eBay returned item damaged partial refund conundrum

Micron

For the last couple of years I’ve been selling off some of my personal vintage collectables on eBay with over 50 sales without any problems.

Last week I sold an expensive item (£175) and within an hour of the buyer receiving the parcel they had started a returns claim due to ‘item not as described’ the details in the claim was a short comment  ‘original packaging had been tampered with’ and a photo showing the item surrounded by the ripped off manufactures packing.

So now I have an item on the way back to me which is now virtually unsalable and worth a few pounds at most, the real value of the item to a collector being the fact it was sealed and in the original wrapping.

From reading through the eBay returns terms and conditions it looks like I may be able to make a 50% reduction in the refund.

My question to you all is, has anybody had any experience and success of making a partial refund due to an item being returned damaged and massively devalued?

soolin

Does the packaging look like it might have been damaged in post? 

If not I would definitely be contacting eBay and explaining that you used your own photos when listing so compare those to the photos that have been sent, show the time frame and point out this seems unlikely. It’s sometimes worth phoning 2 or 3 times until you get a rep that is prepared to listen.

Unless things have changed, and things are changing constantly on eBay now, the reduction was only for business sellers and only then in certain circumstances. 

If item could have been damaged then you as seller would be liable, but if this seems like a straight swap by buyer of their old item and your new sealed item, then I would argue the point. 

daddyelf

If the buyer has opened a request/case eg item not as described, you cannot offer a partial refund. You have to refund in full. 

You can only offer partial refund if its outside of a case. (for example a postage adjustment)

Wait until the item is returned and then unfortunately you will have to reimburse the buyer in full.

If the item was damaged in transit,  you could make a claim against the carrier (if covered under their T & C's) 

soolin

daddyelf said:

If the buyer has opened a request/case eg item not as described, you cannot offer a partial refund. You have to refund in full. 

You can only offer partial refund if its outside of a case. (for example a postage adjustment)

Wait until the item is returned and then unfortunately you will have to reimburse the buyer in full.

If the item was damaged in transit,  you could make a claim against the carrier (if covered under their T & C's) 

The rules for partial refunds are here but SNAD returns are  different

Condition of returned items policy | eBay

Flugelhorn

I wonder if the buyers were the ones who damaged the original packaging ?

Micron

soolin said:

Does the packaging look like it might have been damaged in post?

No, the item was well packed, you would have to physically rip off the items wrapper as his own photos show the peeled off wrapping.

If item could have been damaged then you as seller would be liable, but if this seems like a straight swap by buyer of their old item and your new sealed item, then I would argue the point.

This is not delivery damage or a straight swapp, the buyer unwrapped the items factory sealed wrapper, had alook at the contents and then decided to return the item.

soolin

Micron said:

soolin said:

Does the packaging look like it might have been damaged in post?

No, the item was well packed, you would have to physically rip off the items wrapper as his own photos show the peeled off wrapping.

If item could have been damaged then you as seller would be liable, but if this seems like a straight swap by buyer of their old item and your new sealed item, then I would argue the point.

This is not delivery damage or a straight swapp, the buyer unwrapped the items factory sealed wrapper, had alook at the contents and then decided to return the item.

Then I would do as suggested above and try arguing this one with ebay. 

Micron

Flugelhorn said:

I wonder if the buyers were the ones who damaged the original packaging ?

Yes they certainly did, they put photos of the trashed wrapper in their return claim.

Micron

soolin said:
The rules for partial refunds are here but SNAD returns are  different
Condition of returned items policy | eBay

It’s like wading through treacle reading eBay terms and conditions but it did turn up a couple of points of interest, how useful it will be in the end I don’t know.

General return requirements.
    Same or unaltered condition (not an exhaustive list):
    Unused, unaltered, with no damage or signs of use outside of the listed item condition or how it was received
Art & Collectibles
    Must include any provided certificates of authenticity, grading or appraisal
    Items should not be removed from sealed packaging

Micron

soolin said:

Does the packaging look like it might have been damaged in post? 

If not I would definitely be contacting eBay and explaining that you used your own photos when listing so compare those to the photos that have been sent, show the time frame and point out this seems unlikely. It’s sometimes worth phoning 2 or 3 times until you get a rep that is prepared to listen.

I did eventually manage to get in touch with an eBay rep who was very pleasant but not really of any great help, the only advice he could offer was to wait until the item was delivered back to me, inspect it and then call them back, I guess he was reading from a flow chart for returned items and you can’t skip steps in the process to try and short cut the eBay system.

I live in hope of a positive outcome.

Micron

Received the returned item this morning and it was semi trashed as was expected and no real effort had been put in to the repacking.

I contacted eBay and they have put the refund on hold and ‘escalated the return to an investigation’.

Within one minute of ending the eBay call I had negative feedback from the buyer with photos of the ‘damaged item’. **AVOID SELLER SENDS OPENED AND USED SETS NOT NEW**, it arrived so quickly it was as if it had already been written ready to send, so that’s my 20 years of 100% positive feedback gone.