Buyer requests refund on ebay - underhand?

[AnneShirley18]

I'm not sure why I'm so wound up by this but i can't sleep so here goes.
I sold some clarks shoes on ebay -in excellent condition. UK size 8 ladies.
A potential buyer messaged:could you tell me if these are 41 or 42? I said I dont know. I just know they're a generous UK size 8.
That person won the bid. They asked if I would be so kind as to post them next day as they needed them ASAP. I went out of my way to accommodate.
Cut to today where I get a refund request. ZERO niceties. Straight in with a request because the item was not as described and buyer was disappointed to be misled by inaccurate "generous" description. Shoes do not fit.
I dunno. I just feel really hurt. There is an implication that I've been underhand which I don't appreciate. Buyers have commented in the past that I do myself a disservice by being overly descriptive when my items are great. I'm just a private seller not a business. Anyway she is fixated on the word "generous" in that message we exchanged. It's kind of subjective I suppose (surely she knows that too) but they are. If asking if they are a 41 or 42 I would say that since an 8 equates to 42 in the clarks size guide then they are a 42. Therefore, the more generous of the 2. When I used the word generous I also couldn't have known what the buyer was after when she asked 41 or 42. She could have wanted the smaller or the larger end of the scale. I simply gave a judgement so there could have been no attempt to deceive on my part. Clarks shoes do vary in size. It is a gamble buying them on ebay. I've been caught out before. I never considered it the sellers fault though, I simply sucked it up and resold them.
Basically ebay won't refund if something doesn't fit but they will if it's deemed to be an inaccurate description or pic. I believe she is being underhand so refund is more likely.
What upsets me is, ebay usually sides with buyer. Also what upsets me is that I went out of my way for her and actually if she'd sent me a nice message, we could have come to an agreement.
YABU: you wanted to fob off tiny ill fitting shoes on someone unsuspecting for the princely sum of £7
YANBU: she is being underhand and unreasonable

She may have thought you were a scammer, as the golden rule is do NOT accept paypal for a collection item. Leaves the seller open to a refund request so they end up with no item and no money.

It would raise my suspicions but I wouldnt go silent, I would have refunded the paypal payment and requested cash if you were collecting

Nope. Paypal is now fine for collection as they can issue a code to be scanned by the seller. It's not the same as it was five years ago, they made changes to account for the old PayPal collection scam.

She specified cash with code on collection. She just didn't get the price she wanted for the item.

NC Fail. Changed from DamageInc to this earlier 😂

Anyway, more info on the code system for you:

www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/postage-delivery/changing-delivery-address-method/collection-person?id=4056

Well, I did not know that and have always rejected paypal for collection, not that I sell on ebay now i use marketplace, thanks for the updated info

To be honest, selling shoes on eBay seems like a recipe for trouble. There's a good chance they won't fit or that the buyer won't like them for some other reason, and eBay sides with the seller (I believe, I haven't used it for ages for just this reason).

I would say that selling stuff like this on eBay is inviting a whole load of grief - sending things back and forth, confrontational emails, suspicion and mistrust, trips to the post office and general agro. And you say you're having sleepless nights. Over some old shoes? There are easier ways to make a few quid.

I sold an iPhone on depop for £400.

For some reason the buyer raised the dispute with PayPal instead and even though Ddp provided full proof it had redirected to a shop at their request and the shop had actual took a photo of their ID and signature. PayPal said DPD weren’t a trusted partner so it wasn’t proof 🫠🫠

It came in a while back, but to be honest I think it was probably too little too late for a lot of ebayers.
I joined in 1996 in the days you didn't even need a transaction to leave feedback. There were less scammers on a platform that absolutely relied on trust. I dont use it now, too much faff and too many idiots.

