Buyer claims SNAD- what refund?

PoorCharleyBear

We sold a child's swimsuit with inbuilts floats as BNWOT
It was never worn but as the tags had been removed, we could not return it to the shop.

The buyer claims it reeks of chlorine- no idea how as it has never been within 500m of a swimming pool.

We have offered a full refund- as we can easily resell it- but I think buyer also wants her postage costs refunded, which means we are out of pocket (or my guess is she wants a partial refund to get it as cheap as possible). In cases like this are we liable for return postage costs? When I have returned stuff I have always paid postage

bris

If it is as described just tell her so and say if she want to return it, it will be at her own cost. If you know your right then don't pay her return postage, Ebay won't get involved with return postage costs.

Crowqueen

You would be expected to repay the original postage unless the buyer will take the hit, but that is doubtful if they are claiming it smells of chlorine.

I would insist on a refund on return but would at least pay out the entire payment. Otherwise it will end up in dispute, where the buyer will get their whole payment back anyway.

Clothes are a bit risky to sell - there is a lot of subjectivity and a lot of scope for buyers to complain. In that light I'd always offer change-of-mind returns at their expense; it saves a lot of aggro and it means people don't have to claim the item is dirty or damaged so they have recourse to the eBay dispute system.

It's a fact of life which you have to live with if you want to sell clothes. Whatever your 'rights', there are some things which are just good practice.

PoorCharleyBear

well we did offer a full refund (but not her costs for returning it) and she has left a negative saying 'disgusting'.

I have no idea what she wanted...she complained...I responded and offered a full refund...she gave me a neg the following day!

Some people are not happy.

And it was a hassle to send as she wanted it ultra urgently...

Louby_Lou_3

I've recently sold alot of clothes on ebay and not had any major problems. I have a 'no returns' policy as I'm not a retailer, just a girl getting rid of stuff I don't wear. I think alot of buyers on ebay expect the same standard of service from independant sellers as they would from a high street retailer, which really bugs me!!

I always try to resolve problems (such as lost mail etc). I don't see how you're being unreasonable to ask the buyer to pay for return postage. There are still plenty of internet retailers who don't refund postage AND make the buyer cover costs of return postage in the event of a refund.

At the end of the day you can't please everyone and some people just love to complain.

Crowqueen

If you feel buyers have certain expectations, you need to play to them to get anything out of eBay.

Clothes have to be pretty much perfect for me, I like to feel smart and condition is often very subjective. I avoid private sellers' clothing listings, and am much more likely to go and look in charity shops than on eBay for stuff, for that reason, or buy new if I need something posh. If you are finding people too picky, then you probably need to either improve your descriptions or get out of the marketplace altogether. There is no shame in admitting defeat - but you need to realise that people cannot see what you are selling until they receive it in the post, and that causes a lot of problems if they don't agree with your descriptions.

And they are the ones paying you, not the other way round, so they need to have at least some say in whether they are getting what they think they paid for.

And 'no returns' is totally meaningless, buyers have some rights to a refund in certain situations. There are sellers who don't refund original postage, but I bet they fail after a while to make their customers happy - which is what most selling on a good day should really be about.

Happy customers = happy sellers. Miserable customers = unhappy sellers, or, more importantly, sellers with no sales.

eBay is not a place to offload your old junk onto unsuspecting members of the public - there has to be something in it for the buyer too.

Louby_Lou_3

I think the point is that there is a general element of 'fair play' when it comes to ebay. On a personal level, I always thoroughly check any item I list for sale and when it comes to clothes I only sell those that are in excellent condition and since I take good care of my possessions most are in a 'nearly new' condition anyway. As buyers can't look things over, I take accurate measurements (waist, hip, length etc) and clearly note any wear with things like shoes.

I would therefore expect to be treated with the same consideration I afford my buyers. I care that things reach their destination intact and like to wrap things nice and neatly too. But at the end of the day, people like me are selling their unwanted possessions, not selling shop stock. Ebay isn't a business for everyone and I imagine most people have other considerations such as family and work and home and can't be at their buyers beck and call 24/7.

Luckily I've never had a bad buyer, the worst I've had to deal with is a missing parcel (which I always refund in total). But I've heard shocking stories of buyers (and sellers too!!) which just reinforce the fact that a lot of business conducted on Ebay comes with a certain amount of risk that buyers and sellers alike have to just take on the chin.