JZ1276

So my job issues us 7 pairs of Dickie's work pants every year. Over the years I've been given so many pairs I decided to try and sell some on ebay. A buyer purchased 5 pairs for a total of $85. The title of the auction was 'Dickies-874-Pants-Mens-Original-Fit-Classic-Fit-Navy-36x32'. In 'Item specifics', the color was listed as 'Navy'. I also posted 3 pictures. I offered free shipping even though they cost $20 to ship. The buyer contacted me today saying he wanted dark navy and these are the wrong color. I'm stuck issuing a refund correct?

Why So Blu?

Navy is Navy. You have pics and an accurate description. If it comes to it file a claim on PP.

Josh-da-man

Did some googlin' and it appears that those particular pants are available in both "navy" and "dark navy."

Since you never claimed they were "dark navy" and outright stated "navy" the buyer would appear to not have a leg to stand on. So to speak...

No telling how eBay would side, though. Seems like a buyer error.

majorjoe23

Just respond "Suck my Dickies!" and call it a day. It probably won't help, but it might be fun.

JZ1276

thanks everyone for the feedback

SterlingBen

Yeah, you sent the correct item and now have proof that they received them from the buyer themselves. Just respond "Sorry but at this time we do not offer returns/exchanges"

Obi-Wanma

Tell him to return them to Walmart

JZ1276

Apparently I have no choice but to accept the return & issue the refund. They already deducted the item cost on my Paypal account. I called both ebay and Paypal & they said the buyer opened a "return case" and I can either let him keep the pants /issue the refund/or partial refund, request he send them back/issue the refund. I chose 'returns accepted' in the item options so I have to accept returns. I was under the assumption this meant if the item arrived damaged. Oh well.

Red Hood

I wish eBay kept idiot buyers like that out of the site completely. If someone pulls that shit, they should get banned from the site as you had the description and photos of the pants in your auction. Those type of morons are on the rise everyday on eBay and is making honest sellers suffer because of their stupidity.

SterlingBen

Always double check to make sure best offer and returns accepted are not checked when listing as e-bay likes to toggle these both on sometimes.

jjcool

Are you forced to return all of the money paid, or can you keep a "restocking fee"? Since the error was the buyers.

JZ1276

I don't think that was one of the options they gave me. They told me I could give him a partial refund and let him keep the pants which I didn't want to do. I accepted the return days ago and still haven't heard anything from the buyer. I think he has until the 18th to respond. What sucks is I have sold other items on ebay and cant even get the money from Paypal bc my account is in the negatives bc of this.

jjcool

That sucks. Seems like this situation is what restocking fees were created for. Buyer is an idiot and either buys the wrong thing, or changes his mind after the fact. Seller is out money on shipping that wont get recouped. Can I assume that the buyer has to pay the return shipping?

Obi-Wanma

I would imagine that if you wanted to charge a restocking fee, that would have to be clearly spelled out in the return policy in your listing.

Trevor

Without reading the thread, my advice is to never do it.

ben12

I hope he's at least paying return shipping since it was his mistake. I get requiring returns, but the seller should not be stuck paying double shipping because the buyer can't read.

jjcool

Even that may not be enough, as even you listing that no returns are accepted will get overruled by ebay.

JZ1276

Yes, it is up to the buyer to pay return shipping in this case. Although, since I approved the return request on Dec 11th, I still haven't heard from the buyer who is supposed to post tracking info. Ebay is giving the buyer until the 18th to ship the item back. I am assuming they will take the 'freeze' off of his payment if he does not by then.

Living Dead

These days, any time a buyer complains, you pretty much have to give them whatever they ask for, even if they are wrong and/or unreasonable. Ebay ALWAYS sides with the buyer, regardless of evidence. I don't even fight it anymore. I just have items returned and refund the money and sell them again to someone who isn't a fucking idiot. Those people are becoming few and far between.

I really wish there was another site to give ebay some real competition. I would jump ship in a heartbeat.

