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!

pierrelebel · ‎07-10-2016

I would provide a full refund - including shipping charge - and ask the buyer to dispose of the unwanted product.

vip-marketplace · ‎07-10-2016

Really?

I mean if you think it's the correct thing to do, I'll do it but since the item isn't defective or "Not as Described", wouldn't the buyer be responsible for return shipping?

And since she obviously opened the package, shouldn't I charge some "restocking fees"?

I would let her know up front that she is reponsible for return shipping and that since the syrup bottle has been opened, there will most likely be a restocking fee... hoping that she realize it doesnt make economical sens to return it. Would that be wrong?

momcqueen · ‎07-10-2016

That's tricky.

Can I assume it is the Pistachio Premium Syrup?

From my point of view as a buyer, it seems pretty arrogant for another buyer to assume they can ask for a return of something they opened and ate. From my seller's point of view, I don't have any firm suggestions but rather a few additional thoughts:

1. Your return policy. What explicitly does it say? 30 days and money back. My own says returns are welcome but only if the item is unopened and in its original condition. This is easy enough for you to change with a Bulk Edit of Return Policy details and I would consider adding a restocking fee while I was at it to discourage product borrowers.

2. Your Item Description really sells it. Does it oversell it? "I promise, you won’t be disappointed. So, get yourself a bottle or two of Amoretti Premium Crema di Pistachio Syrup and use it following our suggestions, or come up with your own ideas, knowing that you are using the best available product. If you don’t agree, just let us know and we will find a way to make you happy."

3. Do you have a high enough sales volume that you can afford to give this buyer the full Remorse refund without suffering unduly? Pierre's suggestion is valid but harder to swallow if it means you can't feed your kids because you're handing money over to a remorseful food snob.

Of course, if you approve the return as per the ebay Money Back Guarantee rules -- it's a Remorse Return so the buyer has to fund return shipping -- you aren't obligated to refund the buyer their full purchase price until you get it back. Sellable or not, at least you get it back. And no feedback can be left for you by the buyer on this transaction, if I'm not mistaken. If I am wrong there, another member will be around quickly to point that out. (We're good that way.)

Actually, the paragraph above is probably what I would do. Approve the Remorse Return and wait. There's a good chance the buyer will balk at the cost of Return shipping with tracking and the Returns request will simply time-out and go away. If not.... block them anyway on the principle of them being nervy enough to think they can take back something they don't like the taste of. Like, really. Would I take my store-brand cheese whiz-type spread back to Walmart because it tastes too much like whiz and too little like cheese? Or would I just grin and bear it, or give it to someone else who might like it?

momcqueen · ‎07-10-2016

p.s. You cannot charge a Restocking Fee unless it is denoted on your Item Listing selling page as such. This changed in the fall. There is now a spot for it under Returns and this is where details of a restocking fee have to go if you expect to be able to charge one. You cannot just do it after-the-fact.

pierrelebel · ‎07-10-2016

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

Obviously if the buyer does not care for the taste, the bottle has been opened and cannot be resold. There is no point in wasting money returning it to you.

By the way your listings are confusing as to location. "Quebec" or shipping from USA (USPS Priority)?

momcqueen · ‎07-10-2016

You know that I don't ever like to disagree with you, Pierre, and will always acknowledge your greater experience as an online seller but I do disagree with you in this instance. Requiring the buyer to return her tasted portion may discourage her or him from trying this kind of silliness on other sellers. Do you really think the seller in this case should be obligated to lose their profit and product because their Fussy Buyer didn't like the taste of it? To me, that seems ridiculous. Like, buying a formal gown, sweating all over it at my special event, and then taking it back to the dress shop the next morning because, 'I didn't like the feel of it.'

ricarmic · ‎07-10-2016

While my world (stamp collectors) is quite different, I have also had "didn't like it" situations.

I would handle with a refund, although usually in my world I'm able to get away with a partial refund instead.

The way I look at these things is to get them over with as quickly and inexpensively (to me) in terms of time, feedback, and $$$$ as possible. To my mind these are no different than "lost*" items in the mail, handled through "cookie jar insurance".

I of course block the buyer as soon as it is appropriate because my adjusted saying is:

"Buyer burns me once, shame on them, buyer burns me twice, shame on me"

*whether or not they really are lost, there will be a certain number of knobs one experiences whilst selling, this is just another example/type of one.....

rose-dee · ‎07-10-2016

@mjwl2006 wrote:
Requiring the buyer to return her tasted portion may discourage her or him from trying this kind of silliness on other sellers. Do you really think the seller in this case should be obligated to lose their profit and product because their Fussy Buyer didn't like the taste of it? To me, that seems ridiculous. Like, buying a formal gown, sweating all over it at my special event, and then taking it back to the dress shop the next morning because, 'I didn't like the feel of it.'

