Buyer saying item not as described

[IAmNotDarling]

I'm a novice ebayer. I sold some parts that were attached to my boiler (thermostat and the wireless control). I took pictures of what was for sale, stated what they were in description and said 'see pictures'.

I listed for 99p and they sold for £13 (plumber said go for between £10-20 so was chuffed). Today the buyer has said they are missing parts but the plumber took them off my boiler and gave them to me for save keeping as they were.

Buyer wants a refund including p&p. I've said no, as I've not misrepresented what I was selling.

Will eBay be pragmatic or force a refund? Transaction via PayPal. Please can someone advise what next? TIA.

[robin64]

Just tell them to send back for a refund and make sure you get all the bits back.

[19lottie82]

If the buyer opens a case you won't win and eBay will force a refund. Tell buyer to return the item and refund in full (you can't withhold original postage costs). Dragging your heels is only putting off the inevitable and will increase the risk of the buyer leaving negative feedback.

[IAmNotDarling]

Really? Is the buyer always considered right? Everything offered for sale was sent and works.

[YakTriangle]

You need to refund everything they've paid you but they're responsible for paying to return the items to you afaik.

[millymae]

To answer your last question IAmNotDarling - yes in 99.9% of cases. It's just the way ebay rolls, sadly. There are plenty of examples of the tricks buyers get up to and get away with on here. It's definitely a case of seller beware!

[puzzledleopard]

Buyers can't really get away with it. They have to return it 100% how you sent them (if it goes missing on return postage surely they would have to take it up with Royal mail as the contract would then be between royal mail and the buyer) in which case you would argue with paypal that they have not done there end of the agreement in sending it back!.

If you can prove they work Ie that they were tested before they were sent (perhaps a letter from the plumber) then after the event ebay may be in your favour. If they work when you get them back then you have more right but if they dont work because they got damaged in transit then thats up to who ever delivered it ie royal mail.

I won a dispute as a seller but to be fair it was a little more complicated. As my seller messaged to say thank you received everything and checked though everything is fine, then three weeks later messaged to say there was a issue and 2 days before the time ran out for her to open a case she opened one. I had photos of the item in working order. She claimed while she was away the item Broke she only used it once but then she told me she had used it a few times in another email so nothing was adding up. In my case from the description she gave it sounds like she dropped the item I sent her. Ebay told me to request photos of the damage so I and them could assess but she ignored my request for photos to confirm what had been said. Ebay ruled in my favour as she refused to provide the evidence.

[19lottie82]

Puzzled....... A buyer doesn't really have to return the correct item for a refund. They can send anything, and say they sent the item. The chances of eBay not believing them and declining a refund is slim to none.

OP..... With the greatest respect, how do you know there isn't a part missing? I'm assuming you're relying on the word of your plumber that he removed the whole part (had it been sold new), and you're not a qualified boiler engineer?

[Testarossa1]

eBay will refund a buyer without the buyer having to return. Just experienced this myself. Buyer requested a refund through eBay on 2 tops they said didn't fit, (they only paid 99p) I said no as size clearly listed, not a fault on my part. eBay closed the case after 10 days. took the refund and postage from my account without the buyer having to return the tops. So basically they got them for free. Sick of ebay always going on the side of the buyer. No shop would refund without getting the item back first, so why do eBay think it's fine to do it? Not selling on there anymore.

[19lottie82]

But you had the chance to accept the return and you rejected it? The buyer didn't "request a return", they opened a not as described case. There is a difference. With the latter you can never win.

I understand that you're frustrated but you had the opportunity to resolve the issue but you chose not to.

This goes hand in hand with selling on eBay I'm afraid. If a buyer opens a SNAD case against you, there is no point is fighting / ignoring it. Refund upon return promptly to avoid defects / negative feedback.

Listing a top as a 10, or whatever can often lead to problems is the item is small or large made. It's always a good idea to take measurements and put them in the description.

[Testarossa1]

But it wasn't a 'Not as described' situation. They sent a message, (2 weeks after the auction finished) literally said they don't fit, can you refund, no please, thank you or apologies for why it had taken two weeks. I did contact the buyer twice about it with no response. So they weren't being exactly being co-operative about it. I even spoke to eBay on the live chat. The person said to let it go to the case end date and it would 'probably' be resolved in my favour or they would request the buyer to return and once I had the tops back they would issue the refund. Again just don't understand why in this instance eBay thought it was fine to give away my stuff for free.

[19lottie82]

eBay don't step in if its a simple "return request" you have an option to say yes, accept the return (buyer can purchase a returns label from eBay), or decline (and the request is closed. A "case end date" only appears when it's a not as described / not recieved case.

[Twinsareplenty]

Ebay will side with the buyer. You will lose in an argument.
Also bear in mind return postage will be a good three quid - YOU will pay this as it's 'item not as described' - so it may well be easier to write it off, tell the buyer to bin the parts and send them a full refund.
To relist as another auction, lose ten percent in ebay fees and three percent in paypal fees and then spend another three quid posting it out to a new buyer - it probably isn't worth it.
If you do want to try again you can pay for the return postage and relist as a buynow for parts/repair only for twenty quid or so - buyer has no recourse on parts/repairs listings as far as I know.
Ebay can be good, but can equally be incredibly frustrating.

[NotCitrus]

If it's "not as described", then Ebay's automatons mean you are usually stuffed. If someone is actually trying it on, then it's best to tell them to return the item in its original condition and you will refund as soon as you have checked your security markings to confirm it's the same item - 99% of people won't bother. The 1% will claim "not as described" on some spurious grounds and you lose money.

Just got my first neg in 400 sales over a decade - someone claimed a comic still in its wrapper was mildly bent in postage. DP tried arguing, looked like a partial refund was agreed so we wouldn't be out of pocket on postage at least, but the buyer opened a case so have lost £15 as it was posted to the USA and I undercharged...

(I've only actually used a UV pen to mark items a couple times, but buyers don't need to know that!)