Would you pay for return shipping on a fake purse?

greenabyss

O.G.
Aug 29, 2007
169
0
Hi ladies,

This may be long so please read it with patience. I want to know if requesting for refund on return shipping of a fake bag is considered unreasonable. My issue is not about the money but what should be a proper way to handle fake purse purchases on eBay. I am including actual emails to avoid ambiguity in my explanation or any bias I might create with my own words.

I have bought a fake Dior Gaucho from a seller with 100% positive feedbacks. She mainly sells Coach and her auction stated that the Gaucho was a gift. Since she had a nice feedback and her auction said "bid with confidence. 100% positive feedbacks", I bought the purse from her for over $400.

When I received it, I immediately knew it was fake. According to the eBay Gaucho guide from a wonderful tPF member, I knew the things to look for. I sent an email to the seller and this is what I said:

Hi -----,
The Gaucho came today but I am quite upset about it. I thought you sold an
authentic Gaucho but this bag is a replica. The label is wrong and the coins
also have the wrong details.
Since you got the bag as a gift, I am sure you didn't know that this was a fake.
I ask that you issue me the full refund plus return shipping cost. If you don't
agree, then I will file a claim through PayPal. Please let me know what you
want to do. If you want to read some tips on how to authenticate Dior Gaucho,
there are two guides on eBay. Also you can just take the bag to a Dior dealer.
Please respond soon so that I can take an action.
Thanks,
She replied:
Hello,
I am sorry. Please return the purse to me and when I receive it I will issue you a refund.
You may want to insure it, just in case.
Thanks,
So I sent the package insured. She filed a dispute to get her fees back so I did that too. Then she said

I ask that when you leave feedback to not mention it being a fake. I was not aware of it being fake and I am not going to list it on ebay again. I have 100% feedback for a reason. I am a good seller and I am very upset that this happened.
I even agreed to that because I felt bad for her. She thanked me and I thought it's settled. Several days after, I received the refund on the purse and not on the return shipping. When I asked her, she said she contacted PayPal and they said buyer pays for the return shipping.

I wrote:
Hi ------,

This is what you wrote on the refund:
<img alt="" border="0" height="5" width="1">I called PayPal this morning and they told me "It is the buyer's responsibility to pay for the return shipping costs if they want to return the item. PayPal will not allow you to refund for more than original transaction."​
The only reason I returned the bag was because it was not authentic and there is no
reason for me to pay for the return shipping. I could have just filed a claim and got my
money without returning the bag. You wanted it back and asked me to insure it.
In the past, the sellers who sold me replica bag issued a separate payment on return
shipping. I can provide you with records of it. I know you haven't been in this situation
before but refund on a return shipping is usually paid by the seller when the item is not
as described in the auction.
Please issue me a refund on return shipping. I am not wasting both my time and money
on a replica bag.
Thank you,
She wrote me back:
I suggested you insure it so that both of us would get what we wanted- I would get the bag back and you would get your refund. I never said you had to. I understand that in the past that is what other sellers have done. I asked PayPal what to do and that's what they told me to do. They said if you would've filed a claim you would've received exactly what I refunded you. It would've made no difference. The other sellers you are talking about, did that because they wanted to not because that's the policy. You didn't want the bag and I didn't make the sale. SO, you got the refund in which I paid for the shipping to you and didn't get back and you paid for the shipping to return it to me. That is fair. I supplied plenty enough pictures on the auction, you could've requested more, but you made your decision to bid based on what you saw. It is not my fault that you did not like it. I stated I received it as a present and as you said "HawaiianGirl06, you didn't know it wasn't real". I had to pay for shipping fees to you, paypal fees, and ebay fees for this transaction. You had to pay the return fees in order to get a refund. I said I would give you a refund, I never said I would refund the return shipping. I have all of our emails that say so. Paypal said that is the policy. I am following the policy.
After this, it just got worse. I told her that I will leave her a negative feedback and don't mind a retaliatory feedback from her since I don't think I was wrong. She told me to do what I wish to do. She said she stuck to her words then sent me another email
You assumed I would give you a refund based on my reply- 'I am sorry. Please return the purse to me and when I receive it I will issue you a refund.' You shouldn't make assumptions. I was clear in what I said and I did what I said I would do. A FULL refund is refunding you what you paid. I could've refunded you minus the shipping because I am out that amount and didn't receive that back. But, I was nice and refunded you exactly what you paid. As Paypal said, it's the buyers responsibility to pay for the return shipping and use whatever carrier and extra services they wish. If you want to see this as me being mean then fine. I am not mean. I am being fair. I shouldn't have to pay double in shipping to resolve this transaction when it's YOU who wanted to return it. That was your choice and I indeed gave you a full refund of the original transaction. Exactly what I stated I would do. I didn't lie and I am a fair seller.
Do you think she was clear with her words when she said she would issue me a refund? I didn't think I assumed things. I told her that I would file a claim if she disagreed with my terms and she just told me to return it. She said I didn't have to send the bag back, but how else could she make sure for herself that the bag was fake without comparing it to the guides? She also said she would issue me the refund after receiving the bag, so what she says doesn't make sense.

