Maybe I'm just venting... But I don't think these terms are fair.

[HorsingAround]

I sold a German Moonstone on eBay to a buyer in Italy. She wrote me last night stating that she is very dissatisfied with the pony as it has 6 pin-dot cancer spots, when she anticipated there only being 4 and she believes the pony is overall slightly faded in color.

Her ONLY options to resolve this problem include issuing her a 70% partial refund and she'll keep the pony. OR issue her a full refund and I'M TO PAY the return shipping fee from Italy.

I am perfectly fine with issuing her a refund for the pony but I don't think I should have to pay the return shipping charge as I in no way misrepresented the pony. I took 12 clear as day pictures of Moonstone in artificial and natural light! I never counted the age spots on her but stated in the description that she has pin-dot age spots. I NEVER alter or enhance the pics I take in any way; what you see is definitely what you get. I was not trying to be deceptive or swindle her! I have perfect feedback which I'm afraid may be tarnished after this sale.

My response to the buyer (which I admit in hindsight, might sound a bit on the harsh side but I was upset! Lol)

I am very sorry that you are dissatisfied with your pony. I am of course happy to issue you a refund for Moonstone but I do not feel as though I am responsible for return shipping charges as I did not misrepresent the item. I did not specify the number of age spots on the pony as I never counted them, nor did I state the number in the listing. I only mentioned that the pony has age spots. You could have asked questions prior to making the purchase. I do not believe the pony to be faded. I took 12 clear pictures of the pony in both natural light and in artificial light and the pictures are in no way enhanced.

It is probably best to handle this through the resolution center.

Again, I do apologize that you are disappointed. I have over 600 positive feedback and really do strive to be an honest seller.

Thoughts, opinions? as a seller would you swallow the cost of having the pony shipped on your dime to please the buyer?

Thanks for reading my super long post!

[pyrodarknessanny]

pretty sure that  ebays   policy on returns is that the  person wanting the  refund HAS TO pay the shipping.
not the seller.

if it were me , I'd tell her  stiff biscuits and  if shes leaves you a negative  I think you can contest it?

[bluerose9978]

I honestly don't think your response was out of line or too upset sounding at all! I also think her terms were bogus and you should go through eBay's resolution center if she's not happy. Most of us don't even ship to Italy. And maybe that's the nail in the coffin you need to not ship there either.

[LittleSpiffy]

Oh!  I experienced something similar a while ago - where I was expected by eBay to pay return shipping.  Turned out there is a setting you need to opt out.

https://www.ebay.com/rtn/Return/SellerRules?null

[Taffeta]

If you go through the Ebay resolution centre, isn't there an option in that for Ebay to provide a shipping return label thingy to the buyer and then when it scans through the post as being delivered back with you then there's a refund process? I don't know how this works with ponies and not as described allegations - I had to do this once with a counterfeit game and that was how it worked out for me. Although in the end I pointed out to Ebay that returning a counterfeit game to a seller who was making a ton of sales of counterfeit games was perhaps not legally correct, and they agreed and just sent me a refund.

But I wonder if that were to be the case, a similar return label could resolve your problem?

70% seems mad to me though. If a buyer said that to me I'd assume negative intent rather than just dissatisfaction. It's very suspicious.

[LittleSpiffy]

If you go through the Ebay resolution centre, isn't there an option in that for Ebay to provide a shipping return label thingy to the buyer and then when it scans through the post as being delivered back with you then there's a refund process? I don't know how this works with ponies and not as described allegations - I had to do this once with a counterfeit game and that was how it worked out for me. Although in the end I pointed out to Ebay that returning a counterfeit game to a seller who was making a ton of sales of counterfeit games was perhaps not legally correct, and they agreed and just sent me a refund.

But I wonder if that were to be the case, a similar return label could resolve your problem?

70% seems mad to me though. If a buyer said that to me I'd assume negative intent rather than just dissatisfaction. It's very suspicious.

There's some fine print somewhere that if a seller sends you a counterfeit item, it's up to eBay's discretion that you either a) send it to eBay & get a full refund or b) keep it with the understanding that you will destroy it and get a full refund.  It's odd that they originally wanted you to send it back to the seller.  Now that I'm looking for the policy, I can't find it (of course)

Under eBay's Money Back Guarantee, seller is responsible for return shipping (but NOT any customs or duty fees).  The "MBG" takes precedence over an individual seller's return policy IF  the following conditions apply:

>An item isn't received or it isn't as described in the listing.
>A buyer reports that they didn't receive an item or requests a return within the eBay Money Back Guarantee timelines.
>The buyer made the purchase on eBay.com via checkout or an eBay invoice with one of the following payment methods:
PayPal
PayPal Credit
Credit card or debit card
>The item was paid for in a single payment (including payments with PayPal Credit).

