eBay

vip-marketplace · ‎07-10-2016

Hey!

So I sold a 30$ coffee syrup bottle to a US buyer and had to pay ~13$ in shipping.

Buyer receives it and wants to return it because she "Doesn't care for the taste".

How would you handle this?

Am I right to assume I am not responsible for return fees?

If she opened the syrup bottle, there's no way I'm reselling this item again...

What would you do?

Thanks!

i.am.vivian · ‎07-10-2016

@vip-marketplace wrote:
Hey!

So I sold a 30$ coffee syrup bottle to a US buyer and had to pay ~13$ in shipping.

Buyer receives it and wants to return it because she "Doesn't care for the taste".

How would you handle this?

Am I right to assume I am not responsible for return fees?

If she opened the syrup bottle, there's no way I'm reselling this item again...

What would you do?

Thanks!

Do you have some time to meditate on this? What is your buyer like to deal with? You have been given lots of good suggestons here so read through them fully and decide for yourself.

I know feedback doesn't count any more you still don't want your buyer to be able (or willing) to leave feedback that says

"Terrible putrid taste. Rancid and inedible. Don't buy!" That won't give you a defect but it won't help sales either. Be nice to your buyer whatever you do.

Anonymous · ‎07-10-2016

As if she or he would dispose it!

momcqueen · ‎07-10-2016

@rose-dee wrote:
@silverpinups wrote:

It's not your problem the buyer didn't like the taste.

Isn't it?
If the buyer was truly dissatisfied with the product, and was being honest about it, not refunding is the one sure way of guaranteeing that buyer will never return to your store again. In fact, they may even tell all their friends on social media to avoid your store (or eBay itself, for that matter).
I'll say again that if you're selling products that depend upon personal taste (or scent) for customer satisfaction, individual perceptions are part of the deal.

What product doesn't fall under this category? Everything one likes or dislikes is a matter of personal taste.

Some buyers are not worth having. Not once, and certainly not a second time. This isn't a case of the seller accidentally cross-contaminating their product with another product, as was the case in your coffee-tainted tea example. Yours was a valid reason to return something. 'I don't like the taste of this' is, in my opinion, not a valid reason to return it. Nor to expect to return it. What gall!

If it were me and I sold the syrup, I would approve Remorse-reason Request and tell them to return the item for a full refund. Politely and pleasantly. 'I'm so sorry to hear this product did not suit your taste. Please return for a full refund.'

To the Original Poster: By all means, sleep on it and get back to the request in the morning. You may have a whole other slew of opinions overnight.

And no one has contradicted my assertion yet that no feedback can be left once a Returns case has been successfully closed so the buyer, if this was a formal Returns request as opposed to a message, cannot leave you nasty feedback for this transaction anyway. They can, however, leave a nasty Product Review for it.

sylviebee · ‎07-10-2016

This is tricky because even in the real world this type of situation is uncomfortable and unclear. On line even more so.

Have you ever sat down in a restaurant and been severed a meal you didn't care for? Sending the food back is uncomfortable and most just suck it up.. However, paying for a meal you didn't care for is painful too.

In addition: Have you ever bought an expensive food product from a store that you didn't care for? You could return it and the store would probably refund, but again, most people just suck it up.

It's just not the norm to return bad food, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't.

There is no easy answer.

tobyshitzu · ‎07-10-2016

change your listings on stuff like that to "no returns"

"I didnt like it and want to return it" = No I don't offer returns

Buyer opens a return request = click no, case closed

Buyer then opens a SNAD = use their original message saying they didn't like it to get that closed too

Unfortunately you have been offerring returns with buyer pays. Buyer may go way once finding out the cost to mail it here

silverpinups · ‎07-10-2016

This is tricky because even in the real world this type of situation is uncomfortable and unclear. On line even more so.

Have you ever sat down in a restaurant and been severed a meal you didn't care for? Sending the food back is uncomfortable and most just suck it up.. However, paying for a meal you didn't care for is painful too.

In addition: Have you ever bought an expensive food product from a store that you didn't care for? You could return it and the store would probably refund, but again, most people just suck it up.

It's just not the norm to return bad food, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't.

There is no easy answer.

In regards to restaurant food you didn't care for or returning items you purchased at your local grocery store are not in the same category as purchasing something on-line that you may or may not be familiar with.

Grocery stores will except returns for items with the original receipt and/or if the food has expired or sour and most importantly unopened, and "not" for returning half a can of soup because it didn't appeal to you.

The product was opened and used by the buyer. Your job was to send the product undamaged and in a timely manner.

Now on the flip side there is the whole "feedback" situation....

How much do you value your feedback, as most sellers do value their feedback and keeping it in good standing.

