Question
I am interested in the current view on refunds.
In a hypothetical but specific situation where, through human error, as a seller you make an inadvertant error in the listing, which does affect the perceived value of an item (e.g. describing a book as first edition when it is not, or erroneously misdescribing a colourway, etc). The buyer receives the item and is not pleased, describes their concerns, and you realise that you have indeed made a mistake in the auction description. The buyer has no real interest in owning this item, only the type of item they thought they were buying.
Do you refund, and if so how much?
(1) Caveat Emptor, all auctions are final - no refund.
(2) The buyer did not ask questions that would have covered this issue, that was their responsibility - no refund.
(3) The seller is running a business and should not be out of pocket - on return of the item, refund the bid price less Ebay and PayPal fees.
(4) On return of the item, if returned as sent - refund the full bid price.
(5) On return of the item, if returned as sent, refund the full amount that the buyer paid the seller - refund the bid plus postage/insurance.
(6) On return of the item, if returned as sent, the buyer should not be out of pocket for the sellers inadvertant misrepresentations - refund the bid price, plus postage, insurance and return postage, and any other legitimate costs.
(7) Refund the full amount paid and allow the buyer to keep the item.
(8) Offer a partial refund and allow the buyer to keep the item.
(9) Other - please post your position/opinion to the thread.
Answer
(5) On return of the item, if returned as sent, refund the full amount that the buyer paid the seller - refund the bid plus postage/insurance.
This is assuming seller made an error in the description, that's it's not buyer's remorse.
Answer
Originally Posted by Kevin_T
as a seller you make an inadvertant error in the listing... e.g. describing a book as first edition when it is not
(1) Caveat Emptor, all auctions are final - no refund.
How can the auction be final if you (in general- no specific seller is being singled out) didn't send the buyer the item described?
(2) The buyer did not ask questions that would have covered this issue, that was their responsibility - no refund.
I don't think the buyer should be responsible for asking "Is the item you're going to send me the same one that you describe as for sale in your listing?"
(3) The seller is running a business and should not be out of pocket - on return of the item, refund the bid price less Ebay and PayPal fees.
Seller screws up, seller pays cost to set things right.
(4) On return of the item, if returned as sent - refund the full bid price.
Getting warmer...
(5) On return of the item, if returned as sent, refund the full amount that the buyer paid the seller - refund the bid plus postage/insurance.
Warmer still...
(6) On return of the item, if returned as sent, the buyer should not be out of pocket for the sellers inadvertant misrepresentations - refund the bid price, plus postage, insurance and return postage, and any other legitimate costs.
Bingo.
(7) Refund the full amount paid and allow the buyer to keep the item.
If the item is not particularly valuable, it might make sense to do this. Don't ask me how I came to this conclusion.
(8) Offer a partial refund and allow the buyer to keep the item.
That would depend on whether the buyer is interested in that arrangement. As a seller, I wouldn't make that offer, but if the buyer suggested it, I'd consider the possiblilty.
Answer
I didn't know that it posted the thread while you made up the poll section, sorry for the confusion.
My own belief is that the buyer should not be out of pocket for my error, and that the full cost of the item plus shipping in both directions should be refunded in full. (6)
This is not based on any transactions that I or anyone I know is involved in. It is prompted by terms in auctions that I have seen over a long period, that range from caveat emptor through most of the first 6 options, except for no.2 - which I have seen argued on the boards a couple of times in the past. I was also prompted by the recent discussion on increased shipping charges, which seemed to concede that only refunding the cost of the item itself, if it was faulty or misdescribed, was now pretty much acceptable.
Kind Regards, Kevin
Answer
(7) Refund the full amount paid and allow the buyer to keep the item.
If the item is not particularly valuable, it might make sense to do this. Don't ask me how I came to this conclusion.
(8) Offer a partial refund and allow the buyer to keep the item.
That would depend on whether the buyer is interested in that arrangement. As a seller, I wouldn't make that offer, but if the buyer suggested it, I'd consider the possiblilty.
Don't you thinkt hat would leave you open to scammers? There are so many variables that I think this is a bad policy to go by, and should be used with discretion.
Answer
Last month I had 2 DVDs that I sold. I had entered the UPC codes on eBay and like the naive chucklehead that I am "went" with the descriptions that the UPC brought up in the eBay system. Well, on these two particular DVDs the system brought up the wrong versions of the DVDs and so when I shipped them I heard from some unhappy buyers. They weren't ugly but they weren't happy either. I just refunded their payments, told them to keep the DVDs -- give them to someone, offer them on Freecycle but asked that they just not throw them away.
I know for a fact that they weren't lying about the DVDs because I knew that they were not the "special editions" but hadn't noticed that the eBay "automatic fill in stuff" (technical term here) listed them as special editions. It wasn't worth my time and energy to have them send the DVDs back to me. I probably would have lost even more money than I did by just refunding the payment. So in that instance that is how I handled it.
