Buyer requesting a Refund for purchasing wrong item

[shoppergurl08]

Hi All,

I have a question that I'd like to run by you for some suggestions.  A buyer purchased a CD from me and is requesting a full refund stating I shipped them the wrong item.  For those music fans out there, I sold a "Led Zeppelin Disc 4 from Boxed Set" CD.  I determined through the buyer's messages that they mistakenly thought they were purchasing the album Led Zeppelin IV.  Both are totatally different albums / different songs / different artwork and release dates.  My listing stated I was selling Disc 4 from the box set and I had pictures showing the track listing and album cover etc.  Buyer has now opened a return request.  

My question is....will ebay back me if I refuse the return ?  Buyer is being rather rude and not taking responsiblity for not knowing what they were purchasing and just keeps stating I sent the wrong item.   I'm thinking I will have to eat this one (around $20), but just wondering if I have any recourse here ?  Thanks all.

[pjcdn2005]

It's unlikely that eBay will look at any messages or any evidence to  see if the buyer is right or wrong.   Is the buyer just messaging or did they open a return request? If they opened a return request through ebay and used the reason that the wrong item was sent or something similar, there won't be an option to refuse the return.  You will have the option of sending a return label and refunding once you receive the item back or of refunding without a return.   If you don't reply to the return by choosing one of those options the buyer can ask ebay to step in  and then ebay  will refund from your funds without a return.  You also will receive an unresolved claim defect. 

[shoppergurl08]

Thanks for your response.  Yes, buyer messaged then opened a return case.  Buyer is in the U.S. so it would cost me $10 to send a return label, so I'll just refund and let him keep the item.  I guess this is more of me venting, just frustrating dealing with a rude buyer who takes no responsibility for their mistake.  I went back and forth with a few messages and buyer just has no sense of reason.  I've sold the same item (exact same listing) a couple of times before, and the same item / description has been sold by other buys 6 times over the last couple of months.  It's clearly an example of someone buying something and not knowing what they're buying and then blaming the seller for their mistake.  Hey, if you buy the wrong item and admit you made a mistake, fine that's okay, refund accepted.  It's when you're rude and clearly at fault yet blame the seller for selling you the wrong item, lol.  And to top it off, the buyer is a seller as well.  Oh well, I expect to receive my first negative from this one.    

[femmefan1946]

Your buyer may only be quasi-literate, but he has a CD that he doesn't want.

And since he bought it, someone else will too.

Take a deep breath.

Tell the nitwit to return the CD.

"I regret that you are unhappy with your purchase Please return it for refund"

If you are calm and polite, what you get back will be saleable.

"I regret that you are unhappy with your purchase Please return it for refund"

Since this is a straightforward case of Buyer Remorse, he pays for the return.

When you get it back, refund, relist, put him on your Blocked Buyer List , move on.

"I regret that you are unhappy with your purchase Please return it for refund"

There is a chance that he is bright enough to open a Dispute for Not As Described, in which case eBay will tell you to pay for (tracked ) return shipping.

Or he may ship it to you LetterMail.

Either way, get it back, refund, and resell.

Not every sale will go perfectly.

I'm thinking I will have to eat this one (around $20),

That's not what you are losing. You will lose the cost of shipping and possibly the cost of return shipping (or not) but the CD itself did not cost you $20 or $10, surely?

I'm thinking I will have to eat this one (around $20),

Be calm, professional and polite. Dumb people are often aware of how stupid they are , and will get angry with anyone who points this out.

"I regret that you are unhappy with your purchase Please return it for refund"

Remember that you sent a saleable, playable record.

That's what you want to get back.

And CDs do not go well with nail files.

It's business not personal.

[femmefan1946]

Oh . He's American.

Well.... they are foreigners.

[ricarmic]

What reason did the buyer put on the return case?

I'm assuming not as described, if that's the case then you're on the hook for the return and probably dropping the item is the way to go.

There's no sense in trying to convince them they're wrong. Generally it is cheapest in time and money just to eat the cost and send pleasant notes (block them) and spend time listing other stuff.

The pleasant email (whilst gritting ones teeth) approach increases the chance that no feedback is left at all, or at least less negative, again the goal is to minimize your time, and cost to resolve.

Once I block folks I never respond to any further messages from them.

It is so very hard to not personlize these things, it's a danger of being the owner of the shop, if we were tellers at a big box store, we wouldn't care when this happened....