You can politely explain the situation that if the product was still sealed and in unused condition that you could return the item for a "full" refund but since the product has been opened and used that you can not except a return for it.

Now, if you decide it's not worth the trouble you can send the buyer a cancellation request and refund their money.

You are in the right to refuse a return of this product and/or sending a refund to the buyer,

But being right doesn't always suite the situation.

silverpinups · ‎07-11-2016

Your job was to send the product undamaged and in a timely manner.

CORRECTION:

It's the sellers job to send the product undamaged and in a timely manner.

sylviebee · ‎07-11-2016

@silverpinups wrote:

In regards to restaurant food you didn't care for or returning items you purchased at your local grocery store are not in the same category as purchasing something on-line that you may or may not be familiar with...........................

Grocery stores will except returns for items with the original receipt and/or if the food has expired or sour and most importantly unopened, and "not" for returning half a can of soup because it didn't appeal to you.

Buying food items on line as opposed to the real world are not the same thing, but the comparison makes the issue more concrete because it shows that this is a difficult situation in the real world as well.

I'm pretty sure that grocery stores would just refund no receipt required even if the item is half eaten.

momcqueen · ‎07-11-2016

I'm pretty sure no grocery store would offer a customer a refund if the customer showed up at the courtesy desk WITHOUT the item in hand that they wanted a refund for. Like, ask to return thin air for cash? Not likely.

silverpinups · ‎07-11-2016

"I'm pretty sure that grocery stores would just refund no receipt required even if the item is half eaten"

I guessing you must shop at the grocery store in the clouds......

momcqueen · ‎07-11-2016

I once tried to return an unopened box of diapers that my baby had outgrown WITH a receipt in hand and the store told me to take a hike because more than two weeks had passed since the date of purchase. Allow me to reiterate, this was a sealed box of diapers. Undamaged, unused and completely re-sellable. I was a regular customer and routinely spent more than a thousand dollars a month there. My sin was that I waited a month to initiate a return. They told me 'no' and that was the end of the story.

The last food item I returned with receipt was a package of wieners that was clearly damaged at some point and consequently spoiled before its expiry date. It was still sealed. I had tossed it into my cart without double-checking it was edible but noticed it was gross in the parking lot. I returned it immediately. The store gave me a store credit in the form of a gift card, not cash.

Consumers cannot just expect stores to give them stuff for free, online or otherwise.

I've said it once but it bears repeating: if this was my case with the syrup, I would ensure the buyer opened a formal Returns request so no feedback could be left for me on its conclusion, I would Approve the Returns Request, and refund their money WHEN THE ITEM WAS RETURNED. This is a matter of principle. The buyer is not a regular customer with whom the seller already has strong working relationship, it's a one-off and, if it were me, I wouldn't want them back. If it were a buyer with whom I'd concluded a handful of satisfactory transactions before this happened, that of course would be completely different. You make exceptions for Good Customers.

Giving this person a freebie will only encourage them to try this trick elsewhere.

pierrelebel · ‎07-11-2016

"and refund their money WHEN THE ITEM WAS RETURNED. This is a matter of principle."

This is where some folks may have different opinions. My prior experiences as a buyer do not dictate my decisions as a seller.

Personally I am pragmatic and, considering the open bottle has no resale value, do not see the point in anyone (buyer or seller, it does not matter) wasting money to arrange for a return.

I do not see it as a matter of right or wrong (the buyer in this case is obviously wrong) but I have learned over the years that such problems go away immediately (monkey off your shoulders) if they are handled promptly and conclusively. And the only way that problem will go away is to give a full refund without complaining to the buyer. Goodwill gesture = cost of doing business.

The longer these small problems drag on... the more they take out of you. Not worth it since the money is lost in any case.

momcqueen · ‎07-11-2016

Of course you make a valid point but are you not concerned this buyer will pick you next? Buy a lot of stamps, lick them all, and then initiate a Return Request because he/she 'didn't like the taste'?

pierrelebel · ‎07-11-2016

"are you not concerned this buyer will pick you next?"

Yes.... but I cannot solve all problems in the world. I try to keep it simple.

If the bottle is worthless (no resale value) I do not see the point in dragging this problem for days and having someone - anyone - wasting money returning it.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-11-2016

If a seller wins a snad case, feedback is not allowed but us the sane true of a return case even if the buyer doesn't escalate? I honestly have no idea how that works so I'm curious. For example, if the item just is never returned I've always assumed that feedback could be left. But I haven't ever tested it or really thought about it before so my assumption may have been wrong.

in the op's situation, even though they do have a return policy, the buyer is supposed to return the item in the same condition which they can't do. I'm not sure what I would do In the same situation but I do agree that losing their future business would not be one of my concerns, Unless the buyer has purchased the same item before and believed that this particular bottle is 'off' I think that they are being unreasonable by asking for a return because it isn't to their taste. I'm sure that Safeway can afford to pacify customers like that but few of us here can afford it or would want the buyer to buy another flavour to test out.

melissasminis · ‎07-11-2016

Grocery stores usually only give refunds if you have a receipt and if product is unused, unless the item was expired or something was wrong with the product. Don't think you can get a refund because you didn't like the flavor. If a grocery store had to pay for return shipping of a used product because someone didn't like the flavor of it, they definitely wouldn't accept a return for refund.