I do have to agree with Pierre. There are health issues involved once a food product has been opened, which, as he pointed out, makes the product completely unsaleable anyway.

Why would a seller feel it was necessary to "educate" the buyer in this situation by forcing a return that makes no sense for the seller? This assumes the buyer is acting in bad faith and will do so again in the future. I'd prefer to conclude that my dissatisfied buyer is being honest, even if eBay says the situation doesn't obligate me to refund. I suppose it's a matter of approach -- I'd rather make the buyer happy, in the hope that she might come back again.

The seller has already lost her profit whether the item is returned or not. Why upset the buyer even more by obliging her to go through the process of a return -- presumably at her own expense -- in order to get a refund? With a postal shutdown looming, how would that be accomplished in any case?

The sweaty dress analogy doesn't necessarily hold true these days either. There are retailers who will allow customers to return any garment, even if worn, for a full refund, with no questions asked. They want the customer to remember the treatment they received, and come back. These are the market perceptions that even we, as small sellers, have to compete with.

Over a $30 item, I'd take the buyer at her word and call it a write-off (although I might think twice about selling that sort of food product online in the future).

fashionoutletdeal · ‎07-10-2016

when is didnt like it is the buyer who pay the return shipping .But if there is something like not describe it you will need to claim lost in your books.eBay will not help you.I know that this will be hard on you

momcqueen · ‎07-10-2016

I think it is good that your question is garnering conflicting responses since you know this leaves you with options to consider.

rose-dee · ‎07-10-2016

@ricarmic wrote:

[...] there will be a certain number of knobs one experiences whilst selling, this is just another example/type of one.....

While I mostly agree with your comments, I'm not so sure about this one. Considering this was a food product, and considering how many different opinions and reactions there must be to any given flavour or product, I don't think it's necessarily the case that a buyer is being deliberately difficult in saying she doesn't like the taste. After all, I presume she paid for it, paid for shipping, waited for several days to receive it, and then found the taste off-putting. That could happen to anyone.

Here's a case in point that's just occurred to me. My husband and I are inveterate tea drinkers. We frequently buy loose specialty teas. When we lived in Victoria we always purchased from a well-known tea shop. The shop (which had been run by a family of expert tea merchants for over 100 years) was sold to an outside purchaser with no experience in the tea business.

We bought half a pound of very expensive tea one day, measured out as usual at the counter. What we didn't know was that the new owners had had their staff use the tea scoop (which had always been used by the previous owners exclusively for tea) to also measure out loose coffee. When we got home and opened our package, the expensive -- and I mean expensive -- green tea we bought had a slight "whiff" of coffee about it. For us and our palates, it was simply undrinkable, no question.

We took it back, got a full refund, and in the process informed the new owner about the problem. They were grateful, we went away happy with another bag of tea (not measured with the offending scoop), and we returned to buy again later. This was a good lesson in merchant/customer relations that I haven't forgotten. I find that handling complaints from buyers in the right way can often actually produce constructive changes.

I think, in all honesty, the seller has to ask whether she is prepared to accept the fact that people have extremely varied and definite -- sometimes violent -- opinions about the taste and smell of edible products, and that that is an integral risk of selling such products.

I haven't looked to see whether the OP specializes in these products, but if she sells them all the time, a $30 loss now and then on a food product is, I think, pretty good luck.

rose-dee · ‎07-10-2016

@vip-marketplace wrote:

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

Out of curiosity, how did you plan to have the buyer handle the return, in view of the potential Canada Post shutdown?

What would be the point of punishing the buyer by making her pay for return shipping -- assuming the item can even get through -- if you can't re-sell the product? She's already unhappy with the product you sold her. Why make her even more unhappy by forcing her to return the item in order to get a refund?

If this were a $500 item that could be resold, I might be inclined to look at it differently. Let me put it another way -- over a $30 item you will have lost a customer permanently. Would a pleasant, no-questions-asked refund have possibly encouraged her to come back and buy from you again?

I think it boils down to whether we believe our customers are mostly honest people or not. Personally I look at every interaction with a customer, whether a complaint or a compliment, as an opportunity to create repeat business.

ricarmic · ‎07-10-2016

@rose-dee wrote:
@ricarmic wrote:

[...] there will be a certain number of knobs one experiences whilst selling, this is just another example/type of one.....
While I mostly agree with your comments, I'm not so sure about this one. Considering this was a food product, and considering how many different opinions and reactions there must be to any given flavour or product, I don't think it's necessarily the case that a buyer is being deliberately difficult in saying she doesn't like the taste. After all, I presume she paid for it, paid for shipping, waited for several days to receive it, and then found the taste off-putting. That could happen to anyone.

