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Ebay returns and shipping

Started by wombat,

25 posts in this topic

wombat

wombat

Posted
Posted

Curious what everyone thinks about who should pay for return shipping on an ebay purchase related to a damaged item. I received a cracked slab and the seller offered to issue a refund, but he wants me to ship it back at my cost. The slab was pretty cheap ($14) so I would end up paying almost as much to ship it back as it cost in the first place.

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Jaylam

Jaylam

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The two of you may have to work together to file a claim. Take pictures of the damage; both the shipping box and the slab and use them as evidence when submitting a claim. I know it's a pain for only a $14 slab, but hey, if the package was damaged while shipping, they need to pony up.

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wombat

wombat

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Yeah, if I look at the numbers I probably overpaid by about $15 if I think about getting that book raw and cheaper shipping. If I send it back I'm going to be out about $12 in shipping.

 

I guess being down $15 and still having the book is better than being down $12 and not having the book.

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wombat

wombat

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If you contact the seller & try to negotiate, they can say all sorts of conditions. If you file a return through ebays system, I believe the seller is told they have to pay for return shipping & forced to.

 

 

Thanks for the information. I have never actually tried to return an ebay purchase before. Any issues I've had were dealt with discounts.

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fastballspecial

fastballspecial

Posted
Posted
negotiate a discount that would make sense to both. USPS wins both ways.

 

I tried. They replied that they do not offer partial refunds.

 

Be aware this is a red flag for many sellers.

 

Try to inform the seller why the book was damaged. Pics, descriptions really help. It shows the seller that you are being sincere in helping them instead of just fishing for a refund.

 

Personally I prefer raw books back so I can inspect why and how the book got damaged so I will pay the return shipping. This allows me to fine tune my packing if you need too and gives the buyer the viewpoint I stand behind my packing. I rarely sell slabs though mostly raw books.

 

 

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Chip Cataldo

Chip Cataldo

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I believe the seller is told they have to pay for return shipping & forced to.

Just the opposite, actually. If the buyer files a claim they have to ship the item back on their dime with tracking, and when the item is confirmed to be delivered then the seller refunds.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

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wombat

wombat

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negotiate a discount that would make sense to both. USPS wins both ways.

 

I tried. They replied that they do not offer partial refunds.

 

Be aware this is a red flag for many sellers.

 

Try to inform the seller why the book was damaged. Pics, descriptions really help. It shows the seller that you are being sincere in helping them instead of just fishing for a refund.

 

Personally I prefer raw books back so I can inspect why and how the book got damaged so I will pay the return shipping. This allows me to fine tune my packing if you need too and gives the buyer the viewpoint I stand behind my packing. I rarely sell slabs though mostly raw books.

 

 

I sent them pictures with my initial message showing the damage very clearly. The item was actually packed well. If I had to guess I would say it was damaged prior to shipping, but its not impossible it happened during.

 

At the moment I'm leaning towards keeping it and leaving neutral feedback.

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boomtown

boomtown

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I believe the seller is told they have to pay for return shipping & forced to.

Just the opposite, actually. If the buyer files a claim they have to ship the item back on their dime with tracking, and when the item is confirmed to be delivered then the seller refunds.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

Sorry, but that was not my experience about a month ago. I shipped out the wrong book to a customer & rather than contacting me, he filed through the ebay system. My options were 1) to let the customer keep the book & to refund the purchase price or 2) ebay would send them a return shipping label on my dime & I would have both shipping & purchase price removed from my paypal account.

 

I'm sure I could have argued or filed a claim with ebay to have my side heard, but sinceI did ship the wrong book I just let the system play out.

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wombat

wombat

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This is under the ebay Money Back Guarantee information:

 

Who pays for return shipping?

 

It depends on the reason for the return and the seller's return policy. In most cases, sellers designate that the buyer will pay for return shipping and any restocking fees if specified in their return policy. Some sellers offer free return shipping. If the item is damaged or not as described, sellers must cover return shipping costs. When you're responsible for return shipping charges, we'll charge your PayPal account if the item is shipped with an eBay label. For more details, including approximate shipping costs, click here.

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slym2none

slym2none

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Interesting note: I was looking at shipping something out to CA (from NC) today, and went to the USPS site to get a quote on pricing. For Priority Mail, it quoted me $9.97 for a two-pound parcel. For S&Gs, I went to the eBay thing and tried a "trick" someone here said to do, and used an old auction with a new address to get my eBay discount - the results? Postage cost of $11.55, and then with my Top Rated Seller discount, it's down to $8.99.

 

So, how is it the USPS wants to charge me $9.97, but BEFORE DISCOUNT, eBay wants $11.55?

 

hm

 

 

 

-slym

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mschmidt

mschmidt

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I believe the seller is told they have to pay for return shipping & forced to.

Just the opposite, actually. If the buyer files a claim they have to ship the item back on their dime with tracking, and when the item is confirmed to be delivered then the seller refunds.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

Sorry, but that was not my experience about a month ago. I shipped out the wrong book to a customer & rather than contacting me, he filed through the ebay system. My options were 1) to let the customer keep the book & to refund the purchase price or 2) ebay would send them a return shipping label on my dime & I would have both shipping & purchase price removed from my paypal account.

 

I'm sure I could have argued or filed a claim with ebay to have my side heard, but sinceI did ship the wrong book I just let the system play out.

 

Just out of curiosity what would "your side" have been? You sent out the wrong book to the customer - it's up to you to make it right (which definitely includes eating the return shipping) :shrug:

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