So every time someone doesn't like a flavor of something they purchased, they have to be refunded, don't think that makes much sense. The OP would be out of business in a heartbeat if that was the case. I also wouldn't expect the customer to return it, regardless who would have to pay return shipping, as the product is now unsellable. I understand what others are saying by asking them to return it at their expense, so that might discourage the customer from returning it, but do expect negative feedback and a negative response out of it.

If the OP made the product themselves, I'd refund immediately and apologize, because they didn't like the product they created, and I would re-think selling that flavor again, or changing it. In this case, it was made by a large company, that company should be responsible for their flavors and quality. The customer should be contacting the company who made the product for a refund, as that company has already been paid for the product the OP is selling. In order to even get a refund from a company, they want the original receipt, and they want you to send them the product for a full refund. The maker of the product is the one that offers a guarantee, not the reseller. I just bought something the other day that said on the box, "If opened cannot be returned".

The OP's only obligation is to deliver the product the customer ordered in a timely manner. Assuming the product wasn't expired, I don't see why they would have to refund. The customer should have just accepted that they chose a flavor they didn't try before and didn't like it, then move on, they shouldn't be trying to cause the seller loss. This customer is probably the type of person who returns everything. Who would eat most of their meal in a restaurant, and tell you they didn't like it so they wouldn't have to pay for it. I would block them. I know we're trying to keep customers not drive them away, but not every customer is worth keeping, and will only cause loss and trouble in the future for your business. Can't keep everyone happy.

pierrelebel · ‎07-11-2016

Back to basics: the seller states - front page of the eBay store: 30 days warranty on everything!

Either that means something or it does not.

What grocery stores do as far as returns has nothing to do with this situation.

KISS

sylviebee · ‎07-11-2016

@silverpinups wrote:
"I'm pretty sure that grocery stores would just refund no receipt required even if the item is half eaten"

I guessing you must shop at the grocery store in the clouds......

What grocery stores do or don't do is not the issue.

I was simply pointing out that when dealing with edibles that one is faced with decisions and issues that are unique and not encountered with most other types of items.

I never expected that the comparison would take on a life of its own.

rose-dee · ‎07-11-2016

@silverpinups wrote:

Who cares if they don't return, they opened the product making it "unsellable" for the seller.

There are millions of buyers on eBay and losing one buyer who decides to take the product for a "test drive' isn't worth having as a repeat costumer!

And how exactly was the buyer to try out a food product without opening it?

I will reiterate that if you're selling food products, there is always a potential risk that a buyer won't like the taste or smell. It is the seller's responsibility to accept that risk as part of the product, not the buyer's. The fact that the item is now unsalable because the buyer tested it for taste is part of the risk (with any food product by the way, and also many cosmetics and other personal care products). Again, this is why B&M retailers usually offer "testers" for such things as perfumes, moisturizers, etc.

Yes, there are millions of buyers on eBay, but only a very small percentage at any given time are going to be interested in the particular type of items sold by a particular buyer. There are also millions of users on social media like Facebook, and one really angry customer can reach a whole lot of people in a very short time. You really never know what sort of network that one buyer may have.

In the final analysis, to me it's a matter of how you view your buyers. I prefer to ascribe honest motives to them and accept the occasional issue as part of doing business.

The OP's situation is entirely different from "buyer's remorse" over a product that could be described clearly and unambiguously in a listing. It's impossible to describe a taste 100% accurately for all people, or to account for personal taste preferences. Anyone who ever manages that piece of magic will be able to make billions in the processed food market!

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-11-2016

Ebay Item Condition Policy For Retorns

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/return-item-condition.html

You must return an item in the same condition as it was received, not used or altered in any way. You must also include, in the same condition as it was received:
All original packaging such as boxes, bags, tags, and UPCs
Accessories such as cords and remote controls
Certificates, manuals, warranty, and rebate cards
"Free gifts" or bonus items
All items included in a bundle

There is nothing specified that food is an exception to the toes.

If I was to sell similar products as the OP I would not use the term 30 day warranty without any qualifications or ele not use it at all. I would also charge for at least some of the shipping costs on those items and mention in the return policy that original shipping may not be refundable. That might help defer buyer remorse return requests.