Am I Being Entitled?

RHemmings

I've just received an Ebay purchase, but there is an error. I was supposed to receive a small amount of vegetable seeds (20), but received seeds for a flower instead?

My first action was to 'Contact Seller' to request that they sent the right seeds. 

Immediately my mind went to what, if anything, I'll do with the flower seeds. Suddenly I caught myself feeling entitled to the flower seeds as a freebie, as it probably won't be worth the seller getting me to send such a small thing back. The purchase price was about £2. 

Just curious if others consider this is being 'entitled' -  just assuming that in the end I'll get the incorrect seeds as a freebie. Should I offer to pay, as I don't really want the flower seeds, but I suppose if I have them I'll plant them somewhere. 

For Ebay sellers here, what is the value limit between what you'll tell the buyer to just keep, and what will you request to be returned? And, this is just curiosity - I'm not planning to try and start a policy of trying to get freebies

Spoonie_Turtle

This is just from my perspective as a buyer:

I think it's pragmatic for it to have crossed your mind, thinking about the realities of the cost to the seller of you returning them.

Entitled would be expecting to keep them as 'compensation' for the inconvenience of getting the wrong thing in the first place (and next level, kicking off if they do want them returned - which obviously doesn't apply here either!).

GadgetGuru

Contact the seller to inform them of the mixup, and let the seller decide on what they want to to do - whether that's paying for the return or letting you keep them. That's a decision for the seller to make.

RHemmings

GadgetGuru said:

Contact the seller to inform them of the mixup, and let the seller decide on what they want to to do - whether that's paying for the return or letting you keep them. That's a decision for the seller to make.

This is exactly what I have done. ... checks ... no answer yet. 

It was just that I caught myself thinking that way - not only assuming that I wouldn't be asked to return the wrong seeds but sort of expecting it as the right thing to do. Just wondering if I had slipped into 'entitled' which I would like to avoid. Maybe just briefly I was thinking along the lines of @Spoonie_Turtle's last paragraph. 

Kim_13

You should not assume you’ll get to keep the flower seeds until the seller says so, therefore don’t do anything with them until the seller gets back to you (as that would be entitled.) I would not offer to pay for them since you didn’t order them. If they say you can keep them by way of an apology (as happened when I received an incorrect greeting card) then by all means plant them if you wish to do so. On another occasion, I ordered screen protectors for a 10.9 inch iPad Air but received ones for a 10.5 inch Pro instead (the ones for later 11 inch Pros are interchangeable) and the seller asked me to mark them return to sender, which I did. My address was blacked out so if the seller ultimately got a £5 charge from RM, that would be their problem. Had they instead told me I could keep them, I would have donated them to charity.

Newbie_John

Seeds business on eBay is quite complicated:
1) you may have purchased fake seeds from China, and seller will never respond 
2) you may end up paying for the return 
3) seller may want to have them sent back
4) seller may ask you to keep them
5) you may go through an eBay case process

Even if it ends up being free, it's not a freebie, it's an inconvenience - you need to send multiple messages, take photos,negotiate and nobody knows if it will be an easy one

RHemmings

@Kim_13 - yes I won't do anything with the seeds until the seller responds. 

@Newbie_John - I have tried to aim for UK located sellers who have good feedback. I'm aware that there are some problems in seeds - e.g. fake multicoloured tomatoes that when germinated only grow red tomatoes. I will learn. I've bought from three sellers and I'll see what comes up correct, and what doesn't. Hopefully in the future I will have a shortlist of tried and tested sellers. 

E.g. I won't be buying these:

soolin

Newbie_John said:

Seeds business on eBay is quite complicated:
1) you may have purchased fake seeds from China, and seller will never respond 
2) you may end up paying for the return 
3) seller may want to have them sent back
4) seller may ask you to keep them
5) you may go through an eBay case process

Even if it ends up being free, it's not a freebie, it's an inconvenience - you need to send multiple messages, take photos,negotiate and nobody knows if it will be an easy one

2) This is ebay, buyer will get a refund and if seller wants their seeds back they will have to pay for the return.

OP I’d open an INR if you don’t hear back in 36-48 hours, it still gives the selelr time to resolve any issue and they can then decide whether to pay to return or let you keep them. 

Spoonie_Turtle

soolin said:

Newbie_John said:

Seeds business on eBay is quite complicated:
1) you may have purchased fake seeds from China, and seller will never respond 
2) you may end up paying for the return 
3) seller may want to have them sent back
4) seller may ask you to keep them
5) you may go through an eBay case process

Even if it ends up being free, it's not a freebie, it's an inconvenience - you need to send multiple messages, take photos,negotiate and nobody knows if it will be an easy one

2) This is ebay, buyer will get a refund and if seller wants their seeds back they will have to pay for the return.

OP I’d open an INR if you don’t hear back in 36-48 hours, it still gives the selelr time to resolve any issue and they can then decide whether to pay to return or let you keep them. 

Do you mean a SNAD?

RHemmings

Thanks. I was planning to open a SNAD, but perhaps I'll wait a bit longer than 48 hours for a response. Usually I wait 3-4 days, and usually I get a response within that time. E.g. my latest INR. 

EDIT: Seller has already responded. 

soolin

Spoonie_Turtle said:

soolin said:

Newbie_John said:

Seeds business on eBay is quite complicated:
1) you may have purchased fake seeds from China, and seller will never respond 
2) you may end up paying for the return 
3) seller may want to have them sent back
4) seller may ask you to keep them
5) you may go through an eBay case process

Even if it ends up being free, it's not a freebie, it's an inconvenience - you need to send multiple messages, take photos,negotiate and nobody knows if it will be an easy one

2) This is ebay, buyer will get a refund and if seller wants their seeds back they will have to pay for the return.

OP I’d open an INR if you don’t hear back in 36-48 hours, it still gives the selelr time to resolve any issue and they can then decide whether to pay to return or let you keep them. 

Do you mean a SNAD?

Yes I do - it's been a busy day- sorry!