This happened to me! I sold a dress that was Next size 8. i am a size 8 & it was a lovely flattering fit. The buyer said it wasn’t true to size and asked for a refund and asked to keep the item!! She gave me poor feedback when I explained that I can’t offer a refund, I didn’t design and make the item, it’s not my fault she doesn’t know her size and no she cannot keep the item.

it upset me as eBay wouldn’t remove the feedback. It said “seller sold me a dress that wasn’t true to size. Beware buyers!”

:(

And this is why I no longer use eBay. Quite honestly I’d prefer to shove shoes in the landfill than deal with cheeky fuckers and chancers on eBay. I’ve sold more than 1000 items over many years (all sorts of mainly family related items that are no longer needed or outgrown etc).

I only buy on eBay. Selling is too much hassle

I won't use ebay any more because of too much dishonesty. I've had some awful transactions. I barely ever sold on it but 2 that spring to mind:

• sold a bundle of 3 pairs of second hand Stella McCartney running leggings in used but good condition for a total of £30 inc p&p, just to save throwing them out. The cost over £100 each new. The buyer then complained that one of the pairs had a loose thread on the waistband - not a hole, a loose thread - and wanted to return that single pair. I refused because they met the description, ebay sided her with her and so she returned all 3, eventually, and I had to refund her. What a waste of time. Seriously, there was nothing wrong with them and why buy second hand if you want them in new condition?

• I sold a coat locally that was the wrong size so just tried on but not worn, handed it over in person. A few days later the buyer wanted a partial refund. Apparently it had white marks on it and she had been advised they would cost £x to remove. I refused. Ebay again sided with her as she produced photos of the white marks and I made her meet me in person in a retail park to hand it over. Lo and behold, the coat now had white paint on it that wasn't there before.

Also buying on ebay - so much stuff just doesn't turn up, presumably delivered to the wrong address. The solution is for the buyer to chase this up with the courier but they never do, they simply show ebay their receipt of posting and ebay will side with them. So you end up paying for goods you never get and when you go on Trust Pilot to leave a bad review, you find all the other buyers who never got their goods from that same seller either.

Ebay also now removes bad feedback if the seller persuades them to if the seller produces "proof" that the goods have been sent.

Ebay just seem to be really badly run now and they don't understand UK consumer law so try to ignore it.

You are really re UK consumer law, @AchatAVendre plus common sense has gone out of the window.

Sold a BNWT blouse (so never worn, free of faults) Buyer told me she’s really pleased and is wearing that night. Next day I get an email requesting refund because she ripped it!! To add further insult, I’m forced to honour it 🤦🏻‍♀️

I've given up selling on eBay. There's too many people claiming something is damaged or not received purely just because they don't like the item or it doesn't fit.
I sold a barely worn pair of limited edition Converse. The buyer claimed they were in terrible condition, had holes in, let water in, etc. She even sent photos which showed a practically brand new pair of shoes but stuck to her guns that they were in terrible condition. I was on holiday in Florida at the time and it was a huge headache.

I started selling on Vinted and haven't looked back. No fees as they're paid by the buyer. Buyer pays for the label, so no traipsing down to the Post Office and spending your own money on postage as the item postage is still held by PayPal. I've never had a bad experience either.

Tbf most people mention any staining

I've only read as far as this reply but this is truly shocking. I guess if you want some free stuff you only have to look as far as ebay

I'm sure others have said this, but if this happens again OP, stick to the facts. Check the size chart and state what it says, or measure the sole and give that info so nothing "objective" in your description can be twisted against you.

Actually I think I meant subjective not objective, I haven't had coffee yet!

I'm sick of eBay now too, I sold a big bundle of clothes to a well known re seller of baby outfits.

I should have blocked her as she kept asking questions and was a bit obvious if you know what I mean. I just knew she was going to try it on.

Anyway I sent them tracked and signed for and when they were delivered she denied she had them and kept asking for a refund and how disappointed she was because she needed them for her 'baby' and how she couldn't afford to keep buying clothes that weren't going to turn up and really needed the refund.
-she obviously thought I was stupid and didn't look at her selling page-

I wrote her a long winded message about being so upset that my precious baby clothes were lost in the post and that I would call the police and launch an investigation immediately....I was really over the top...

