What would you do eBay question
 

I posted some 356 dome lights for sale. Here's the listing
and here is what followed.



From: -edited for privacy

To: -edited for privacy
Subject: I have a question about using my item or I want to send the seller a message: -edited for privacy
sent a message about Porsche 356 A/B Interior Lights #181776727724
Sent Date: Jul-05-15 09:29:16 PDT

Dear -edited for privacy


Hi, Sorry for the delay in responding to this delivery. I checked these out and found there is really nothing that I can do with these.I bought the items to use on my car andthey are not fuctional and now I will have more in shipping then they are worth. Another example of wishful thinking Please advise...B.C.


From: -edited for privacy
To: -edited for privacy


Dear -edited for privacy


Hello,
If you feel I misrepresented the condition or the application of the lights Please feel free to return them for a full refund.

Thanks,
Kevin P.




From: -edited for privacy

To: -edited for privacy

Dear -edited for privacy


Hi Kevin, Here is the tracking # for the dome lights. 9505511093795189388516. Every time I respond to this, I find myself going back to read the item description stating "Good Working Condition". Did you try and work them? Anyway, the cost to send them back is $5.95, please include that into the total. Thanks...Bob P.S. let me know if you need a copy of the receipt?


Dear edited for privacy

The lights arrived today. I'm at a loss as to why you feel they were not in good working order. I installed bulbs in them, hooked them up to a power supply and had NO problems getting them to work. Feel free to view the video I made of the process. http://youtu.be/vsfCjosS8mY
Your purchase price and original shipping fee has been refunded.
Thanks,
Kevin P.



<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vsfCjosS8mY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Dear edited for privacy

I feel that you and I have opposing views of what good condition means. I can tell you that if I do not receive the $5.95 I paid to mail them back I will be leaving the appropriate feedback. This is not anything I would want in my car. I did view the vidieo and could not understand how you got the other light to work, it was frozen when it left here


Would you refund the $5.95 return shipping or tell the buyer to pound sand?

Sand needs pounding.

In the overall scheme of things 5.95 ain't much. You can go on with your life and know you are the better person. But that's just me.

Very true. I already know what my final decision was. I'm just checking my moral compass in a relative sense.

Some random thoughts.....

1) They look like decent working lights to me. I don't think the final price was very high at all considering what these parts are going for these days.

2) Maybe in your response you could have pressed the buyer on how he determined they did not work? Maybe he didn't ground them properly (?) If the problem was resolved then maybe he wouldn't have felt the need to return them.

3) Given you went to the trouble of making a video showing they worked....the buyer really should apologize (for his incompetence as well as returning the items) and suck the shipping cost up.

4) I'd offer to split the return shipping cost - refund $3.00 back. But only on the condition he leaves positive f/b -- and that happens before you refund!

I give you props, Keven for making the vid....that's more than many would do!

Good luck!

+1 Baz

I had an ebay situation a few months back with a fairly expensive camera lens with a widely known engineering/manufacturing issue where it made a slight noise while autofocusing. It was like-new and yielded fabulous photos yet the winning bidder urged me to take it back due to the slight noise. I did, because life is too short and I've encountered very few douchebags in 20 years of moderate eBaying. Even though I believed the guy was in the wrong, and pointed him at numerous Google results describing the same issue, he was reasonably pleasant about it and he ate the return shipping no questions asked. He also left positive feedback.

His mistake. Tell him return for full refund. If he goes through the eBay system to resolve it, they will tell him the same thing. Paying his return shipping is not required.

If I could pay $6 to make problems go away...

You may right, but in view is $5.95 is a small price to pay for good will.

In a larger view, I've had plenty of online stores provide return shipping.

Good luck

I sell NEW products on Amazon (kayak accessories) and I don't hesitate to pay for the return shipping under any circumstances. As you say it builds good will and a loyal customer base. But used parts on eBay that I know were listed and represented accurately, I have a different view on.

Check his buying history if possible....I'd almost bet he bought a second set somewhere and kept the nicer ones.
Pound sand. .....

As a frequent Ebay buyer/seller, is it worth $6 to keep good feedback on your account? How much income could that negative feedback potentially cost you?

+1, good advice

Morally you could tell him to buzz off, but from a business and practical standpoint, $5.95 is a cheap price to pay to put this behind you quickly and get on with life.

Call eBay. Believe it or not, their customer service on this sort of thing can be quite good. Your auction says:

Returns:
Seller does not offer returns. You are covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee if you received an item that is not as described in the listing.

They do appear to be as described. You didn't call them excellent, or mint, but said "good." It's possible that if you contact eBay that they'll contact the buyer and tell him he's lucky you took them back at all and to go away.

As a seller with low feedback, you don't want the negative hit. I'd just talk to eBay customer service from the point of view of, "What should I do?" The negative feedback threat may come back to haunt the guy. The CS rep should have access to the communications thread. But, if they say pay... I'd pay.

FKING WRONG...

If the Cock Sucker claims that the item was not as DESCRIBED or was DEFECTIVE E-bay can make you return shipping in both directions.

If the CS threatens to leave negative feedback if you do not do the right thing it is a violation of E-bay policy to use coercion. However the CS can slander you, be manipulative, abusive etc and E-bay will do nothing.

Best thing is to get on the phone to E-bay and talk to a representative to get ahead of the problem. This is called CYA.

Now the question for Kevin is the CS in Florida and is he an entertainment
attorney?:(


The problem with selling electrical stuff is that the CS's can claim it does not work when they get it. Well it worked when I put it in the box, pbbbbbt...

Maybe you should try selling something that can be run over with a truck, have it slammed to the ground and still will not get broken...:)

Maybe that's electronics, but the one situation I had where a buyer who lacked brain cells to install a Kawasaki shorty clutch lever. He threatened negative feedback. His only choice was to send it back for full refund, he ate shipping, and needed tracking to confirm return... All in all we both ate the shipping, and now I have 1 negative feedback. On a low price item it's completely stupid.

If you feel like being a nice guy pay for his mistake... However, there's a fine line between being nice and being taken advantage of.

Being in the Spoon business for 30 years shipping is ALWAYS on the Customer...BOTH WAYS if something is to be returned. It is quiet different with E-bay, the minimum is that the Seller has to return out bound shipping. E-bay can make the Seller pay for shipping in both directions. If you make a big enough stink E-bay will even pay for the return shipping.

I'd tell him to pound salt. You only have 3 positive feedbacks as a seller, close this account and open another if he gives your bad feedback.