Item not as described

[MikeUniformMike]

I ordered something described as cotton-linen but it seems synthetic. Do I ask for a refund?
It was less than £9 and free postage. The style, fit and colour are fine but the fabric isn't.
I would say it seems a polyester-cotton blend with the emphasis on the polyester.
If I had known that it wasn't cotton-linen I wouldn't have ordered it.

What does the label say about the fabric? It what way does it seem synthetic?

There's no label. It feels like polyester and the fabric is really thin. It feels a bit like the stuff a cheap umbrella is made from.
I've asked ebay for a refund.

To be fair to the seller you should contact them first before opening a case. In fact before you open a case there is a message asking you to try to sort it out with the seller first. You are not being very fair (assume you are not a seller) as it is hard enough selling on Ebay as it is.

They may not know that it is not the fabric you were expecting, and it may well have been described that way when they bought it and they know no different.

This is one of the reasons I hate selling on there, people just jump straight in without trying to resolve things and forget that they are dealing with another person.

You will get your refund, you may not even have to sent the item back, but you may affect the seller's account if they are unaware of how to deal with this and make a mistake because Ebay have made it so bloody complicated now.

Give them a chance first, don't just rush in and open a case. Obviously if they turn out to be a complete arse, then you just go through Ebay, but they might not be a complete arse and are just trying to pay their bills.

To be fair to the seller you should contact them first before opening a case.

This used to be the case, because a seller received a defect simply for having a case opened against them, by not anymore. A defect is only given if the seller fails to resolve the issue and eBay need to step in and help.

Any return should always be done via the resolution Centre so it makes sense and saves time all round just to open a case.

Lottie, when you try to open a case, you get a message asking you to work things out with the seller. If you get no joy then Ebay will 'step in'.

I just had an issue with a seriously NAD item and I got that message, I asked first to return it and was told no, then was offered a partial refund which would have cost me almost the entire cost, as P&P was over inflated, so in the end I had to escalate and was sent a return label. I always ask first, purely out of politeness. There is so little of that about these days.

If I have a problem I would rather be contacted first to resolve it and try to avoid a negative by being helpful, and therefore not damaging my account. I would obviously still refund/accept a return but would rather not be treated like a con artist.

Ebay will always side with the buyer so you will have no issue getting your money back.

I have stopped selling for that reason.

I sold a second hand item with had a component that needed changing roughly every 6 month as per manufacturers instruction. The component had been changed multiple times which was reasonable to expect as listed as a second hand item.

The buyer got a couple of free weeks use then wanted to return it claiming it was faulty as it did not have the ^original component. Ebay sided with buyer leaving me out of pocket for £60 shipment costs.

Lottie, when you try to open a case, you get a message asking you to work things out with the seller.

Yes that’s true, but it has no detrimental effect on your seller account unless the seller doesn’t resolve the case without the buyer having to get ebay involved.

As I mentioned, it’s always the best procedure to conduct all returns officially via the resolution Centre, for both buyers and sellers. It keeps everything by the book and avoids any further confusion down the line.

There’s absolutely no need to communicate before opening a case, it just wastes time.

Sadly that is how Ebay has become now, impersonal and unfriendly.

Issues with private sellers that do not accept returns - I still think that it is fair to contact them first, some are unaware of how it works. If they are unhelpful then open a case, it is a learning curve for them. A business is different, they expect the abrupt approach, and probably also the rudeness that has become the norm on there now.

I am still 'old school' and enjoy the little messages and nice feedback from people who appreciate attention to detail and a little bit of pleasantness in their life, and indeed in their parcel. But then I am not running a business, or in a mad rush to just shove things in the post or expect purchases to arrive before I have even bought them. It might be a waste of time to some, but I prefer to know if there is a problem rather than wake up to find a case opened and a negative feedback before I even knew about it.