Buyer requests refund for 64 year old used car part after 25 days since delivery

[barnfindparts]

Hello so I have a little situation here as the title says I have a customer who wants a refund for a 64 year old used car part after 25 days since delivery. Do to the nature of selling extremely old rare car parts I cannot assure the working condition of the parts. The ad clearly states "selling as is untested" there is also a "No Returns Accepted policy with the ad. Here is the listing:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/264528624880

My thinking from what I can decipher from his poor grammar is he bought the gauges on behalf of a customer, now the customer has changed his mind and wants a newer part.  He's stuck with the old part and now says its defective and requests a return.

All that being said ebay has still allowed the buyer to open a return request which I have to respond to. The ad was free shipping so if I accept the return will I be out for shipping there and back? Or should I fight this? Curious how you guys would handle this situation? 

Thanks

[snoopwiz]

If the buyer claims not as described, the seller (not always fairly) is responsible to pay to have it returned, regardless of free shipping outbound or not. 

I believe that if you want to sell things on an "as is/for parts only basis, there is that option in a drop-down menu.  Listing it as you have  "Condition: Used" will supercede any wording you use in your item description. I think. 

[reallynicestamps]

No returns does NOT mean No Refunds.

The question here is do you want it back?

The other question is who will pay for the return?

You are entitled to ask for the return even if you have a policy of no returns.

But both eBay and Paypal will force you to refund.

Ask him to open a Dispute with eBay.

This puts him on eBay's radar if this is something he does a lot-- to get free parts.

(I doubt this is the case here, btw.)

If eBay tells you to send return shipping, you can do that through his payment if he is in Canada and through Shippo if he is in the USA (because with a US customer only Shippo can sell you a USPS label).

When the part is returned, refund promptly. Any delay will give you a Defect on your account.

Not every transaction will go perfectly.

Having a little extra built into every sales is called Cookie Jar Insurance. You are self-insuring against occasional losses.

And yes, be careful when selling untested parts that you use the As Is -For Parts category not just Used. Used items are expected to be in working condition.

He's stuck with the old part and now says its defective and requests a return.

So you expect to get a working part back? Your loss on the sale will be the costs of shipping, because you will have something you can relist.

[mcrlmn]

Perhaps the only thing broken is his English.
He probably forgot to connect the speedo cable, or the 56 year old nylon speedo gear in the tranny is worn.
But that doesn't matter because 'he order now dakota' and doesn't need the part anymore.

Do what reallynicestamps has suggested relating to eBay's Resolution Centre, so you can at least resell the part.

[barnfindparts]

The buyer sent some pictures it appears to be in the same condition that I shipped it. He informed me via messaging that he agrees to cover all the shipping cost so that's good at least I can sell it later and just be out my time dealing with this mess. As a side note whats up with ebay discontinuing their phone service? They blame it on this pandemic, but really you cant keep a few around people to answer phones? I waited 30 minutes for someone on their online chats.

I contacted them to ask about the return request that is open which I have not responded to yet because if I click on "Accept the return" option it says I'm liable for shipping costs. 

[femmefan1946]

If you've ever seen a call centre-- desks are two to four feet apart and there can be dozens of people in the same room.

It makes sense to close it down. I don't think the call centre is actually eBay employees by the way. It's my understanding that calls are handled by a sub-contractor, even if you talk to someone from the US centre in Utah.

To my mind, the written (email, Twitter, FB) format might actually work better for many sellers.

It forces us to explain clearly-- but it also allows the clerk to think about what the seller is saying.

That's not always clear when the seller is (understandably) upset and well into rant mode.

A 30-minute wait? Yeah. I've been on hold for that long with the call centre if I choose the wrong moment to call.

Glad to hear the customer is willing to accept responsibility for returning it. Now we will cross all our fingers and toes that he does a reasonable job of packaging.

[maximus7001]

"I contacted them to ask about the return request that is open which I have not responded to yet because if I click on "Accept the return" option it says I'm liable for shipping costs."

Send the buyer a return label with shippo if he is outside of Canada and make sure you put in the address line "return merchandise" or you will get stuck paying gst and pst and brokerage fees and have to fight to get them back. Make sure he also writes the same in large writing with a black marker on each side of the box. Since they agreed to pay for return shipping just subtract that amount and then partial refund through the original payal transaction.

We had a buyer that bought a parts phone accidentally pick the wrong reason for return like an idiot. There is no way to correct such a thing after it is done. He agreed that he picked the wrong reason and agreed it was a remorse return in an ebay message. It all worked out in the end. In our case we subtracted shipping cost for both directions. Since you had "free shipping" you can only subtract the return shipping cost.

[a52split]

---

@barnfindparts wrote:

 Do to the nature of selling extremely old rare car parts I cannot assure the working condition of the parts. The ad clearly states "selling as is untested" 

---

You need to be more careful in your listing.  Under Item Specifics, Condition, it says "but is fully operational and functions as intended."

Because of that, ebay will side with the buyer if it does not work.

I also sell in ebay motors.  I won't sell anything that I wasn't sure was working 100% for the very reason of your posting.

[travis7s]

To repeat others, if you are not 100% sure it works, don't sell as "used". Sell as "For Parts or Not Working", this will give you some leverage if they open a return and it really doesn't affect the value when you are selling vintage items like this. Legit collectors and restoration people understand and will still buy.