Troublesome buyer on Ebay - Accept return??

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

deethebee wrote: »

Have you now sent her an ebay returns label? If it only costs £3.50 then that might be your best option. I believe they are "on account" labels, so I don't see how it could be insufficient as they are charged when the sender takes it to the PO and it gets weighed etc.

AFAIK it's a 2kg limit and the Post Office will refuse it.

The buyer will go back to eBay and say that label is insufficient then OP is back to square one.

deethebee

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

AFAIK it's a 2kg limit and the Post Office will refuse it.

The buyer will go back to eBay and say that label is insufficient then OP is back to square one.

Ok, if that's the case then I guess the only options for the OP is to stick to her guns with the label she sent and try to reason with ebay to let them know it matches the one used to send the item. But I know ebay are difficult! Or she can do the courier thing, but then people have expressed doubts at what courier to use and some are pretty expensive too.

If it were me, I'd continue to try reason with ebay and explain the labels used to send the item and the one sent to return it are exactly the same and so should be sufficient. Another option is to ask the buyer to measure the item and weigh it and send you the details and that you will send her a label that matches those dimensions. That could be a good way of finding out if she's sending back the same item or not! At this stage I would be worried she's trying to send something else back and if that happens the OP will face problems in trying to get the original item back. What a horrible situation.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Had to call eBay about something and checked whilst on the phone 2kg limit for the 3.05 label. Comes from a trusted source!

deethebee

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

Had to call eBay about something and checked whilst on the phone 2kg limit for the 3.05 label. Comes from a trusted source!

That's good to know. Although I have no idea how much the parcel OP sent weighs! Also, have just checked Hermes website and games consoles/computers aren't on their excluded list so it sounds as though they will cover compensation for it. Full cover (for £110) will cost you just under £10 and then a small fee is added for collecting the item.

GC1987

Paypal is minus because the funds are on hold, if eBay refund that minus balance remains, if eBay finds in your favour the hold is removed as is the negative balance.

So a refund hasn't been given yet but the money has been ring fenced causing the minus balance.

Thank you for explaining that! That eases my worries a bit!

Although I have no idea how much the parcel OP sent weighs! Also, have just checked Hermes website and games consoles/computers aren't on their excluded list so it sounds as though they will cover compensation for it. Full cover (for £110) will cost you just under £10 and then a small fee is added for collecting the item.

Thank you! My parcel is 3.5kg so I will check out Hermes and parcelforce I think!

Overseas call center? They are really difficult.

Horrendous! Clearly just reading from a script and won't deviate from it. I finally had some success with emailing customer service and they said they could see I was trying to facilitate the buyer and if they don't respond eBay will close the case accordingly - he said the original postage label I sent needed to be used too quickly? And buyers must be given a 3 day window for postage.

However, here is the next twist in the tale! EBay have given me until April 3rd to resolve; the buyer has just now messaged back to see she will be unable to wait in any day for a courier so I will need to arrange in for Saturday 6th April. Where will I stand with eBay if I do that?

deethebee

I know how you feel GC, their call centres are an absolute nightmare. I've had awful experiences with them. I'm very glad to hear you've had some success with emailing them. Sadly though they said something similar to me in the past like they could see I was being reasonable, but in the end still found in the buyer's favour. I hope you don't have this same experience!

With regards to the postage label, if you purchased it from Click and Drop then it has an expiry date, but that is usually one working day after purchase so if she hasn't used it yet then you might need to claim a refund - depending on when the post by date on the label is. I'm assuming that's what they mean but can't be sure. I didn't realise buyers needed to be given a 3 day window for return, but perhaps the best way is to ask her when she can post it and then do the label the day before so she can print it and send the following day. As the buyer is not available until the weekend for a courier, the Royal Mail label might be your best option. Other than that, all you can do is ask ebay if they can extend the deadline because the buyer isn't available until the weekend and hope they play ball. If the buyer needs 3 days to return then it's not going to be possible to have it resolved by the 3rd.

Another option is to do the Hermes label, but ask her to drop it off at a Hermes drop off location. I don't think they have an expiry for their labels, but I would double check that.

soolin

GC1987 wrote: »

Thank you for explaining that! That eases my worries a bit!



Thank you! My parcel is 3.5kg so I will check out Hermes and parcelforce I think!



Horrendous! Clearly just reading from a script and won't deviate from it. I finally had some success with emailing customer service and they said they could see I was trying to facilitate the buyer and if they don't respond eBay will close the case accordingly - he said the original postage label I sent needed to be used too quickly? And buyers must be given a 3 day window for postage.

However, here is the next twist in the tale! EBay have given me until April 3rd to resolve; the buyer has just now messaged back to see she will be unable to wait in any day for a courier so I will need to arrange in for Saturday 6th April. Where will I stand with eBay if I do that?

Once the case is closed you are stuck- I would try Customer service again - if possible try an odd time like early morning or just before they close in the evenings and hope to get Dublin. personally I would now be using trigger words phrases like buyer is obstructing a return or collection - and ask them outright exactly what you are supposed to do.

theonlywayisup

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head wrote: »

AFAIK it's a 2kg limit and the Post Office will refuse it.

The buyer will go back to eBay and say that label is insufficient then OP is back to square one.

I don't know how ebay work but RMT on my account is a standard account and has a weight limit of 30kg. I did google to see if I was off the mark.....

https://www.royalmail.com/business/services/sending/parcels-uk/rm-48-tracked-delivery

With Royal Mail Tracked 48 you can send items weighing up to 30kg and measuring up to 61cm x 46cm x 46cm(1).

Perhaps the OP should refer ebay to Royal Mail?

GC1987

Perhaps the OP should refer ebay to Royal Mail?

The return label I sent was with Royal Mail but apparently it had to be used before this 3 day window buyers must be given for a return.

personally I would now be using trigger words phrases like buyer is obstructing a return or collection - and ask them outright exactly what you are supposed to do.

Ok I'll ring first thing in AM and ask. In my emails I was saying that I have been doing all I can to assist the buyer but am in the dark has to how to proceed and they said they could see I was doing all I could but I'll see what they have to say now about the April 6th courier.

Sadly though they said something similar to me in the past like they could see I was being reasonable, but in the end still found in the buyer's favour. I hope you don't have this same experience!

Thanks Dee, it does feel a bit like telling me what I want to hear. There seems to be so little provision for a seller on eBay, this has really put me off.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

theonlywayisup wrote: »

I don't know how ebay work but RMT on my account is a standard account and has a weight limit of 30kg. I did google to see if I was off the mark.....

https://www.royalmail.com/business/services/sending/parcels-uk/rm-48-tracked-delivery



Perhaps the OP should refer ebay to Royal Mail?

Although the service may go up to 30kg the price is usually based on the average weight you say you'll post, then they review (quarterly I think) and adjust the price based on your averages.

If you started only sending 30kg parcels you'd see the rate shot up.

eBay must have agreed upto 2kg for the £3 price point.