Return p&p : Who is responsible??

[WillowMoo]

So I sent an item of makeup in brand new unused condition. Buyer receives and says that it's been used. I repeat it's brand new and seller then adds it looks like it may have melted???

I tell buyer if she returns I will refund her. Fair enough, buyer returns it by royal mail signed for & it looks used/melted or whatever. I refund the auction price plus 10% as a goodwill gesture via PayPal.

Buyer has now got snotty saying she expected the item price, p&p amount AND the return p&p she paid refunded.

Am I correct in saying I have been more than fair with her as the item left me in brand new condition, I had no returns on the listing but made a goodwill exception & have refunded item price plus 10%??

Many thanks

[susiedaisy]

What does eBay's guidelines suggest?

[butterflybuttons]

refund plus 10%?? What do you mean by that - and why the extra 10%. You didn't send the refund as a payment did you?

You have to refund everything they paid in full via the original payment, and if it is your fault you need to send them the return p&p too as a separate payment. And you cannot say no returns - that means square root of sod all and makes you look obstructive.

[Rivercam]

I always assume that buyer pays for postage, in the same way they you would pay for postage when sending stuff back to regular shops.

[Alwaysforever2009]

The buyer is responsible for return postage costs if the want a full refund . Return postage cost is not included in the full refund unless the seller feels they should give this as a goodwill gesture on top but it's not in eBay rules that you have to and are not obliged to .
All you need to say to buyers is please return the item to me for a full refund . If they then ask is at their expense just say I'm afraid so yes
I'm not a business seller so cannot afford to pay out of my own pocket for postage
Hope that helps :)

[butterflybuttons]

but a good seller will give return postage costs too. But eBay cannot enforce that. And if you don't give return postage costs a buyer will probably neg and trash your DSRs.

[Petallic]

Buyer is claiming item is not as described. She's complied and sent it back, you agree it seems melted (stuck in a hot Royal Mail van?). You should refund return postage also and make a compensation claim for a damaged item with Royal Mail - which you can do if you obtained a proof if postage when you sent it originally. Claim form on the RM website.

[Petallic]

Buyers bear the postage cost of returning an item if they have just changed their mind and want to return. Sellers have to refund the return postage if item is damaged or buyer claims it is not as described. Putting no returns on your listings means nothing to eBay, if the buyer raises a claim eBay will probably find in their favour.

[WillowMoo]

I can't find ebay guidelines for this but if I've returned something to a private seller I've always paid the p&p. Can anyone point me in the right direction for the guidelines?

I refunded her what she paid for the item (not Inc her p&p costs) plus an extra 10% of the item cost trying to be nice

Can PayPal refund more money than she has originally paid should a case be opened against me?

Right, claiming against royal mail seems to be the way forward then....

Thanks

[butterflybuttons]

how did you refund though? You can only refund what she paid via paypal so how did you give her the extra 10% - did you send the whole lot as a payment to her? If so, yes eBay can refund her again but only the amount she paid. This is why you need to refund the buyer in the correct way.

[BreakOutTheKaraoke]

You need to refund her original p&p costs, she pays for the return p&p costs. A good seller will refund the return postage too, I often judge it on whether the item was actually faulty or if they are just being picky/ likely to have caused the damage themselves as they didn't want the item, or wanted a partial refund.

[BreakOutTheKaraoke]

Actually, just checked the pages and they've changes it recently, it now stated that the seller pays return postage too, unless they explicitly state 'Buyer to pay return costs' on their listing.

Here

I'm off to go alter my listings now!

[butterflybuttons]

eBay will not force a seller to pay return postage costs too - they can't. They can only refund what the buyer paid. They do not have the jurisdiction to take money from a seller for return costs. But a good seller will give return costs if the item is not as described. But there is no way of forcing this - unless the buyer takes the seller to court.

[HopefulHamster]

You have to think of what you'd feel if you were a buyer who'd been sent a duff item (after all she only has your word that it was fine when it left you).

From that point of view, why should she have to pay to send something that was damaged back? It's not her fault, it's the seller who has to get an item to a buyer in good nick.

It is really annoying, however.