Buyer contacted me 3 months after sale saying trousers are flaking

[MarshmallowAra]

I sold a pair of vintage faux leather trousers in January.
Checked thoroughly before sending and there was no peeling or flaking.

(They are miss sixty pvu or similar coated cotton).

Buyer had contacted me saying she hasn't worn them til now because of lockdown, that black stuff/finish is staining other things and that the surface is flaking ..
Asking he what I'm going to do about it, and that I should have pre warned her.

I wore them once, to my memory, in 2010 and didnt notice any black colour transfer, and I checked the surface before sake a X they weren't peeling or flaking.

What do I do in these circumstances?

As usual I can't find any easy way to get through to eBay support and there is no answer specific to this issue.

Ignore she's put them in the tumble dryer.

@SquirtleSquad

Did she leave feedback when they arrived?

No, neither of us had left feedback to date.

[quote bookworm1632]@MarshmallowAra

No - the chargeback is if they open a dispute via their Credit Card company, which only applies if they paid by CC, but you can't know that as you just see the Paypal payment.

Paypal themselves don't charge a fee - if they claim via PP and you lose, they just refund the amount you received.

I've just checked what the chargeback fee is incidentally - was sure it was £35 a few years back so assumed it would be a little higher, but nope - it's now £14 so my £40 was way off![/quote]
Ah I see, thanks for all the info. on that.

Its been 3 months and her story doesn't add up, so if it was me I'd just block her.
The worst thing that can happen is Pay Pal refund her. If you want to avoid that, ask her to return the jeans and hope she sends the same ones back.

We had a thing like this with a sizing complaint three months later we just ignored and nothing every happened as they left it too long (we weren't in the wrong anyway it was a big brand and their standard sizing)!!

She has messaged me again on eBay prompting a response to her first message.

She hasn't sent the further photos she said she'd send of the peeling/flaking she says is happening on the legs etc.
All I've received so far is the ones of the black residue, for lack of a better word, from the waistband.

I'm wondering if she's trying to push a partial refund while holding on to them (because they're not entirely unwearable as she claims) .. I don't know.

I feel.very uncomfortable not replying because I normally would in every case.

I tried asking PayPal for advice via their messaging but no response, going to have to find support number.

Well, speaking to someone was a lot easier with PayPal than I've found eBay.

They said that because they're a used item that was received 3 months ago they would advise her that a dispute/claim is not a goer.

So now it's just whether to offer her a partial refund entirely off my own bat - because it's disappointing/inconvenient that the trousers are producing a residue of tiny "flakes" at the waistband ... She obviously claimed they're peeling/flaking on the legs (well, everywhere she said) but hasn't sent any photos of that.

If it were me, I'd reply, but just to say sorry - but it's too late.

Just reply and say you've taken advice from PayPal and unfortunately won't be offering a remedy in this instance. Too much time has lapsed since she bought the already used item.

Oh gawd, just say ‘Sorry to hear that, but as it’s 3 months since you bought them I really can’t offer you any solution, as I don’t know what’s happened to them in that intervening timeframe. When they left me they were in the condition described, no flaking.’ Then ignore.

@MarshmallowAra

Well, speaking to someone was a lot easier with PayPal than I've found eBay.

They said that because they're a used item that was received 3 months ago they would advise her that a dispute/claim is not a goer.

So now it's just whether to offer her a partial refund entirely off my own bat - because it's disappointing/inconvenient that the trousers are producing a residue of tiny "flakes" at the waistband ... She obviously claimed they're peeling/flaking on the legs (well, everywhere she said) but hasn't sent any photos of that.

If you do decide to take this route, make sure you refund her from the original paypal payment - there'll be an option there to make a partial refund.

I made the mistake of messaging her back and saying I was still waiting on the other photos to illustrate the "peeling a dcflaking all over" she was referring to.

She sent me one photos of the seat/bum of the trousers fairly up close showing v tiny red fibres (she said from.a bus seat) clinging to it, and 3 increasingly close up photos of the very top of the legs/crotch - again not really showing peeling or flaking, just slight roughness.

