While there are problem buyers, there are really some good ones too, here's an example....

[ricarmic]

Background: package (was actually just a first class letter size) sent to South Vietnam, doesn't look like it is going to arrive, has been 6 weeks now. I refunded the full amount and let the buyer know that if it does eventually show up to let me know as it is self insured and I'm out 100% if it doesn't show up. (My "form letter" wording for this is in a different thread, let me know if you'd like me to attach it here again).

While I, like the rest of you tend to remember the "problem buyers" it is a nice reminder when good and honest customers go out of their way like this that the "problem buyers" are really a very small minority:

[ricarmic]

Hi again! Ooops I violated a policy by copying in the text from the buyer, which had to be deleted, so here's a summary of what he said:

He said he would let me know if the package eventually arrived so I can bill him for it again (this has happened a number of times from other buyers, often ones in Russia since it takes so long for stuff to arrive there).

He also said that if it doesn't ever arrive after a few more weeks that he would send me some money to help offset the loss - which I was very impressed with, that's why I posted this....

[bb_cool_stuff]

I hope it works out for you, hopefully the buyer will be honest.

While the majority of buyers are honest there are still a lot of shady buyers online with new ones registering every day.

In my experiences when I have refunded a buyer for a supposed Item Not Recieved not one has mentioned the item has arrived & to send them an invoice so they can repay.

Maybe its the demographic I'm selling to.

[marnotom!]

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@bb_cool_stuff wrote:

In my experiences when I have refunded a buyer for a supposed Item Not Recieved not one has mentioned the item has arrived & to send them an invoice so they can repay.

Maybe its the demographic I'm selling to.

---

Did you suggest this at the time you made the refund?  Some buyers seem to be under the impression that their refund is actually some sort of insurance payout from some sort of magic pot.

[ricarmic]

Usually the buyers send me a message saying they haven't received it yet, my response almost always includes something like these lines (which you can plagiarize any part of them if you like):

If it gets to the point that you think it has been long enough, please just let me know via another message like this and I will refund your money out of my own funds.

Assuming the stamps do eventually arrive, just let me know and I will send another invoice so you can pay for them again (small lots like this are self insured so I am out 100% if they do not show up).

When I do refund the money, I repeat something like this line again in my message that lets them know I fully refunded and asking them to confirm they received the refund ok.

If the stamps do eventually arrive, just let me know and I will send another invoice so you can pay for them again (small lots like this are self insured so I am out 100% if they do not show up).

I totally agree with marnot.. that buyers seem to think that the refunds come from someplace other than me.....the wordings I use above have helped, I have had a few folks actually pay me after getting refunds (at least 2 from Russia and one from Brazil in the memorable past)

Note that I only use the wordings above for non insured shipments, which are a lot of mine.....

[bb_cool_stuff]

Did you suggest this at the time you made the refund ?

Yes I did, however one has to be polite in a message as we have DSRs & FB riding on our polite messages.

Bottom line, not one has offered to repay for an item.

[rose-dee]

I suspect "bb" is right about the demographic making a difference.  Somehow I imagine stamp collectors as meticulous, careful and proper types who wouldn't want an unfair credit hanging out there not dealt with.  No doubt we could all use a few more of those kinds of buyers...

[femmefan1946]

Some buyers seem to be under the impression that their refund is actually some sort of insurance payout from some sort of magic pot.

Well, yeah.

It's sometimes called "Cookie Jar Insurance".  More formally, self-insurance.

The principle is that in every shipping and handling fee the seller includes a few pennies to cover the occasional claim of loss or damage. These pennies are put into a virtual cookie jar. When the occasional claim comes along, the refund comes out of the cookie jar.

Obviously, this works best in categories where claims are few and the cost of shipping with postal insurance or tracking would be prohibitive.

The seller has to crunch numbers too, not just react to one possibly sketchey claim in a thousand.

[bb_cool_stuff]

Don't want to be the voice of doom, that was not my intention.  Majority of buyers in my category are "Top Floor."

On average the refunds i have processed work out to be less than one a year.

Of course the more expensive items i sell are shipped surface with tracking. Extra postage is absorbed in the item price.

If you are running your eBay business as legit you can still write off the loss on your Income Tax forms.

[lady.stark]

There were 2 times when I had to refund from my own money: one buyer was from France and the other was from UK. Both repaid me when they received their goods. I was really, really grateful. One is a regular customer, so I knew I could trust him. The other one, it was his first purchase from me. I was a little anxious about this one, but he came out as totally honest. Hope I won't get others though (fingers crossed).