Soooo, that's pretty much everything other than buyer's remorse.

Horsing Around, from what you described, your auction clearly stated the correct condition of the pony.  Have the buyer go through the Resolution Center.  Request that she send pictures of the pony through the Resolution Center.  Chances are they will exactly match what you posted and will prove that she rec'd a pony that was exactly as described.  Have eBay step in - they may just rule the case in your favor (they don't side with the buyer ALL of the time)!

[LadyMoondancer]

Sounds like a scammer to me.  4 pin-dot spots are fine by her, but 6 are just too much and she wants 70% of the price back?   Yeeeeah, no.

Personally I would list her eBay name and see if she "just happened" to have done the same thing to other Arena sellers on eBay.

[Ringlets]

Horsing Around, from what you described, your auction clearly stated the correct condition of the pony.  Have the buyer go through the Resolution Center.  Request that she send pictures of the pony through the Resolution Center.  Chances are they will exactly match what you posted and will prove that she rec'd a pony that was exactly as described.  Have eBay step in - they may just rule the case in your favor (they don't side with the buyer ALL of the time)!

This   she wants 70% refund and to keep the pony? for 2 extra dots  where age spots were already mentioned in the listing but there weren't a specific number mentioned anyways? yeah , no!  I'd let it go to ebay to resolve.
I don't think your message was harsh TBH

[giggles]

This sounds very similar to the situation that my friend was in with hers and with a buyer from italy as well, if you don't mind, can you pm me the name of the buyer so I can check with my friend?  If there is a pattern I'm thinking that it should be noted possibly.

[HorsingAround]

I appreciate all of your responses!  I'm glad to hear that I wasn't completely out of line with how I was handled the situation. 

I finally heard back from the buyer in response to that e-mail I sent.  She has lowered her requested partial refund to $10 and said that if I do not agree to this refund, then she is afraid that she will have no choice but to "ruin my seller's account".  Then she proceeded to tell me that she can take a picture to attest to the extra two pindots which is the reason for the requested refund.

I'm tempted to fight this just based on principle alone.   Again, I do not believe she received a misrepresented pony and I never denied there being 6 age spots.  I'm put off by the way she has gone about this refund and I do not like the fact that she is threatening to tarnish my seller's account. That being said, I really do feel badly that she is not happy with the pony and that her expectations were not met.   

I think the resolution center would side with me but ultimately I don't know if it is worth it (time to fight it, her leaving me negative feedback, and  me having a very unhappy buyer).   

[Galactica]

Agree, sounds like she is trying to scam you.

[Regina_Mortis]

Sounds like a scammer to me.  4 pin-dot spots are fine by her, but 6 are just too much and she wants 70% of the price back?   Yeeeeah, no.

Personally I would list her eBay name and see if she "just happened" to have done the same thing to other Arena sellers on eBay.

I have to agree, it sounds like she's trying to scam you. $10 doesn't sound too bad, but that's probably what she's hoping you'll think. If she's doing this with other sellers, it may be worth it to take it to eBay. If nothing else, to put it on their radar and give her a mild scare. But I like to see scammers sweat

[lunar_scythe]

If she used that exact phrase, i think that counts for extortion under ebays rules, doesnt it?
 Either way, I'd counter with something like:   "I've been discussing  the situation on a collectors forum, and everyone seems to agree that you are asking for a larger refund then is fair. I have not shared your name with them, even though there are several sellers asking for it."

It should make it clear to the buyer that two can play those games...*without* acrually saying anything you can get un trouble for by ebay.  After all, you are specific in that you have Not shared the user name of the buyer, so they can't claim you are ruining their reputation...

[Firecracker]

I'm just going to pop in to agree with lunar_scythe, I think what the buyer said counts as feedback extortion, so if she were to leave you bad feedback ebay would have remove it!

[MoondancerMilkyWay]

I have to agree. sounds very unfair and blackmailish/extortion. shipping to italy anyway, boo.
4 is ok, 6 is too many and she wants $$ back? how about no. if the dots are so unacceptable and she wants to return the pony, she can send it back at her own cost.