Buyer says item is broken but has already thrown it, what to do?

pinkshoes

The LAST thing you do is bin a broken ebay item without at least taking a photo. How odd...

Has the buyer actually requested anything?

Could they be a chancer given your previous bad FB for poor packaging?

I would replay saying you will happily refund in full once they send you a photo of the damage.

pulliptears

And the next message will be "I don't have a camera". It's a familiar tale, a situation I was in myself recently. I knew there was little chance of the item being broken in the way she said it was but she didn't have a camera etc etc
As much as it annoyed me I refunded. It was under a fiver anyway and not worth the feedback fight. If she ever leaves feedback I shall add a note to the feedback I left her saying "sorry your item was damaged", may help someone prove her game further down the line.
I blocked her and moved on, thankfully 99% of sales are good.

techspec

pulliptears wrote: »

And the next message will be "I don't have a camera". It's a familiar tale, a situation I was in myself recently. I knew there was little chance of the item being broken in the way she said it was but she didn't have a camera etc etc
As much as it annoyed me I refunded. It was under a fiver anyway and not worth the feedback fight. If she ever leaves feedback I shall add a note to the feedback I left her saying "sorry your item was damaged", may help someone prove her game further down the line.
I blocked her and moved on, thankfully 99% of sales are good.

I do that. "Sorry the item didn't work - full refund given".

Leaves a trail, if nothing else.

londonTiger

i have found faulty/damaged items that i bought for a couple of quid. not worth my time to photograph/post back etc.

Irene_SaleHoo

I personally believe it is not fair on your side to refund without any proof of the broken merchandise. I have had deliveries of cosmetics and being small I noticed it is not that easy to get broken, unless it came without any protective covering at all. It would be best to be clear with your return policy, have product photos and witnesses that your items were sent whole and in good shape, and then ensure that they are in good protective packaging.