eBay

hus1370 · ‎04-15-2014

I sold an item yesterday , the buyer paid and I shipped right away. The item is in transit. Today she says she wants to cancel the transaction and wants a refund. What should I do here? She didn't give a reason for not wanting the item, she just changed her mind.

mr.elmwood · ‎04-15-2014

That happens to me. I tell them to refuse delivery and it will come back to me. I then give a refund.

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melissasminis · ‎04-15-2014

If the package goes into their mailbox, and they do not have the option to refuse the package, have them return it to you. There's nothing you can do once it's been shipped. Explain to them, "I'm sorry you changed your mind, but the item has already been shipped out and is in transit. When it arrives, please ship the item back to me, and I will send a full refund once the returned item has been received. Thank you". They really shouldn't have paid for it, then expect you to cancel it, or at least could of told you sooner before it was shipped. They are also responsable for return shipping fees, only because they changed their mind.

mr.elmwood · ‎04-15-2014

and they do not have the option to refuse the package

Parcel I just got back from Puerto Rico is marked "refused", just like I asked the customer to do is this exact same situation. It cost the customer nothing.

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mr.elmwood · ‎04-15-2014

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recped · ‎04-15-2014

@melissas-minis-2007 wrote:
If the package goes into their mailbox, and they do not have the option to refuse the package, have them return it to you. There's nothing you can do once it's been shipped. Explain to them, "I'm sorry you changed your mind, but the item has already been shipped out and is in transit. When it arrives, please ship the item back to me, and I will send a full refund once the returned item has been received. Thank you". They really shouldn't have paid for it, then expect you to cancel it, or at least could of told you sooner before it was shipped. They are also responsable for return shipping fees, only because they changed their mind.

Recipient received package in the mailbox..........

Mark it "refused" or "unknown" and put it back in the mailbox for the carrier to take away

or

Mark it "refused or "unknown" and drop it in any Canada Post Red Box or on the counter of any Post office.

Forcing the buyer to pay to have it returned when it's not necessary is simply asking for trouble.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.

melissasminis · ‎04-15-2014

I thought it had to be at the door delivery for you to refuse it, didn't know you could receive it in the mailbox, then decide to refuse it. Why shouldn't a buyer who changes their mind after the item has been paid for and shipped have to pay for return shipping, if return shipping needed to be paid? I only had this situation maybe once or twice. In those situations, the buyer received the item, opened the package, then decided they didn't need it and wanted to return, I am not paying return shipping because someone changed their mind on an item.

femmefan1946 · ‎04-16-2014

Why shouldn't a buyer who changes their mind after the item has been paid for and shipped have to pay for return shipping, if return shipping needed to be paid?

Because the Post Office doesn't know why the item is being returned. The addressee might be dead. The sender may be a scammer who sends unordered items and demands payment. Or the addressee might have buyer's remorse.

All the PO can do is follow instructions. And the instruction is Return to Sender.

I know the USPS charges the sender when an item is refused and returned. I am less sure about Canada Post. At one time they did not charge, within my adult memory. But that may have changed.

In those situations, the buyer received the item, opened the package, then decided they didn't need it and wanted to return, I am not paying return shipping because someone changed their mind on an item.

Nor does eBay require you to. Nor will Canada Post accept a Return to Sender when the package has been opened. (There could be anything in it, after all. You send me a football jersey for my birthday and I return the opened box now containing your present of chocolates? Not allowed.)

The basic rule is No Refund Without Return.

There is flexibility. Some sellers accept photographic evidence of a problem. Some sellers will refund the return postage when the problem was the seller's error. Some sellers give partial refunds.

hocotatefreight · ‎04-20-2014

"I'm sorry you changed your mind, but the item has already been shipped out and is in transit. When it arrives, please ship the item back to me, and I will send a full refund once the returned item has been received. Thank you".

This isn't helpful advice. It's an apology for something you're not required to apologize for so it's insincere, at best.

bigphil30 · ‎02-02-2015

I have just run into a similar problem, I sold an item and shipped it in between the holidays and it took 2 weeks to arrive from Canada to the USA, the buyer decided it took too long and just refused it. Now he wants a refund for the full amount and I will be out double the shipping which from Canada to the USA is quite expensive, the returned shipment will be approx $40 COD. When I receive the item back and have to pay the return shipping should I deduct the amount for COD? Any suggestion would be appreciated...

dinomitesales · ‎02-02-2015

I was under the impression that any item marked "returned to sender" or "refused" would result in the sender being charged for return shipping, to be collected on delivery. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

If the buyer no longer wants it they should be responsible for shipping the item back. Whether or not they will be co-operative with this is the question. Luckily, the only time this situation occurred to me, the buyer was co-operative and simply mailed the item back and I gave a refund (even refunded original shipping as I was feeling nice).

decal-fx · ‎02-02-2015

from my experience it depends on the country it's coming back from. I've had parcel come back from the States with no charge, but parcels from South Africa & Denmark with money owing on return (Both cases it was the exact same cost as the original shipping)

@dinomitesales wrote:
I was under the impression that any item marked "returned to sender" or "refused" would result in the sender being charged for return shipping, to be collected on delivery. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

tobyshitzu · ‎02-02-2015

i just had one like that. They bought on the weekend, i sent them an email that it was shipped Monday, and a day after that they said they wanted to cancel and wanted a refund. Then they said they'd send it back and demanded a refund with a bad attitude so I pointed out my listings say no returns. They they opened a return request on ebay, which I indicated I do not agree to, which closed the case instantly (wouldnt be the case if you offer returns). Never heard from them again. This was only a $30 item, made no sense to mail it to the USA then mail it back. Especially being the buyer was also a seller, and a seller who put no returns in their own listings

i get fairly regularly ones who buy, pay, then inexplicably quickly request to cancel which i do if its before I mail. once its mailed its too late.

CP is supposed to collect postage on return for everything other then letter, but often doesn't

jt-libra · ‎02-02-2015

@dinomitesales wrote:

I was under the impression that any item marked "returned to sender" or "refused" would result in the sender being charged for return shipping, to be collected on delivery. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

That's true, at least within Canada. Twice this past year, I've had "Return to Sender" packages from Ontario for which the letter carrier had to collect return postage. In both cases, they were returned by the same method as shipped ... Expedited Parcel.