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Several months ago I sold a set of egg coddlers (this was discussed in this very forum in fact) my buyer was a pister poot who said that I had misdescribed the egg coddlers, wanted a refund AND to keep the egg coddlers and was RUDE from the get go. This was actually a matter of a difference in interpreting how the egg coddlers should be measured. (Good grief...egg coddlers and controversey, who'd have thunk it!!!) I reviewed several egg coddler ads before the listing, after the complaint and since then. I have found that the way I measured the egg coddlers is the standard...I feel somewhat vindicated, but I digress!
At the time I advised the buyer that this was a difference of opinion on how the egg coddlers should be measured and that all but one listing used the same method that I had used and that listing had been posted after the sale ended. Therefore, I told her that I would refund her purchase price upon return of the egg coddlers. She was very nasty about the situation but finally did return the egg coddlers via certified mail with return receipt and etc. -- because she engaged in all the certified, return receipt nonsense -- she lost money and would have done better if she had just kept the egg coddlers and sold them herself on eBay. (Gracious I am rambling!)
Bottom line -- if I really did make the mistake I will do a full refund and not require a return. If it is open to interpretation I will make a decision based on the situation. I do try to have happy customers, however I have learned that some people will never be happy about anything.
Happy eBaying,
Ardee-ann who has probably put you to sleep!!!
Answer
I do two of the choices; depending on whether I think the item is worth paying postage and insurance both ways, and eBay / PayPal fees again to relist the item on eBay.
(6) On return of the item, if returned as sent, the buyer should not be out of pocket for the sellers inadvertent misrepresentations - refund the bid price, plus postage, insurance and return postage, and any other legitimate costs.
(7) Refund the full amount paid and allow the buyer to keep the item.
You were only able to vote once in your poll, so I checked #6.
I, too, do not think the bidder should be out one red cent of their money if I made a mistake in the listing. After-all, the bidder took their time to find and bid on my item, or even worse, to finally locate an item of mine in my eBay Store. However, I do not advertise this in my listings because I do not wish to have buyer's remorse, a switch-a-roo pulled, or purposely ruining the item before returning.
Answer
Originally Posted by elizdale
I, too, do not think the bidder should be out one red cent of their money if I made a mistake in the listing. After-all, the bidder took their time to find and bid on my item, or even worse, to finally locate an item of mine in my eBay Store. However, I do not advertise this in my listings because I do not wish to have buyer's remorse, a switch-a-roo pulled, or purposely ruining the item before returning.
Elizdale, this clarifies part of what I intended to say. I don't advertise...full refunds no questions asked but I do advertise that I like happy customers!
I had a case of buyer's remorse (because they hadn't fully read the ad) by someone who bought a vintage Barbie doll from me several years ago. Because she realized that the damage on the doll WAS described in the ad she intentionally ruined an original Barbie in an effort to say that I had lied about its condition. I held firm on that one and fortunately it was before the days of Pay Pal and all the chargebacks. This was a particularly difficult situation because it was the first Barbie doll I ever had and it was only sold due to dire circumstances. To have that woman destroy the doll because SHE hadn't read the ad correctly was hard to deal with.
You know the bad thing is that even after nine years of selling on eBay...nasty people still hurt my feelings. You'd think I'd have toughened up by now. (In all of my years of child welfare work I didn't toughen up either despite tire slashing, assaults, being shot at and etc...I am a little more cynical but still think that everyone will be kind and act civilized.) Opps, I am rambling on again!!!
Ardee-ann
Answer
Exactly what Elizdale said.
I don't advertise my very liberal return policy because I'm afraid people will bid then return indiscriminately. I do pretty much what will cost me the least in headaches!
I don't understand the trend of not paying shipping etc. both ways if a problem is the seller's fault. It's not fair at all.
Answer
I, too, do not think the bidder should be out one red cent of their money if I made a mistake in the listing. After-all, the bidder took their time to find and bid on my item, or even worse, to finally locate an item of mine in my eBay Store. However, I do not advertise this in my listings because I do not wish to have buyer's remorse, a switch-a-roo pulled, or purposely ruining the item before returning.
Rightly or wrongly, I don't list a return policy in my auctions for this reason.
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Roundabout asked:
Don't you thinkt hat would leave you open to scammers? There are so many variables that I think this is a bad policy to go by, and should be used with discretion.
(a) My intention was to try to cover as many variables as possible with the options,, and (b) like Sagemoon, when I *know* that my description is at fault, and the cost of reimbursing return shipping removes any viability, I have refunded and told the person to keep the item.
I would never make it a policy as such, but on a case by case basis, it may be the best option (particularly when dealing with international postage). If I think the buyer may be scamming, I would make them return the item.
Kind Regards, Kevin