Buyer From Australia Wants To Return Item - Buyers Remorse

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I have a buyer from Australia wanting to return a necklace because his wife doesn't want it now. Buyer asked me lots of questions before about what kind of stone it was? Told him honestly that I didn't know for sure, that it may be coral or some other stone. He said he would take a chance if I lowered the price. Gave it to him for $30.00 less than original asking price. What are my options? He expects me to pay for return shipping. Asked me if I would arrange the return or should he open an eBay case? I feel like that is a underhanded threat.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

For buyer remorse return, buyer is supposed to pay for shipping, not the seller.

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

But all they have to do is lie about reason for return & eBay will jump on their side.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

I don’t have actual experience with remorse return, but if you communicated with this buyer through eBay messages, then even if the buyer files a false case, eBay should be able to access your messages and rule the case in your favour.

Hopefully another seller with actual experience in this can offer you their advice. Though personally, from your description of your prior conversation with the buyer, it sounded like a troublesome buyer to begin with (asking a million questions, then asked for a big discount, and how he’s “taking a chance” with the purchase), so I would have asked the buyer to look elsewhere instead of selling to him...

[momcqueen]

Tell him to open a Return case. Accept the return request, and make no mention of who pays return shipping. Let him figure that out for himself.

He has to send it back at his own expense and you can prove it is a remorse return due to your messages with him. You refund him once it's returned. He needs to buy tracking for this, luckily the cost of tracing for a parcel to Canada from Australia is about half as costly as it is to send to him. 

[momcqueen]

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@2nd-time-around-jewelrywrote:

But all they have to do is lie about reason for return & eBay will jump on their side.

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Also, ebay will not automatically side with the buyer provided that ebay can see via ebay Messages and the item description that the true issue is Remorse. If your Return case takes the route of a false Significantly Not as Described (SNAD) you will have to call and seek advice from Customer Service about exactly what to do and when to do it and how to do it. 

[pjcdn2005]

It may be an advantage in this case that you don’t accept returns.  If the buyer opens a return request and uses a not as described reason rather than a buyers remorse reason, you may be able to phone ebay and ask them to read the messages to see that it really is a remorse return. If they agree they should close the return in your favour.

 From what I’ve read it is easier to get a snad return closed when you don’t accept returns than it is to get a snad return changed to a buyers remorse return when you do accept returns.

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

So the buyer is now claiming Item Not As Described & expects me to pay for return shipping, then for the item & the first shipping cost.  I just knew this was going to happen.

[reallynicestamps]

It's difficult to turn down a sale, but sometimes going with that gut feeling that it will not go well is the right thing to do.

You should call eBay on Monday and have them look at the Messages. (On the weekend you get the Phillippines, and sometimes that does not go well.)

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Thank you will call Monday. The buyer said the last time he sent back an item through Australia Post with tracking it was $23-$24.  Makes me wonder if he is in the habit of returning items.

[momcqueen]

Call eBay. They will tell you how to proceed. If your Item Description is sound and it’s clear from the buyer’s correspondence, you won’t be held accountable for return postage costs. But you have to call, and you have to follow their instructions to the letter.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Definitely sounds like a repeat offender. Hopefully eBay actually tracks how many times he had done this and rule the case in your favour.

[pjcdn2005]

If CD agrees that it is obvious from the buyers messages that it is a buyers remorse return, the seller doesn’t have to accept the return at all as their listings have a no return policy....I’m assuming this listing was the same.  However, the buyer could then open a PayPal claim or a cc chargeback if they paid with a cc so it’s probably best to agree to a return if the buyer pays return shipping.  Chances are that they won’t return the item on their own dime anyway.

[momcqueen]

Yes, I don't think there is anything to be gained from denying a Return request for reasons of remorse. It's just asking for trouble, along the lines of denying a request to Cancel an order that's been paid but not shipped. The next tactic is likely to be worse for the seller. 

I've had exactly one false SNAD and ebay was one hundred per cent behind me as the seller. It was clear, however, that the buyer was in the wrong and not my fault.