Please help...Sold an item on ebay and now buyer is complaining.

miss_clarabelle

I've been having a clear out and last week I solded a beautiful cream, fabric handbag from the 50s on ebay. Today I received an email claiming the clasp is broken and it is dirty. When I sent the bag the clasp was perfect and as for dirt it was ever so clean for a bag from the 50s! In some lights the back looked a teeny tiny bit grey, but I think this was lighting. I'm quite a perfectionist and describe every last detail I think is important. I put in the listing I stated that this bag was in "excellent" condition for a bag from the 50s and I stand by that.

The seller has asked for a refund for the item and requested to return it. I have replied by explaining the condition was excellent and it must have been damaged in the post and we can look into compensation. Of course I was very polite about this, but I just don't know where to begin. I'm not a regular seller and have no idea how to go about all of this. I've been looking on ebay and help issues seem to be focused at the buyers rather than the sellers. Do I get the buyer to return the item to me? What if it isn't damaged? What if she decided she didn't want it and then damaged it herself? We both have 100% feedback and I don't think she's especially dodgy. I really don't want to spoil my feedback, if a dispute is opened then can she still leave me negative feedback?....How does it work? Also, if she returns it to me then do I refund just the £5.50, or the postage too? How do I complain to Royal Mail about the bag getting damaged? I packed it in a firm envelope with card in (the "do not bend" type) and then put that in a bubble envelope. How can I prove it was damaged in the post? Do I need to?

Please help....I've got really stressed about it all!
Thanks x

DaveAshton

If it was damaged in the post, the buyer should have a "it was damaged in our care" slip thingy (RM will put the envelope in a clear bag with that sheet in it).

All you can really do is ask the buyer to return it, and then sort out a refund. Even if you don't want to refund them, Paypal will make you if the buyer opens a Not as Described case. The buyer will have to send it back by a trackable method, so you'll need to sign for it when it gets back to you.

Also, all buyers have 100% feedback. Sellers can't leave negatives anymore, so judging a buyer by their feedbck is pointless now. Might be worth reading their feedback though, see if it says anything about "sorry about the damage in the post" if they do this kind of thing regularly.

Louisdf

Why should the buyer be left out of pocket for something they had no control over? You need to refund the postage, the postage fee the buyer paid and a reasonable fee (50p- £1) for the buyers time/petrol to post office. If it sold for less than £5, I would just refund after getting a photo from the buyer and agree not to leave feedback.

emby

Louisdf wrote: »

Why should the buyer be left out of pocket for something they had no control over? You need to refund the postage, the postage fee the buyer paid and a reasonable fee (50p- £1) for the buyers time/petrol to post office. If it sold for less than £5, I would just refund after getting a photo from the buyer and agree not to leave feedback.

Wrong on so many levels.
Sellers should not issue a refund until the item has been rerutned to them.
Private sellers are obliged only to refund the initial price the item sold for and the initial postage costs paid out by the buyer.

Louisdf

emby wrote: »

Wrong on so many levels.
Sellers should not issue a refund until the item has been rerutned to them.
Private sellers are obliged only to refund the initial price the item sold for and the initial postage costs paid out by the buyer.

Yes but it's good customer service to refund the buyer's costs. When I recieved a faulty pair of earphones of Amazon, they refunded without question within 24 hours the postage fee I paid at the PO, and 75p to cover the time and expense of going to the PO/packaging the item up. Why shouldn't an ebay seller be providing the same service as Amazon? If they don't they deserve negative feedback for providing shoddy service.

emby

Louisdf wrote: »

Yes but it's good customer service to refund the buyer's costs. When I recieved a faulty pair of earphones of Amazon, they refunded without question within 24 hours the postage fee I paid at the PO, and 75p to cover the time and expense of going to the PO/packaging the item up. Why shouldn't an ebay seller be providing the same service as Amazon? If they don't they deserve negative feedback for providing shoddy service.

It isn't Amazon though, it's Ebay.
Business sellers are different to Private sellers, they ARE obliged to refund any excess postage costs incurred by the buyer, but Private sellers are not.
This isn't a question of shoddy service though is it?

Louisdf

emby wrote: »

It isn't Amazon though, it's Ebay.
Business sellers are different to Private sellers, they ARE obliged to refund any excess postage costs incurred by the buyer, but Private sellers are not.
This isn't a question of shoddy service though is it?

Well with your attitude I certainly wouldn't buy from you. Stop thinking about the law, and about providing good service and maintaining feedback. Put yourself in the buyers shoes for once.

macfly

You are making that up. Amazon don't refund petrol costs.
Have the item returned, do the refund as per listing - and that's it.

soolin

macfly wrote: »

You are making that up. Amazon don't refund petrol costs.
Have the item returned, do the refund as per listing - and that's it.

I'm glad i'm not the only one who isn't getting any extras from Amazon.

The last time i returned a book that was torn on arrival they just sent a replacement, and that was that.

Louisdf

macfly wrote: »

You are making that up. Amazon don't refund petrol costs.
Have the item returned, do the refund as per listing - and that's it.

Funny how they did for me. I paid £1.85 at the counter, got a full refund and £2.60 back to cover my postage cost and expense. Oh and at Ikea, they usually give you a gift voucher for your time and expense.

Louisdf

soolin wrote: »

I'm glad i'm not the only one who isn't getting any extras from Amazon.

The last time i returned a book that was torn on arrival they just sent a replacement, and that was that.

Yes but you weren't out of pocket so that's fine. If you have to return stuff at your OWN cost, then you are.