Here's a case in point that's just occurred to me. My husband and I are inveterate tea drinkers. We frequently buy loose specialty teas. When we lived in Victoria we always purchased from a well-known tea shop. The shop (which had been run by a family of expert tea merchants for over 100 years) was sold to an outside purchaser with no experience in the tea business.

We bought half a pound of very expensive tea one day, measured out as usual at the counter. What we didn't know was that the new owners had had their staff use the tea scoop (which had always been used by the previous owners exclusively for tea) to also measure out loose coffee. When we got home and opened our package, the expensive -- and I mean expensive -- green tea we bought had a slight "whiff" of coffee about it. For us and our palates, it was simply undrinkable, no question.

We took it back, got a full refund, and in the process informed the new owner about the problem. They were grateful, we went away happy with another bag of tea (not measured with the offending scoop), and we returned to buy again later. This was a good lesson in merchant/customer relations that I haven't forgotten. I find that handling complaints from buyers in the right way can often actually produce constructive changes.

I think, in all honesty, the seller has to ask whether she is prepared to accept the fact that people have extremely varied and definite -- sometimes violent -- opinions about the taste and smell of edible products, and that that is an integral risk of selling such products.

I haven't looked to see whether the OP specializes in these products, but if she sells them all the time, a $30 loss now and then on a food product is, I think, pretty good luck.

Hi Rose!

I agree with your situation, but I would see the posters situation differently.

In your example, the taste was tainted as part of the process and was incorrect.

Theoretically in the OP situation the buyer just didn't like the correct taste after they got it.

In your example, I too would advise the seller of the problem. In the OPs example, I wouldn't ask for a refund because I chose to buy that flavour, assuming it tasted like it was supposed to and I just didn't like it. (my analogy would be buying an ice-cream cone. If I bought supercalafragolistic flavour and just didn't like it I wouldn't go back, but if I bought supercalafragolistic and it tasted like cotton candy, I would go back)

Based on the situation the op describes, we may never know which situation is actually the case here, so perhaps I should more correctly have identified them as "possible knob"...

rose-dee · ‎07-10-2016

@fashionoutletdeal wrote:
when is didnt like it is the buyer who pay the return shipping .But if there is something like not describe it you will need to claim lost in your books.

Although you're right as far as eBay is concerned, this is where many sellers confuse eBay policy with old-fashioned customer service.

EBay may say a particular situation requires the buyer to pay return shipping in order to get a refund. But good business sense may not.

rose-dee · ‎07-10-2016

@ricarmic wrote:
Based on the situation the op describes, we may never know which situation is actually the case here, so perhaps I should more correctly have identified them as "possible knob"...

I guess my point was that in selling food products, personal taste -- and the possibility that what one person finds exciting, another finds nauseating -- is an inherent risk.

I've had a situation where a buyer advised me the "colour wasn't quite right" for her after receiving a purchased garment. In that case, the item could be resold, so there was no problem in accepting a return and expecting the buyer to pay for it. The colour had been clearly described in the listing, along with a disclaimer about monitors displaying colours differently and an invitation to ask further questions.

But with food products -- how do you describe a taste or scent? Come to think of it, perfume sellers must have a very similar problem (which is why bigger retailers have tester bottles available). I think selling anything online that involves personal taste or perception of smell is going to involve more risk than selling many other products, and that this is something the seller has to take into account.

You're right that in the situation I mentioned, the slight scent of coffee was entirely the shop's fault, but the fact that we noticed it when apparently no other customers had complained, was what I was driving at. The owners took us at our word, and assumed we were being honest (which we were!). They could easily have concluded we were just trying to scam another half a pound of pricey tea out of them on a silly pretext.

The olfactory sense, so the scientists tell us, is the most powerful of them all. If I were the OP, I wouldn't hesitate to refund the $30.

silverpinups · ‎07-10-2016

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

What would you do?

Thanks!"

What you tell the customer is that you "don't have a taste and return policy".

The "item not as described" would qualify as a return. This is not the case here.

It is ridiculous to except a return or refund when the contents has been opened and used (seal has been broken).

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

If the seal on the bottle was not broken, you could except a return and re-sell the product.

I've had a no return policy since I started sell on eBay in 2006.

.

Only under

silverpinups · ‎07-10-2016

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

What would you do?

Thanks!"

What you tell the customer is that you "don't have a taste and return policy".

The "item not as described" would qualify as a return. This is not the case here.

It is ridiculous to except a return or refund when the contents has been opened and used (seal has been broken).

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

If the seal on the bottle was not broken, you could except a return and re-sell the product.

I've had a "no return policy" since I started selling on eBay in 2006.

SORRY FOR THE TYPO IN THE PREVOIUS POST,

rose-dee · ‎07-10-2016

@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.