Buyer received item damaged in transit, wants substantial refund.......

[trustyourdog]

Buyer received purchase (in two shipments). One of the shipments was damaged and the buyer now wants a substantial refund which I don't believe is justified. This has undermined an otherwise successful transaction. I have now suggested that we cancel the entire transaction, I provide a full refund and recover both shipments.

Does this sound reasonable?

[4_bathrooms]

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@trustyourdog wrote:

Buyer received purchase (in two shipments).

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Just to confirm was it a single purchase that was sent in two consignments? 

[sml192]

Yes, I wouldn't entertain a partial refund unless returning the item is not cost effective.   Ask the buyer to open an 'Item not as described' return request and then issue a prepaid return label.  Only refund once the item has been safely returned. 

[jckl1957]

Don't fall into the trap of refunding before the items are returned - if you cancel the transaction, this will trigger a full refund so the buyer will have their purchase and the money.

Follow the advice from @sml192 and do everything through an Ebay case.

[eastern-lights]

Out of interest, has the buyer sent you photographs?

[trustyourdog]

The buyer sent one photo of a relatively small area of damage and, given that they suggested the item was 'totally destroyed' I requested more photos which they refused to provide.

I don't doubt that one item suffered some damage in transit and, had they suggested a reasonable refund amount I would probably have negotiated an agreed sum. The problem is that the buyer wants what amounts to 25% of the whole value. As a consequence, I have proposed a full refund and I will collect the items myself to ensure that everything is there. The buyer has now become abusive and I am trying to resolve the situation and recover my property, requiring a 3 hour journey there and back.

Never had this experience before.

[trustyourdog]

Yes, one case containing 20+ items plus a second package.

[trustyourdog]

Unfortunately the situation has turned ugly, for reasons that I don't understand. I don't doubt that part of the consignment was damaged by the courier company but given that the buyer refused to send additional photos showing the item 'totally destroyed' I have doubts that the damage is as severe as made out.

My problem is that the consignment is made up of 20+ items and it looks as if the buyer wants to drive the cost down by demanding a substantial refund on one of the items and keep everything as well.

The original shipping cost (its in the UK) was significant (including insurance) and now I don't trust the buyer to return allof the items I sent. As a consequence, I'm going to have to collect the items myself (3.5 hour drive each way) to make sure that I recover everything.

First time this has happened to me and I really don't need the grief.

[4_bathrooms]

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@trustyourdog wrote:

Yes, one case containing 20+ items plus a second package.

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Has the buyer actually opened an eBay case (request) for the item not being as described or have they just sent messages?

[rjwilmsi]

In my experience if a buyer is demanding a significant partial refund it does seem suspicious. As a seller, you absolutely do not have to agree to any partial refund. You can insist that all of the items are returned in full for a full refund. If you believe that the buyer is now becoming verbally abusive, I would not be getting involved in meeting them physically in person. The situation could get much worse. If nothing else they will probably deliberately not be at home or you will end up having a much more significant argument.

I would simply tell them to return the items in full via the returns process in the post. If there isn't really any damage and the buyer doesn't really want to return the items then you may never hear from them again. If they send any further messages just reiterate that you will only be accepting a full return for full refund and only communicate for the purpose of facilitating that return.

If the buyer does return the item and doesn't return every part of it, then you can submit an action fraud report and then request eBay reimburse you for your partial loss. It isn't guaranteed that eBay will do this but in my experience they should do if you are a seller in good standing and can provide the evidence they require of an action fraud report having been submitted.

[sml192]

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@trustyourdog wrote:

My problem is that the consignment is made up of 20+ items and it looks as if the buyer wants to drive the cost down by demanding a substantial refund on one of the items and keep everything as well.

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Were the items all on the same listing?  If they were on separate listings then the buyer only needs to open a return request for, and return, the item that is damaged, even though they were purchased and sent together.