eBay

jt-libra · ‎05-09-2014

I've never sold an item that was received broken or damaged in any way, but if I did, I would not expect the buyer to pay the return shipping. This is where eBay, as much as it wants to operate as any other large retail corporation, fails to measure up. A seller either indicates "Seller Pays Return Shipping" or "Buyer is responsible ........". Any reputable online retail store will accept the return of damaged items or items sent in error and will reimburse the return shipping cost. With eBay, it's left to the seller's good graces to reimburse the buyer or a lengthy, and often antagonistic, negotiation is required between the two.

I received a damaged item (it happens, I understand that) and was polite in my communication with the seller. I attached pictures of the item and requested resolution. But, being a large volume seller, they issued a form letter telling me where to return it, after which I would receive a refund. The item is only $25.00, but the tracked packet rate will be approximately $14.00. I'm not confident that I will receive the refund if I don't send with tracking.

Honestly, this has left such a bad taste. If someone sent me a picture of a broken or damaged item, I would send a refund right on the spot. What am I going to do with the returned item? Of if a situation arose where it needed to be returned to me, I would send them the postage.

I'm just tempted to toss it in the garbage and save myself a lot of aggravation for the $11.00 I may or may not receive. (Maybe that's what they're hoping for.)

mr.elmwood · ‎05-09-2014

Yes, no, maybe. First response from me is always "Return for refund". A lot of people, well, I dunno. That shakes them out of the tree.

A real problem I can spot. If the part does not work I fully refund and tell them to toss it. What am I gonna do with a broken part?

Those that want to return because they flat-out bought the wrong thing? Despite warnings in the listing? They can pay to get part of their money back.

.
.
.

dutchman48 · ‎05-09-2014

How do you know it is your item the buyer takes a picture of? Ebay does not accept pictures in disputes, why would a seller? If you look at the other side, a lot of sellers get scammed with the item is damaged and I want a refund, or partial or. It is a tough call depending on what side of the fence you are on and there are both dishonest sellers (shipping damaged or wrong goods) knowing too expensive to return and dishonest buyers making false claims to get money and merchandise.

This is what Ebay has gotten to and why sellers are the way they are. With the new defect rate, it will only get worse.

jt-libra · ‎05-09-2014

@mr.elmwood wrote:

Those that want to return because they flat-out bought the wrong thing? Despite warnings in the listing? They can pay to get part of their money back.

I agree. If I had simply changed my mind, I would certainly pay the return shipping.

jt-libra · ‎05-09-2014

@dutchman48 wrote:

This is what Ebay has gotten to and why sellers are the way they are. .

Some sellers .... not all. Sellers who automatically presume the buyer is trying to get something for nothing .... well I have a problem with this. But I trust my judgment and I'm hardly ever wrong. As a seller, I know when I'm being ripped off or when someone is being truthful. Sometimes you have to look at the larger picture, the tone of the communication, the feedback of the buyer and decide the case on its own merits.

The item I purchased was hard to find and, against my better judgment, I bought from a seller who has thousands and thousands of sales each year. I usually stay away from these since, if there is a problem, they're the ones who are more apt to send the cold, form letter.

And as far as pictures go, you're right. In some cases, you can't know for sure. But in many cases, a duplicate item would be difficult to find or too expensive to find and intentionally damage. Again, it comes down to a gut instinct.

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-09-2014

If an item had been received damaged and the buyer had shown that with a picture, I would either refund without return or pay for the return shipping. As a seller though, I would hate to see ebay make this a requirement as I suspect that all a customer would have to do is say that the item was damaged and we would have to pay whether there was legitimate proof or not.

jt-libra · ‎05-09-2014

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
As a seller though, I would hate to see ebay make this a requirement ....".

Oh, I totally agree. I just wish more sellers would be flexible depending on the circumstances. I appreciate, though, that huge volume sellers probably can't even keep up with all the e-mails they get, so they have hard and fast rules. And the fact that people like myself will never make another purchase is of little consequence to them. I guess it always boils down to ... buyer beware!

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
...... as I suspect that all a customer would have to do is say that the item was damaged and we would have to pay whether there was legitimate proof or not.

