Buyer has damaged item and returned it.

[AuntLucyInPeru]

I sold a car cover to a buyer in the Netherlands, who on receipt emailed and complained that it had holes in it. I didn't see any holes when it was packed, but have learned from bitter experience that PayPal never back up the seller so told them I didn't know of any damage but they could send it back and I would refund them.

Today I get it back, and it becomes apparent that they've opened the packaging with a knife and slit the cover at the same time, and that's why they want a refund. What do I do next?!

I think you have to refund...sorry!....this sort of thing has put me off ebaying recently though.

That's really disgraceful. If I was in your position, I think I would reluctantly refund the buyer and forget about it because PayPal always protects the buyer. People can be really scummy and it is really frustrating to encounter buyers who behave like this.

It's infuriating isn't it. It was wort £75 but now they've slashed it it's worth nothing. And I had to pay £15 postage to the netherlands. Arseholes.

It might be worth contacting Paypal anyway - you may not get any joy but it's worth a go? If you provide your 'before' pics and send 'look what they've done to it' pics as well...

They're only entitled to a refund if they return it in the condition it was sent, so you should have a strong case.

I had something similar happen once - a buyer cut the item through opening the packaging with scissors.
I contacted Ebay Customer Services because I didn't see why I should be responsible for someone else's mistake.
They arranged for a "no fault" refund to the buyer and it didn't affect me at all, I still kept the original payment.
I had to forward a photo of the cut item to Ebay showing the damage but they did sort it all out quickly and easily.
It's worth getting in touch with them to see if they can help.