BrodiesLVMama said:
The other is now a problem. She contacted him over the phone and through his email claiming she couldn't afford the bag and made a mistake. Then she contacted him over eBay mail claiming the bag was a fake and she was going to give him negative feedback unless he refunded her money or else contact eBay. He told her the sale was final and that she wasn't going to threaten him or get a refund.
I don't want to be the bearer of sad tidings, but technically, according to US law, your friend
has to offer the buyer(s) an inspection venue, to allow her/them to decide whether to accept the item.
So, unless he stated that he was prepared to have potential buyers visit his home, or another venue of his choice, before the sale; according to the law, that venue is the buyer's home (or wherever they chose to have the item sent), after the sale.
Here are the relevant sections of that law:
In the first section, shown below, it says that the buyer
must be given
a venue to inspect the item, in person, before either
paying or accepting the item:
(1) Unless otherwise agreed and subject to subsection (3), where goods are tendered or delivered or identified to the contract for sale, the buyer has a right before payment or acceptance to inspect them at any reasonable place and time and in any reasonable manner.
This section (below), then goes on to explain that if the item is being sent to the buyer,
that venue may be the buyer's home/work place (or wherever else they ask it to be sent):
When the seller is required or authorized to send the goods to the buyer, the inspection may be after their arrival.
This section then explains that the
buyer must cover the cost of the inspection (in this case, the shipping); unless the item is not as described/faulty/not fit for its advertised purpose etc.:
(2) Expenses of inspection must be borne by the buyer but may be recovered from the seller if the goods do not conform and are rejected.
So, unless the seller (your friend) is prepared to have their prospective eBay buyers visit their home, or some other venue of their choice,
before the buyer pays, the only way the seller can offer an inspection venue, is to allow returns.
If you prefer, it is not so much that your friend has to refund the buyer's money, more that
their money is not technically his, until they agree to accept the item (normally, by having
not requested to send it back within a reasonable period of time)!
In this case, the buyer has rejected the bag, by asking for a refund.
I also know the bag was real because I compared it to one in a department store before he listed it and I helped him write the listing. So far, no feedback, no problems. She had negative feedback before but now it isn't showing up anymore...any suggestions? I'm stumped. If you ask me, she got the bag at a steal and it isn't his fault she decided she can't afford it.
If you are
absolutely sure that the bag is authentic and she bought it for a good price, I would suggest that your friend reassures her, once again, of this fact and backs it up by encouraging her to check authenticity for herself on the Authenticate This Chloe thread, on this forum, or on the Authenticate This forum. He could inform her that as it is genuine, she should be able to resell, at a profit, on eBay.
However, at the end of the day, if she is still insistant that she wants a refund, he is obligated under US law, to provide her with one.