Inhumans99

It sounds like your buyer might be trying to get something from you for free and were hoping you would not ask for the pants to be returned before providing a refund. Tomorrow is the deadline for the buyer to let you know your merchandise is being returned, so if they flake you should be able to get Paypal to dismiss the buyers' attempt to keep the merchandise and get a refund (it sounds like the buyer is trying to scam you).

jjcool

That thought occurred to me as well. Ebays pro buyer policies make this immensely easy.

Troy Stiffler

Correct. If you chose "no returns", Ebay wouldn't allow them to open a return request.

Offer a return. If they choose to do it, they'll be billed for the return label (unless you chose the 'seller pays return shipping' option). They'll return. You'll get your Ebay and PayPal fees back, and be back to $0 (or you might be out the original shipping cost, depending whether or not you did free shipping).

I'm an Ebay pro. I can't recommend that 'regular people' sell their stuff on Ebay anymore. It's such a hassle. And you have to deal with stuff like this. This sort of thing happens for 2%-5% of my transactions. I turned it into a passive process, apologize, and do a return/refund.

TheBang

You have to understand, there are 2 different policies at play: the eBay Money Back Guarantee and the Seller Return Policy.

When you sell on eBay you are ALWAYS on the hook if:

1. The item is not delivered or
2. The item is significantly not as described.

If the buyer opens a case claiming not delivered, if you cannot provide a tracking number that shows the package was delivered in the same zip code as the buyer-provided shipping address, you will lose the case, and must return 100% of what was paid by the buyer.

If the buyer opens a case claiming item not as described (including if it was damaged during shipping), and the evidence (and eBay) sides with the buyer, you must return 100% of what was paid AND pay for return shipping (if you want the item back). (Or, you can offer partial refund and the buyer keeps the item, if they agree to it.)

These two things are eBay's Money Back Guarantee, and they apply to every transaction. So make sure you always ship with tracking, and make sure you create accurate, representative listings. And get shipping insurance (shipsaver.com is cheap) for valuable packages, where you could not absorb the loss if it were lost or damaged in transit. And if the total amount paid was over $750, it has to be delivered with Signature Confirmation.

Now, outside of that, there is also the Seller Return Policy, which you must also specify on a per-item basis. This can range anywhere from "No Returns" to "I will accept returns for 90 days with a full refund and pay the return shipping if you don't like it." The Return Policy is for when the customer doesn't want the item for any (or no) reason and wants to return it. You are free to make the return policy whatever you want (within reason), but you should specify the number of days you'll accept a return, any restocking fees, who pays the return shipping, etc. My return policy states 14 days from receipt, 15% restocking charge, buyer pays return shipping.

The eBay Money Back Guarantee completely trumps the Return Policy, so if the buyer complaint falls under the Money Back Guarantee, you have to follow those rules.

In this case, JZ1276's buyer admitted in his communication that he wanted "dark navy" when the listing clearly (and accurately) said "navy", so because of that admission, he wouldn't have been able to file a case claiming that the item was not as described (at least on the color basis), so this falls under the Seller Return Policy. If JZ1276 has simply chosen "No Returns" that would have been the end of it, and the buyer would have had to suck it up. If you don't alter any of the options, I believe the default return policy is 14 days, buyer pays return shipping, no restocking fee, which is why you were forced to accept the return.

JZ1276

Well the deadline for the buyer to return the item has passed and there is no change. The $ for the item is still frozen in my Paypal account and there is no new info on the return detail page on ebay. The buyer actually left me positive feedback days ago saying 'good item great price'. I'm sure he was hoping I'd just issue the refund and let him keep the pants. Anyone know what I have to do now? Do I have to contact ebay?

TheBang

Just wait. The case will timeout and close. It might be 30 days from opening though.

It's really in your best interest not to "rock the boat" and do anything that might provoke any kind of response from the buyer or draw any attention to the case until the deadlines have passed and it's too late for the buyer to do anything.