Ebay advised the seller had sent a prepaid return label. They have not

[suedonym2]

I purchased a pair of sandals from an ebay seller.  They were "defective" because the seller failed to list them as an extra wide fitting.  Seller attempted to persuade me that shoes come in all shapes and sizes and so do feet, so one cannot rely upon how a shoe will fit! 

Surely, this is why we have the system that we do for listing shoes in narrow to extra wide fittings.  The seller should know this, but does not agree,and appears completely unaware of the system in place for listing shoes by size and fitting! 

Seller finally agreed to take the sandals back but insisted that I was in the wrong for pointing out that they should have been listed as an extra wide fitting. 

Ebay advised that the seller had issue a return label.  They have not, and are unreachable.  Ebay, quite clearly is in favour of a seller who inaccurately lists items for sale and it appears that I  have been blocked. 

I have listings currently on ebay, and am now considering removing them as I have lost confidence in Ebay's judgement and integrity.   

[suedonym2]

Ebay is actively blocking the return of these shoes. I have attempted to enter carrier and tracking number. Ebay has kindly filled this in for me, without KNOWING THE CARRIER THAT I USED! It could, for example, be My Hermes!

However, Ebay has it in their head that I returned the item to the seller by Royal Mail, and have kindly entered the tracking number as "2345!"

So, here it is: seller located in Paignton, tracking number: NV153691138GB. Ebay and seller, you will find this entered four times as a "photographic image.." Suggest that you do not interfere with it.

Isn't amazing what the pandemic has brought out in our society. Ebay still not taking phone calls. Most other large organisations are working remotely. Ebay isn't. I wonder why that is.

[m25jet]

@rusticrye   wrote:

What makes you think the shoes should have been listed as wide-fitting...? Unless it says so on the box or somewhere on the shoe itself, then they are not classed as wide-fitting and the seller is absolutely correct - shoes' measurements vary, just like clothing measurements do. So, unless wide-fitting is stated on the shoe or box, you are responsible for the return costs as the shoes have not been misdescribed.

Alternatively, you can always close the return request if you don't want to pay for a label, and sell the shoes on yourself.

By the way, shoes not fitting doesn't make them 'defective'...! An item that is defective is one which is faulty in some way.

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Despite what has been written to the contrary, you are not neccesarily responsible for the cost of the postage unless you stated that you'd changed your mind and wanted a refund.  You don't state whether the seller was a private seller or a business seller, but even if the seller was only listing items as a private seller and had "No Returns Accepted" displayed on his listings, that doesn't really count for very much these days, as eBay tend to side with the buyer in the majority of cases.  If the seller was a business seller then he is legally obliged to accept returns, whether he wants to or not.

Wtih regards to an item being misdescribed this is not only limited to the way in which the seller described the item, and/or the pictures provided of the item in question.  An item can also be regarded as misdesribed if the seller fails to include something in the listing, whether in the photos or the item description, which may otherwise have had a bearing upon the buyer's decision to purchase the item.  It is the seller's responsibility to provide accurate measurements of the item in question, and ideally to also show photos that states the size of the item, whether on the item itself or on the accompanying box.  If you look to buy a similar item on eBay in the future but are not sure if it will fit you then check out the manufacturer's site and do a bit of research so that you can get a clearer idea as to whether you need to purchase the size that you normally would, or if you need to buy a size that would normally be a bit bigger or smaller than the size that you would normally buy so as to ensure that you get an item that fits spot-on.

With regards to the matter of whether or not you can actually get a refund, even if eBay are not being helpful you can still get a refund from PayPal.  Open a case for Item Not As Described - this does not necessarily have to mean that the item is damaged in some way, although I wouldn't say that the fact that the shoe doesn't fit your foot is a fault.  It's simply the wrong size for you.  Therefore, if the seller is being awkward and is refusing to refund your money and eBay have been of no use whatsoever then open an Item Not As Described case via PayPal.  If you do that then you should stand a chance of getting your money back.

[suedonym2]

The shoes were not described accurately. If the shoes were not a normal fitting "N" the seller should have indicated that they were an extra wide fitting and not appropriate for a normal foot. They did not do that. How would you suggest I view the box? The seller had possession of the box until they were sent out and discovered to be, upon receipt, that they were an abnormally wide fitting.

Rusticrye, I think you a far too confrontational and rude,. Much too inappropriate.

Should we assume that you are in the footwear industry from your comments?

[m25jet]

Unfortunately not all sellers bother to go to great lengths to ensure that all items listed are described as accurately as possible. Some seller's descriptions can actually be very vague and therefore make it necessary for the buyer to contact the seller with further questions in an attempt to obtain satisfactory answers to any queries in relation to the item. Personally I'd always suggest that if the seller isn't forthcoming with the requested information when you ask for it then that's a potential red flag that the seller may become difficult to deal with, and may well be better to avoid, especially if he either refuses to respond or answers queries in a rude manner.

With regards to the question "How would you suggest I view the box?" the seller should have included a shot of the box in the original listing showing the size of shoe and whether the shoe was described as wide fitting or not. If the item was advertised via a fixed price listing then if you had requested a photo of the box showing the size of the shoes then so long as the seller hadn't used up all twelve shots he could have revised the listing and included an extra shot to show the label on the box with the sizing information on it. He could also have done the same on an auction listing if he'd not used all the shots on the listing and there had been no bids at that point, so it's always worth asking if you need more information, as you may well get a good seller who's more than willing to provide the extra information to help you to decide whether or not the item is right for you before you commit to buying the item.

[suedonym2]

m25jet: You are quite right. This is a business seller, and all that was shown was the sandal in two colours. The photography looked like a normal size sandal, but now I am wondering if the sandal that I received was the same as that sown in the photography. I usually buy my shoes at the upper end of the market, aind these were just for general "knocking about." and not fashion wear. Nevertheless, I do expect the seller to indcate in their listing that what they are selling is not within the usual sizing range: i.e. "N" - normal fitting. Ebay or the seller, is actively blocking the return of the sandals by entering fictitious return information i.e The assumption that I used Royal Mail as the carrier and then entered a fictitious tracking number - "2345." I am 79 years of age, and am still dependent upon others to help me out with certain tasks, such as going into gas stations with post office counters and cramped space. I may well have used My Hermes, but ebay preempted that. I tried to telephone ebay, and they are still not taking phone calls and refer callers to their website. Are they hiding behind Covid-19 and making life difficult for sellers and buyers when they should be doing all they can to promote trade and help bring the UK out of recession? Taking punitive action against the public will create a situation where we will think twice before using ebay. Rather infantile and poorly thought through.