Buyer wants refund on defective item from EBay after 40 days

[Bigdogakabu]

So...sold some boots on eBay.  They were clean and looked almost new.  These were boots I had previously worn but since no Mountain sin Florida, I decided to get rid of them on eBay.  Buyer receives them Andy posts their feedback saying they were in "perfect condition." (Not that I claimed that, I always stated they were used.). So after 40 days buyer sends me a message that they would like a refund because the boots split apart after four days.  

What at are my responsibilities here?  I mean if they came back after a week or so and said the boots fell apart I could I could understand but after 40 days?  It just kind' doesn't leaves a bad taste in my mouth...

Any guidance you can give is greatly appreciated.  

[Whac-A-Mole]

ebay dispute is 30 days,so your buyer would have to deal with you or file dispute with Paypal or credit card.

ask for photos ,I am afraid you will have to accept the return if she files with cc or Paypal as item not as described.

if she files with cc issuer,you will pay $20 chargeback fee if you lose.

[kernowlass]

@Bigdogakabu

A buyer has up to 180 days to open a dispute for item received but not as described.

However that does not mean that paypal will necessarily find in their favour. BUT if they do then the buyer has to send the items back to you (trackable to prove delivery) before you have to refund.

So put as much information as you can during the dispute phase so that if / when the buyer escalates to a claim it is there for paypal to review.

[DPCreations]

Selling used clothing is risky; selling used shoes is high risk.

PayPal allows 180 days for a buyer to dispute, so 40 days isn't very long.  The buyer is not obligated to notify seller before filing a dispute.

You'll need to get used to the bad taste as it's part of selling use footware and abiding by PayPal policies.  You are not in control of what the buyer does.

You should recognize at this point that you will likely incur some cost with this issue, so look for a way to minimize your cost or loss.

Think about the worst case scenario where the buyer files a dispute with PayPal for not as described.  You would not be able to disprove whatever the buyer claims as you were not there.  So, assume that PayPal finds in favor of buyer who will then be required to return the boots at seller expense with tracking.  When tracking shows returned, then PayPal take back the money and refund to buyer.  Payment transaction fees would not be reversed.

Suppose the buyer doesn't like the edea of paying for return.  The smart buyer will not file a credit card dispute and likely win and no longer be required to return the goods.  So, a forced refund and also $20 added chargeback fee.

Think carefully about what you could do now to reduce your loss.

[Bigdogakabu]

Thank you both for the quick replies.  Should I tell them to open a dispute or just wait until they do it? I don't think they can do so via eBay.  So I am looking at PayPal.  Would like to do this the right way...

[DPCreations]

If you're not will to negotiate an immediate solution now, then just let the buyer know that there was no guarantee that the shoes would survive abuse and then let it go.  Don't encourage buyer to file a dispute.  The buyer may just decide to let it go.

You are free and incouraged to settle with buyer so you do not have the PayPal dispute on your record.

[Bigdogakabu]

Thank you all for the advice.  Would a fair offer be cost of the shoes minus eBay and PayPal fees?  And if he accepts, would I then be covered if he decides to file a dispute through PayPal later?

[DPCreations]

If you refund, your PayPal fees will be reversed for the refund portion; I wouldn't include fees as part of the negotiation.

You need to make some guesses about the real condition of the shoes now whether they are a total loss or still wearable.

An approach I've taken with a problem is to come up with my best guess and then phone the buyer with an offer.  That depends on your own personal customer relations phone skills.

The resolution depends also on the price paid for the shoes and how much effort you want to put into it.

If you think the shoes are still very wearable you might offer a simple 50% refund.  If that seems unacceptable to buyer, the next and final offer might be a full refund - minus shipping charges.

You then need to document that with emails.

When you process a refund through the original payment transaction and PayPal wil have it on record, the most the buyer could then claim with a dispute would be the non-refunded portion.  That would be lot of work for a buyer to get a little money.

[Bigdogakabu · Accepted solution]

Thanks to everyone.  Buyer and I came to an agreement.

[DPCreations]

Great!  That's they way it should work.