Dress delivered but buyer wants refund - help

[mizu]

Apologies, in haste and couldn't find the eBay section.
Am a pretty regular ebayer maybe one thing every month or so. Sold a TOAST dress in February. Posted signed for. Was sent to a shop address. It was delivered and signed for.

Nearly a month later, the buyer emails me to say she wants a refund as she never got the dress. She hadn't been to pick it up until about 25 days after it was delivered and it has apparently been 'sent back'.

This has happened before when I have sent something to a shop address. I am really reluctant to give her a refund - she has sent a dispute thing through eBay. I have pic of PO site of signature and eBay pic of tracking number and proof of delivery.

Am I just going to have to suck it up and refund her the money - and perhaps never sell anything again on eBay???

No, don't just suck it up. Use eBay's dispute tool to respond to her claim. You've got signed proof of delivery etc, and eBay will accept that evidence. Maybe put in your future adverts that you won't post to non-residential addresses.

She and you need to both take it up with eBay as somebody has this dress, maybe not her.

I think as long as you have proof of postage and delivery you should be fine.

Dispute and then never sell on eBay again, surely? Don’t refund and then never sell again.

I’d refuse to refund and let her raise it as a dispute. She probably won’t.

Don't suck it up. eBay will refund her if they deem fair to do so. You have signed proof !

As other shave said, fight it and send over proof of delivery. It's totally possible she doesn't have it, but it's also entirely possible she's a lazy shite for not bothering to collect something she knew had a collect-by date.

Put the tracking number in the dispute. Not the pic of it, the actual number. There's a box specifically to provide it. If buyer escalates the dispute the tracking will show delivered and signed for and will end the dispute in your favour.

My dh has just been through this. EBay sorted it immediately in his favour.

Surely it’s her fault for waiting nearly a month to pick it up. You have proof of this so fight it. I think EBay is too much hassle though for not much £

I’ve given up on ebay. Sold a lovely dress, never worn, and the buyer cames back and said there was a hole in it. There really wasn’t when I sent it out but when it came back there was! I lost out because I had to pay for the return and dump the dress!!! (Well actually it was reformed unti a doll’s dress for my DGD!)

Did you put a return address on it? If not Royal Mail will have sent it on to their returns office in Belfast.

Thank you all. Given me a bit of confidence to dispute. It has happened once before and I did refund as I did not have a tracking number.

I am also surprised she did not pick up for so long. And I will definitely not be sending to a shop address again.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Sure eBay did not use to be like this. This Belfast place must be bulging with lost parcels surely

I had something similar last week. Expensive item sold on eBay and posted signed for, tracking showed that it was delivered and signed for and ebay closed the case immediately in my favour.

@BillywigSting It is - it's the National Returns Centre - anything with no returns address goes there if not collected after 18 days, then eventually it is opened and auctioned off for charity if worthwhile!