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Advice Needed On How To Deal With An Idiot Buyer
 

Hi guys,

I need some advice please.

I recently sold a BNWT t-shirt to somebody on eBay and I sent it to them promptly by recorded mail. The buyer has contacted me complaining that it apparently has a mark on it (I never noticed one when I sold it) and wants me to refund her the price of the Tshirt + postage.

I have contacted the buyer to say I would give him the refund if he returns the shirt to me within 7 days.

Unfortunately the buyer thinks I should issue the refund prior to him returning the shirt. He says "I believe this is the right way to do it".

Obviously I do not want to do this because for all I know the buyer (who has approx 40 feedback) could keep the refund and never send the shirt back to me.

If I was adament that I will only issue a refund upon return of the goods and the buyer was to raise a 'not as described' dispute on eBay or Paypal what would be the outcome? Would they give him the money back without getting him to return the item to me? If so this is a joke as even big retailers like Tesco or Amazon don't even do this.

Your advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.

What an idiot...

As long as you have the tracking number and he doesn't have one for returning the item Paypal will side with you; at least in my experience.

I'm sure you've told him similiar but I'd say that "If I issue refund before receiving the return it would leave a lot of room open for abuse by scammers and in order to maintain a safe trading environment for everyone I kindly request that you return the shirt via recorded delivery. I will then promptly issue a full refund upon receipt. I hope you understand... blah blah blah you idiot"

I bet it's a tiny mark he doesn't even care about and would actually rather keep the shirt than get a refund. I sometimes offer a partial refund of a few pounds in these cases to end them quickly... usually they're just after a freebie.

My friend used to work in a restaurant and people would always say the food is cold just to try and get a free meal; he just gave them a £1 refund or coupon they shut up.

Hi Markk,

Thanks for your reply.

Yes I have the tracking number and it was recorded on Paypal when I originally sent the item. I'll just be adament then and say I will issue refund as soon as shirt is returned to me. I am not too bothered about this particular eBay account so if he / she leaves a negative I won't lose any sleep over it.

I have already offered a partial refund but the buyer rejected it. He wants a full refund before he returns the item.

Delboy

Oh right, well at least he can't threaten you successfully with a negative :-)

Good luck and let us know what happens!

he can give a negative regardless, and it can happen even if you refund, I suggest you stick to your guns and ask for return first, if you want it back, that is normal procedure, they expect different service to what any shop would give you, tough, Id like to see the face of the M&S person if I tried to ask for refund without item to handover....

You've got a tracking number so you should be okay if PayPal get involved. However it doesn't change the fact that he cant still leave a negative. You've got to ask yourself whether or not its worth the risk of upsetting the idiot and possibly flagging or ruining a good account.

If your not too worried about the possibility of a neg then don't worry about it. The buyer should RETURN before they get a refund, what sort of a person goes to a high street shop and demands a refund without the item, no-one does. He's just trying it on.

Good luck and I hope it works out in your favour.

Offer him the same as he would get if he were to make a paypal claim.....return the item, upon return you will get a full refund of the orginal winning bid and paid shipping for that auction. Return shipping has to be paid by the buyer. Let him/her know that that is ebay/paypal policy and you have to obey. Leave it at that and move on. Might get a neg or not, handle it professionally and as nicely as possible. It is only words sent through email so you can be cursing him out out loud, and tell him how sorry you are and will be glad to issue him the refund upon return. Good Luck! It happens to the best of us!