Buyer didnt read listing properly

partysis81

recently sold a book on ebay, i clearly listed that the picture i had used was the same book but with a different cover.

this was the first sentence i used in the listing, so it was very very clear

the buyer has just contacted me stating they needed the book with the cover shown in the picture, and now wants a refund.

what should i do? ive emailed them back to say the listing stated the different cover, but will that be enough? :rolleyes:

Dumbledore55

I would say you've done everything correctly and the buyer should just accept they didn't read the listing correctly. In the interest of good customer service, and to avoid an undeserved negative feedback, you may want to offer a refund if the seller returns the item to you at their own cost - If you are going to do that I would only refund the cost of the book when I receive it and not any of the postage.

hjb123

If I were you I would tell the person that they had bid according to the terms and decription of your item which included stating the different cover and if they arent happy then they can return it at their cost but you wont refund until you have the item back!

Did you state a returns policy at all in your listing?

The amount of buyers who dont read the decriptions first is amazing! I only accept paypal and am always getting the odd one who wants to not pay by paypal!

Wig

Ebay has a policy which says the pictures must be of the item being sold. I don't know how Ebay will loook upon this, but knowing Ebay I wouldn't be surprised if they said you were the one in the wrong and to refund the seller etc.

However Ebay being Ebay does not enforce this rule like it doesn't enforce hardly any of its other rules, because thousands upon thousands of listings everyday obviously are not the item in the picture, one like it, yes, but not the same item.

Moglex

I have a certain sympathy with the buyer here.

What is the point of putting a picture with your listing if it is not a picture of what you are selling?

Although it's very easy to be 'holier than thou' and say that buyers should read every word of the listing carefully, with items like books, you expect that what you see is what you get.

Certainly buyers should read the listings, because there may be important information about the condition of items; faults and damage, etc.

In this case though, I think you were both at fault, and you should refund what you were paid, but not the buyer's return postage.

seabiscuit_2

i think you are both right and wrong at the same time

yes you described the item accurately but bidders always go by the photo and rarely read all the terms esp books / films etc as they know exactly what they are after and dont think the description will alter

but the bidder had a right to expect the item as shown in the photograph because thats the item bid on - if it had a different cover then you should have photographed it and not put up a misleading photo

if they paid by paypal then they are likely to get their money back one way or another, so it is in your interests to say, okie, send it back and ill refund - that way you are likely to not get a neg as well as a paypal / ebay black mark for sending items not as described

~cleo~

i think you are right, but i find people so rarely read the descriptions properly and then are very quick to complain

i would prob refund them as its prob not woth the neg, but refer them back to the origional listing

hjb123

Just a quick one - how come you photographed it with a different cover - or did you copy the photograph from another listing?

partysis81

hi, i usually photograph my items, but my camera was recently damaged so was unable to do this.
i dont like listing an item without some kind of picture, so decided to use the "stock picture" that ebay offer, when i noticed the cover was different, i decided to go ahead with the listing, but making sure i clearly stated the cover was different to the one i was selling.
Anyway, the buyer has emailed me today to say he didnt read the listing properly, and now doesnt want a refund.