..... just like we do now when buyers claim they never received the item!

mr.elmwood · ‎05-10-2014

@jt-libra wrote:
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
As a seller though, I would hate to see ebay make this a requirement ....".
Oh, I totally agree. I just wish more sellers would be flexible depending on the circumstances. I appreciate, though, that huge volume sellers probably can't even keep up with all the e-mails they get, so they have hard and fast rules. And the fact that people like myself will never make another purchase is of little consequence to them. I guess it always boils down to ... buyer beware!
@pjcdn2005 wrote:
...... as I suspect that all a customer would have to do is say that the item was damaged and we would have to pay whether there was legitimate proof or not.

..... just like we do now when buyers claim they never received the item!

Dunno about that. I am small, but, getting 2-3 a WEEK. Mail has really dropped off a lot.

I worked retail for 35 years. The amount of horse-hockey stories that would phone or walk-in was astounding. eBay is no different. All sellers need a filter to keep the "stories" out.

.
.
.

reallynicestamps · ‎05-10-2014

I would hate to see ebay make this a requirement as I suspect that all a customer would have to do is say that the item was damaged and we would have to pay whether there was legitimate proof or not.

At the moment it seems that PitneyBowes is willing to refund on claims of damage without requiring returns. Which from a business sense is probably cheaper than trying to figure out what to do with all the (possibly) damaged items that would pile up in Kentucky.

But at some point, the scammers are going to figure out the weakness in that business plan.

rose-dee · ‎05-10-2014

This is a tough one, and I feel for you! It would leave a sour taste in my mouth too.

There's no "truth meter" for sellers to determine for certain whether a buyer is telling the truth, and you're right that bigger volume sellers don't want to have to make a decision in each case based on judging the transaction and the buyer's demeanor as a whole.

This is, as Mr. E. suggests, one area where smaller sellers who really know their items well and know their buyers do have an advantage. I think I'd be able to spot whether a damaged item photo was (a) really one of my items; and (b) was really damaged, and I'd refund based on the photo. As others have said, why have the customer pay (dearly) to return a useless item?

Before you toss the item in the trash, have you considered phoning the seller and asking whether they'd refund on the basis of a photo, explaining the high cost of tracked shipping to return it? Or perhaps send a replacement if you return the item via untracked shipping? If the item isn't too big or heavy, that may be a possibility. Also, depending on what type of item it is, you might be able to argue that it would be useless to the seller in its damaged state. Check their FB/DSR rate -- it's possible they might care about getting a neutral/neg FB or an INAD case.

If you're dealing with a really big seller, you'll probably get a CS rep who may or may not be willing or able to bend the rules, but it could be worth a try. Hopefully this isn't a seller in China.

Best of luck with this!

jt-libra · ‎05-10-2014

Thanks for your input, rose-dee.

No, this seller is not in China .... he's American. He sells about 100,000 items a year (decorative boxes, display packages and cases, etc. for jewellery, scarves and the like) and has had his share of negatives, for sure, but still less than 1% of his total sales. The neg's relate primarily to the receipt of the wrong item or a defective item. The feedback suggests that buyers do receive a refund -- eventually. A couple of buyers indicated they received no response.

I did let the seller know that it would be expensive to return the item and since this was not a result of me changing my mind, I didn't think it was reasonable to ask that I pay the return shipping. But, like I said, all I got was a form letter. The letter also stated that there would be no replacements sent.

I'm more irked than upset about this ... basically because there is no provision for flexibility. I've had mostly positive experiences as a buyer and I know that, occasionally, we're going to end up unhappy. But I do tend to set high standards for sellers based on the way I behave as a seller which is a good way to set myself up for disappointment.

reallynicestamps · ‎05-10-2014

Since it is already broken -- and I presume unusable/ unsaleable-- would it be any cheaper to flatten the box to make your return package less bulky?

jt-libra · ‎05-10-2014

Thanks for the good suggestion. However, it already is quite flat. What I might do is take a chance and send it without tracking. I'm already prepared to take the loss, so if I get the refund, it'll be a bonus.

nuvistors · ‎05-10-2014

An honest , ethical seller will refund return shipping on a defective item. But , as we all know, not all sellers (or buyers ) are honest.

maximus7001 · ‎05-11-2014

We had to file a claim for an item that was sent to us in broken condition (was not damaged in shipping). Since we are in Canada they figured they could rip us off by sending a broken item that would cost more to ship back tracked that the item itself.

Same old form letter rma number garbage. We tried reasoning with them but they would not budge.

Paypal refunded us in full including the shipping.

We would refund a buyer if an item was damaged. Also we would never sell a broken item pretending that it was not broken.