Customer demanding partial refund, I don't do partial refunds...

[2000jaykay]

Hi.  
I sold an item on Ebay the other day.  It was a model kit of an aircraft and in the listing I stated that I could not guarantee the decals would be useable due to the age of the kit.  
The buyer contacted me on the day it arrived to say that he wasn't happy as, according to him, the decals were cracked and unuseable and therefore he wanted a partial refund. 
I check each kit before I send it and always check the decals and I did not see any cracks in them, otherwise I wouldn't have sent the kitand would have messaged the customer to advise and sort out a resolution.    However, it is possible I missed them so I advised the buyer that unfortunately I don't offer partial refunds but would happily refund the full amount upon return of the kit.  His next message seemed quite happy with this and I waited for his return request. 
Today they have messaged to say they aren't happy going down the returns route and demanded (that is the right word) a partial refund.  I don't offer partial refunds because it seems like it could be open to abuse by unscrupulous buyers and given the tone of his last message, even if I did sometimes offer them, in this case I don't think I would.   
I am right in thinking I am not obliged to offer a partial refund?

[*knight-rider*]

You are correct, your not obliged to offer partial refunds and i don`t agree with them either, the buyer either isn`t happy, or they are, but it`s often a question of maths, is it worth paying £4+ to have an item returned that was say £5-£10, but sellers often think it`s the principle as well.

i buy alot of old model kits myself (i`m a Thunderbirds collector) and almost every single one that has decals, the decals are no good due to age and just fall apart. I`m not sure what decals go with this model you`ve sold, but there are sellers out there that sell reproduction decals, so it might be worth your buyer having a look round.

Coming back to your issue, it`s really down to you what you do, the buyer either returns for a full refund, or you may decide it`s cheaper and easier to refund a fiver in case he can get some decals, because a return will cost nearly that anyway 🙂

[tressygirl]

I agree with Knight rider easier to give the partial refund,  and it also may avoid a negative feedback.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

not being a business seller i would be one of those sellers who would go by the principle!  I would rather lose a few pounds and get it returned than give in to an unreasonable demand!  You are also just leaving the floodgates open for them to keep on trying it on with others expecting to get away with it.  

[eastern-lights]

I sometimes offer a partial refund if it has not been requested. But not when it has been requested or demanded. It is up to the seller not the buyer how the seller handles these things.

It is possibly that the buyer may have a history of this and doesn't want to raise a return in case alam bells sound at Ebay HQ. Even if OP decides to give a partial refund it might be worth insisting on doing it through a return case rather than just sending the partial refund.

[m25jet]

From what I can gather from reading your post you described the condition of the item accurately, so therefore the buyer has no justifiable reason to demand a partial refund of you, as the item was exactly as described in the listing.

What you could you, if you really wanted to try to help the buyer out, would be to have a check on the site yourself for the kind of decals that would have been included in the kit to see whether or not it is possible to purchase the decals separately.  If this is indeed possible the send the buyer a message via eBay stating something along the lines of "I have had a quick search of various eBay listings for you and have found an ad listing the decals for this kit.  The eBay Item Number for the listing is... [insert eBay Item Number here]."  If you were to do that then the seller may well see that you were trying to be helpful, and stop pressing you for a refund.

Personally I feel that you should stand your ground with regards to your refusal to give partial refunds.  For all you know, the buyer could have purchased the item with the deliberate intention of contacting you about it at a later date, picking faults in the item just for the sake of trying it on and seeing whether he/she could get the item for cheaper than the advertised price.

Finally, if you have not already done so by the time you read this response, add the buyer's User ID to your Blocked Bidders List so as to ensure that he/she cannot purchase anything else from you in the future and cause you any further problems.  It would also be useful to activate the "Don't Allow Blocked Buyers To Contact Me" option if you do not already have it activated, as that way once the blocks kick in the buyer will not be able to harass you with unwanted messages.

[rjwilmsi]

You definitely don't have to offer a partial refund.

If you think the buyer is trying it on, then stick to what you have said, you will accept a return for full refund.

Many buyers will then disappear once they realize you are not going to give in.

I would block the buyer either way. Personally I would not spend time doing research for the buyer about replacement parts etc., that is up to buyer.