Ebay Issue- Help!

[brandip22]

Ok, so I've been buying from ebay for a while and have been selling a little here and there. Just last week I sold an item that went for a much better price than I expected. It was a Gymboree onsie and matching shoes. The item was worn and you could tell it had been washed, but otherwise in perfect condition. In my listing I stated the wearing and washed look to make sure they understood. Well, my winner just received my package and emailed me that the onsie has yellow stains on it ans wants to know what I will do about it. I don't know what to do. When I shipped it, it had no stains and was in really good condition other than the little wash wear. I wrapped it multiple times in white tissue paper and shipped it to her in a brown envelope. I guess if it rained on the package it could have leaked through and gotten the shirt yellow, but would that be my fault? She did not get insurance, although I offered and suggested it. Also, how do I know she didn't spill something on the package or the post office didn't? What would you do? Thanks in advance!

 

[Deb T.]

You might ask her to try to wash it to see if the stain comes out. I guess if she refuses, then she really didn't want the outfit. In that case, you could have her send it back to you and you could re-list it on eBay.

 

[jwfla422]

You also might suggest she photograph it and send them to you if at all possible so you can determine that it might have gotten stained during shipping.

Still sounds a little fishy to me that it's all stained unless it did get ruined in transit. And, it could have easily had something spilled on it...in transit or after it was received. How was the buyer's feedbacK??

For future...A small bit of advice--always put clothing in a ziploc, of course it's not 100% fool proof but it's close. Then put it in the brown bag (I used bubble padded envelopes)-you can even use plastic envelopes.

You can tell her the sale is final, she chose not to purchase insurance, etc but of course this could set you up for neg feedback but that's up to you. To some that doesn't matter. You can even refund her and she still may leave you neg feedback, so it's a tough call when these things happen. Don't leave feedback until she does

Hopefully you'll be able to resolve it without too much problem, good luck.

 

[ripleysmom]

One other thing is that those yellow formula stains (which is what she could be referring to) don't always show up in certain light. I always checked my stuff outside in the sunlight before giving it away cause that is where they usually could be seen.

Ask her for a pic of the stain. If she tells you that it doesn't show up I wouldn't do anything for her.

 

[CheapMom]

But in the future you could place an item that small(the onsie) in a ziplock baggie before putting it in the envelope- therefore waterproofing it.

 

[brandip22]

Thanks for your help. I have asked her to wash it and see. I really don't think it is formula stains because he only wore it once and it was to take a picture. We didn't even feed him in it. But, I told her that if it didn't wash out, she could send it back and I would refund her money (minus shipping). That way, I can see what she's talking about. She has good feedback from everyone, so I believe her, but I just think that she should have purchased insurance to cover if it was a shipping issue. Oh well ,we'll see. If I get it back and it's ok, I'm sure it will sell again because I had tons of bidders. Thanks again!

 

[Nanu57v]

Another thing to remember is that if you get bad feedback people will be less likely to purchase from you. Another tip is to get tracking on everything! I messed up once and forgot, and someone claimed they never got a 40 dollar item, so we had to refund. Tracking costs like 50 cents. Definately worth it.

 

[floridagirrl2]

Another possibility (I hate to sound so cynical, but I've read this happens fairly frequently) is she may be trying to scam you for a partial refund. Buyers will claim an item has some kind of flaw, then want a partial refund without sending the item back. I've heard of this happening with many different items (I think someone posted a similar experience on this board a few months ago). Beware of people who don't want to return items but instead want you to give them partial refunds.

Unfortunately, you can't assume people are honest just because they have lots of good feedback--many sellers are very leery of giving negative feedback because they don't want retaliatory negatives. So it's not unusual for scammers to have plenty of positive feedback.

(A little off the topic, but I've had several people try to scam me by emailing me that "I paid for the auction 2 weeks ago, why haven't you mailed it?" I always tell them if they can prove they paid me, I will refund their money and send the item for free. Each time, I've never heard back from them and have ended up filing an NPB.

 

[C.Ann]

I don't refund unless the item is shipped back to me.. Might be taking a chance on getting a neg, but there are too many people running these scams..

Hope it works out okay for you!

 

[brandip22]

Yes, she emailed me again and said that it was formula stains, but he only wore it for a picture and didn't eat during that period of the day! I am going to ask her to send back both items and I will refund her money. I can tell she's trying to get me to do a partial refund because she asked how much I would take off if she just kept it. That just won't be an option. Thanks again for all of your advice!

 

[Lewisc]

Originally posted by brandip22
Yes, she emailed me again and said that it was formula stains, but he only wore it for a picture and didn't eat during that period of the day! I am going to ask her to send back both items and I will refund her money. I can tell she's trying to get me to do a partial refund because she asked how much I would take off if she just kept it. That just won't be an option. Thanks again for all of your advice!

You said the item sold for a "much better price than you expected."

It's possible the buyer thought it was in much better condition than it was. A partial refund might be easier than having to resell it.

 

[brandip22]

I don't think so. It did not have any stains on it because he only wore it once to get a picture. He was maybe in the thing for two hours. THere was absolutley no damage. I did state in my auction that it had been worn and washed. I stated that it had some "pilling" due to the washing. The picture clearly shows the exact condition. I also said to make sure you were ok with it being used before bidding as I don't give refunds unless it's not as stated or pictured. It did sell for more, but I have looked at other Gymboree items and they all sell for high prices, too. The main reason I thought it wouldn't sell so well was because it was just the onsie and shoes, not the whole outfit. And, because it did sow signs of washing- but that's why I mentioned it. Oh well. I don't care anymore. I will just have her ship it back or she will not get a refund.