I responded saying they don't show peeling and flaking and referred to some of the points in this thread - friction, sweat, possibly toiletries (waistband), mentioned the age of the trousers, and she seemed to go into emphasising stickiness and colour transfer,,saying she couldn't wear them and leading for my ideas and solutions.

I replied she was exaggerating and there were clearly solutions like wearing something thin she didn't mind eventually throwing out at the waistband, or not wearing them in situations where she thinks "transfer" might be an issue (though she hadn't shown any transfer anywhere except the inner waistband, but that it was clear she could think of those herself and she was being disingenuous pressing me for a "solution" and it escalated to becoming very unpleasant.

She started impugning me as a seller etc

I'll attach her photos when I get the chance.

It started escalating when she said she "couldn't make this up" and she'd messaged me because she made the mistake of thinking I might be a good enough seller to offer a solution etc.

The couldn't make it up, I think, was in reply to me saying I doubted a high street store would accept a return or refund for polyurethane trousers bought three months ago.

(let alone second hand, vintage, 90s polyurethane trousers bought off a private eBay seller three months ago).

I think she was angling for a partial refund because she mentioned how she could return them to me but she doubted that was what I wanted (!)

Ironically before it escalated I was willing to.consider a partial refund because I thought it must be inconvenient/disappointing and I hadn't worn them for so long before the sale to be able to establish if they'd go sticky etc. That was mainly why I messaged her back.

I've taken TO from the messaging because it was getting very heated.

I'd just completely disengage with her now OP. Ignore.

Vinyl can flake, PU on cotton doesn't, because there's no layer of bonding agent. I'd say she's either left them in the sun and they've degraded, or she's used suncream and put them on top, and that's degraded them. So now there's tiny cracks in the PU, and she's getting a fine crumbling dust where there's friction, hence the residue on her waist.

Now she's been rude to boot. I would also disengage with her at this point.

@MangoBiscuit

Vinyl can flake, PU on cotton doesn't, because there's no layer of bonding agent. I'd say she's either left them in the sun and they've degraded, or she's used suncream and put them on top, and that's degraded them. So now there's tiny cracks in the PU, and she's getting a fine crumbling dust where there's friction, hence the residue on her waist.

Now she's been rude to boot. I would also disengage with her at this point.

Thanks for the info on the material - it does make sense that it would be a fine dust/particles or whatever - since that's all she's shown at the waist band.

She kept using peeling and flaking for effect but it's not really applicable.

She says that was the first time she wore them and if seems unlikely she'd be wearing sunscreen on her lower back in recent weather but ..?!

Maybe it's friction, sweat, possibly lotion at that point ..and the age of the trousers. Maybe they were always going to do this when worn after so long not being and aging.

This is what she sent ; the first is close up on the bum/seat of the trousers.

The second two are zoomed in at the very top of the legs/crotch - where your legs would be rubbing together.

Ffs, why are you still engaging with this person?They are in the wrong, it's been months since the purchase, they are not getting a refund. Block and move on.

Sorry those attached in the opposite order - so read right to left, instead of left to.right.

The last one also seems to be zoomed in at crotch.

She's pulling a fast one. 3 months is too late. You only have her word for it that she hasn't worn them every day since purchase.

@Aquamarine1029

Ffs, why are you still engaging with this person?They are in the wrong, it's been months since the purchase, they are not getting a refund. Block and move on.

If she's telling the truth about wearing them for the first time since purchase and not having washed them (though she should be able to wash them) then they've become sticky and residue is coming off them; and j possibly should offer a partial refund (?)

If she was the "jump all over it", impossible to please type - one would presume she would have worn them immediately and tried to return them before all the time periods were up (?)

Oddly her username suggests she runs a second hand business so you'd have thought she'd have checked out vintage for wear within the time frame.

Oddly her username suggests she runs a second hand business so you'd have thought she'd have checked out vintage for wear within the time frame.

I suspect that she's actually sold them in in that case, and it's her buyer that is complaining, hence the delay in getting more photos...

Just block her and end all communication. 3 months have passed, so PayPal and eBay won't refund her.