Missing Item - eBay

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  • mimi1234
    mimi1234 Posts: 7,949 Forumite
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    Also can I just ask. How can you prove how many items you sent? Do you have to take selfies whilst packing showing date and time?

    I always thought sending signed for would be safer!
  • Dox
    Dox Posts: 3,116 Forumite
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    mimi1234 wrote: »
    Also can I just ask. How can you prove how many items you sent? Do you have to take selfies whilst packing showing date and time?

    Simple (albeit unhelpful answer) is that you can't. Showing an item in the process of being packed and/or weighed after packing cuts no ice with ebay.
  • mimi1234
    mimi1234 Posts: 7,949 Forumite
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    Dox wrote: »
    Simple (albeit unhelpful answer) is that you can't. Showing an item in the process of being packed and/or weighed after packing cuts no ice with ebay.

    Scammers delight then. Wow.
  • theonlywayisup
    theonlywayisup Posts: 16,031 Forumite
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    mimi1234 wrote: »
    Also can I just ask. How can you prove how many items you sent? Do you have to take selfies whilst packing showing date and time?

    I always thought sending signed for would be safer!

    You can't, but I find this helps:

    1. Message to say thanks for purchase of x items and that I confirm x will be sent in the same package.
    2. Packing slip with name and quantity ticked, dated and checked with a signature stuffed in the parcel.

    My first response to anyone claiming to be short packaged would be to bear with me whilst the weights are checked. Then I would come back with the weight and confirm the quantities sent.

    Obviously this won't deter the scammers intent on getting a freebie but sometimes the message /packing slip makes them think twice!
  • Dox
    Dox Posts: 3,116 Forumite
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    charlies_mum wrote: »
    I would rather pay for the return postage than let a new O feedback buyer see how easy it is to get free goods on eBay.

    But they still get free goods - the 'missing' tube. Asking for the other 2 tubes to be returned means the seller has the cost of arranging a return + the hassle of reselling. Much better to get the buyer to open a case and then OP can cut her losses by giving a partial refund as the buyer has requested, and write it down to experience. Don't let yourself get carried away on a tide of indignation and outrage!
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,199 Ambassador
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    Dox wrote: »
    But they still get free goods - the 'missing' tube. Asking for the other 2 tubes to be returned means the seller has the cost of arranging a return + the hassle of reselling. Much better to get the buyer to open a case and then OP can cut her losses by giving a partial refund as the buyer has requested, and write it down to experience. Don't let yourself get carried away on a tide of indignation and outrage!

    I think you are misunderstanding the depth of feeling that sellers have about being scammed . These scammers expect buyers to just roll over and refund without buyers having to waste a single minute or put any effort into getting that refund. If everybody just laid back and said 'please scam me' they will just continue.

    Personally I am happy to call their bluff, I make it clear that I will refund on return, as is my legal responsibility , but that I want the items and my original packaging back so I can take this up with my business manager at RM as it seems that someone has been able to intercept the parcel and remove an item. I explain that I will be refunding, but may need their co operation with RM when this gets investigated as I am concerned that their post might be at risk.

    I had one late last year, nearly the same, something was apparently not included in packaging when I knew it was, they kept trying for a refund without a case as they didn't want to inconvenience me, even said that where they had had issues before those sellers just refunded without inconveniencing them at all. I held firm, explained I wanted both the items and packaging back and via a case I would send a returns label, after unsuccessfully trying to persuade me to issue a partial refund 'like other sellers' it was all dropped, and now 3 months later I've not heard another thing.

    OP, inconvenience them, make them trundle to the PO for the return and only refund in full when the other two items and your packaging is returned.
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  • mrcol1000
    mrcol1000 Posts: 4,790 Forumite
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    Agree with the above. The buyer is hoping the OP will just refund for the missing one with no fuss in order to avoid losing the whole sale. The buyer then gets a 33% discount for very little effort. Make them return and suddenly they are losing the two items they have brought, they have to go to the post office, there is a record of what they have done. They may well not bother. If they do then at least you have some of your items back from a dodgy buyer.
  • mimi1234
    mimi1234 Posts: 7,949 Forumite
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    Soolin you are good, as is everyone else.

    I've used some of your big words and phrases and stated I want a full investigation so she will have to return everything for a refund and that she will have to open a case.

    It's up to her what she does next.

    As you said, she was very keen on asking for a partial refund in her very first message so that made me a bit wary. Hopefully telling her to open a case will make her panic.

    Thanks for your help folks.
  • greedbay
    greedbay Posts: 135 Forumite
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    Was the face cream expensive?

    A return label will cost you a further £3.05 and you have no idea what you are going to get back.

    I'd chalk it down as a loss and block the buyer. Scammers will always be able to scam.

    At the moment you have been scammed out of a bottle of face cream, you could end up being scammed out of 3 on top of all the postage costs you are going to end up losing.
  • charlies_mum
    charlies_mum Posts: 8,118 Forumite
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    edited 11 February 2018 at 7:23PM
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    Dox wrote: »
    But they still get free goods - the 'missing' tube. Asking for the other 2 tubes to be returned means the seller has the cost of arranging a return + the hassle of reselling. Much better to get the buyer to open a case and then OP can cut her losses by giving a partial refund as the buyer has requested, and write it down to experience. Don't let yourself get carried away on a tide of indignation and outrage!

    i am a top rated seller with 16,000+ feedback, all positive and am not carried away with indignation

    The seller is certain that the buyer is lying and there is no way she should offer a partial refund. Yes, the items are low value but I recently had someone claim something was missing on a £150 item and wanted a partial refund. I knew the item was there so called their bluff and asked them to return. Never hear anything else

    Give in and issue a partial refund and this buyer will try it on again and again. Raising a return request will make the buyer think twice and put them onto ebays radar.
    You're only young once, but you can be immature forever :D
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