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Sold a guitar pedal on Ebay, and I forgot to include 1 piece of paperwork/instructions in the box (something you can easily download on the internet).
As soon as the buyer told me it wasn't in the box I sent it out, but he has now asked to return it as it hasn't turned up 2 days later.
Arghh, Do people really have this little patience 😐 Ok, a mistake on my part, but the pedal works, and it's just a bit of flippin paper!
Just sandbag him til he receives the paperwork. Wait a day, respond "Have you received it yet". Plodding communication solves lots of issues.
(I sell probably around 70 items a month, they all say will post within 3 days, delivery time 3 days, and without fail I get messages after a day saying "I haven't got it yet!1!!". And inevitably, there's a correlation between buyers who pay after 4 or 5 days, who're then antsy because I don't post instantly. Ah well)
(something you can easily download on the internet).
Send them the URL and tell them to jog on?
Yep, I hate this assumption of insanely good customer service from a private sale, like we're all a mini John Lewis or something. Idiots!!
I actually offered to send him a digital version of the doc, and he's gone silent.
we'll see!
Anyway, if he does return he's blocked, and seeing as i accepted an offer of £100 (for a quick sale) on an item that often goes for £160+ he can have fun looking for another!
It'll be a request for a refund and an assertion that there's no need to return it next. Mark my words.
Not sure how that would work, as eBay say not to refund until you receive the item back.
Never sell anything to guitar people, they're idiots! I sold a 12 string acoustic for £159, the buyer threw his toys out because it wasn't as nice as his friends guitar (that cost £1k), sold a les Paul copy , bidding war went up to £459, after 3 weeks, buyer complains that it is not a real 1950s Gibson and returns it as a fake. Stung on fees and postage there and he'd broken it. Do eBay care? Hell no.
Update - if anyone cares 😉
I sent out a digital version of the doc, no communication from him at all, but he obviously realised he was being a bit of a numpty, so quietly dropped the return request. Even gave me good feedback! Go figure 😆
Go figure
Figured. Bloke was one of the millions of tossers that inhabit this country. If people want shiny new stuff with warranties then second hand shops shouldn't be for them.
I had this recently.
"Can i send the leather trousers back if they don't fit?"
My reply was. "No, i'm not a motorbike shop, if you want that, buy from a shop"
There do seem to be certain categories of items which attract total numpties.
My son sold a sweatshirt at the weekend (Palace, for any kids out there!). Bidding went to about £40-odd and the winning bidder has zero feedback.
Sure enough, an hour after the auction ends, we get a message 'can you send me some more photos of the wash tags' (except with much worse grammar).
No you moron, that's not how ebay works!!
"No, i'm not a motorbike shop, if you want that, buy from a shop"
And that will be why you'll only be making 80% of what you could be making.
If you'd said it wasn't a problem, you'd have generated another bidder who would have bid with much greater confidence and even if they didn't win the auction, they would have contributed directly to increasing your sale price.
You might not be a shop, but people's expectations for reasonable service don't suddenly fall through the floor because you're a private seller on eBay. With clothing, you won't sell it if someone thinks there's a small chance it won't fit if they don't have the chance to return it.
And that will be why you'll only be making 80% of what you could be making.If you'd said it wasn't a problem, you'd have generated another bidder who would have bid with much greater confidence and even if they didn't win the auction, they would have contributed directly to increasing your sale price.
You might not be a shop, but people's expectations for reasonable service don't suddenly fall through the floor because you're a private seller on eBay. With clothing, you won't sell it if someone thinks there's a small chance it won't fit if they don't have the chance to return it.
The trousers sold and got left good feedback.
The jacket however turned into a farce, it sold for £45 and 4 days later the buyer told me it smelled a bit musty...
I ended up refunding the buyer 50% just because i couldn't be bothered messing about.
I think what's interesting is the high degree of variance in the experiences of both buyers and sellers. I don't know whether this is to do with the person or the item category, but the variance is huge.
I only ever sell bike related or photography related items but I've never had a single real problem. I have had buyers just not bothering to follow through with the transaction (and on both occassions they were buyers located in Spain) but these are more of a nuisance than a problem.
