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I Advertised a large item on Ebay last Saturday. It had a couple of bits of minor damage which i included in the photos and description. Due to its size I advertised as collection only from Dunmow, Essex.
Very quickly I was messaged asking if I could meet part way to Lincoln. By chance my brother and SIL were heading to Lincoln to visit their daughter and her boyfriend so we actually agreed to deliver it to Lincoln for free. I never changed the listing though, that stayed collection only.
Friday my brother delivered the item, meeting in a carparj in Lincoln and hands over item.
Buyer doesn't inspect. Brother gets collection code.
This evening I get messaged, buyer isn't happy, feels item not as described. I asked what he wants as resolution although I feel item is as described and photos show.
Asks for refund.
I respond by asking when I can collect, and I'll ensure refund through Ebay once I've collected.
He responded, 'it's a long way to come, give me £100 partial refund (item was sold at £275).
I've asked for photos of damage he's found.
Imv he's trying it on, but in order to end the issue I'll probably offer him some, but a lot less back.
My question mainly is, since the advert was collection only, would the buyer be held responsible by ebay for returning the item for a refund? I'm guessing yes but ebay can be odd at settling disputes.
Thanks
He’s absolutely trying it on. He probably does it as a matter of course. Some people are just like that
I’d be advising him that it’s a two word answer… the second word is ‘off’ and he can choose his own first.
It's very very very tempting binners.
They sound like they are definitely "at it"
Suggest they proceed to Falkirk with great haste.
Failing that offer a full refund when they return the item to you at their own expense..
It’s because of situations like this that I don’t sell stuff on eBay. I just couldn’t cope with the hassle.
Failing that offer a full refund when they return the item to you at their own expense..
This
The problem here is you have no proof of delivery.
Suggest a) a partial refund on return of goods pending inspection or b) Malcolm Tucker.
I do have proof of delivery. I made sure my brother got the collection code, I put that in ebay and its marked as collected as ive entered it.
Collection only means bringing it back to you for a full refund. No stress just following the eBay process, and certainly no need to make things easier for them with a partial refund
Unfortunately you must process the return despite it being collected. The buyer needs to open a case and you should not correspond with them outside of eBay. You must respond within the timescales etc and follow the process.
Depending on how big the item is you will need to issue a returns label or arrange with the buyer to get them to ship it/agree to meet up for a collection. If you subsequently suspect they are abusing the Money Back Guarantee then you can report them.
If the item is returned in a different condition to that which sold it in you may be able to deduct an amount from the refund to cover this damage. Again, follow the eBay process.
Your only get out is if they paid cash. EBay won’t help them get their money back unless they paid through EBay.
You owe the buyer nothing here as they had the opportunity to inspect item and reject the purchase as they collected in person.
if you have agreed to a refund then they need to return it to the place stated in the listing for collection only which isn't Lincoln. If they don't agree then rescind the offer of a refund.
eBay are very reasonable about this sort of thing and will go with what is set out in the listing.
It’s because of situations like this that I don’t sell stuff on eBay. I just couldn’t cope with the hassle.
Whereas I have sold over 2,000 items on eBay since 2003 with next to no hassle at all. I am careful though and when selling local collection only I insist on the buyer actually being local, i.e. with 15 miles or so. When people say they are going to drive 150 miles to collect it I don't sell it to them as I don't want to be driving 150 miles to pick it up if they were to win a claim (which would be dodgy but I have heard it happens)
not particularly relevant... but:
My last sale was a set of none boost Pikes @130mm/29er that i had converted to push coil. Being none boost and such short travel, they weren't selling, even had a nearly new charger damper in it and low friction seals, basically as upgraded as could be
Eventually they sold for a pittance
the buyer asked loads of questions.. to the point were i said are you sure you understand what you have bought? asking after servicing etc when i stated they had had literally hours of use since i built them..
Anyway.. eventually he gets them and here we go
sends pictures of the stanchions which have no wear or scores etc complaining about the cosmetic scratches, you know the ones that don't take off the anodising, but you can see them, but you cant feel them, telling me that they needed new stanchions, they would leak air etc (hang on its a coil fork and that's not the primary air seal regardless)
So i'm getting moody and the guy suggests he will be satisfied with a partial refund, and his partial is literally the whole sale price.. something like £130 (the whole kit owed me over £400, and although the fork chassis was well loved, the rest was as new)
So i'm just like, send it back
his return argument is that it will cost too much... ??? but i shipped to London? he forwarded it to Afghanistan or such like...
