Board 8 > Need some eBay advice on a "damaged" shipment to buyer

(+) Yeah! (+)

So on Jan 24th I sold a deluxe edition of a graphic novel that was in Like New condition for $65 + Shipping. Here's what it looked like prior to shipment:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/5/6/AABj6fAAC5ag.jpg

The book arrived on February 1st and was "DELIVERED LEFT WITH INDIVIDUAL" according to the tracking info.

Tonight (5 days after delivery) I received a message that the package was damaged when it arrived. The buyer claims that the upper corner of the spine was dented during shipping (see photo below) and that the inside cover was completely separated from the spine (see second photo below).

I sent the book in a bubble mailer with extra plastic bags for cushioning. The postal service can be rough on packages sometimes, but the separated spine seems suspicious to me (as does the timing... 5 days to report this to me seems like an oddly convenient window to read the entire book and say, "Y'know what, I'd love to get my money back").

Regardless of whether it was an honest shipping issue or a shady act by the buyer, I'm wondering what's the best way to handle this.

Do I offer a full refund and tell them to keep the book? Or should I request it to be shipped back to me (my account is listed as not accepting returns)? Or is there something else I should do?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/5/7/AABj6fAAC5ah.jpg

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/4/5/8/AABj6fAAC5ai.jpg

I doubt they purposely broke it to get their money back. If they didn't pay for the insurance on shipping, you might not have to give it back at full cost. Maybe you could tell them to pay to ship it back and you will refund what they paid.

They would still be out the shipping cost, but I mean, it's not your fault and they didn't pay for the insurance on the shipment. You should offer shipping insurance as an add on in the future.

Corrik7 posted...

I doubt they purposely broke it to get their money back. If they didn't pay for the insurance on shipping, you might not have to give it back at full cost. Maybe you could tell them to pay to ship it back and you will refund what they paid.

They would still be out the shipping cost, but I mean, it's not your fault and they didn't pay for the insurance on the shipment. You should offer shipping insurance as an add on in the future.

It was shipped Media Mail. No insurance that I know of.

Here's what the buyer said to me:

"Hello, I'm hoping you can help me resolve an issue I have with this item for which I paid $75. The packaging was not very secure so there was slight damage to the top front corner of the spine when it was pulled out of the envelope. The biggest issue though is the condition of the book when it was opened. The hard cover is completely separated from the spine which is not the like new condition specified on the item description."

I did some research...

Sounds like I'm screwed because I shipped it Media Mail. I won't be able to file a claim with the USPS:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling-Q-A/What-is-the-policy-when-an-item-arrives-broken-Doesn-t-the-buyer/qaq-p/22293016

If they open a case under item not as described then eBay will force a return (regardless of your return policies) and refund once it arrives back if that's how the buyer wants to proceed. Even if the buyer was lying and the item was in perfect condition when you received it back, that will still be what happens. I've had it happen tons of times to me with shoes.

You basically have three options.

1. Return and refund (you will have to pay for shipping)
2. Offer a partial refund to keep the item
3. Offer full refund and let them keep the item

Yep. You're screwed. As soon as they open up a case, 99% of the time, ebay will side with the buyer without even bothering to look at any evidence. In this case, whether he's shady or not, he has photos of a damaged book. Once he opens up a case, you have two options -

1. Ask him to ship the book back, but you will have to pay for return shipping. It might be worth it to you to get the book back - maybe to repair it and resell it to recoup some of your loss. On the plus side, you don't need to refund him until after the book makes it back to you.
2. If it's not worth the return shipping, then just refund it and let the guy keep it.

Yup, media mail offers no insurance unfortunately. It's best to buy some insurance with a media mail shipping label in the future for orders that high. I would also recommend adding some hard cardboard to further protect the book next time you ship something like this in a bubble mailer.

It might hurt but the best way to go about this if the buyer isn't comfortable keeping it at full price is offering a full refund while getting the book back (don't give refund until it's in your hands, of course). Then you can at least still sell it as a damaged item & keep your buyer happy at the same time.

If I were you, I'd tell them to ship it back media mail and then you'll refund them.

Don't refund until you get it back.Definitely don't do any kind of partial refund bs.

Thanks, all!

I reached out to the buyer and offered a partial refund. If they're not interested, I'll have them return the book to me for a full.

Menji posted...

If I were you, I'd tell them to ship it back media mail and then you'll refund them.

Don't refund until you get it back.Definitely don't do any kind of partial refund bs.

Why are you against partial refunds? Is it because of "partial refund phishing" scams that I've seen mentioned?

At this stage, I figure the best I could get for the damaged book is somewhere around $20-30. If the buyer is willing to pay that, it'll save me the hassle of trying to sell it again.

Well the reason I mentioned partial refund is because it's literally one of the resolution choices on eBay when a case is opened. So it's all done through eBay without any potentially for fuckery. If they agree to it the case is closed and cannot be reopened by them.