Buyer diappointed with item's condition-what to do?

echo_23

echo_23

O.G.
Oct 2, 2006
5,004
6
#1
I recently sold a bag on ebay that looked like it was in great condition- the corners showed no wear, the leather was super soft and supple and, barring a tear on the interior lining, it looked barely used. Even my overly critical husband agreed. I sold it to someone for less than my BIN price because they seemed really nice and would pay immediately. Well, here's what they emailed me:

"You did a beautiful job packaging the bag and it is just the style I was looking for, but I have to admit that I am a little disappointed in the overall condition of the bag. I am very familiar with the delicacy of lambskin and have had lots of lambskin Chanel bags, but it is a little more mishapen and worn looking than a bag that was hardly ever worn as your auction stated. Also, I just applied a very mild leather conditioner that I use on all my Chanel bags and the handle and bottom of the bag were very dirty, which suggests to me that it did have more use than I expected. I am not a trouble maker and I don't want to give you a hard time, but just wanted to let you know, since I probably would have offered you a less for the bag if I had know its true condition."

My stomach sunk reading this and I immediately replied apologizing and asking how the bag was mis-shapen. I was considering giving her an immediate partial refund, but I honestly feel like the bag was as described...and I sold it to her for less than my BIN anyway.

To make matters worse, I'm in the middle of a paypal SNAD battle about a purse I bought and just bought two other bags with alot more wear than described- none of the sellers would respond to my emails. I get where she's coming from but I can't imagine how she's disappointed in the bag and the thought of giving her a refund while I always get stuck with worse than described bags is making me absolutely furious :cursing:.

I want to be a good seller but right now I am just baffled and PO'd...any advice?
 
#3
Perhaps she could take a few pics of the issues she is having with loving the bag for the price. If you find them reasonable, or find you overlooked them somehow, then perhaps consider a slight refund..??

She sounds nice enough... but really, who knows. What does her fb look like? Does it mention if she's pulled this before, or is this unique?

Good luck!
 
#4
Some people just have unrealistic expectations. If it were me, I'd ask her what she feels would make her happy. If it seems fair to you, I'd give her what she asks for. If she responds with something ridiculous, I'd tell her to send the bag back and I'd give her a refund, minus shipping.
 
#5
I find it pretty ironic considering what happened to you with the Chanel with the "dime-sized missing leather" and all.

Well... IIWY, I would still offer her a partial refund... maybe $20.00? All she really complained about was that the bag was a little dirtier than she anticipated. It's really hard to photograph "daily dirt" on a dark colored (I'm assuming it's dark), lambskin bag, so I don't think you're in the wrong here at all.
 
#6
aprilvalentine said:
Some people just have unrealistic expectations. If it were me, I'd ask her what she feels would make her happy. If it seems fair to you, I'd give her what she asks for. If she responds with something ridiculous, I'd tell her to send the bag back and I'd give her a refund, minus shipping.
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I agree with this, except the buyer DID put a leather conditioner on it, thus changing the condition of the bag. Were it to come to a dispute, PayPal wouldn't require seller to accept return, as it had been altered from the state that seller sent it. There was a hot thread about this a few weeks ago...
 
#7
If she didn't mention a refund, I wouldn't offer a refund. She should not have put anything on the bag if she didn't like the condition of it and was considering returning it--that's like if I go to the store, buy a garment, take it home and wash it, then try to return it for full credit as though it's brand new.

Maybe I'm just a jerk, but I wouldn't offer a refund since she's already chosen to put some kind of leather conditioner on it, thereby altering it's original condition (like sarahloveslouis said). You don't know for sure WHAT she put on it and if it could have irreparably damaged the bag.
 
#8
mmmm, this is a tough one because the buyer hasnt actually asked you for anything, but she obviously wants something else she wouldnt mail you. I think she is either wanting you to offer a refund or partial refund. Personally if you think she got a good price anyway I would refund her and try to sell again at your originla BIN. The problem is, she has applied something to the leather. It might be best to get advice from ebay on this. She has essentially altered the bag so you will have no idea what is coming back to you.
 
#9
I don't think it is relevant that you sold it for less than your BIN price. I would most likely offer her something. Or I would send her a reply out of courtesy saying you would like to give her a discount and what does she think would be fair? That way, she has to make a proposal and then see if you think it is reasonable. Then you can weigh the reasonableness of her proposal and maybe counter her or not.
 
#10
sarahloveslouis said:
I find it pretty ironic considering what happened to you with the Chanel with the "dime-sized missing leather" and all.

Well... IIWY, I would still offer her a partial refund... maybe $20.00? All she really complained about was that the bag was a little dirtier than she anticipated. It's really hard to photograph "daily dirt" on a dark colored (I'm assuming it's dark), lambskin bag, so I don't think you're in the wrong here at all.
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I know! I'm still waiting for the seller's reply...she promised she'd deal with it on the 8th and now it's the 13th and I haven't heard from her.

