Refunding through Global shipping

thepedestrian

Good Afternoon
A buyer has requested a refund / return NAD for an item that was purchased through the Global shipping system - I am assuming it would be better for me to tell them to request through EBay ,rather than handling the refund myself as I would have to pay the International shipping fees ,whereas Ebay would pay them if it were a return request via the buyer?

Would this be the correct procedure do you think ?

Regards

Brynsam

Have they actually opened a case for SNAD? If not (and sounds as if they. might not have done), ask them to do so.

F&L

Why is the item NAD? The advice below relates to my experiences, one was damaged in transit, the other was a change of mind but the buyer claimed NAD to avoid paying the return postage cost. If your buyer is correct and it's NAD, then you will be responsible for the return postage which may be very expensive if they insist on sending it tracked.

Both times the buyers opened a returns request claiming the item was not as described. When you open the returns request it will send you to ebay in the buyer's home country. Ignore this and find the return under your account as it will then be in English.

There will be an option to refuse the return and then a further option to hold the GSP responsible. Do not accept the return as you would then have to provide a pre-paid postage label. Paypal will put a hold on the funds when they open a case but will release it if the case is closed in your favour, which it should if it's been damaged in transit. The GSP centre can and do repackage items.

thepedestrian

Found this on Ebay Q&A list

"Returns from international buyers are not handled through the Global Shipping Programme at this time.

If a buyer contacts you directly, we recommend working together to resolve the issue. If the item wasnt as described, well use normal eBay Money Back Guarantee processes. If the buyers country doesnt have eBay Money Back Guarantee, theyre protected by PayPal Buyer Protection policies.

All sellers If your buyer asks you for a refund, youre only expected to refund the cost of the item and what you charged for domestic postage. Well take care of refunding the international postage charges. Please handle any return postage costs directly with the buyer, depending on the reason of the return."

Still none the wiser really - could I be stung with a hefty return post charge as it is a NAD in that it is a clothes item that they claim is to big and that the sizing was wrong - would the only workaround be to ask them to return as " change of mind " ?

thepedestrian

And then this further down

If you accept returns, the way that refunds work depends on the reason for the return:

Buyer changes their mind the buyer is responsible for sending the item back to you for a refund or exchange. You may either offer free returns or specify that buyers are responsible for the return postage costs.

As for the original transaction, youre responsible for the refund of the item and domestic postage cost only, i.e. the cost of posting the item to the UK Shipping Centre. For a refund of international postage cost please ask your buyer to contact eBay Customer Support and we will be responsible for refunding the buyers international postage cost, if applicable
.
Item is not as described (seller fault) you're responsible for refunding or replacing the item and for refunding the domestic postage costs. eBay is responsible for refunding the buyers international postage costs.

Which seems clearer - so can I just ask the buyer to open a SNAD case , they get a print out returns sheet and I just refund the UK post fee ?

F&L

If you ask the buyer to open a SNAD case you will have to provide a pre-paid returns label or agree to pay the postage. A buyer is likely to want to send it tracked and this will be expensive.

The bit about ebay being responsible for refunding the buyers international postage costs refers to the postage amount the buyer paid ebay separately for the GSP.

I would ask the buyer to detail exactly how the sizing is wrong. If you have sufficient evidence that the description was accurate and the buyer provides no evidence to the contrary, I would then advise the buyer of my return address. If they then started asking for a return prepaid label or opened a claim I would ring ebay and advise them that the returns process was being abused to avoid paying the return postage.

A buyer I had claimed SNAD but provided no evidence. I phoned ebay and they passed it on to ebay in the buyer's home country. The end result was ebay refunded him about two thirds of the order value but they paid from their own funds rather than mine.

thepedestrian

Oh dear - this could end up costing me a packet (:cool: )

Think I might just have to refund them ,let them keep it ,block them from bidding and revise my other listings opting out of the GSP - returning and refunding has always been troublesome in this Country ( not that I`ve had that many in 10 years ),without the added hassle of International rates to consider

Lesson learnt

thepedestrian

BTW

Looking at my listings through French Ebay site the postage charge appears to be the same cost ,just in Euros - would this mean that was what they were charged, even through the GSP ?

update - of course another charge would probably be attached at the checkout stage ( doh ! )

nightmare - so I refund them full amount that I received - they keep the item - and then Ebay take more for the GSP refund as well

This is definitely the worst Ebaying I have experienced in over 10 years

soolin

Personally I would call ebay, the sellers on other forums are saying they only paid returns from the ebay hub, not from overseas, but had to speak to ebay to sort it out as if they went through the system otherwise it just expected a label to be issued. Even though no one appears to have a link it still must be worth getting onto ebay , live help might be a good idea as you then have a transcript, and asking for their advice.