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Original poster

Rude buyer demanding refund

23 replies

monkeysmama · 11/02/2012 22:17

I sold some trousers three weeks ago and posted them the next day. I hadn't heard anything since until this evening when I got an abrupt email saying "refund me for this now"

I replied politely saying I had posted it the day after the listing ended and that she should open a case with eBay. I have proof of postage from PO but only the general receipt for regular 2nd class postage. What should I do?

OP posts:
laluna · 11/02/2012 22:39

Why does she want a refund?

AnEcumenicalMatter · 11/02/2012 22:59

Is she claiming that the item hasn't arrived? If so, then I'm afraid that you will have to refund and if she opens a dispute, eBay will find in her favour. It is the seller's responsibility to prove that the item had been delivered, not just posted. Hence why eBay recommend the use of tracked methods such as recorded delivery. Refund the buyer and use the proof of postage to make a claim from Royal Mail for the lost item. There is nothing to be gained by making the buyer open a dispute...except negative feedback.

Original poster
monkeysmama · 12/02/2012 10:33

Thanks for your replies. They were expensive trousers & I asked her to pay for recorded delivery but she said she didn't want to pay the extra. What are the chances of Royal Mail reimbursing me?

OP posts:
smackapacca · 12/02/2012 10:35

I have exactly the same problem. It pisses me off, but I've made my peace with the fact I'll have to refund him. I am pretty sure he has it (PS2) but it's my fault for not spending that extra to post it recorded.

I have made more money than expected on other items so I'm just going to 'soak it up'. Obviously I will try and claim through the post office too.

savoycabbage · 12/02/2012 10:40

When this happened to me I just took the negative feedback. 100% feedback is not worth being robbed for! Mine was for hardly any money at all but I was not going to be held to ransom. And you get to post a response After 12 months you can't see the negative in the little box on your feedback list and if you have a lot of feedbacks it doesn't affect your percentages either.

smackapacca · 12/02/2012 10:46

I have just found this which I'll use after 15 days have passed, but I guess I'll be refunding him sooner.

What a PITA

VivaLeBeaver · 12/02/2012 10:55

PO will refund for I think up to £30 worth of stuff if you have proof of postage. If you post a higher value item than that you really need to only offer recorded delivery as an option with the appropriate price. Or take the risk that stuff like this happens.

It stinks as you're always wondering if they're trying it on.

fergoose · 12/02/2012 10:57

royal mail will refund up to £46. Recorded delivery is for your protection not the buyers. If the buyer turned it down they can still get a refund.

smackapacca · 12/02/2012 10:58

I think it's up to £46 but could be wrong?

Mrsfromwales · 12/02/2012 11:15

I too have learned the hard way with this- a buyer refused to pay the extra to have something posted recorded delivery, so I sent it standard post. She paid £90 for the item.
I had proof of postage but no proof that it had been delivered at her end.
I refused to refund her as she refused to pay for secure delivery. She opened a case with eBay an paypal automatically took the money from my account without permission.Angry
Never again-
Such a huge flaw in the system. If anything arrives at your house through the letterbox or left in garden etc if you are not there- you can just claim you never received it and eBay will always automatically side with the buyer, and refund them 100% of the time.
In terms of claiming through the post office- be wary that when I did this for my £90 item- I was told that as I had sent it standard post and not insured the parcel to it's value, that I couldn't claim the value of the product back.
All I got back from this situation was the value I had paid for postage (around £7) in books of stamps.
I utterly hate eBay/paypals bollocks policies. So unfair on the seller. But, I still use it as it's the best option for selling your stuff!
Only difference now is that I absolutely refuse to send anything unless it is sent recorded delivery. It's only about 75p extra on top of the normal postage, and the buyer pays it anyway! It's the only way to ensure people don't take the piss (which they do)

smackapacca · 12/02/2012 11:20

Yes -2nd class recorded is my only option now too.

AnEcumenicalMatter · 12/02/2012 11:29

If they sold for less than £46 (or whatever a first class stamp costs these days x 100) then RM should reimburse you for the loss of the goods plus postage.

However, if they sold for more than that then it is likely that RM will reject the claim as you used the wrong type of postage. Goods over £46 should be sent by special delivery to be properly insured against loss or damage.

It was not the buyer's responsibility to pay for recorded, it is the seller's responsibility to ensure that the correct method of postage is used which adequately covers the item and proves delivery. Really, you would have been better to absorb the extra cost of recorded delivery (which only costs about 75p more, if I recall correctly) than lose out on the entire amount of the sale AND the item.

I am constantly surprised at people who selling on eBay who don't fully understand the correct process until they get stung like this. It is all documented by eBay in the terms and conditions that you sign up to when you open an account and ultimately they are there to protect buyers and sellers as far as possible. And unfortunately, there are buyers out there who can spot the inexperienced sellers and see them as easy prey for free goods but if you haven't abided by eBay guidelines for sellers, then you have no defence or comeback. An expensive lesson learned.

smackapacca · 12/02/2012 11:31

I agree AnEcumenicalMatter It was my mistake. Lesson learned.

I'm hoping I'll be able to claim OK as my item sold for £42 inc postage.

We'll see.

catsareevil · 12/02/2012 11:36

Recorded delivery is there to protect the seller, not the buyer. Sellers who try to make people pay for recorded as an option rather than just including it in the price of postage look a bit vulnerable, IMO. They had may as well have a note on the listing saying, 'you can have this item for free if you say it didnt arrive and I will have no way to disprove it'.

fergoose · 12/02/2012 11:39

It is part of the PayPal agreement that you will send items trackable with a signature. Anything less and you are leaving yourself wide open to chargebacks and fraudulent buyers.

Piffpaffpoff · 13/02/2012 16:06

After a few problems like this, i now send anything of mine that goes for more than about £7.50 recorded at my own expense, and I don't tell the buyer I'm doing it. I take the view that I'd rather be 75p down than lose the full cost of the item if someone decides to claim it is lost.

smackapacca · 13/02/2012 19:06

OP - what are you going to do? My buyer says he hasn't received the item. We're on the 9th working day. I don't mean to hijack your thread, but I'm really interested to see what others are doing. I'm not sure whether to let him dispute or just refund him now.

Both ways he'll get his money back, (and so should I through Royal Mail).

He has a feedback score of 29. Says he NEEDS the PS2 by Friday Hmm. I have a feedback score (100%) of 226. Either way he could still neg me.

Original poster
monkeysmama · 13/02/2012 19:56

I've refunded her. More than anything it was the rude message and way she approached it that irritated me. I'll take it up with Royal Mail. I've sold 100s of things and never had a problem so am going to swallow this one and move on Grin

OP posts:
smackapacca · 13/02/2012 19:57

Right - me too. I'm going to do it now.

smackapacca · 13/02/2012 20:14

Right I've done it.

Hopefully he won't neg me!

Have you had a response from yours OP?

Original poster
monkeysmama · 13/02/2012 20:14

Not yet.

OP posts:
smackapacca · 13/02/2012 20:16

Have you started to fill in the form to claim from the PO?

Original poster
monkeysmama · 13/02/2012 21:12

Not yet.

OP posts:
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