first? She does have almost perfect feedback, so I do hate to do anything that might harm her account.

Do you know if eBay messaging is reliable? I’m debating whether to just open the claim or to try sending a second message first to ask whether she got my first message. I can’t understand why an honest seller would purposely ignore a message from a buyer about an issue. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t want to risk having an unhappy buyer.

[downunder-61]

@platinum1400 

Overseas seller's can not provide US shipping for return of items.

Just be aware that the seller will not be ale to provide a pre paid label as they are in Australia. They may ask you for your Paypal address so they can transfer the postage cost to you that way, if they do not then you can ask eBay to step in to get a refund without sending the item back.