How would you respond to this ebay buyer - claiming damage in post?

aldredd

Hi, just after some input. Sold my ecto-1 on ebay.

Was listed as new & sealed - I had intentionally made no mention of box condition, or any mention of 'mint' etc.

Buyer emailed me to say box was badly damaged due to poor packaging and that he wanted a different one.

I don't have another, but asked for photos so I could assess and suggest an appropriate solution (eg, 10% refund or something)

These are what he sent me...



To me, this doesn't warrant a claim - but what do others feel? I'd understand if I'd listed it as 'mint' or similar, but that wasn't the case here.

Now, ignore him, and I'll likely end up with negative feedback and/or a frivolous PayPal charge - but feel somewhat aggrieved offering partial refund. I don't doubt a bit of damage could have occurred during transit - which is why I was mindful not to mention the box condition - but this doesn't look any worse that what you'd find on the store shelf!

Tempted to offer 5% (roughly equal to the postage cost) to see if he goes away - I think beyond that I'll just ask for him to send it back.

nexander

Depends on your current feedback level but I would be half inclined to tell him to shove it.  at least he contracted you though, I got a neg with no warning as the box condition 'wasn't new'. It was new and sealed, some marks on box which I mentioned and had pics of. Some people think if its listed as new it must be in perfect condition. If this guy was that fussy about box condition he should have asked although I suspect he just wants a discount.  if he negs you (and still might even if you discount), people will see he is being a fussy fecker. 

joel4motion

He is only looking for one thing, a discount. Id sooner ask him to return it and swallow the double postage cost than give someone an undeserved discount, even if the postage is more than the refund amount. Chances are he'll just keep it anyway and you'll not hear anything.

LuLego

Don't ignore it! You'll get a neg.

Did he get a bargain or pay the going rate?

My advice: If he got it at a cheaper price than the going rate then give him the option of keeping it or receiving a full refund and ask him to send it back. I wouldn't offer a discount. Apologise and wish him luck in finding another at the price he paid. Hopefully, he would choose to keep it.

If he paid the average price, then I think offering to reimburse postage cost might be only way to avoid negative feedback.
You say that's about 5%. 

Either way, it's a hassle. Poor you - I can empathise with you.

aldredd

He'd have paid about the going rate - perhaps a touch under (priced to sell, as needed to clear some space!), but probably wasn't a steal.

Might just offer the 5%, just to save the hassle and at least prevent a paypal reversal!
Pains me though - I've had stuff arrive damaged etc before, and I'm always happy to 'put things right' - no-one wants a damaged item - but this this just takes the biscuit!

samiam391

aldredd said:

He'd have paid about the going rate - perhaps a touch under (priced to sell, as needed to clear some space!), but probably wasn't a steal.

Might just offer the 5%, just to save the hassle and at least prevent a paypal reversal!
Pains me though - I've had stuff arrive damaged etc before, and I'm always happy to 'put things right' - no-one wants a damaged item - but this this just takes the biscuit!

To be completely honest, he might be "offended" by just 5% (even though he shouldn't be).

If you didn't list it as mint or put any other disclaimer on box condition, than he's quite frankly, being ridiculous.

Don't mess around with these types of buyers that are just trying to squeeze money out of you. Say something along the lines of "sorry, that you're disappointed. I'm assuming you just want a set that's in better condition" and then take a full return on it. 

If you really don't want the hassle of re-listing, then I would offer 5% or a full return. One or the other. That way he doesn't come back with something even more ludicrous as "I think I should get 10% back". These types of buyers are slimey. 

madforLEGO

This is why whenever I put something up I ALWAYS put a description of the box and I never put 'mint in box' or the 'box is in excellent condition'. I also always take good pictures of the front and back of the box in case someone tries anything. I also always note it has minor shelve wear and if someone really wants to ask about the condition of the box in detail they can contact me. IMO too many people do not account for many situations like this and I think some buyers look for those listings because they know they can get some 'wiggle' room in the absence of good details in a listing and try to get some cash back from an unsuspecting seller (*gasp*, that's right, sometimes buyers are #$%^s too)
Does it stop everyone from making a stink about something that was really not an issue or something out of your control? No, but I think it greatly reduces the chance of something like that occurring the more detailed you are. 'Details' eliminate gray area that one can use against you with eBay or Paypal.
Finally get insurance on everything you sell; pass the cost to the customer and make it mandatory insurance (and yes eBay is OK with this, at least in the US). Though Im not sure the insurance would be paid out on such a tiny amount of 'damage' to the box in the case above

iso3200

I'd also be inclined to take a full return even if it cost me the postage.

Just make it clear it needs to come back to you in the same condition it was sent and with all the seals intact.

People like this will do it again and again all the time they can get away with it, and the odd spanner in the works for them might make them think again.

Fireheart

I purchased two expensive SW UCS sets last year on eBay, the outer delivery box they were sent in was not fit for purpose, and thus they got crushed in the post. I wasn't happy..
The sender had insurance on the delivery, so I took pictures to show them what state they arrived in. 
The sender asked me to return the delivery at my cost and I'll get a full refund. So that's what I did, (cost £10) and I was happy with that.
the items didn't say mint box, but it had clear pictures of all the sides etc, so you can see the condition.

