EBAY - REFUNDS

[madonna-fan]

Do you have to refund the postage when making a refund on EBAY

[EDDIE51]

Not if the buyer has just changed their mind and asked to return the item.
But if there is a probem with it then you need to refund postage as well.

[percypineapple]

only if the goods are faulty. if the person changes their mind, then its their fault, unless the goods are" not as described". I have an ebay shop, and discresion is the word. I get some customers who are just plonkers, think they can complain for no reason and get a total refund.

[ojread2]

There is no way to enforce repayment of postage charges
If the buyer decides to open a dispute and they win (more than likely) then that refund will automatically include any postage charges and matters not what the return is for
A good seller will reimburse all monies paid out by their buyers

[hc4361]

Business seller or private seller?
Why are you refunding?

[hc4361]

percypineapple - that is a very worrying thing you have said.
You have a shop and you are a business seller.
You MUST adhere to the Distance Selling Regs that state all costs, including postage, must be refunded if the buyer tells you he is returning the item within 7 days - for any reason.
You don't have to refund the return postage.

If you don't adhere to the DSR you are breaking the law.

[joko]

whenever i have had to return a faulty item i will kick up a fuss if postage is not refunded... i have done my bit in good faith and i don't see why i should have to be even one penny out of pocket if the fault lies elsewhere.
if i was returning because i just changed my mind i would be prepared to cover that cost, for the same reasons.

some dodgy sellers charge high postage costs and sell dodgy items and say they will not refund postage - knowing full well that the buyer will not want to pay again for return and end up just keeping a useless item.

[boxtops]

If you are making a total refund (and presuming the buyer has had to pay himself to return the item to you) then yes, I would refund the initial postage - but I wouldn't do it until I had the item in my hand.

I had an instance where the item got broken in transit, so I asked the buyer to send me a photo of the broken item (it was in the US) before I refunded - but I did.

[joko]

hc, that is very true but a large percentage of the sellers on ebay state they will not refund postage... i will always avoid ones that say that.

the should be an option to report them

[hc4361]

joko, you can report them and I do.
I also contact the seller and tell him why I am buying elsewhere and have reported him.

If the seller has sold lots I report him to his local trading standards as well.

Restocking fees and admin fees are also illegal.

[hc4361]

By the way, joko, if you pay by PayPal and return the item using a tracked method, PayPal will refund you in full regardless of what the seller wants to do.

[percypineapple]

E-bay/paypal are very much on the side of the buyer because they have a lot of one off dodgy sellers, no way of stopping them. but, I feel that sometimes the genuine "good honest sellers" are penalised. I have to pay for the adverts, pay for the packing material, print out invoice and label,pack the goods, do a trip to the post office or go online and organise a courier If I have sent a reel of cable for instance, that will cost me £6. in postage. it arrives with the customer next day, it is exactly as described in the ebay listing, in brand new unopened condition, then paypal send an email saying they have put a stop on the money in my account as the customer has opened a dispute. I have to then email the customer to find out the problem, and in most instances its because He ordered the wrong length, and wants to return this one and buy a longer roll of cable. This cable has obviously been rolled off of the reel to find out it was too short, now, do you think I should pay for the first postage? I will lose £6 and get a roll of cable back that is not saleable on the reel as you can never get it back on neatly, so it will have to be sold in short lengths as coils. Is this fair on the seller? Luckily this does not happen very often and my feedback is 3,500 with only two red ones and two grey ones, all the rest are very happy customers, but lots of these deals have cost me money to keep customers happy, as ebay will double my fees if I go below a certain amount of satisfaction stars, so its not all beer and skittles for the sellers.

[hc4361]

Not fair, but it is the law under the DSR.
PayPal and eBay are merely adhering to the law in that example.

[joko]

i was under the impression that things that have been 'personalised' or adjusted to suit the buyer were exempt from the 7 day cooling off period... anything that permanently adjusts the item based on the buyers intructions and makes it hard to resell - items such as etched trophy plates, monogrammed dressing gowns, printed cards...and cut cables...?

percy you shoudl note that on your listing... state what you have said here and tell them to ensure they have measured up properly... tell them to order extra to be sure...

[hc4361]

Personalised means it is specific to that person's orders and specific to that person - no good for anyone else.

Cable of any length can be used by many people.

[ojread2]

joko, certainly as far as PP are concerned there is no protection for personalised items
Your complaint then would lie totally in the sellers hands and AFAIK, personalised items are outside the remit of DSR and SoGA

[hc4361]

But the cable hasn't been personalised. It has simply been unrolled from the reel.

[ojread2]

I didn't mention cable