This bothers me a lot because I unintentionally bought three fake purses on eBay in the past and got refund on both on merchandise and return shipping. It's not about wasting $15 but I don't see why this seemed unreasonable to the seller. I can see that she didn't know about the bag being fake but if I were her, I would definitely issue a refund on return shipping and apologize. Do you think leaving her a negative feedback is not fair? I want to know what you think and if you had a similar experience. Thank you.
 
In my experience buying fakes, I've been refunded the original purchase price and shipping but I had to eat the return shipping. You, the buyer, will be out the return shipping and the seller will be out the original shipping.

Did she refund you the original shipping and the purchase price? Then the return shipping is your responsibility. I don't think she's out of line.
 
Eeek, tough situation! I'm so sorry your gaucho wound up being fake :tdown:.

I hate to say it, but she really wasn't clear about refunding you the shipping (and probably for a reason). While I think sellers of fake bags should always pay shipping both ways, I know this is not always the case. In the past I have demanded that they pay the return shipping prior to me shipping the purse back to them. I think you have more power and persuasion when you are threatening to report them to ebay and paypal. Now that she has the purse and has refunded you the initial money, there's really no basis for a claim and she knows it. I dn't think there's any way to mandate she pay you for return shipping. I would still consider this a won battle though- you found out it was a fake AND got a refund without too much of a hassle. I'm sure it won't make you feel better but it could have been worse. At least you did get the insurance so she can't make any claim about not receiving it or it being damaged.

I'm sorry about the bag, I really hope you find an authentic one for a GREAT price :flowers:
 
echo_23, thanks for making me feel better. :biggrin: I really should be happy about getting my money back. Maybe I should have been more forceful and not close the dispute until I got the refund. She made it sound like I had to close the dispute to get my money back and now I know better.

I don't want to force her to pay for the return shipping but wanted to know why she acted as if I did something wrong. She was a very sweet person in the beginning but changed her attitudes afterwards. I am still undecided about leaving her a negative feedback. I will think about it much later when I am more calm. :yes:
 
It is PayPal's policy that the buyer has to pay for return shipping. She definitely has given you back more than I have gotten in the past. Usually, sellers don't even give you back the original shipping because you in fact received the bag and when she receives it back she doesn't get back the original shipping. I would be happy with the refund and give her positive feedback because she indeed gave you a full refund. You don't have to be too explicit with the feedback. Just say- Didn't like the handbag, seller gave refund. I wouldn't leave her negative and deal with that being on your feedback as well. If you leave her positive she will do the same. You don't want to risk future purchases of your own with negative feedback. I know if I am selling something and the bidder has negative feedback, I usually cancel their bids because I don't want to deal with the hassle they might cause. IMHO. Hope it works out for you.
 
I didn't know you were a tPF member too... I won't say much more but will consider your suggestion.

It is PayPal's policy that the buyer has to pay for return shipping. She definitely has given you back more than I have gotten in the past. Usually, sellers don't even give you back the original shipping because you in fact received the bag and when she receives it back she doesn't get back the original shipping. I would be happy with the refund and give her positive feedback because she indeed gave you a full refund. You don't have to be too explicit with the feedback. Just say- Didn't like the handbag, seller gave refund. I wouldn't leave her negative and deal with that being on your feedback as well. If you leave her positive she will do the same. You don't want to risk future purchases of your own with negative feedback. I know if I am selling something and the bidder has negative feedback, I usually cancel their bids because I don't want to deal with the hassle they might cause. IMHO. Hope it works out for you.
 
IMHO, the seller should be required to pay shipping both ways if an item ends up being fake. Why should a buyer have to pay shipping for something they didn't intentionally purchase (the fake!)? The seller should be out the shipping since it is on them to make sure that what they are selling is authentic if they are advertising it that way.
 
valkyrie360, what you said was exactly what I thought (and I still think this way). If I wanted to return the purse just because I changed my mind, I should be refunded only on the merchandise, no shipping on either way. But since the bag was fake, I thought return shipping should paid by the seller.
Oh well, eBay's policies don't always make sense. We all know that. :Push:


IMHO, the seller should be required to pay shipping both ways if an item ends up being fake. Why should a buyer have to pay shipping for something they didn't intentionally purchase (the fake!)? The seller should be out the shipping since it is on them to make sure that what they are selling is authentic if they are advertising it that way.
 
I agree that in the case of fakes/snads that all shipping costs should be covered by the seller. I think though with ebay being the way it is you should just be happy that you got the most of your money back. Was in a similiar situation not to long ago, and just chalked up the shipping cost as a lesson learned, and will never buy anything possibly faked on ebay again.
 
I think you are lucky to have got the original costs back. Many people have so much trouble.
I got a fake last year and claimed through Paypal. I got most of the money back, she cleared up her account so I couldnt get the full amount, but I did pay return shipping...
 
Yes she did. So I guess she wasn't being unreasonable and I was lucky with the other sellers who did refund me for the return shipping costs.
Lucky you! But how do they refund you return shipping? The amount you pay for is the item itself and shipping to you, so when you return the item, that is the only amount they can send back to you, how then do they refund you return shipping fee?