I can really sympathize with these situations. So sorry about that scam buyer! I wouldn't know what to do in that situation.
I have a few expensive LV bags that I really don't use. I'd like to sell them on eBay, but I just had a very unpleasant experience with a demanding buyer. Now I'm kind of afraid to sell on eBay.
I look through all of the LV auctions, and it seems that almost no one is offering returns. (They must have good reasons). I'm a new seller and I DO offer returns, to try to be 'fair'. I also worry that I'll get ripped off if I DON'T offer returns.
One major problem with possible 'renters': My LV bags have 'naked' leather (untreated leather) so the slightest bit of rain, water, or sweat will leave an indelible mark on them. So a 'renter' could really devalue one of my bags, even just with ordinary use. (This is probably the reason why the LV bags sit in my closet; they are in such 'mint' condition that I'm almost afraid to use them!).
On eBay, I've sold vintage collectibles and other non-designer items and had a much easier time. When items aren't worth much money, I guess buyers aren't as demanding. Some of my non-designer items are so inexpensive that it would be ridiculous for a buyer to spend money trying to return them. If someone buys a book for $10, there's no reason to invent a scam.
When I recently started selling on eBay, I had a few friends specifically advise me NOT to sell any designer bags! I guess anything expensive is going to attract the scammers.
I don't know if eBay used to be better towards its sellers? Some eBay sellers say the situation was better in the 'old days'. All I really know is that lately I keep reading of so many scams! Stuff like sending the bag of rocks or returning the item to a random location in the seller's zip code so the seller never receives it, but the buyer still gets refunded. Horrible!
I'm considering doing consignment, even though I hate to think of all of the money that I'll lose. I never would have bought as much as I did had I known it was so difficult to sell the items. I guess eBay doesn't provide much 'seller protection'?
I think I'll keep offering returns, because several people on the eBay designer board advised me that if I DON'T offer returns (as a new seller), I could really get ripped off. Selling on eBay really is a gamble: You could get a perfectly reasonable buyer who's happy with the item, or you could get a demanding PITA buyer who delights in being nasty. Or even a scammer.