Buyers lying to return items

[a_very_vintage_affair]

I would love to know how many sellers feel that they are being lied to when a buyer returns an item to avoid the return postage. For instance, I had sold a pair of sterling silver earrings to a buyer, they were marked 925 on the ear wires as is standard throughout the industry.  This buyer had asked to return the earrings already because she didn't like them and when I told her she would have to pay Ebay to send them back she took the hump. The buyer then claimed that because the actual earrings were not stamped 925 that they could not then be silver and filed an item not as described and I had to foot the bill. I have no answer to this but I would just like to know how prevalent it is throughout Ebay. 

[dion5feb2016]

I had an item returned the other day clearly used and damaged by buyer but they could return it postage free because of the policy that allows them to. They described it as ‘not as pictures or description’ which it certainly was, I am very careful to make sure this is accurate. Received it back utterly useless as it had been damaged that much. I have had to refund the buyer as per but I am still out of pocket! Reported them to ebay who have done nothing. Buyer protection fine but what about protection for the sellers, without us there wouldn’t be buyers.

[5216elisabeth]

Oh yes - and it seems to me to be getting worse.  A couple of recent examples:

1) item arrived damaged (it did not - brand new from supplier) accompanied by slightly difficult to interpret photos.  Message from buyer - Just opened, sorry - item returns.  Buyer has cut through the power cable when opening the bubble wrap!! 

2) Christmas tree lights are multicoloured on the top and won't change to warm white on the bottom (dual colour lights), a few photos of this bizarre occurance.  "They're photoshopped" said my teenager straight away and guess what, he was spot on.  Tree returns with nothing wrong with it at all.

The lengths some people will go to in order to avoid paying a £3.35 return... the time and effort they are putting into this is not very cost effective even weighed against minimum wage.  I am trying to see the funny side once the pain has faded but it isn't a sustainable thing and, as far as I am concerned, it is theft. It makes my blood boil when they get away with it.