buyer initiated questionable return, citing defect, wants full $$$ back,best course of action?

[audiovideotogo]

It was a dvd recorder, which he told ebay had one of it's 2 inputs not working. So he wants to return it and get the postage refunded. I have to 13 feb to choose one of the resolutions

RED FLAGS?:

- he has his own 'brick and mortar' electronics store, judging from his user name; so he is a local reseller of the product type I sold him

-he is cagey, did not communicate about item problem specifics, at all, to this seller, instead to ebay directly. Yet earlier, before shipping, he quickly replied to a note I sent him about the  now disputed item.

It is possible, but i never heard about ,dead inputs  on dvd recorders before,  internet search results of this was vague to  say the least

- months earlier, another electronics store/repair type, similarly tight lipped,'go direct to ebay' buyer, also disputed a player as 'broken', asked for  partial refund, but later relented and cancelled 'amicably'. I'm fairly certain  that THAT was a scammer, who thought sellers were favored over buyers.

I'm doing fairly well in sales compared to earlier periods, with a new niche to exploit, so now want to  come out of this situation without getting totally scammed if possible.

I did mention the mail fraud concern I have to this buyer, ( without directly implying it) no reply of course.

surely not all the options are 'rollover' 'butter him up', ' it's hopeless' etc?

[pjcdn2005]

Your 30 day return policy means that you accept returns for any reason so the only question is whether you have to refund original shipping and pay for return shipping.  Since the buyer opened a not as described/not working case, your only real option imo is to accept the return and send a return shipping label.  Ebay doesn’t know what the condition of the item is or if there really is a problem so if you refuse to do that, they will likely rule against you and in some cases they will refund without requiring a return.  You would also get an unresolved claim defect.

Sorry, that probably isn’t what you want to hear but hopefully you will get your item back and be able to resell it.

[audiovideotogo]

I sincerely doubt the original item will be sent back at all.....they are a reseller that charges customers nearly triple what I charged them for this product....they also have an 'F' and 3 unresolved strikes ( 5 in total) from the BBB. I know enough about these recorder products (after 15 years of use for hobby or selling), plus the buyer's caginess,  to conclude that his 'direct to ebay', 'defective input' claim is probably fake. So I'm assuming I will get something different back in the mail. I'm discouraged that electronic store resellers ( who use a different online account for reselling no doubt ) are targeting this account for scams.What if I mention the BBB assessment to ebay CS? surely they must have a radar on the go for particular buyers who keep initiating returns using the same old 'defective input' excuse

[audiovideotogo]

He asked ebay to step in now.....I believe there was nothing wrong with the unit, and approving a return on who knows what will be sent back means more money lost.....if the buyer is not honest to directly reply ( as his BBB report indicated he acted with 3 customers ) than I figure he's done this before and a brick or other will be sent back. Can I also ask ebay to let him keep it, as I will NOT admit wrongdoing with this sketchy buyer? I could have done this before but did not want the hassle of making a possible mail fraud claim,  and also thought he would relent earlier.....there is no way I can set aside a few hundred dollars a year to internationally ship devices to electronic repair/selling shops wanting free inventory.  If ebay imposes penalties so be it

[audiovideotogo]

March- EDIT

[audiovideotogo]

'Epilogue'-March - the buyer relented, and closed the case, without a refund being issued. He did this after I offered to reimburse part of his charge, with him keeping the item. So I did not have to reimburse at all

[femmefan1946]

.What if I mention the BBB assessment to ebay CS? surely they must have a radar on the go for particular buyers who keep initiating returns using the same old 'defective input' excuse

Customer Service is not equipped to do that.

At best they will authorize a courtesy refund that doesn't put you out of pocket.

They may keep a record of buyers with "too many" Disputes, there are reports of that, some from buyers who find themselves with restrictions.

Paypal also has a policy of restricting buyers with "too many" claims.

In the short run, KISS.  Hope that the complaint is valid and goes smoothly.

You should also read the post by tyler@ebay about @ricarmic and Cookie Jar Insurance and managing risk.

[momcqueen]

Accept the return and send a return label. If you get back another item, you can cross the bridge when you come to it. You kept a serial number?

[femmefan1946]

@audiovideotogo 

..they also have an 'F' and 3 unresolved strikes ( 5 in total) from the BBB.

We were members of the Better Business Bureau for many years before we retired.

It's good public relations for any business, because most people have no idea what the BBB is.

Which is  a franchised business, set up by local businesses to encourage trust in the customer.

All they offer is mediation-- and that job is because they pre-date government backed services like Small Claims Court which can enforce judgements.

The other reports on their websites are opinions, like eBay's feedback system or Yelp reviews. Unhappy customers are more likely to leave an opinion than a happy one.

We had top ratings in our small field from the BBB, but basically they were a good place to advertise our services to the tranche of the public who would use them for references.

[audiovideotogo]

only reason I mentioned the BBB besides the 3 unresolved complaints he got,  is because it showed up about 4 entries down in his store google search, so this buyer has exposure he does not want.....this is why I'm wary of customers who have their own businesses and are constantly on the look for low cost inventory. As for the customer feedback, he had plenty of glowing five star reviews on Google Reviews, from customers more excited than successful kidney transplant patients....at least with ebay product reviews, they have the 'verified purchase' indication if somebody wonders about  THEIR  legitimacy