Sold an item as second hand and I think the buyer is trying to scam me.

[ENormaSnob]

I have recently sold an item on a second hand website. The buyer paid by cheque and arranged courier. Lots of pictures were sent of this item and the buyer was happy.

4 days after courier collection the buyer rings me to say she is unhappy as she feels it has some marks on it when it was described as really good condition. She now wants a refund. I stand by my description of the item and have pictures taken just before it was sent.

I have a feeling that if I refund then I won't see the item again or it will be damaged and not as I sent it.

What do I do?

Thanks for any replies.

The goods must be as described. If you said they were in really good condition then they must be in really good condition. If the buyer takes you to court it will be up to you to prove that any faults were not there when you shipped the goods, so it is good that you have pictures taken just before it was sent. Of course, without knowing the details it is possible that the marks were caused the the courier company mis-handling the goods.

You should certainly insist on return of the item before giving a refund.

It wasn't sold via eBay.

There are quite a few pics of the item plus the ones I emailed the buyer.

What if she has caused damage but tries to say I did it iyswim.

Who pays for postage?

Thanks again, it's so stressful all this.

Has the cheque cleared yet?

Was it a UK cheque?

I would tell the buyer that you have pictures of the item in a good condition before shipping and to take it up with the courier that SHE arranged.

Yes uk cheque had cleared prior to delivery.

The courier couldn't have marked it as I boxed it up really well.

Just say fine...I will wait till I gt the item back...(she must pay postage)

Then give her her money back if it is not damaged.

Has she e-mailed you pictures of the damage?

She emailed some poor quality pics of the fabric and some marks that I am certain weren't there when I sent it. She said she would send better pics but they haven't arrived.

ForMash, what do I do if it is damaged though? Surely she can say I did it.

I would wait until the better pictures and you can compare them to your pictures. and you will be able to prove the damage wasn't there before sending.

If better pictures aren't e-mailed i'd leave it.

I'd say caveat emptor. You were happy that you described the item correctly so I would tell her that you won't accept it back.

Offer her a Credit Note.

I can't offer a credit note. I am just a private seller that sold an item I no longer used.

That's why I'm so pissed off tbh. I work ft plus extra shifts at the mo and just don't have the time or energy for this. Honestly I could cry.

We had this. Sold an excellent condition camcorder via Amazon market place. It was bought by a 13 year old and he jammed the wrong size tape in it; we agreed to try and get it fixed through DH's contacts and then they reported it to Amazon as fault on receipt and Amazon refunded and withdrew our payment!

If you are confident that you sold it in good condition, say sorry no refunds. End of!

Don't respond, you don't have to - it's not ebay.