How would you handle this ebay customer?

[diggummup]

Guy buys a vintage Dunhill lighter from me back a little more than a week before Christmas. 30 days after delivery of the lighter I get this-

"Hi there,

I'm writing because I got this as a gift for a friend, and I tested it briefly after filling with gas upon receipt, but when my friend opened it and tried it, the lighter worked less with each strike. The flame got smaller and smaller, even after I tried refilling the lighter. I fear it might be missing a stem to the gas port in the bottom of the lighter as well. Do you know if there is a trick to filling or operating this model? I have a few other Dunhill lighters, but this is my first of the narrower model so I may be missing something.

If I can't find a way to fix it, I'll have to send it off for repair (which is $100+), so I would request a refund or partial refund at least.

Thanks for your help,

-Rob"


Note- This lighter worked fine before it left my house. It's not missing any parts and I had no problem filling it with fuel and adjusting the flame. What would you say to this guy in response to this message?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[ezman604]

Sorry for the issues with your eBay transaction. I've been a member there since 1998 and have MANY transactions under my belt. Most were good experiences but I have had a very few that were just horrible. Mostly issues were with bad sellers.
First off, what did you list as a return policy? Can you or would you share a link to the auction? I could take a look and give a better response. But eBay has a Buyer Protection policy that if they wanted, the buyer can open a case in the Resolution Center for "Item Not As Described". But I prefer handling issues directly between buyer/seller and not involving eBay at all. But sometimes it's necessary.
Anyway, I would inform the buyer that it was tested and sold as listed and sent as listed. And that you would offer a 100% refund if they return the item AS DELIVERED (no evidence of tampering or swapping) at their expense. They pay shipping and you will offer a refund if there is no evidence of anything improper.
Sometimes deals go bad. But in order to keep a good feedback and reputation, you take a hit. Been there, done that.
Dave

 

[Iron Patch]

Well first I'd look at as much history ebay gives on him to try and figure out if he's legit. If he is an active ebayer and spends a fair bit, then he's likely not feeding you a story. A couple of the most recent problems I had both buyers had purchases in the hundreds and some over a grand in the last 30 days, so I was pretty sure they were not making up stories for something under $40. Anytime I have an issue where the seller might doubt me I always say search my bidding history, you should see i'm not playing a game trying to rip you off for $20.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

I'm not familiar with this particular lighter. So this might sound really ignorant but I always try replacing the flint and then the wick. If he has others he might be able to do this himself. That should only cost a few bucks and they do wear out on zippos, etc.

Or just get him to send it back before he makes matters worse.

I could see the time frame being plausible though.

 

[NHBandit]

I agree with IP that I would go by his feedback and see if he's a standup guy. What is he asking for ? If it's a partial refund of a few bucks give it to him. That said, I think that with the amount of time that's passed I'm pretty sure you don't HAVE to do anything but doing the right thing is always the best policy.

 

[Flex68]

This lighter worked fine before it left my house. It's not missing any parts and I had no problem filling it with fuel and adjusting the flame. What would you say to this guy in response to this message?

Tough one.

The 2 'extremes' which would save you both time and energy would be
1) Tuff luck, Rob, but it has been 30 days. Catch you on the flip side.
2) Send it back right away for a full refund.

For me, anything in between those two would likely not be worth my time/worries for a lighter...

 

[junk]

I am a long standing member of e-bay seller and a buyer. I lost a lot of money to a buyer and I described the item I was selling very accurately, the buyer complained and pay pal refunded there money out of my account without my knowledge or my feedback. I had a top rating as seller and buyer. That's why I'll never join pay pal again. Hope it works out well for you though.

 

[Lafitte Deux]

Tough one.

The 2 'extremes' which would save you both time and energy would be
1) Tuff luck, Rob, but it has been 30 days. Catch you on the flip side.
2) Send it back right away for a full refund.

For me, anything in between those two would likely not be worth my time/worries for a lighter...

I agree! And if the Dunhill is in nice shape, it will sell again.

 

[Iron Patch]

I am a long standing member of e-bay seller and a buyer. I lost a lot of money to a buyer and I described the item I was selling very accurately, the buyer complained and pay pal refunded there money out of my account without my knowledge or my feedback. I had a top rating as seller and buyer. That's why I'll never join pay pal again. Hope it works out well for you though.

It appears you didn't follow the transaction until the very end, because it sounds like you missed the entire period the Paypal claim was going on. I log into Paypal almost every day, if not every 2 days to make sure all is good.

 

[jerseyben]

I am a long standing member of e-bay seller and a buyer. I lost a lot of money to a buyer and I described the item I was selling very accurately, the buyer complained and pay pal refunded there money out of my account without my knowledge or my feedback. I had a top rating as seller and buyer. That's why I'll never join pay pal again. Hope it works out well for you though.

Do not blame paypal or ebay for not understanding how the rules and policies work. Your explanation does not make sense, as claims do not work the way you are describing.

 

[Silver Searcher]

I am a long standing member of e-bay seller and a buyer. I lost a lot of money to a buyer and I described the item I was selling very accurately, the buyer complained and pay pal refunded there money out of my account without my knowledge or my feedback. I had a top rating as seller and buyer. That's why I'll never join pay pal again. Hope it works out well for you though.

I thought pay pal was compulsory as a means of payment on ebay. The buyer usually has the odds stacked on his side, so you might have to refund.

