Vinted refund // buyer asking for discount

[Sexpat11]

I sold a pair of shoes via Vinted. I have sold several items over the last year and I have never had an issue before so not sure how best to proceed.

The shoes were bought several years ago and I tried them on at home but never wore them out. They have been stored in various places over the last few years (they’ve been in wardrobe / put in boxes when I’ve moved house, etc). I packaged them up and sent them.

The buyer has raised an issue and said that there is damage on the shoes. They have sent a very zoomed in photo of some scuffing on part of the shoe. I never noticed any scuffing when I packed them up - I suppose in theory they could have been marked at some point when I had them stored or maybe in transit but I did give the shoes a look over when I packed them up and didn’t notice any damage…you can’t see any damage in the photos I had put on the listing.

I was given the option to either refund or ask the seller to send the shoes back for a refund. I chose the latter (as I don’t see why I should lose money and not even get the shoes back). I then got a message from the buyer saying that they would cancel the refund request and keep the shoes if I give them a discount.

Is this some kind of known scam?? As far as I am aware you can’t give a discount / partial refund once an item has sold - you can only refund in full. I don’t want to get into any discussion with the buyer outside of Vinted’s processes. They do have a photo of this “damage” but I swear I never noticed this and could it be possible the buyer has done this themselves?! Although I do then feel bad if it was, for example, damaged in transit.

The buyer only has one review on their page so doesn’t appear to be an experienced user.

Personally, I would tell them to return the shoes on principle. Sounds like they were after a discount all along.

Just stand your ground. I had someone asking once to give "discount" ie paypal her, saying vinted says to do that. I just said no, and happy to accept your refund. She never refunded the item (didn't even leave a bad feedback, so was obviously a chancer).

Had a similar experience on eBay. Buyer said a new item had faults, which was totally untrue. They asked for a refund and teen immediately relisted the item on their page. Some people just try it on. I'd just stick with the refund. I'm guessing that you won't hear anything from them.

Ask for more pictures.

How much do you sell them for? Sometimes it's just easier to send a returns label to them and get item back. It's around 2.50 to get an evri label.

Such a pain! I've sold around 200items and done 2 returns!!

They were £18. So not high value but it’s enough that it’s annoying to lose…
I haven’t replied yet to the buyer’s request for a discount but I have already selected the “request buyer return the item” (at buyer’s cost) button.

If I don’t engage further with the buyer then presumably the buyer has to send the shoes back to me before the Vinted deadline and if they don’t then I’ll get the money?

But now I’m also concerned that the buyer has damaged the shoes so if I do get them back then I’m not going to be able to sell them again for much at all.

I guess also the risk of not engaging further is that I get a bad review but up to now I have 40 5* reviews so hopefully one bad review wouldn’t mean others wouldn’t buy from me in future.

As a buyer it really annoys me that you have to return items at your own expense if there's an issue with it. But I think that's something vinted should be covering in the case of an issue.
I once bought a toy that was supposed to light up and talk, it did not. Seller insisted on a return despite it being broken but listed as working and in very good condition, it wasn't a super expensive item so it meant I'd only get about 50% of my money back after the postage. They obviously hoped I wasn't going to bother, but on principle I did so but left negative feedback. I was at a financial loss because they sold something broken. Very annoying.
But to answer your question, personally, I'd decide how likely I was to resell it with ease, if it was going to be difficult I'd probably offer a partial refund as a gogw, if it was easy then ask for a return. But a small scuff somewhere not obvious really wouldn't be worth asking for a return/refund in my opinion

I’ve had this exact thing happen twice, both times saying that the item wasn’t as described but they’d keep it for a discount. Both times I raised a return and both times it was ignored and the money released to me

@Qwerty21 I agree it’s annoying if you buy something that is actually defective. Here, it’s annoying as the photo they’ve sent is very zoomed in so it’s obviously a tiny scuff mark - whether that was there before and I hadn’t noticed it or it happens during transit or the buyer caused it I don’t know… but I know for sure that the shoes were in great condition when I packed them (as they should be as they’ve never been worn outside the house!)

I think I’m just going to leave it with the refund request and see if the buyer sends them back as some PP suggested

I wouldn't refund or discount. The buyer might well have scuffed the shoes herself. Look back at your own listing photos and zoom right in - if you can't see any marks then she's trying her luck.

@Sexpat11 once the transaction is fully completed. Ie refunded/discounted etc block that person.

I blocked someone who claimed they never received an item despite the tracking saying it had been delivered. It was all sorted out by Vinted and I was refunded but I don't want to sell to that person again.

Re: photos I notice some people don't take enough photos when selling. I take at least 7- 8 photos when selling an item of clothing. I take photos of every detail as that's your evidence if they come back with a complaint. I also keep the photos until the transaction is fully completed.

The buyer gets 5 days to start the return if they don't it will automatically complete and you will be paid. @Sexpat11

If they return them and they are not as you sent them you get 48hours to raise an issue.

You have requested a return do nothing more - it is then up to them to either return or pay.

If they return they cannot leave feedback if they keep them they can but you can respond underneath.

Were the shoes leather ? I ask because if they are a man made material they break down over time and damage can occur whilst they are in transit,

Did you also send in a box as per vinted T&Cs.

Stand your ground, if she wants a refund she needs to return them at her expense. Accept the request, press the buyer pays, then don't communicate further. She's chancing it for a partial and you probably won't hear anymore from her.
She's unlikely to leave you bad feedback, as you'll just return it, and that will warn the next person she tries it on with. But if she does just reply factually to it, with 40 good reviews it won't affect you.

To argue another way, I once bought a dress for my DD on Vinted listed as BNWT and when it arrived it stank of washing powder, it def didn’t have that crisp new feel and there was a mark at the bottom. Nothing major, but really annoying as I’d been expecting brand new! I wouldn’t have paid what I paid for the dress being used, but it wasn’t unwearable. I raised an issue with the seller and rather than engage she just clicked on return it (at my own cost) which is annoying. I didn’t explicitly ask for a partial refund, but that’s what I wanted. I didn’t want to pay to return the item that she missold.

@stopringingme yes they were leather! And I did send them in a box (not the original box but a shoe box for another pair
@Triptastico thanks for the tips. I did take 5 photos but most of them were from more of a distance although even if I zoom in I can’t see the damage from the photo. I will in future take more and definitely more close ups.

Thanks all for the responses! I didn’t realise that they couldn’t leave you feedback if they do return. Will see if they do return, although my gut feeling is that they won’t. Especially as they asked for a discount, they seemingly do want to keep the item. Will let you know if I do get a return and if so what state the shoes are in!!

Shoes were returned! The scuff marks from the photo are absolute tiny… the buyer must have examined the shoes with a microscope… I will likely relist and take a photo of the mark to avoid this happening again but the shoes look otherwise in good condition. And at least the buyer can’t give me a neg review now.
Thanks all!

Some people are crazy - they want to spend a tiny amount of money and still get items which look like no one has ever do much as breathed on them!

Maybe they didn't fit / suit her and she just looked for some reason she could use to get a refund.