Buyer wants to return item. Scam?

[nelly_efc]

I recently sold a vintage Star Wars item on eBay for a decent amount of money. Having sold loads of stuff recently on eBay and never had a problem, as soon as the buyer paid, I parcelled it up and sent without thinking. It was only after sending that I noticed the buyer was a brand new eBay account (set up that day!) with zero feedback. This obviously set my alarm bells ringing.

Anyway, fast forward a couple of days and I receive a 'I would like to return this item as I was disappointed in the condition of it' message. I describe all my items as honestly

as possible with photos from every possible angle, and across 100+ sales (including lots of Star Wars stuff) I've never had a complaint. All my listings are 'returns not accepted'. The buyer hasn't yet initiated a formal cancellation/return procedure, so I'm wondering what I should do now? Any help much appreciated!

[plpmr]

you do nothing until the buyer opens a not as described case, then you have to accept, send a prepaid returns label and refund when you get the item back.

[tressygirl]

Sounds like even though new,  they may be after a partial refund and to keep the item,  but of course you do not have to oblige.

They haven't opened a case yet,  so keep them sweet,  perhaps ask what problem they found with this vintage item you have owned for ** years,  it may be explained away.

If they insist on a full refund they'll need to open a case for item not as described, and send the item back at your expense.  If on the return you find it's in different condition to that sent out,  you can appeal the case for the refund.

Appeal the decision for the refund here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/manging-returns-refunds/appeal-eBays-decision-return-missing-ite...

[nelly_efc]

UPDATE: So today, the item that I sold arrived back at my address with the Royal Mail postage paid for by the buyer! I've checked the contents and everything appears fine. They still haven't issued a cancellation/return on eBay, but I guess it is now safe to refund them via eBay? Only annoying thing is I presume I will lose out on the original cost of shipping ?

[m25jet]

Given that the buyer has now returned the item your next course of action would be to refund the buyer's money, citing "Buyer Changed His Mind" as the reason why.  You won't get the original postage costs back again, but at least you've got the item back in one piece and can relist it for sale again.  That way the buyer will not be able to open an eBay case against you in order to get eBay involved in an effort to force a refund.

If you've got any suspicions that the buyer may have been dodgy then the best option would be to add the buyer's User ID to your Blocked Bidders List so that he/she cannot purchase anything else from you in the future and cause you any further aggravation.  Although some people may feel that this is an over-the-top reaction, it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to selling stuff on eBay.

With regards to your statement that you don't accept returns I would advise you to change this aspect of your listings, stating that you do accept returns.  The reason I say this is because if you were to get a buyer who had just changed his/her mind and wanted to return the item for a refund but he/she then noticed that you stated that you do not accept returns it could end up with the buyer opening a false Item Not As Described case in order to force you into issuing a refund anyway.  If you were to argue against this in such a scenario then all the buyer would have to do would be to escalate the matter to eBay, who would then force the refund anyway, thus giving the buyer a 100% refund and giving you a defect on your selling account.  However, all of this could potentially be avoided if you were to change your selling policy to indicate to buyers that you would be willing to accept returns.