Buyer bought toys a month ago and now wants to return!

[JigglyTuff]

Argh.

I sold a bundle of DS's old Cars 2 toy cars - was honest about condition, included photos etc.

The auction went a bit mad and they sold for £30 (11 cars).

Buyer contacted me after getting them to say that the axle was bent on one car and another was missing a sticker. I explained that the axle was supposed to be bent (the car is a 'lemon' and came like that) and didn't realise there was a missing sticker and did she want to return. No reply.

Now, a month later she's saying she wants to return them all for a full refund because they're all broken!

Surely I don't have to refund her if she's broken things that worked perfectly when she got them (well as much as toy cars work)?! She's had them a month

Tell her to FOTTFSOF!! Cheeky cow.

Oh and she's apparently 'had' to throw 3 of them away so can't even return them all.

Will eBay find in her favour though? This is the first time I've sold on there for years and it's really put me off.

Ebay probably won't push for a refund, but if she paid with PayPal I believe she has 60 days to request a refund. As with everything else on Ebay, it is heavily weighted in the buyers favour. However, she has 'thrown three of them away'... Ask this question on the Ebay forums, they are really excellent and will give you a definite answer.

Thanks lovelycats, will do that.

No way! She's had a month I'd say too late

With ebay the time period is: eBay Money Back Guarantee protects you in case you do not receive your item or if the item is not as described in the listing. If this happens, you need to tell your seller within 30 days of your actual or latest estimated delivery date.

With Paypal the time period is: You have 180 days from the date you made the payment to open a dispute.

I'd say engage with the buyer until you are confident that you've passed 30 days of your actual or latest estimated delivery date and hope that the buyer isn't aware of the extremely long time period for Paypal.

If she can't return the full lot as sold, she's got no chance with eBay or Paypal.

She's had them just under 30 days. Like 28. I suspect she knows exactly what the deadline is

I've just read it again and she's claiming they've arrived damaged. I have got her email where she complained about the bent axle ad missing sticker and said 'I am content with the other items as they are as described'

So not damaged then

I don't think she has a chance in hell if she hasn't even got them all.

Unfortunately it doesn't really matter what she said in emails, if she puts in a refund request with PayPal she will probably get it. If you don't comply with that, they will forcefully refund and you won't get any items back either. It's ridiculous, and is why I don't sell on eBay any more

The cost of posting became so high because everything had to be sent 'signed for'. No matter if you could prove by other means that you sent an item, if it wasn't signed for a buyer could claim they hadn't received it and receive a refund and keep the item. eBay don't look into details, they just refund the buyer.

The fact that she doesn't still have all of the cars could be the positive here.

Really lovelycats? So you can buy something, trash it and then ask for a refund and if the seller refuses, they'll refund anyway?

Christ, I had no idea.

Don't need to trash it, just claim you didn't receive it (if it wasn't sent tracked) and get your money back while also keeping the item. If you don't send it tracked/signed for you are open to this.

The seller also risks black marks on their account if they don't refund. These can limit your selling account. Another annoying but commonplace tactic is to buy clothing, wear it then send it back.

Well I've replied to her saying that the cars were in great condition when they arrived, as she said in her original comment. And that I don't know how she's managed to break Mattel diecast cars (god knows my kids have tried but the most they've managed is to chip the paintwork) but that's not really my problem.

If she returns all the cars to me then I will refund her I guess - but she's said she's thrown 3 of them away.

I don't care if I never sell anything again - it was just a couple of things in the run up to Xmas to raise a bit of cash.

I remembered today that someone did this to me when I was on ML once - he said that the changing bag I sent was damaged and stank and was just horrible. He was trying to get me to refund without returning it. I held out and eventually he sent it back - he'd absolutely wrecked it but I sent him the refund because I had no choice and scrubbed the bag and gave it to a friend.

I've sold 20 things in the last month - there's this and one thing that the bloke claimed never arrived so I've had to refund him. I can get the money back from RM but really, ebay is just a scammer's paradise.

What a shame - it used to be brilliant.

Never again - I'll sell on my local facebook in future!

If she can't or won't send them all back, then no refund, simple as that. Keep your photos that you used for the listing as evidence of their condition. She may take it up with eBay but my guess is that she won't bother as you have evidence that she said that she was happy with the condition of most of them when they arrived so she is unlikely to win the case.

I called ebay and the man I spoke to looked at the photos on the listing and said that as she said they were fine when they arrived and as she's thrown 3 of them away, she stands no chance of a refund.

I just have to wait until 8 days, call again and they will release the funds :)

In case anyone's interested, she's withdrawn her return request :)

I don't think I will sell on ebay any more - it's way too stressful!

Sounds it! I'm glad you got a good outcome.

I had someone buy a roll of flooring in an auction on ebay late one night, then ask for a refund a few hours later, at about 6am. I asked for a reason, and she wrote 'I have just received one like it as a gift'.
I like to picture a friend, arriving at her house, between midnight and 6am, with a spontaneous gift of vinyl flooring :-D.

that's brilliant Away

Am glad she has withdrawn it. Add her to your blocked bidder list too.

Don't let it put you off - it's just one dodgy buyer. The fast majority are genuine. I'm sure FB has its fair share of dodgy buyers ( and sellers too).

EBay is a nightmare to sell on at the minute. I sold some black school shoes my DD had worn for about 2 months, included loads of photos and they went for about £6 inc postage.

Buyer complained they were clearly worn and demanded a refund. Despite ebay agreeing that my listing was clear thgthgey refunded the buyer and the shoes were apparently lost in the post. I now don't use eBay, I refuse to give them my money.