Instantly not my problem.
Anyway i suddenly get a charge back... I'm now furious
so straight onto an ebay case, and ebay called me in less than minutes, for some reason the system had charged me back when there was no evidence of attempted return... took the operator minutes, the case was cancelled and my money released. Case closed.
So, if you have done everything as expected, taken the code etc, it's not your issue. If the buyer wants a refund that's up to you, if not they need to return it.
Love STW, will always get some advice. I'm not surprised it varies, people's own ebay experiences seem so varied.
Ok, i'm waiting for the photos of the damage from the buyer before I resound respond further.
All comms has been through Ebay other than a phone call to arrange the time, date and hand over location.
Can't see they have a case if it was collection only as the expectation should be that they inspect it before giving the collection code? Defo trying it on, I'd be saying full refund upon return or jog on.
I sell on ebay quite a bit and IMO in the last year or so, stuff is slower to sell, with a lot more idiots asking endless stupid questions.
You can tell some buyers are going to be more hassle then they are worth from the first time they get in touch.
You can tell some buyers are going to be more hassle then they are worth from the first time they get in touch.
There is a good feature now where you can "Block this member" from the messaging page. As soon as someone asks a stupid question they get blocked (can no longer message or buy anything) as I wouldn't want any hassle from selling to an idiot.
In my many years of selling I would say that 99% of people who ask questions are timewasters who never buy the item. Pretty much all my sold items never had a question.
"I'm sorry to learn you're unhappy with the condition of the item. Once the item has been returned, I will issue a refund in full minus the cost of initial transportation"
Tepid Regards,
NeilNeville
You can report a Buyer for this sort of nonsense.
I had someone ask for a full refund as the item wasn't working on delivery. It was listed as 'for parts or not working' or whatever the eBay category is. Plus I stated it wasn't working in the description. As soon as their messages started I flagged it. It may not have made any difference to eBay's decision, but it probably didn't hurt.
You owe the buyer nothing here as they had the opportunity to inspect item and reject the purchase as they collected in person
This is not correct - the buyer can reject the item as not as described regardless of whether or not they collected it and the eBay money back guarantee makes no provision for a change in policy if the buyer collected. The exact same protections are offered for both collections and deliveries. You have to accept the return and issue a refund. This can be a partial refund if the item turns up not in the same condition you sold it in as per eBay’s policy.
Unfortunately if you sold a bulky item and delivered it in person half way across the country you will need to go and collect it or arrange a courier and risk the buyer not being able to pack it securely for the same reasons you sold it as collection only.
If the buyer submits pictures showing damage and you have evidence that the item was as described when collected eg pictures of the item in the buyers hands/boot etc without said damage then you may have some luck asking eBay to step in but otherwisee not.
If the buyer cannot show not as described damage/issues then obviously you do not have to accept the return.
Agree. A lot of people are just making up what they feel should be the right thing but are incorrect. Sold via local collection is the same as you sent it as far as buyer is concerned. If they raise a "not as described" case then it is your problem at your cost.
Think of it the other way with you as the buyer who receives something that is not as described in the listing, would you be happy to pay the postage to send it back to them?
Think of it the other way with you as the buyer who receives something that is not as described in the listing, would you be happy to pay the postage to send it back to them?
If I had collected something from the seller, and then later decided that I wasn't happy with the cosmetic condition, or indeed any aspect that I had had the opportunity to assess whilst collecting, then I would simply suck it up and consider it a lesson learned. I wouldn't expect to be able to ask for a refund even if I was willing to return it to them. I guess I'd consider the 'description' to extend to anything that I could reasonably have checked on collection.
If, on the other hand, it was some aspect that I couldn't have checked while collecting (e.g. some aspect of the item's function, not aesthetic condition) them absolutely, I'd consider that to be the seller's responsibility to resolve.
These are my internal rules though and nothing to do with eBay's regulations. 🙂
The more I think about it the more it appears like the buyer is a chancer and has deliberately bought a collection only item from miles away knowing that it’s a right PITA for you to come and collect. I would call his bluff and arrange to collect it. Then when you do turn up to collect and he doesn’t show, make sure you can evidence that you went there to show eBay… Or offer a partial refund that equates to the cost in fuel of getting there and back. Interested to know if he’s sent any pics and deliberately damaged the item he is trying to scam you out of to strengthen his case….