eBay

lady.stark · ‎09-10-2013

This is the first time this is happening to me... I need the advice of more experienced sellers. Here's a summary of situation:

- sold item #200949120748 on August 9, 2013

- shipped by Xpress Post and item arrived on August 20, 2013 (tracking EM004378393CA that I already talked about on the boards here)

- buyer is now contacting me and wants to return her purchase. She says "I'm in a problem right now and wanted to know if I could return my item". I ask if there is a problem with the costume and her reply is that it doesn't fit the mannequin she bought.

- my return policy is 14 days and it's been more than that since she received the costume.

What should I do? It's a one of kind piece, and I'm so afraid the person wore it all this time for a convention (there's been a lot of Comic Cons lately) and now wants to return it because she has no use for it anymore.

rose-dee · ‎09-15-2013

Wow! Are you up to speed on where it's at or what! OK, now I get it -- "con" means "convention", not "conference" (which was my earlier guess) -- and it's all great fun metamorphosing into another being for a day. And really not much different from the re-enactors and history people I sell to -- and admit to being as well -- fantasy for everyday life. All very funcool (if you can permit me to coin an expression)!

I suppose there's something in the human condition that craves and needs an escape from time to time, in a way that doesn't harm anybody else, and this is it. In centuries past it was masquerade balls, now it's apparently the same thing on a larger scale called "cons".

I've seen that word "cosplay" all over the place, and assumed it meant "costume playing" but I really wasn't sure. Now I know, thank you!

From a linguist's point of view it's also deeply fascinating to watch how the language itself evolves, but that's a discussion for another day.

lady.stark · ‎09-25-2013

Here we go again... buyer just sent me this message:

"Hi I need money and wanted to know if you could reding me back 100 dollars right now and I will send back and pay shipping and I won't want the the rest please I need the money"

What should I do.... she didn't leave feedback yet.

pierrelebel · ‎09-25-2013

Two weeks ago: "She said she will keep the costume/prop because of the expenses associated with the return."

Today: she wants $100

I would tell the buyer sorry. Period.

rose-dee · ‎09-25-2013

@lady.stark wrote:
Here we go again... buyer just sent me this message:

"Hi I need money and wanted to know if you could reding me back 100 dollars right now and I will send back and pay shipping and I won't want the the rest please I need the money"

What should I do.... she didn't leave feedback yet.

Well, this is the kind of thing those of us who sell clothing of any kind always worry about. I suspect this was also the buyer's original reason for wanting a refund. I agree with Pierre -- at this point I'd probably resign myself to likely getting negative FB from this buyer no matter what I did, and just refuse this silly request. You can probably turn her down in a polite way, but if you decide to give in to her pleas, you might still end up with a negative. D_____d if you do, d____d if you don't. Not a very pleasant situation.

You know, it's just occurred to me that since you have little to lose at this point, in this situation I'd be tempted to suggest to her that she could resell that costume on eBay herself and get at least $100 for it (assuming her eBay status puts her in a position to sell). My guess is that she might ask for some more information about the item, provenance, etc., which you could give her. By the time the correspondence is concluded, you might be beyond the 45-day mark, or even 60 days -- I don't recall when the purchase was made.

lady.stark · ‎09-25-2013

@rose-dee wrote:
I suspect this was also the buyer's original reason for wanting a refund.
You know, it's just occurred to me that since you have little to lose at this point, in this situation I'd be tempted to suggest to her that she could resell that costume on eBay herself and get at least $100 for it (assuming her eBay status puts her in a position to sell).
By the time the correspondence is concluded, you might be beyond the 45-day mark, or even 60 days -- I don't recall when the purchase was made.

I also think it was the main reason why she wanted a refund in the first place. I recall reading in one of her early messages that she is still in school. Buyer remorse for spending much more than she can afford unfortunately. 😞

The purchase was made on August 9, so the 45 days limit for a dispute has passed. Fortunately. But she still have time for feedback.

I think I will politely tell her the same things I said to her: refund only upon receipt of the merchandise. I will also follow your advice and suggest that she could try selling it herself on eBay. But for that, she will have to open a PayPal account. I will tell her that I can help with that if she doesn't know how.

Will let you know how it works out.... <big sigh>

lady.stark · ‎09-26-2013

When I went to bed yesterday, I realised that I was wrong, she still can open a dispute.... the "commit to buy" was done August 9, but she actually paid August 13. So she still have 2 days left...

Anyway, even realising that, it doesn't change my response. I will not refund her money if I don't have the item back. Hopefully, she will understand that. It is not easy for me either (boyfriend lost his job), but I don't ask my sellers to take back their items bought last month because of that. What she is doing is wrong. 😞

lady.stark · ‎10-15-2013

Good news! After I told my buyer that I would refund only upon receipt of the complete costume, I never heard back from her. And she didn't leave feedback either, which I'm very grateful for! Thank you everyone for your help regarding this issue!!