Buyer disputing used item

[gypsyxgold]

Hello, just looking for a little help from more experienced folk! I am a private seller and after a wardrobe clearout, decided to sell one of my designer handbags. I listed it as used item and included photos of all angles and the inside of the bag and up close photos of the wear and tear damage on the handle. The buyer received the item 4 days ago and tonight, has messaged saying the bag is dirtier inside than expected and that they want a refund. I advised that's fine and to send back to the 'if undelivered' address on the box. Buyer requested I send a free postage label which I refused as I'm not a company. Buyer now saying they will open a dispute through eBay.

My question is, where do I stand here? The item condition is listed correctly and full photos (10) showing the condition. I don't see why if the buyer didn't read or look at the photos properly, that I should pay for postage? Do I have the option to not accept the return at all? 

[*guinevere*]

You don't have the option to refuse the return. Your buyer should open a case for Not as Described and you send a tracked prepaid label and wait for them to return the bag, then refund them. You will get your selling fees credited.

Ignoring the case or trying to fight it is useless because after the case has been open for a full 3 days your buyer can ask ebay to step in if you haven't responded, and ebay will enforce a full refund, tell the buyer to keep the bag, and slap you with a harmful account defect.

Ebay always says that as they don't see the item in question they cannot take sides and make you refund.

[gypsyxgold]

Thank you, how horrible though. I'm just disappointed as the bag IS as described- in a used condition and full photos showing the condition were on the listing. I don't mind refunding and having the bag back but how frustrating that I have to pay to have it sent back to me when the buyer simply changed their mind! 

[dancewithadingo]

Good Morning Gypsy

When you sell on eBay you are literally sending items out on approval and thus prone to a buyer wanting to return something.  It is not easy being a seller. I have often thought that some buyers should try selling and see just how difficult it can be.

[rjwilmsi]

eBay gives the buyer the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes as a seller you are on the losing end, that is the situation we are in as a society with a strong focus on consumer protection (which is mostly a good thing).

Tell your buyer to open a return via eBay. Then you need to approve the return promptly and click through to issue a return label. If the return reason is "item not as described" then yes you have to pay postage. That is the law and eBay policy.

The buyer may not be right, may be unreasonable, but eBay still gives them the benefit of the doubt. You have to accept that. If in future you don't want to be subject to these terms then sell in person where eBay's rules don't apply.

It is still better to accept the return than try to refuse it. If you ignore the return eBay may issue a full refund, or the buyer may submit a payment dispute (charge-back) with their card provider, in either case you would not get the item back.

[4_bathrooms]

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@gypsyxgold wrote:

I don't mind refunding and having the bag back but how frustrating that I have to pay to have it sent back to me when the buyer simply changed their mind! 

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It sounds like your buyer hasn't opened a return request yet; you should ask them to open one. Who pays for the return shipping label depends on the reason the buyer then selects for wanting to return - if they select a remorse reason (i.e. "changed my mind") the buyer will be responsible; if they select an "item not as described" reason you will be responsible for return postage.

If the buyer does open an "item not as described" (INAD) request they will be required to upload a picture to support their claim. This picture will not be checked by eBay - the return process is automated so you will still need to send a return label but you will at least have something to compare your original picture(s) against. Once the buyer has sent the item (or whatever they send) back there should be a link at the bottom of the request titled "Report a problem" (note this is NOT the link that says "Ask eBay to step in" - don't click on that one!). You can use this to report the buyer if, for example, the bag is returned exactly as described (Reason: buyer made a false claim) or if they return something different to what you sent (Reason: buyer returned a different item). Using the "Report a problem" link will close the return case and open a new one that someone at eBay might look at.

Note this doesn't guarantee you won't ultimately end up refunding the buyer but if eBay decide the buyer is abusing their Money Back Guarantee protection they might refuse the buyer's claim or refund out of their own pocket. If the buyer has a habit of opening - and being reported for - abusive requests they might not be able to open a return request at all. If you direct the buyer to open a return request but they refuse and instead ask for a partial refund instead this will likely be due to eBay removing their ability to open requests due to previous abuse(s).

Also note if your buyer does open an INAD request eBay may send a label for a more expensive postage method than the one you originally purchased for the outgoing delivery. You can prevent this by scrolling to the bottom of this page and ticking the "RMA number" box then making sure all the auto send label options are switched off. This doesn't prevent you needing to send a valid return label within 3 days of the case being opened but it does allow you to choose which service will be used for the return postage.      

[myriad*seller]

I would recommend taking a few more photos of the inside of the bag, with better lighting

The bag interior photo has lots of shadows which could be hiding what the buyer describes

Make sure you light the bag interior better and take some more photos before relisting so buyers know exactly what they are expecting. 

[gypsyxgold]

Thank you this is super helpful (other responses are too but this one is beautifully dumbed down for lil ol' me!) The lady still hasn't opened a dispute. At a guess, she has either realised that she has a designer handbag for very very cheap (similar on eBay for 4x buy it now in same used condition!) or is using it for an event and will return as late as possible. I presume there is a 30 day cut off.