Dear eBay Queen: This Buyer Opened a Bogus Return Request!

Dear eBay Queen:

I think I really messed up.  I have lot of 8 different decks of playing cards.  They are all made by the same manufacturer, but are different in color.  I took a photo of them in a group, and also have individual photos of each deck of cards.  I listed the cards with a multi-listing where they buyer could choose how many they wanted of each item.   I did not write in the description that this was a multiple listing. I thought since there was a drop down box that the buyer had to choose quantity and color, they would know what they were doing.  The buyer chose 1deck, and in green.  Fast forward to present day, and the buyer has opened a return request as “something was wrong with my item,” because they only received one item!

I plan to call eBay, before I go in and respond to this dumb request from the buyer. Am I going to get a defect for this?  Do I have any course of action to win this request?

Playing Card Problem

 

Dear Problem:

I would think in this situation, eBay would side with you since you used the multi-listing tool. In the past, I have had a similar issue, and have asked eBay to step in. They closed the case in my favor.  If you happen to speak to someone that does not seem to want to side in your favor, I would ask how you could have done this differently so the buyer would have understood.

I have a pretty strict rule that I follow to never have anything other than what I am selling in the photo.  Buyers tend to only look at pictures, and not at the description.  I hope that eBay finds this case in your favor, and your defect is removed.

 

Dear eBay Queen:

I purchased a fantastic pair of red leather pants for a photo shoot I am going to be doing.  When I check the item, it still has not been shipped!  I’ve contacted the seller three times asking for an update with no response.   I’ve been checking the seller’s feedback and they have a couple of negatives for non-receipt, one from just a few days ago!

I really want the pants.  Should I message again? Call him? Should I go ahead and open a case, or should I just request a refund and leave negative FB. I’ve never had a problem with a seller.  I’ve got 1654 positive feedback, and in all those transactions, I’ve never had a seller not send me something. I’m really ticked off.  What do you think I should do?

OLG

Dear OLG:

In a situation like this, I would message the seller one more time, and say something like: “I have not received my leather pants yet, and I need them for an event that is quickly approaching.  Could you tell me if they have been sent? Thank you.”

If they do not respond in the next 48 hours, I would open a case.  Make sure you state that you want the pants, more than the refund.  If they don’t respond to the case, you can have it escalated.  eBay will give you your money back.  I’m not one to leave negatives, but if this seller does not respond, I would leave a negative.

I hope you receive your pants, and that the seller just hasn’t uploaded the tracking.

 jetpack

Strange eBay Item of the Week: Item #:321714913883. Looking for something fun to do on the lake? How about a jetpack backpack? 2012 JetLev R200 Water Backpack More fun than a Flyboard. SOLD: $14,300.00.

 

What’s Defective With eBay Defects System

On Friday I received message from eBay letting me know there was a "not as described" case opened against me.  I went to the case to see what the buyer was upset about, and here is what the buyer wrote:

"Hi! I thought I ordered this item in L (or even XL if you have it). I received it in a size M, but that won't fit me. How can I get a size L or XL? It needs to be 18", nude, size L or XL. Thank you for helping me. "

I know what you are thinking… "why did she send that poor woman a MEDIUM, when she wanted a large or extra large?"  After I read her complaint, I thought the same thing too.. until I read the description and item specifics, where it states the item is a Medium.  There is even a PHOTO of the tag, where it says MEDIUM.

If you are not familiar with eBay's new "defect" system, ANY open case, for whatever reasons, counts as a DEFECT. If you are a moderate volume seller  that sells in a clothing category, you just might get a few cases opened against you for "not as described" when in all actuality the item doesn't fit the buyer. (True story it is happening to me.) 

**Also if you read my blog, you'd see this post about how buyers are basically encouraged or pointed in the direction to open a case INSTEAD of message the seller first.

If you're not a seller, you may be wondering what all this means…. If you have more than a 2% defect rate, you lose your "Top Rated Seller" status, which means to me, that I will not receive a 20% discount in my fees each month and I will not place at the top of "best match" searches.  If you have more than a 5% defect rate, you could lose your selling privileges.  

Did you know there are sellers with 100% positive feedback that are at or close to the 5% defect rate?  That seems crazy right? 

This is what a defect means to eBay:

Opened case = unhappy buyer  Unhappy buyer= bad seller   Bad seller= Needs to be coached into a better seller OR  removed from the site.

This is what a defect means to a good seller:

Open case= Defect  Defects= less site visibility which = less sales.  OR  you could be removed from the site all together.

Currently the way eBay has things set up ALL CASES OPENED for ANY REASON count as a defect.  This just blows me away. How and why do they think this is a good idea?  It is OBVIOUS that I've done nothing wrong with this case, and that the buyer did not read the description, look at the photos or pay attention to the item specifics… yet some how *I* am responsible for this.

 

If you are wondering how I responded to this case, my response is below:

slipbuyer

As of today, the buyer has not responded back to me. :/