Advice Regarding Returned Item

Nifty_Thrifty

Hi,

First post so please be gentle!

I sold a Next tablet on Ebay that I was given by a supplier at work and I didn't want it. The item was listed as new other (I received an invoice/delivery note with the tablet from the supplier and on it was something along the lines of reconditioned or refurbished screen). I posted that in the details of the sale.

The tablet sold for approx £55 and I charged £9.95 special delivery (actual cost was £9.80). When the buyer received the tablet he asked me to send the invoice/delivery and any guarantees. I said I would send the invoice/delivery but I had nothing else. He said he would charge it up (8 hours) and then check it later and then leave feedback.

Later on he messaged me to say it wasn't working and he would return it and want his money back. I said I would refund him as soon as I received the tablet. Today he messaged to say he has posted it (cost £8.30) and he wants full refund + both postage costs (due to faulty goods). He also said he won't leave feedback until he receives this.

I obviously don't have a problem refunding him but I am unsure if I require to refund both postages. I think I will just for the ease but i'm a bit unsure as this is the first thing I have had to return. I will test the tablet when I get it back to see if what he says is true. What if I get it working, where will I stand then? Maybe I should have tested it before selling but I wanted to sell it as new.

If you've read this far then thanks, any help appreciated.

hiccup123

Nifty_Thrifty wrote: »

Hi,

First post so please be gentle!

I sold a Next tablet on Ebay that I was given by a supplier at work and I didn't want it. The item was listed as new other (I received an invoice/delivery note with the tablet from the supplier and on it was something along the lines of reconditioned or refurbished screen). I posted that in the details of the sale.

The tablet sold for approx £55 and I charged £9.95 special delivery (actual cost was £9.80). When the buyer received the tablet he asked me to send the invoice/delivery and any guarantees. I said I would send the invoice/delivery but I had nothing else. He said he would charge it up (8 hours) and then check it later and then leave feedback.

Later on he messaged me to say it wasn't working and he would return it and want his money back. I said I would refund him as soon as I received the tablet. Today he messaged to say he has posted it (cost £8.30) and he wants full refund + both postage costs (due to faulty goods). He also said he won't leave feedback until he receives this.

I obviously don't have a problem refunding him but I am unsure if I require to refund both postages. I think I will just for the ease but i'm a bit unsure as this is the first thing I have had to return. I will test the tablet when I get it back to see if what he says is true. What if I get it working, where will I stand then? Maybe I should have tested it before selling but I wanted to sell it as new.

If you've read this far then thanks, any help appreciated.

If he had opened an item not as described case then he would have had to pay for the return and you would have been required to only pay the full refund. Also someone can correct me if i'm wrong but i have read a couple of times on here that if the buyer mentions leaving feedback in such a way to get their way then ebay can remove it.

Sorry can't be of more help but i'm sure someone who has had this happen to them may pop along soon

Sorry i can't be of more help

theonlywayisup

It really does depend.

Businesses are bound by legislation which govern what is paid for and what isn't. Privately, buyers and sellers can be at the mercy of Ebay/Paypal.

But as a rule of thumb I would ask you to put yourself in the buyers shoes.

What would you want back?

Nifty_Thrifty

theonlywayisup wrote: »

It really does depend.

Businesses are bound by legislation which govern what is paid for and what isn't. Privately, buyers and sellers can be at the mercy of Ebay/Paypal.

But as a rule of thumb I would ask you to put yourself in the buyers shoes.

What would you want back?

I totally agree that I would probably want all my money back and as stated in my post that is what I am likely to do.

My nagging concern is that as soon as he received it he asked for receipts and guarantees in case anyting goes wrong and then later that night I get a message saying he can't downlaod things or access emails etc. Alarm bells rang when he asked about guarantees as if he wa pre-empting something going wrong. Maybe i'm being cynical.

So if I check the tablet and all is fine where do I stand then? I think I will just refund the whole lot and put it down as a bad experience tough for ease.

theonlywayisup

Nifty_Thrifty wrote: »

I totally agree that I would probably want all my money back and as stated in my post that is what I am likely to do.

My nagging concern is that as soon as he received it he asked for receipts and guarantees in case anyting goes wrong and then later that night I get a message saying he can't downlaod things or access emails etc. Alarm bells rang when he asked about guarantees as if he wa pre-empting something going wrong. Maybe i'm being cynical.

So if I check the tablet and all is fine where do I stand then? I think I will just refund the whole lot and put it down as a bad experience tough for ease.

Once he has returned it you will need to refund him. It is up to you if you wish to reimburse the returns postage, but Ebay and paypal cannot force you to.

If the tablet is fine, then sell it again. There is nothing you can do with regards the buyer having sent it back. But if you are teetering on reimbursing postage, then it may help you decide.

pulliptears

Nifty_Thrifty wrote: »

I totally agree that I would probably want all my money back and as stated in my post that is what I am likely to do.

My nagging concern is that as soon as he received it he asked for receipts and guarantees in case anyting goes wrong and then later that night I get a message saying he can't downlaod things or access emails etc. Alarm bells rang when he asked about guarantees as if he wa pre-empting something going wrong. Maybe i'm being cynical.

So if I check the tablet and all is fine where do I stand then? I think I will just refund the whole lot and put it down as a bad experience tough for ease.

I think if its working perfectly when you receive it I'd refund the auction price and the initial postage, I wouldn't refund him the £8.30 he's after.

If it isn't working then I'd refund the lot.

As his email seems to insinuate he will only leave you good feedback if you comply I'd hold on to that and if he does leave you negative use his message to get the feedback removed.

Nifty_Thrifty

pulliptears wrote: »

I think if its working perfectly when you receive it I'd refund the auction price and the initial postage, I wouldn't refund him the £8.30 he's after.

If it isn't working then I'd refund the lot.

As his email seems to insinuate he will only leave you good feedback if you comply I'd hold on to that and if he does leave you negative use his message to get the feedback removed.

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Once he has returned it you will need to refund him. It is up to you if you wish to reimburse the returns postage, but Ebay and paypal cannot force you to.

If the tablet is fine, then sell it again. There is nothing you can do with regards the buyer having sent it back. But if you are teetering on reimbursing postage, then it may help you decide.

Thanks for the advice, I think if it isn't working then I will obviously refund the lot. If it is working then I will probably refund the original postage but not the return although he will then probably leave me negative feedback and I will have to try and get that removed.

I will test it when I receive it and let you know how I get on. Thanks again for all the replies.

Nifty_Thrifty

Well i'm at work at the moment but i've had a message from my wife saying that the tablet has arrived back. She also messaged me this "Tablet seems to work, managed to browse the internet but not had a go at downloading any apps yet".


What should I do now? If I don't repay the return postage I am fairly sure I will get a negative feedback, how likely would I be to get this overturned? Also how do I go about getting my fees back from ebay?

Thanks in advance

in_the_Cotswolds

He probably decided he didn't like the item. Personally if it works fine and there is no damage email him/her saying you can't find any fault and just refund him the original cost and postage.

As previous posters have said keep all emails just in case he leaves you a neg.

Nifty_Thrifty

Hi, just an update on this.

I tested the tablet last weekend and it worked fine. I took pictures of me using it and sent the buyer a message saying I have refunded the cost + original postage but not the return postage as the item worked. I attached the pictures for them to see. I haven't heard from them and I had no feedback so hopefully that is the end of that. I did send a cancel transaction requested which has been granted so I will get my fees back.

The tablet is now listed on my local facebook auction site and is up to £50. No fees and buyer pays cash so hopefully no issues (fingers crossed).