I purposely sent the items back in a large Lego delivery box, with air bags etc. The same as [email protected] deliver items. To show the sender how they should be delivered.

so my point here is:
1) send the items in the correct delivery box.
2) pay the extra for postal insurance. As it saves alot of heartache.

alexwil

Sounds like he is after a discount. If I were you I would tell him to send it back for a refund and swallow any loss on the postage. 

Let us us know what happens!! 

SprinkleOtter

Politely tell him to stuff it.

Say that you made no claims of the box being in pristine condition, and that you showed pictures of it. Tell him if he wanted perfect condition, he could have asked if the box was in that condition.

CCC

I'm in two minds here. I think really it depends on how you described it and what the photos showed. I'd be annoyed if I bought it and it was described as "brand new sealed" or something similar without any mention of damage, when for the same money you could get a mint box. Was the box damaged like that when you listed it? If so, was the damage clear in the pictures of it? If not, was it packaged well enough to avoid damage in the post?

If a box is damaged, even minor, I think a seller should point that out, simply to avoid issues like this.

I'd go for a return and you'll refund the return postage (so long as it has not been opened). Then sell it again.

TitanArch

Do you have a picture of the box prior to shipping to prove it wasn't inadequate shipping.  If he wanted a mint box, he should have asked.  An item description is as much about what it says as what it does not say.  My advice regarding box condition, is to undersell the condition rather than avoiding a description entirely.  Say it's not mint, that it may have shelfwear, etc.  The people who are truly particular about the condition will be asking the right questions; the rest are just looking for a discount.

Perhaps you can prove it was shipped adequately and the state of the box was the same when you shipped it and when it arrived.  It's certainly a frivolous claim, but you still have to deal with it.

I suggest you offer one of two solutions: He can ship it back at his expense for a refund, or you can refund the shipping.  That's all I would offer.  

I once had someone make a complaint about a box for a pair of sunglasses (yeah, designer sunglasses).  My kid had colored on the box with a marker, but it made sense to ship the sunglasses in the original box, and that box inside another box.  I showed the original box in pictures and mentioned the "damage" in the description.  The buyer still tried to get some sort of allowance for the box condition!  I could point them right back to the item's description and they went away.  

CCC

TitanArch said:

Perhaps you can prove it was shipped adequately and the state of the box was the same when you shipped it and when it arrived.  It's certainly a frivolous claim, but you still have to deal with it.
 

That is probably digging a bigger hole. He would be saying that he knew the box was (slightly) damaged before sending it. If he knew that, then why not mention it in the sale description? If the photos showed the box was damaged, then I don't think they buyer really has a complaint. But if the box was angled so as not to show the damage, then they probably do.

jon_k

i would take a chance on letting eBay remove it as my step father bought and item and there were items missing but as the seller has listed the item without making assumptions that stuff was missing , eBay found in favour of the seller as they had been honest and not made any statements of how the item was , if your description was accurate , I would tell him to jog on.. as for ebay .. I am loathed to sell anything on there as it so bloody expensive... bring back the yahoo auction site 

aldredd

Thanks for the input.

There was nothing visible on the listing - i don't necessarily deny the damage could have been done in-transit. Thought it was pretty well packaged, but may well have been insufficient.

Annoyingly, I do usually state something along the lines of 'expect usual shelf wear' - but as it was a smaller set, din't bother - lesson learnt there I guess!

Think I'll go with offer of postage refund or return it - not going to give more than that.

And yes - eBay is pricey for selling, but they must be struggling for listings as they keep doing 'max £1 final listing fee' offers - they're perfect for shifting a few sets!

madforLEGO

iso3200 said:

I'd also be inclined to take a full return even if it cost me the postage.

Just make it clear it needs to come back to you in the same condition it was sent and with all the seals intact.

People like this will do it again and again all the time they can get away with it, and the odd spanner in the works for them might make them think again.

I will not accept returns on LEGO.. ever. Too many scumbags out there emptying the contents and replacing them with crap and how can you really contest this to eBay or Paypal if the seals look like they are OK to eBay or Paypal admins(even if there appears to be tampering) to be heavy handed to the seller and take the funds out of your account to give to said thief?

So I will not accept returns. If eBay ever forces this I'll move to craigslist or do something else to sell, but with such high demand toys like LEGO, returns should not be mandatory.

Jackad7

I agree with. @madforLEGO there is just too may scumbags. It really is disappointing people have to be so shoddy. 

You should have asked the buyer if it has had all the parts. I love to take little quips that test the intention of the buyer. Asking if it has all the parts would tell if he opened the box and almost unnoticeable damage like that wouldn't make the difference. To be honest I dont think I've seen a "New" set in the store with less box "damage" than that.

MiniFigHunter

disclaimer word of the day is "Shelf-ware" stops all the hassle