Buyer bought in error, has paid return postage, not opened a refund case. Do I refund postage?

[kicklikeamule]

A buyer bought a vacuum cleaner head, but after receiving it, she has realised it is not the exact one she needs because the connector is different. I didn't put anything in the listing about it fitting specific models. I just put it as "Various" because it does fit various models. Just not hers. But I did include photos that showed its connector type and one of the sticky label showing its manufacturer's part number so potential buyers could check its compatibility.

She asked if I would refund, and I said Yes.

She hasn't opened a refund case, but has today posted the item back to me and paid for its return postage. I haven't received it back yet. 

Hence, I am wondering, am I obliged to refund her the £6 it originally cost me to send the item, given it was her mistake for not checking the item was compatible?

If I did not refund the original postage, then she would be £12 out of pocket.

But then again, if I did refund her the postage, then I would be £6 out of pocket for something that was not my fault i.e buyer not checking it was compatible in the first place.

Has anyone been in a similar situation, what did you do, did it all work out?

Part of me wonders if I am obliged to refund the original postage if it was not my fault. But then another part of me doesn't want  things to turn ugly e.g if she demands a full refund including the £6 postage, and opens a case claiming "Not as described". Even though I know it was "described properly" in terms of it was evident from the mutliple photos. Plus, I suspect Ebay won't read properly the details of the case if I contest it, and will find in her favour like its their default position in cases as I've found before.

Maybe I do just refund the £6 to avoid trouble, and just suck up being £6 out of pocket and paying for someone else's mistake.

[tea_and_tortoises]

If the buyer had opened a return through eBay you would have to refund everything they had paid you including the postage you collected to send the part.

You would have got your selling fees back from Ebay.

What you do in this case is between you and your buyer.  They have not opened a case so won't be able to ask eBay to step in.  Because they bought the part in error, they are liable for the return postage.

[the-nutwood-collection]

Under the Consumer Rights Act the seller is obliged to refund standard return postage. 

Also, as @tea_and_tortoises pointed out, had the buyer raised an eBay return, you would be obliged to refund the postage.

Therefore, you should refund the postage.

Count yourself lucky the buyer was honest enough to return the item at their own expense.  Many buyers would have raised an INAD - then you would have to pay both the outbound and the inbound postage cost.

[*knight-rider*]

`had the buyer raised an eBay return, you would be obliged to refund the postage.

Therefore, you should refund the postage.`

Sorry, but i have to disagree with that one 🙂 Yes, they would have to refund if they raised a case for not as described, but had they been as honest in the return and it`s reason, they would have had to cover it themselves, rightfully so, but they didn`t open a case, so `if` this and `if` that doesn`t matter, they didn`t, so i wouldn`t, why should a seller lose out for their mistake!

[jckl1957]

I agree.

The buyer bought the wrong part without really knowing it would fit so 'change of mind', not 'INAD'.

[the-nutwood-collection]

Sorry, I wasn't clear on my previous post.  The buyer paid the purchase price (call it £20) plus £6 postage - a total of £26.00.

The OP is asking whether they can refund £20.  My reponse was - no they can't.  They have to refund £26.00, unless the postage was upgraded.  If so, they can refund just the standard postage for the item, not the full amount.  

[*vyolla*]

In the same scenario (buyer error) I'd refund the cost of the item only, I have done this in the past on my private seller account. 

One you issue a partial refund you'll receive a pro rata credit for your eBay final value fees. 

[rjwilmsi]

As the buyer has carried out the return outside of eBay, you could issue a partial refund for the £20 item cost out of the £26 total price. However, the buyer may then complain to you or eBay about the original postage not being refunded. Had the buyer opened a return via eBay, or if they later open a return and have tracking to prove item already returned, you would have to refund original postage.

Personally, to keep it simple and avoid further hassle, I would just refund the original postage too.

[4_bathrooms]

---

@the-nutwood-collection wrote:

Under the Consumer Rights Act the seller is obliged to refund standard return postage. 

---

The OP is a private seller; therefore the Consumer Rights Act does not apply. The OP also specified they don't accept (remorse) returns on the listing - it seems as their buyer was unable to open such a return they opted to return outside of a case and hoped the OP would simply refund.

The OP isn't obliged to refund anything - by right they could tell their buyer they have 14 days (or any reasonable length of time) to collect or arrange return shipping of their item or they will dispose of it as they see fit. Realistically this probably isn't a good idea - at least the OP's buyer didn't open an INAD case to get around their "no returns" policy. If the OP did advise them they had x days to collect or arrange return their buyer would most likely open an INAD case anyway leaving the OP with no choice but to refund what their buyer paid in full.

I think the best solution would be for the OP to refund their buyer less the outgoing postage cost so their buyer isn't inclined to open an INAD case in order to force a full refund. However, the OP will need to check if they can actually do this - I'm not sure it's possible for a private seller to issue a partial refund if they don't offer returns.