SS

 

[Iron Patch]

I thought pay pal was compulsory as a means of payment on ebay. The buyer usually has the odds stacked on his side, so you might have to refund.

SS

I don't think so, but they make it vague and the way it's written makes you think that. I'm guessing they can't legally do that which is why they choose their words so carefully.

You can't list other options, but if a buyer asks you I believe you're allowed to accept the alternative payment. I've read it a bunch of times (not recently) and it never did answered the question clearly. With that said, there's very few that mail the payments these days and the first time I have an issue where I have an item returned and have to mail back a money order the other way, that will be it and only PP accepted.

 

[Silver Searcher]

I don't think so, but they make it vague and the way it's written makes you think that. I'm guessing they can't legally do that which is why they choose their words so carefully.

You can't list other options, but if a buyer asks you I believe you're allowed to accept the alternative payment. I've read it a bunch of times (not recently) and it never did answered the question clearly. With that said, there's very few that mail the payments these days and the first time I have an issue where I have an item returned and have to mail back a money order the other way, that will be it and only PP accepted.

I think it is compulsory to have PP as a way of paying, this way you have to be verified, and all your bank details listed, and your account fees taken by direct debit each month, at least that's how it is with my business account, that way if the buyer opens a case and it goes for the buyer, the money comes straight out of your account, like it or not.

 

[Iron Patch]

I think it is compulsory to have PP as a way of paying, this way you have to be verified, and all your bank details listed, and your account fees taken by direct debit each month, at least that's how it is with my business account, that way if the buyer opens a case and it goes for the buyer, the money comes straight out of your account, like it or not.

Yes, as a seller I think that's right. It makes sense though because what a mess it would be if people paid for fees a million different ways.

 

[Keppy]

I thought pay pal was compulsory as a means of payment on ebay. The buyer usually has the odds stacked on his side, so you might have to refund.

SS

I had a buyer ask me if i would take a check or MO a few months back .I said sure money is money he sent me a MO i sent him the item he bought.. And i see a lot of Bill Me Later ..Now if i pay with Bill Me Later it never shows up in my paypal …But Bill Me Later is hooked up to paypal some how.. BUT DIGGUMMUP LIKE ONE SAID HAVE HIM RETURN IT IF IT IS LIKE YOU SENT IT RETURN HIS MONEY AND PUT IT BACK UP FOR SALE.. But then he said it worked when he got it so then you owe him nothing … So i guess i am no help ..

 

[ezman604]

eBay owns PayPal so they are going to get fees every way they can. And that's why they push payment by PayPal only. The good part of using PayPal is the protection plan they have. But as stated, it sure leans toward the buyer and not the seller. Once a case is opened for a "Item Not As Described", the buyer as well as seller are sent messages that their attention is required. And a response must be made by a certain timeframe, usually a week. If the seller does not respond, the buyer can escalate the case and eBay will step in and get the buyers funds back. ONLY if the seller has a PayPal account.

 

[Iron Patch]

eBay owns PayPal so they are going to get fees every way they can. And that's why they push payment by PayPal only. The good part of using PayPal is the protection plan they have. But as stated, it sure leans toward the buyer and not the seller. Once a case is opened for a "Item Not As Described", the buyer as well as seller are sent messages that their attention is required. And a response must be made by a certain timeframe, usually a week. If the seller does not respond, the buyer can escalate the case and eBay will step in and get the buyers funds back. ONLY if the seller has a PayPal account.

The buyer can escalate the case well before that, so someone who doesn't pay much attention to their PP account could easily miss a claim.

When you sell on ebay it's basically like running a business, and in business excuses don't really get you anywhere. Anyone who has a claim go through and they don't notice, well that is on them. I have another example of being slack, and it was me! It was back when the DSR ratings started. It was the Summer and at the time and I wasn't selling much, but getting ready to, and knew some kind of ratings were starting but didn't care much, or even bother to read what they were about. A little more time went on, and just by fluke I got two negatives (of the 3 or 4 I received all year) basically back to back and this screwed my % and I was blacked from selling for a month! Needless to say I wasn't very happy being ready to go, and then having to wait a whole month to start, but that's what happens when you don't pay attention.

 

[diggummup]

Thanks for the replies everyone. He looks legit as far as past purchases and feedback. It just pisses me off that it takes someone 30 days to complain. I mean I'm working 12-14 hours a night for the last 2 weeks and I still managed to send off over 20 packages last Monday. So why the delay on his part? I doubt he's any busier than I am at the moment. I sent him a message telling him that, although my 14 day return policy has expired, I would still honor a 100% refund upon return of the lighter in the same condition. We will see how long that takes. If it takes another 30 days he can go to hell.

 

[ezman604]

Wow...
If you are offering a refund WELL after the posted return policy, I certainly hope you have 100% feedback rating. If not, you should have. That is above and beyond for a seller and the kind of person I hope to always deal with on eBay. I certainly hope they either find the issue or return it without tampering with it. They should have also paid more attention to the return policy time limit.
Anyway, thumbs up to you!!!!

 

[Iron Patch]

Wow...
If you are offering a refund WELL after the posted return policy, I certainly hope you have 100% feedback rating. If not, you should have. That is above and beyond for a seller and the kind of person I hope to always deal with on eBay. I certainly hope they either find the issue or return it without tampering with it. They should have also paid more attention to the return policy time limit.
Anyway, thumbs up to you!!!!

As discussed in another thread a personal policy means absolutely nothing on ebay. Ebay policy is the law of the land and that is the guideline every buyer uses.