I would normally accept a return (even though I said in the auction that I only accept returns for SNADS and authenticity reasons) because I think she's being super picky and there's nothing wrong with the bag, so it should re-sell quickly...but I just spent the money I made on a couple recent sales on a new bag and I can't afford to loose the money and have to re-list. I hadn't even thought of the leather cleaner issue. I never use anything on my lambskin because Chanel advises against it.

Yes, it was a black bag and I really didn't see any dirt. Whenever I clean any of my other bags a little of the color transfers...I wonder if that's what happened? Here's what she wrote to me in response to my email:

Thanks for your prompt response. Mishapen means in roundabout terms - not exactly the right shape and what I meant by that is that the leather is stretched and creased so that even when it is full of my items, it appears and gives a general impression that it is well worn. As I said, I own and have owned lots of Chanel lambskin handbags and I am very familiar with how the super soft leather ages and wears and I have not seen one behave this way unless it has had substantial use. I really like this style and the wear is not completely unbearable to me, but I only purchase brand new or barely used Chanel bags on ebay and this bag has just been used more than I got the impression it had been from your auction. I have honestly never been in this situation before either, and I really hope we can come to a fair understanding that will satisfy us both. Thanks very much.

I really don't get the whole mis-shapen thing- it's a slouchy bag (and I described it that way) made out of super super soft lambskin...
 
#11
echo_23 said:
I know! I'm still waiting for the seller's reply...she promised she'd deal with it on the 8th and now it's the 13th and I haven't heard from her.

I would normally accept a return (even though I said in the auction that I only accept returns for SNADS and authenticity reasons) because I think she's being super picky and there's nothing wrong with the bag, so it should re-sell quickly...but I just spent the money I made on a couple recent sales on a new bag and I can't afford to loose the money and have to re-list. I hadn't even thought of the leather cleaner issue. I never use anything on my lambskin because Chanel advises against it.

Yes, it was a black bag and I really didn't see any dirt. Whenever I clean any of my other bags a little of the color transfers...I wonder if that's what happened? Here's what she wrote to me in response to my email:

Thanks for your prompt response. Mishapen means in roundabout terms - not exactly the right shape and what I meant by that is that the leather is stretched and creased so that even when it is full of my items, it appears and gives a general impression that it is well worn. As I said, I own and have owned lots of Chanel lambskin handbags and I am very familiar with how the super soft leather ages and wears and I have not seen one behave this way unless it has had substantial use. I really like this style and the wear is not completely unbearable to me, but I only purchase brand new or barely used Chanel bags on ebay and this bag has just been used more than I got the impression it had been from your auction. I have honestly never been in this situation before either, and I really hope we can come to a fair understanding that will satisfy us both. Thanks very much.

I really don't get the whole mis-shapen thing- it's a slouchy bag (and I described it that way) made out of super super soft lambskin...
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I truly believe condition is subjective. Duh. She should learn that pretty dang quick if she wants to continue to eBay.

Tell her that because she put conditioner on the bag you cannot accept a return for full refund. With the quote about "I really hope we can come to a fair understanding that will satisfy us both" to me it sounds like she is just out for a partial refund. Ask her how much she thinks it should be discounted. If it's something that sounds fair to you, salvage your feedback and do it. If she wants the world on a silver platter, tell her to F OFF.
 
#12
It's a common trend on eBay nowadays. Buyer gets a wonderful deal on an item and then demands a partial refund upon receipt of it. Somewhere between your listing the item and their getting it, the thing has morphed into something horrendous and certainly NOT what has been described and photographed. Yet, it's... not...quite.... horrible.... enough... to... warrent a... return. They still MUST OWN this item. It's just that now, they want some money back. A partial refund. Yes, that will make up for the ugliness of the item when they are toting it around laughing at you and telling all of their friends how good it felt to not only get a GREAT deal to begin with but then stick it to you for even more money after the fact. I'll bet she won't be pointing out just how "mishapen" her "delicate lambskin" treasure is when she's getting butt-loads of compliments on it!

I wouldn't give her a dime. Not one dime. Buyers are getting to be ridiculous and if every seller bent over and took one up the wazoo every time one of these vultures cried and threatened negative feedback - it does nothing but make it THAT MUCH MORE difficult on other good sellers.

Sorry for the rant. I'm not very happy with the direction eBay is going these days. And now, they're giving buyers like this MORE power. Unreal. Good luck.
 
