Buyer Returned Item due to not fitting, Do I refund the original Shipping cost - it is $50 HELP !

[1962shop]

Hello, I hope someone can help we decide. I am in Canada. I have had 2 footwear return this week due to not fitting the customer. All was correct in Ad. So, the first was $17 shipping she paid on original purchase of $100,  I returned the $17, as I felt it was not much. I now have a return of boots that cost $129., and the original shipping to the USA was $50. Thats very high, Ebay "suggests" to refund the whole total of $179.  I don't know what to do, this is a high shipping cost to the USA. Yes, the buyer paid to return the boots to me. Should I message the buyer and suggest I will pay half shipping back, $25, or should I just pay the original $129, or am I just out $50 ?? Thank you for your replys . 

[reallynicestamps]

Since you had the measurements in the listing, I believe this comes under the heading of Buyer Remorse.

In such cases, the buyer pays the cost of return.

You owe her only the original payment (selling price +shipping).

Note that while she can leave feedback, this does not affect your selling status with eBay.

You can also Respond to feedback, either your own or your buyers'.

Generally it is best not to do so.

[1962shop]

Thank you for your answer. Yes, the buyers in both cases have paid to have the item shipped back, but myself having to pay a $50 shipping cost refund for the original shipping , thats almost have the boot cost, I think buyers remorse, but in this case, not fitting, is not the sellers fault, so seems that original shipping would be there cost, no matter. If this happened  twice, hopefully not, there go the boots and ANY profit. I know Ebay Suggests for seller to refund all to keep good customer service, but its still up to the seller.  This would be a $50 loss for myself. Ug.  

[momcqueen]

Any return results in a loss of postage fees since that money was spent to provide a third-party service which cannot be recouped. That’s the reason sellers hate Returns: we lose money.

[momcqueen]

The only advice I can give you is that when Remorse Returns happen, a seller has to look at the Big Picture. A loss or break-even on this sale isn’t relevant if you still make money on the others this year; you have to build a cushion for occasional loss into the selling price of all items. You do have the merchandise back in, I assume, saleable condition so your postage loss may need to be built into asking price on it when it’s relisted.

[momcqueen]

https://www.ebay.ca/pages/help/sell/return-process.html#preferences

[retroman_studios]

Based on your auctions, you would be close to the Manhattan Road SE branch of ChitChats. Express. You should consider opening an account and use them to ship your goods to the US. In the case of the boots, you could have saved up to 70% of what you spent. They take your good across the border to mail using USPS.

For example, right now you have a pair of Kodiak Boots listed with $50 shipping to US. With ChitChats, I put in an estimated parcel size of 15 inches x 10 inches x 5 inches weight, 2 lbs as a "best guess" and it calculated a cost of $12.61 CDN (plus a small delivery fee, like under a dollar) to have the boots taken over the border and mailed using UPS.

Those savings alone would help you reduce your costs. You could still have a flat rate for the US, and just keep any change.

[pjcdn2005]

If you charged for shipping and if the buyer did check off a buyers remorse reason in the return, eBay will give you the option of refunding in full or refunding the item price only.

 If they checked off does not fit,  that should be considered a remorse return.  If the shipping was ‘free’ then you must give a full refund.

[momcqueen]

Like the link I posted above says, you are not required in this Remorse case to refund full cost of purchase because it's a remorse return. However, I would, as a seller, consider doing so in order to not acquire less-than-desirable feedback from the transaction. It's a lot easier for a seller with a feedback count of 123,456 to bear the brunt of a single negative than it is for sellers with a red star or lower. 

It might not be the advice you want to hear with this but I feel like it bears mentioning. 

Sometimes selling isn't fair when a transaction goes pear-shaped but your buyer is probably already stinging at the cost of paying return postage for shoes that she/he spent money on but didn't get to keep. 

We've all had to eat cost of postage in the name of seeing the forest for the trees.

[teenytrinkets]

I guess if you live nearby a Chit Chats and the hours work for you, it can be cost effective. For me, It's an hour round trip to the closest one - so at least $10 in gas. Not worth it unless I have multiple US tracked packets to send at once.

If those shoes cost $50 tracked they were clearly more than 2 lbs - otherwise they could've been sent Canada Post for around $20.

I typically stay away from shipping anything more than 1kg to the US because of hideous shipping. With the new tracked packet rates to the US, I can now ship up to 2kgs tracked for $22... that just opened up new inventory for me!

[luv4orphans]

We can ship anywhere in the US tracked packet under 2 kgs for $22.00 Is that what you are saying? That's odd. I had a package from Ontario to Florida last week and it weighed 1.701 and shipping was $43. plus change. Buyer cancelled the deal because of shipping fees. The same thing happens when shipping to California and far west states. I was under the assumption that tracked packet was for 1 kg and under and small packages. Is this something new? I would certainly like to know.

[momcqueen]

That shift to 2-kg as a limit for Tracked packet USA is coming next week with the rest of the annual rate and service changes. You would have had to use Expedited Parcel USA for now. 

[momcqueen]

Whereas since Tracked Packet International has always been up to 2 kg (with a volumetric max) since Tracked Packet was offered by Canada Post in 2013.

[luv4orphans]

Thanks. That's what I was planning on using but buyer wanted to cancel. What could I do. I can't force her to purchase so I agreed to cancel. It happens from time to time and its mostly from the US.

Meanwhile I would have liked to purchase an item from a US seller and she wants $48. for a small item that I know can ship here for $25-30 max if even that. Yet she offers free shipping within the US. And obviously making up for that by overcharging the rest of the world. There's a lot of that going on.

OK that tracked packet is coming next week. Nice to know. I don't get on this part of the site too often and I should. Its very informative.

[luv4orphans]

Yes I have used it but this didn't qualify so she cancel out of the deal. Better to agree than to risk getting blasted after.