buyer claims package was "completely damaged"

[topcornertoys]

hi recently sold a Walking Dead Blu Ray box set...item was sent with tracking and insurance....buyer saying the item was "completely damanged" when he received it...told him he could get a full refund if he sent it back and reminded him that it was sent with insurance and I would like some pictures of the damaged goods since I packed it myself and that as per listing buyer was responsible for return costs.

have not heard back from him since I reminded him of the insurance coverage and just noticed on his feedback he claimed same thing with another seller...and he also bought an identical item as mine 3 days after his transaction with me

what to do? 

[i*m-still-here]

Even though the most logical thing in the world is to ask for photos of the damage.......... It can get very complicated.

If the buyer is telling the truth you'll probably (not necessarily) get pictures of the damage.

If the buyer is not telling the truth.......... you'll get all sorts of excuses about why no pictures can be sent.

Or....

You might even get some photos of a damaged item (which can be at the hands of the buyer), or you could get photos of something you can't make heads nor tails of.

Now what to do you do with that?

I've had experiences with all of the above and so I've learned that asking for pictures of damage is a bad idea.

So what are you options?

You can a) Refund or b) suggest that the buyer could be a liar.

It's your choice, but since you have insurance anyway............. why not go with a)?

[i*m-still-here]

So, I just read your post again.

You asked the buyer to return a damaged item to you.

Do you really want a damaged item back?

What are you going to do with it?  Throw it in the garbage?

[pjcdn2005]

what to do?

Don't do anything until you hear back from the buyer or receive a picture. I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask for a picture when a buyer claims an item is damaged. It's quite possible that you won't hear from them again.

If they do send a pic of the damage and you want the item back, I don't think that it is fair that the buyer pay for return shipping as its not like they are returning it because they changed their mind. But, as the previous poster said,  if the item is damaged and not useable there is not much point in asking for a return.

[treasure.hunter.d]

what to do?

Don't do anything until you hear back from the buyer or receive a picture. I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask for a picture when a buyer claims an item is damaged. It's quite possible that you won't hear from them again.

If they do send a pic of the damage and you want the item back, I don't think that it is fair that the buyer pay for return shipping as its not like they are returning it because they changed their mind. But, as the previous poster said,  if the item is damaged and not useable there is not much point in asking for a return.

Exactly.

I have had this exact situation and once I asked for photos of the damaged item the customer went poof and I never heard from them again. I had another situation where a customer claimed damage and sent me a photo of a damaged item, the same as I sold them. The damage was completely impossible to have happened so my guess was that they were replacing a damaged item with the new one they bought from me and thought they would pull a fast one. It turns out that they got their way and PayPal issued them a refund even though I had photos of my item in original condition before it shipped and the type of damage and area of damage on the item was completely impossible to have happened. PayPal even agreed with me on this so when they refunded the customer they paid them out of some contingency fund they have and didn't thankfully take the money from me.

It turned out in that case that the photo they sent me actually sunk their case in so far as hurting me, but they still got their money back. That part burned me just on the principle.

Anyway the point is that it is completely reasonable and well advised to ask for photos, clear, in focus and detailed of the damaged item before doing anything else.

[musicyouneed]

Hi I just had a similar case where I sent a CD and when they buyer got it filled a NAD stating that it arrived it pieces.  I packed it very well however, she sent pictures, and sure enough it was cracked and broken.  I didn't want it sent back to me, waste money on postage, so I could throw it away.  I just refunded her right away.  I think that either something very heavy was placed on it or someone stepped on the package.  The buyer had over 1000 feedback, so I was almost 100% positive that the package arrived broken.  The pictures just confirmed it. 

[recped]

Hi I just had a similar case where I sent a CD and when they buyer got it filled a NAD stating that it arrived it pieces.  I packed it very well however, she sent pictures, and sure enough it was cracked and broken.  I didn't want it sent back to me, waste money on postage, so I could throw it away.  I just refunded her right away.  I think that either something very heavy was placed on it or someone stepped on the package.  The buyer had over 1000 feedback, so I was almost 100% positive that the package arrived broken.  The pictures just confirmed it. 

This does happen, I sent out to two vinyl singles to buyers in different parts of the USA, they both claimed damaged in transit, the buyers sent pics with the fork lift tire tracks across the package. I've sent thousands of the same thing packaged the same way and never had a damage report until these two. My first thought...it's not possible to be damaged but obviously anything is possible when you combine a sleeping postal worker and a fork lift!

[stevephinn2012]

It's your choice, but since you have insurance anyway............. why not go with a)?

sure just call the post office and tell them it was destroyed in transit.Tell them of course you have no proof of this as the buyer will not provide it.

I am sure they will take your word for it!

[i*m-still-here]

I have no idea why others can request photos of damaged items, but when I do it backfires more often than not.

When an item really is damaged you get a photo.......... but when it's not you (or at least I) get big problems.

Two buyers left me NFB when I asked for pictures.

Also......... I've never had the PO request photos or proof of damage and I suspect there's a good reason for that.

For example........ what if the customer tells you they don't own a camera, as was the case with one of my buyers?

That's just one example of how this has backfired for me.........

What do you do then?

[toff3]

Steve,

You may not realize it but you are spot on when you say that Canada Post will take the shipper's word for it when he submits a claim for damage or loss in transit. Canada Post, if it so chooses, will follow up on the claim and attempt to obtain evidence of the damage or loss from the addressee. The shipper is in no way obligated to provide that evidence.

In the great majority of cases, Canada Post, after receiving the claim, will simply refund the shipper. It's not worth their while to launch a major investigation, except in the case of a very large claim.

Tom  

[i*m-still-here]

Steve,

You may not realize it but you are spot on when you say that Canada Post will take the shipper's word for it when he submits a claim for damage or loss in transit.

That's exactly right..............

But I read Steve's post as dripping with sarcasm........

Maybe I got that wrong........

I guess that's where smiley faces come in handy......... as much as I cringe when I see all those emoticons....... something about them that's such a turn off.

They do come in handy at times.

[toff3]

Of course Steve was being sarcastic. He needed to be set straight.

Tom

[denki2012]

Very angry with these buyers. I met one customer who said part did not work without a component after replacement. I asked him to send a picture of it. he sent me picture for 3 times, none of them are mine, then disappeared. I lost one replacement part. It is difficult to do business in eBay now.