Faulty goods on ebay

howars01

Looking for advice if possible - I sold an unwanted gift on ebay (unopened and new Logitech radio) but 1 month later the buyer has emailed me then raised a claim saying that after 1 month the radio has stopped working.
Do I need to give a refund?
My view is that I sold the product in good faith, it obviously was working when received, I'm a private seller, so therefore its unfortunate but I shouldn't have to refund. I've advised that the manufacturer should deal with it but they want a proof of purchase and won't accept ebay.

Any advice welcome. I wish to be fair but I don't wish to be taken advantage of.

thanks!

Crowqueen

As a private seller you are not legally responsible for the item after it arrives with the buyer in working condition.

However, eBay effectively guarantees items for 45 days - six weeks or so - so you need to think about how you'd feel in this position.

Bearing in mind that a secondhand item that has been well used might have only a limited lifespan, and that postal damage can occur and loosen components dangerously, making them more likely to blow on use, you might consider that the buyer feels annoyed that they have paid out for something they only got a month's use out of.

A while ago I sold a faulty iPod that had suddenly broken down (software fault). I could tell it was probably on its last legs a month or two beforehand: had I sold it at that point I might have got £60 for it, but I would then have had a pretty annoyed buyer to deal with a month later. It wasn't worth the risk until I knew for certain it wasn't working. Ironically I sold it for nearly £20 and had no problems with the sale.

If you contest a dispute, you might win it - eBay's SNAD protection is sometimes a bit flimsy on items that have been used but found to go faulty - but to be honest I wouldn't have sold this in the first place, there's too much risk of a problem and I would be a bit embarrassed should this have happened to a customer of mine, even allowing for it having been sold in good faith.

Up to you but I wouldn't want to upset my buyer.

porto_bello

Howars, to be fair, if the ball was on the other foot, you'd almost certainly expect the seller to engage and rectify the situation.

Having raised a case against you, they will have to send the item back to you (signed for/trackable)for a full refund. If they fail to send it back, they'll almost certainly lose the case.

As a private seller, you are encouraged to, but you don't necessarily have to refund the price of return postage, since this was not part of the original purchase transaction.

howars01

Thanks for your comments.
I'm just not sure as a private seller were the line should be drawn if goods do go faulty - when does the sellers responsibility end? Surely if it worked for 30 days the buyer could then have damaged it themselves dropping it or something. If they are being honest then I understand the frustration but surely this is one of the risks of buying for private sellers. A risk that I too undertake when buying on ebay.
Crowqueen - I'm not sure why you said you wouldn't have sold the item - it was new, boxed etc so why would you not have sold it?

thanks