Seller: mistake in the listing, item already sold.

miwa

Right, okay, here's the story:

I am new to ebay and last weekend (the zero insertion fees promotion) I listed up 5 items for sale. One of these items was a packet of hair extensions my friend gave to me years ago, as she bought them online but they were the wrong colour, the buyer not accepting returns (whole 'nother problem...).

On the packet it says there are 12 pieces (hair extension bits) and as I've never had need to take them out of the packet (they aren't my hair colour either) I assumed this was correct and titled the listing "12 piece hair extension..." ect.

My item then sold at a pretty nice price considering I hadn't spent any money on them: just under £20. However, when I was packaging up the item to take to the post office, I decided to count the pieces just to make sure there were 12 pieces. There weren't. There were only 8.

I have contacted the buyer and apologised profusely and asked her if she will accept a partial refund and if she still wants the marginally smaller set of hair extensions, or if she'd prefer a full refund and not to bother sending them. She has not replied yet.

Was this the right thing to do? If she agrees to me sending them anyway, how much should I refund her for a partial refund? If she doesn't want the smaller set, can I relist the offer for "free" on ebay's relisting promotion if an item has been sold successfully? Am I in a lot of trouble with the Council of Ebay Elders?

Thank-you very much for reading this far + any advice.

Miss_Havisham

I think both options you've given to the buyer are fair, just give her a couple of days to reply.

As the contents are down by a third you could reduce the price by a third.

Can't help with the EBay Elders, never encountered them (fingers crossed, touch wood etc).

Good luck

Miss H

miwa

I hope the Ebay Elders have not been summoned...

Thank-you very much for your reply, will take it into account. At the moment I'm just overwhelmed by the poignancy of my own stupidity. Wish I'd checked before listing. Ah well. Something to remember for next time.

techspec

Theres a lesson for us both there - check before listing.

I sold an item i had bought online - without opening the packet. I used a stock photo and the item sold. Before posting, i then decided to check all was OK. It was the correct make - but completely different style to what i had ordered. They were in a packet that stateted they were what i had ordered.

I offered the buyer a similar item worth twice as much (which i was going to buy specially off Amazon) - but got a short response saying "just refund". No bad feedback yet - fingers crossed.

Agree with the above - you've done the right thing. Just hope you have a reasonable buyer.

Miss_Havisham

I've messed up as a seller a few times but was lucky that the buyers were understanding and that I was able to offer a couple of solutions. I was generous though, and on each occasion I got positive feedback. Lesson learned and I now check thoroughly before listing.

There are 2 types of E Bayer - those who really don't care about the buyer/seller, and those who care too much !

Good luck

Miss H xx

Crowqueen

Same here.

What you may have to do if they don't respond is send anyway, and make a pro-rata refund of a third of the price. Message the buyer up front and make her aware - at least if she does log on to eBay specifically to complain - that there was an issue and that was how you solved it.

Many people don't log on to eBay between purchases, even to leave feedback. Unfortunately if she does decide the disappointment outweighs what you have done to solve the problem, they could leave a factual neg or a neutral - that will just have to be followed up as politely and apologetically as you can. They may have needed 12 and now have to find the extras elsewhere, so just because you sent 8 and refunded them the difference doesn't mean they have to be happy. If you mess up, you should be prepared for the fact that someone might be more disappointed than you think. (Try being the household cook for more than a few months!)

It happened to me a couple of years ago - in the end the buyer just left no feedback at all even though I made the most proactive moves to satisfy them when I realised there was a mistake in my listing. You may just have to take it on the chin and move on - you will, however, learn something from this, just as we all do.

miwa

Thanks everyone for your (great) advice. I'm sort of glad I'm not the only one who has made this mistake before. The buyer was very understanding and accepted a £6 refund (extra 40p with paypal fees... Goodbye money...) and I will send the package off tomorrow.

Thanks again.