No returns - advice for a newby seller please.

[Karbea]

Hello,

Hoping you can help me with a reply to someone who bought something off of me, I've only just started selling, and don't want to annoy anyone.

I have stated I don't accept returns, because I'm just trying to shift some old clothes of ours.

Anyway someone bought some jeans, and has just mailed me to say can he return as they don't fit.

I want to say no, but what's the best way to say that without offending?

Thank you :)

How carefully did you describe the sizing, did you state brand and size on the label, did you give any measurements like waist or inside leg?

Yes the title was Paul Smith Red Ear Jeans W 34 L Regular Mens Blue Straight Fit, and in the detail bit I put :

Trouser Size: 34 in. Length: Regular
Brand: Paul Smith Red Ear Inside Leg: 32L
Style: Classic Fit Rinse,Treatment: Distressed
Main Colour: Blues Rise: Mid
Material: denim / cotton

Did you want help with the exact wording?
I suppose I would go with something like:

Sorry to hear the item won't fit you. I can only accept returns in cases where the item is faulty or was described incorrectly. May I suggest you relist the item for sale on Ebay? I believe you have a good chance of recouping most or all of your costs.
Best wishes,

Hello,

Thank you, after much thought I decided to refund the item, and have sent a mail to that effect. Thanks for your help though. :)

don't refund until you have received them back though. And they need to be in the condition in which they were sent.

in this case as private seller there is no need to refund postage

Thank you, I said both of those things in the email to the chap.

Hmm I'm having a similar situation, have just sold a designer scarf in a past season colour on there and the buyer is claiming it's not the colour I said! I think she might even be insinuating its not genuine. She's opened a 'item not as described' thingy even though it totally is.

Am I not legally obliged to offer a refund then? I thought distance selling laws meant your hands were tied?

I hope I don't have to refund her as I've spent the £90 odd she paid for it already

I thought their was a legal cooling off perod for online sales?

That's what I'm not sure about.

I've just had an email from Paypal saying they've frozen the funds til it's resolved gutted.

This is because eBay is full of dickheads who believe that along with your item they are also buying a piece of you.

ebay will refund if the buyer proves they have sent the item back to you - nothing you can do about it really.

distance selling regulations legally only apply to BUY IT NOW not auctions (whether sold by business or not), ebay are deliberately vague on this point, they give the impression they apply to auctions when they do not

they do not apply to private sellers as they can refuse returns unless damaged/ not as described when they may have to accept returns

all auctions are binding with no cooling off period, when you bid you commit to buy

if it is a not as described case you will have to refund purchase price plus what buyer paid originally for postage, but this post is not a not as described case it is someone asking to return something that does not fit to a private seller that she won in an auction distance selling regulations in this case are an irrelevance it is up to seller to accept/refuse she has no obligation to and could say I will accept return for refund but as it was not my mistake I will refund item cost but not postage, if buyer kicks off she can refund postage but they may accept that, however if she point blank refuses return buyer may decide to leave bad feedback or turn it into not as described in which case she will have to refund

JUMPER if she opens and wins a not as described case you have to refund, if she just wants to change her mind technically you do not have to refund unless you are a business selling with BIN

Sarah - THANK YOU! You have just lowered my blood pressure several notches. fingers crossed Paypal find in my favour then...

chances are paypal will find in favour of the buyer tbh - they normally do.

They utterly can't, surely fergoose? she's saying it's different to how it was described and I was so detailed in my description! It's the colour she's disputing (it's pale pink, she says it's beige, designer says its 'plaster pink' which I put on there along with my own description of it as a pale, subtle, cool pink) it is so obviously not beige! I will be beyond pissed off if they find in her favour.

in my experience they generally do side with the buyer - they will tell them to send it back to you with a signature to prove either delivery, or attempted delivery, and then they give the buyer back the money.

JUMPER if she has opened case she will almost certainly win,

she does not appear to be asking for change of mind or any other silly reason cooling off reason business sellers have to allow change of mind, wrong size returns etc for any reason within 7 days

but if she says not as described that is different ( with different rules)

but you will not need to refund until it is returned in same condition it was sent.. then you check security marks (even if none you say this) however once it is back you have to refund within 3 days

Update - Paypal decided in my favour so they do take sellers' side sometimes. Phew!