Return postage refund? Different amount to sending cost

2013yearofthehouse

A sort of two-fold query.

I bought some shampoo on ebay and what's been sent isn't the same as in the photo, it's not the UK version so some of the ingredients are different (this was not stated in the description). I've sent it back today and was wondering if I should be able to get the return postage back or not?

To complicate things slightly - the parcel was sent to me using Royal Mail "Small Parcel" costing £5.60 (I paid £7.20 for P&P), but when I returned it I was told I had to pay for "Medium Parcel" which cost me £8.20. I used the same box (approx. 25x15x15cm) to return it and it weighed the same amount, so I'm not sure what's gone wrong and which was the right service. Even if the seller is willing to (or should?) refund my return postage, am I likely to be left out of pocket?

Thanks

ballisticbrian

I can see the sellers fault here with them selling something that is not as pictured, however I doubt they are going to refund your return postage which is at the sellers discretion and not required by eBay. With such extortionate postage costs from RM, I would have been inclined to use the item and just put in a complaint and feedback with the seller.

spike241

25x15x15 would be a medium parcel.

duncan-biscuits

Yes , you will have to take the loss, the shampoo was a slightly different package and your choice was a return for a refund due to buyer change of mind.

The shampoo must have been helluva large!

The long and short of it is, ebay make the buyers pay the return costs and the seller is ONLY obligated to pay your initial postal charge back.

IN SOME very RARE cases, a seller who sold a dud or broken item and is genuinely a nice person and feels sorry for you, as it was a genuinely breakage in the mail etc, will send you an extra paypal payment to cover your parcel fee but only ever very exceptionally and at their own discretion, and so it is not something that people do often where a buyer changes their mind cos of a difference in a label or item was not as expected, prob you dont qualify to be compensated, if the shampoo had burst open and was unusable the seller would have had to replace the item and repay your post.

Price of sending a thing back now makes it very hard to justify a return when a good chunk of your refund is on the tracked return!

Soz I look like I just copied ballisticbrian's response, but we seem to be on a par with the replies !! lol

theonlywayisup

duncan-biscuits wrote: »

Yes , you will have to take the loss, the shampoo was a slightly different package and your choice was a return for a refund due to buyer change of mind.

Not that it makes the result any different for the buyer, but this was not a change of mind, this was a SNAD. Did you not read the OP?

duncan-biscuits wrote: »

The long and short of it is, ebay make the buyers pay the return costs and the seller is ONLY obligated to pay your initial postal charge back.

This is true Ebay cannot and will not enforce a paid return, but this isn't legal if the seller is a business.

duncan-biscuits wrote: »

IN SOME very RARE cases, a seller who sold a dud or broken item and is genuinely a nice person and feels sorry for you, as it was a genuinely breakage in the mail etc, will send you an extra paypal payment to cover your parcel fee but only ever very exceptionally and at their own discretion,

As I said above, if this is a business and the item isn't as sold, then the seller is legally bound to repay postage, but Ebay cannot and do not enforce this.

soolin

theonlywayisup is correct, whlst ebay cannot enforce the buyers right under UK law for a refund of return postage, the buyer will still be able to leave appropriate feedback and stars.

plumface

soolin wrote: »

theonlywayisup is correct, whlst ebay cannot enforce the buyers right under UK law for a refund of return postage, the buyer will still be able to leave appropriate feedback and stars.

Just out of interest, why is that?

soolin

plumface wrote: »

Just out of interest, why is that?

They have no mechanism for doing so. They can only take back the original payment, not more.

However just as with any online retailer, you can go to small claims to enforce your rights against a business seller - but this might not be practical of course for smaller amounts.

2013yearofthehouse

Thanks for all the replies.

Thankfully the seller was a business seller who sells large numbers of items, so presumably didn't mind covering the return postage. Paypal took a fee, but obviously I don't mind losing 50p, just glad it wasn't the full amount

theonlywayisup

2013yearofthehouse wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

Thankfully the seller was a business seller who sells large numbers of items, so presumably didn't mind covering the return postage. Paypal took a fee, but obviously I don't mind losing 50p, just glad it wasn't the full amount

Paypal took what fee?

You shouldn't have lost 50p to anyone.....

ballisticbrian

I think she means the seller sent her a gift to cover the return costs.