#13
print*model said:
It's a common trend on eBay nowadays. Buyer gets a wonderful deal on an item and then demands a partial refund upon receipt of it. Somewhere between your listing the item and their getting it, the thing has morphed into something horrendous and certainly NOT what has been described and photographed. Yet, it's... not...quite.... horrible.... enough... to... warrent a... return. They still MUST OWN this item. It's just that now, they want some money back. A partial refund. Yes, that will make up for the ugliness of the item when they are toting it around laughing at you and telling all of their friends how good it felt to not only get a GREAT deal to begin with but then stick it to you for even more money after the fact. I'll bet she won't be pointing out just how "mishapen" her "delicate lambskin" treasure is when she's getting butt-loads of compliments on it!

I wouldn't give her a dime. Not one dime. Buyers are getting to be ridiculous and if every seller bent over and took one up the wazoo every time one of these vultures cried and threatened negative feedback - it does nothing but make it THAT MUCH MORE difficult on other good sellers.

Sorry for the rant. I'm not very happy with the direction eBay is going these days. And now, they're giving buyers like this MORE power. Unreal. Good luck.
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I'm right there with you on the rant!!! Two of my recent purchases had issues, one was described as new and perfect and had loose stitches and definite signs of wear and the other was described as hardly used but had big scuffs on the corner, scratches all over it and the authenticity card was MIA-thankfully it was recovered and on its way to me. I didn't think to ask the sellers for a partial refund because one is impossible to find anywhere and the other was a pretty good deal. It takes something being REALLY not as described to make me ask for $$ back. That's why this makes me so mad.

She acted like she wanted to keep the bag until I told her in my last email that I couldn't accept a return because she used product on it...now in her reply she acts like she wanted to return the bag and I'm keeping her from doing it :cursing::

Thanks for your response and all I can say is that I saw this bag brand new in my local Chanel boutique (it is only a few seasons old) and the bag I purchased from you looks considerably different than the bag did when it was new. I just assumed that a bag that was "hardly ever used" would be closer to new looking than this one is. The fact that it was signigicantly soiled sort of speaks for itself. I was going to offer to return the bag to you and pay for the shipping, but if the product is an issue for you, I would greatly appreciate at least a partial refund. At some time in the near future, I am going to list the bag on ebay myself and I will mention the fact that it shows moderate wear. Combined with the fact that we don't have an authenticity card or packaging, I am pretty sure I will take a substantial loss. You seem like a fair and caring person and I will leave it to your best judgement to decide. Thank you and I am sorry our transaction was a bit challenging.

My husband inspected this bag before I sold it and told me not to give her any $$ because she's crazy and obviously doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm inclined to agree. She makes no sense. First this bag is just what she's looking for but has undescribed wear, now it's going back to ebay...this makes me think she changed her mind about the bag itself and is fishing for $$. This bag had NO visible dirt on it!!!! Ugggghhhhh....this will be my first neg. feedback, is it worth it? I really feel like she's just a remorseful buyer and I need the money.
 
#14
I really need advice on this response. My husband says to wish her luck selling it and tell her it should do fine and be done with it. I am considering a partial refund because I don't want neg feedback as I'm worried nobody will want to buy from me ...but in my heart know the item was correctly described and her wish-washy story bugs me. She paid $650 shipped for it, any suggestions on what a reasonable refund would be, if any?
 
#15
print*model said:
It's a common trend on eBay nowadays. Buyer gets a wonderful deal on an item and then demands a partial refund upon receipt of it. Somewhere between your listing the item and their getting it, the thing has morphed into something horrendous and certainly NOT what has been described and photographed. Yet, it's... not...quite.... horrible.... enough... to... warrent a... return. They still MUST OWN this item. It's just that now, they want some money back. A partial refund. Yes, that will make up for the ugliness of the item when they are toting it around laughing at you and telling all of their friends how good it felt to not only get a GREAT deal to begin with but then stick it to you for even more money after the fact. I'll bet she won't be pointing out just how "mishapen" her "delicate lambskin" treasure is when she's getting butt-loads of compliments on it!

I wouldn't give her a dime. Not one dime. Buyers are getting to be ridiculous and if every seller bent over and took one up the wazoo every time one of these vultures cried and threatened negative feedback - it does nothing but make it THAT MUCH MORE difficult on other good sellers.

Sorry for the rant. I'm not very happy with the direction eBay is going these days. And now, they're giving buyers like this MORE power. Unreal. Good luck.
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I couldn't agree more. Ebay has become a "hostage" sitaution and buyers and sellers use feedback as a way to threaten and pressure each other. EBAY is NOT Neimans or Saks. Is she wants new or like new condition, let her pay full retail. I bought a vintage Hermes clutch that ended up absolutely reeking of cigarettes but her listing didn;t say smoke free home, I checked again, and I got a "smokin" deal - It's buyer be ware, no one forced her to buy and you can sleep at night, she got a good price. I might ask ehr what she wants, or consider offering her a rebate on her shipping as a "gesture" of goodwill, beyond that you are not obligated!
 
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