I suspect that the variance in experience is a combination of the person and the items they're selling. Bike and camera related transactions seem to be hassle free. Other categories might not be.
Always make sure you choose "no returns accepted for this item" when listing
You are not a business and don't have to refund if the buyer changes their mind.
If they do want to return as "not as described" or "damaged / missing" then make sure you pre-pay through the eBay system for their return postage.
If you don't pre pay their return postage then the buyer doesn't have to return the item and so they keep it and eBay will force a refund from you.
Not great but thats how it works.
wzzzz - MemberAlways make sure you choose "no returns accepted for this item" when listing
I settled on "accepts returns but buyer pays return postage", it means the buyer sees the cost to them right up front and stops a lot of timewasting. I get practically no return requests now and those that I do, all feel genuine. "ZOMFG I misread the description, I am an idiot, can you help"? sort of thing, which I don't object to.
[quote="jimbobo"]Never sell anything to guitar people, they're idiots!
Also motorbike people.
Also anybody buying a large old BMW.
I sold a SRAM front mech which was dual pull, it went for like 14 quid and since it was just lying around I did not really care.
The buyer contacted me saying it does not pull from above and wants a refund, I downloaded the user manual from the SRAM site and sent him it detailing how to set up the cable.
I also pointed out that I would be glad to refund him and take the item back as it is worth 4 times what he paid. Funnily enough he decided to keep it.
Been selling a lot on eBay, on here and Pinkbike recently.
Most people are totally fine, but the level of grief typically goes STW > eBay > Pinkbike.
People saying they'll have stuff then going quiet is the main offence on all platforms.
Won't sell anything on eBay anymore.
Sold a 3 year old Zesty frame, description stated it had been well used, that there was some rub on the frame (from the inside of my thigh) - standard stuff you would expect on a 3 year old mountain bike frame. Pictures to verify the description.
Buyer wanted to return it, when I refused on the grounds that it was 'as described' eBay gave me the option of refunding and arranging collection at my expense or they would refund, take the money from my paypal account and I wouldn't get my frame back.
No money in your paypal account? Your account shows as a negative and they pass it to debt collection agency.
My advice is to steer well clear of eBay.
Edit - just seen the advice of selecting 'no returns'. I did, eBay advised this only applies if the buyer states they want to return something because they have changed their mind about the purchase.
People saying they'll have stuff then going quiet is the main offence on all platforms.
So much this!
eBay is full of five star man carrots. After numerous faffs posting I only sell collection only.
Did some reading about this and apparently adding 'viewing welcome' adds another layer of protection for those 'not as described' types. There is a guide and plenty of info on how to protect yourself as a seller but, fact is, eBay tend to side with the buyer so seems pointless even trying.
I sold some stuff to a life coach a while ago. It arrived damaged and I told him not to do anything and definitely not to install as I'd get it repaired (it was a cheap repair).
He installed and tried to use it therfore pretty much destroying it. Ebay found in my favour. He went ballistic following me on Twitter and facebook so he could leave shitty comments everywhere he could.
As I said, he was a life coach. 😆
woollybackpaul - MemberEdit - just seen the advice of selecting 'no returns'. I did, eBay advised this only applies if the buyer states they want to return something because they have changed their mind about the purchase.
Yup, it obviously doesn't cover you if you sell something damaged or not as described, that'd be a thieves' licence. But that's where it gets sticky.
There's an assumption that ebay always backs the buyer but tbh that's not my finding at all- you do have to be ready to jump through hoops though to make your case. I've had a few people try "not as described" scams and always fought them- only time i've not won has been when I didn't follow the process properly. Now, it's intentionally hard to follow and byzantine, it is a hassle which is why I've dropped the ball a couple of times.
The other thing is, you want to avoid anything too subjective- "good condition for year" "minor marks", that sort of thing. My descriptions are all like "Used but perfect working order, some marks- see photos", nothing that can be disputed on factual grounds whereas "Minor marks" frinstance is open to debate as to what is minor or what isn't.