Ebay International Buyer Problem

Chris18181 · #1 03-17-2014

Hi Everyone, I have a problem here with a item i shipped to a buyer to Germany,.

I shipped a Computerized sewing machine to the Buyer in Germany. He said when he plugged it in, it started smoking because the wattage is different in his country then here in the usa.

now he has returned the item back to me and wants a full refund of $325. Im not sure what to do. I told the buyer i could only issue a partial refund, which i couldn't refund the shipping.

should i tell him i never received it, and he could file a claim in his country to get the money back.

I dont have the funds anymore that he is wanting me to refund.

BigCJ · #2 03-17-2014

Really no choice in this matter.
He was honest enough to say it was defective and return it to you.

Do right by him as he has done right by you (for the most part) and do not lie to him about not receiving it.

Explain about the shipping being his responsibility as it is outlined in your terms that the buyer pays for returns.

But his refund of 325 should be granted, IMHO. Its a good business practice.
You must find a way to add the funds. Especially if you value your account.

Be sure to block him.

slowrabbit · #3 03-18-2014

Agreed with BIGCJ,

Not much you can do in this situation. I would block the buyer and try to resell it but this time keep it inside the USA. I try to keep high priced items inside the USA.

vogeltron · #4 03-18-2014

Yea, it is a hard lesson to learn. For the most part I don't ship outside the United States anymore.

I will say it is not your fault that he plugged it in without the converter etc. Personally I never would have allowed a return. While I can sympothize, the buyer knowingly purchased an item from you in the USA being in Germany. Should have been Due Diligence on their end.

Chris18181 · #5 03-19-2014

I did tell the buyer that it would work in his country if he used an adapter, but what he should have done was soldered an outlet cord that wouldve had the correct wattage.

BigCJ · #6 03-20-2014

That makes it your error then.
He had to modify it in order to get it to work...
Its best to just refund him.
Hes been honest with you. Do the same.

vetman90 · #7 03-20-2014

What? The buyer clearly stated that he/she plugged a U.S. Electric Appliance into a European power source and burned the appliance up.

And he/she did this AFTER being informed by the seller that an adapter is needed to use this appliance in their country.

Isn't this a lot like someone buying a 2-cycle chainsaw from you that the buyer treated like a 4-cycle by not adding oil to the gas and then admits what he/she did to it to make it burn up ??

Sorry, you broke it, you bought it.

For me this is just another "TOUGH LUCK" problem that ALWAYS comes along for me when I sell outside of the U.S.

To save your stealth account you would be better off eating this loss.

Because I am not a RETAIL BUSINESS but just a private person selling on eBay I could never justify selling anything international and for me it's common sense.

Example:

I sold a group of old time padlocks with keys.
The winning bidder is in Poland.
$37.00 was the winning bid.
$57.15 was the cost to ship it !!
Sorry but for me I don't expect positive feedback from a transaction like this.
It took more than one month for the buyer to get them.
I got no feedback (for me that was the best feedback I could have hoped for)

Example:

I sold a $200.00 item to a buyer in Canada.
Shipping it across the entire U.S. would have been $23.00 through UPS.
Shipping to Canada was over $50.00 total.
The buyer leaves me negative feedback because of additional money due when delivered which was generated by Canada.
It took 3 weeks for that one to get delivered.

I have 5 more bad experiences just like these. No thanks. U.S. Sales Only.

Now many will say I'm just losing money, giving dollars away by not selling international.

Really? In all auctions I had that sold outside the U.S. the winning bid was only a dollar or two above the highest U.S. bidder.

I'd gladly take $2.00 less to sell within my country for exchange of eliminating all the paperwork hassles, risk of lost package, risk of pissed off buyer due to brokerage fee's and/or customs fee's that I have no control over.

Oh I feel so much better now !!

rsot · #8 03-20-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris18181

I did tell the buyer that it would work in his country if he used an adapter, but what he should have done was soldered an outlet cord that wouldve had the correct wattage.

This wont hold weighting if eb/pp gets involved...which they WILL if a claim is made.

Can't expect buyer to do modifications on equipment like this...sad but true.

Best to settle up with the buyer and move on - costly to you but yes, at least you got the item back and he paid for shipping back it looks like...

GreenBean · #9 03-20-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris18181

I did tell the buyer that it would work in his country if he used an adapter, but what he should have done was soldered an outlet cord that wouldve had the correct wattage.

Telling the buyer what to do AND openingly describing the need in the listing are two different issues.

For the future, do NOT ship electrical goods to international countries. There is too often a high risk of failure with power issues.

Bunneh · #10 03-20-2014

You need to decide what is more important to you.
Your account or the sale ?!

biglouis999 · #11 03-21-2014

Electrical current is radically different in USA and Europe. Buyer was pretty stupid not to know this.

Electrical devices need a transformer. These items are easily available in EB and elsewhere.

joesshooze · #12 03-21-2014

I am sorry for your experience. That and other circumstances are the primary reason I will no longer ship overseas especially Germany. Been burned so many times by Germans that if I did consider international I would restrict that country. Complaints about the most ridiculous things not to pay. When you try to answer claim it's in German. Who, the F reads or understands German? Not me? Good luck! Just learn from this.

Chris18181 · #13 03-21-2014

this transaction is from my old account that i can not sell on anymore, and the sewing machine still works. I tested it and it works perfectly.

biglouis999 · #14 03-22-2014

Who, the F reads or understands German?

You can have hours of fun with online translators! I sell on a site called DaWanda which is based in Germany and all my buyers so far have been German (except one Swiss).

My German is very basic but I manage. Most of them speak Engish anyway.

Ive found them to be very good buyers and they do have money to spend.

vogeltron · #15 03-24-2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by biglouis999

Who, the F reads or understands German?

You can have hours of fun with online translators!

Google translate will give you a general idea. For the most part I always looked at international transactions like this. If I can afford to lose about 1 in 10 then it is worth while dealing with overseas. Otherwise the risk outweighs the reward. I would never sell anything over like $50 maybe $100 usd top international. It all depends of course.

I have a list of about 8 countries I will ship certain items to internationally because of the few issues over the near 10 years on eBay.