IMMEDIATELY she said 'oh don't worry they have turned up'

The next day they were all listed for sale as outfits on her page, selling for ridiculously high prices.

It always makes me think how many people she's tried it on with that just refund.

In that case tell her to wear insoles and a heel grip and walk around in them for a day 😈

I won’t sell on eBay any more.
everyone wants everything for peanuts and I’ve ended up losing money…in my experience ebay always sides with the buyer

dh put some bits and pieces up and the amount of tire kickers/scammers/general arseholes it’s astronomical.

the best one was we had something for sale for £400 (is actually worth more like 1k but need it gone before we move, we checked previous sold items etc and had a really detailed description) he had over 30 messages asking for the lowest he would take! Well that would be £400 as per the buy it now price (with no option for offers) and no I wasn’t keen on driving from the south to the north to deliver it nor was I keen on having someone else collect or a courier who will pay us on collection…

I use gumtree/vinted/Facebook now I know all of these are a bit more hassle but the amount of scammers on eBay don’t make it worth it also the fees and new payment system is annoying!

I do buy from eBay…just not as much and only things I already know my size in!

I won't sell on Ebay anymore. Too many bad experiences left me with the attitude that I'd rather give my things away than sell them to scammers. Now I hand them in at the charity shop and if they can make money out of them so much the better.

When I started selling on Ebay dispute resolution was exactly that - they asked for both sides of the story (with supporting documentation) and then came to a decision. Now - there's a problem - give the buyer their money back. And then charge me for the listing. Not ever happening again!

Unfair OP, but not much you can do as she's claiming they're not as described. Fingers crossed they haven't been worn and you're able to resell.

P.S Lady of Shalott is by Tennyson, it's connected to the Arthurian tales and predates Anne of Green Gables!

EBay is really bad for scammers at the mo

Sorry to hear there's been no improvement; I stopped selling on there years ago after being burned too many times, and those who saw it as a trying on service could be the worst

IMO it's not really suitable for private sellers any more, and is better left to online companies who can more easily absorb the constant stupidities

I noticed a potential fault in a wooden item I was selling. I didn't think it would survive the postage, so I requested to end the transaction and gave the buyer a refund. A couple of weeks later the buyer contacted and said they weren't happy as they really wanted the item.

They asked if I would relist at reduced price and strongly hinted that if I didn't they would leave negative feedback for me. I made no money from the item and they basically got it for free. Horrible woman.

I also had a scammer buyer (my post is still in the eBay section) who received my item from eBay, internationally tracked through the global shipping program. They left me positive feedback then tried to do a bank chargeback saying they didn't recognise the transaction. EBay opened up and made me fill in a case' to provide domestic tracking number I'd used to send the item to eBay/UK, which made no sense at all as eBay received it and sent it tracked to the buyer. They decided the case in my favour but I was worried as they had my item.

It's too fraught to sell. You get fewer people pretending not to have received thanks to tracking of many non-signed for items, but there are too many hard-faced chancers. I started to worry after I'd posted something. It wasn't worth it.

Yes I am aware of that!but as a little girl I was introduced to it through Anne of Green Gables in the chapter: An Unfortunate Lily Maid. She was a massive fan of Tennyson as my ultimate heroine led me to want to find out more. So I credit Anne and LM Montgommery with getting me interested in poetry and also art history. So many "Anneophiles" had the same experience. I've seen quite a few references to Anne in user names on here.
Buy I digress, you're advice is sound and I will defo proceed like this in future, if I proceed at all! This thread has become a cautionary tale. Thank you all for sharing your stories!

I think I've been scammed but as a buyer. 4 weeks ago I won't a child's dressing up costume, paid immediately £20 and it never arrived. Kept messaging seller and she never replied. Opened a dispute with eBay who said the tracking number wasn't legitimate so I got a full refund. I'm watching her to see if she realists later.