A member of the SAHM’s eBay Group on Facebook posted this question:

“I’ve been selling on eBay for about two years and today had my first PayPal claim for an item not as described filed against me but the type of item (hair color) gives me pause on what I should do. She sent me a message that she had received it, that she was happy and couldn’t wait to use it, as well as left me positive feedback. I have left her positive feedback as well.

The next day I get a message from her that the new hair color didn’t take and wrecked her hair and now she would have to go to a salon. In a previous message, she mentioned she was already having problems with her hair prior to order and hoped this would solve her problem. 10 minutes after I received the message, a dispute was opened with her requesting the cost of the item refunded, not the shipping, but still totalling about $25.

I don’t think PayPal would side with her since I think it to being similar to like a pimple cream you buy at the drugstore, you can’t return it because you still have pimples, right? But at the same time, I want to do the right thing. Money’s pretty tight right now and it’s hard to hand it back if I don’t have to and because of all the variables – her hair was already damaged, what if she didn’t use it correctly, this and that. It’s not as cut and dry as say a t-shirt with stain or a CD with a scratch.

Any input on what you might do would be appreciated.”

I think this issue is more about the proper use of the product, than the product itself. Just as you would buy haircolor from a drug store or Walmart, you must follow the directions and assume the risk of something going wrong. I personally think the seller should win in this situation – there is no proof that the buyer used the product correctly if at all. Who is to say that she didn’t use another product and just wants to make someone else take the responsibility? What do you think?

[Image Source: Flickr]

Post from: EveryJoe

Item Not As Described Dispute – Where’s the line?

I received this email from fellow seller Linda:

“I just got off the phone with Paypal. A customer of mine claimed one item out of a multiple item sale was broken in transit. I asked for a picture and he never provided one. I even had paypal request a pic and never got one.

I’ve been paying someone to package and ship my eBay items. He guarantees his work and would reimburse me but I had to provide a picture to prove the damage. The customer escalated to a claim under “Item Not as Described” and Paypal automatically sent determination for customer to return item for full refund except return shipping. When I asked Paypal how we jumped to return the item for a refund, she told me they just changed the policy and from now on all “Item Not as Described” complaints will be resolved like mine.

They are no longer investigating or getting into it at all, simply Paypal will be authorizing a full refund for anyone filing a claim. The only condition is the seller must pay to return the item and provide proof of delivery to Paypal. No need to pay for insurance once sellers find that out and how about the guy who sends back an empty package or one filled with properly weighted rocks? The new policy should be a field day for certain types of buyers. Did you know that and what do you think?”

No, I wasn’t aware of that. I checked on the Paypal site under “Item Not Described Claim” and see that part of the process still includes “Paypal investigates and resolves claim.” Unless now they are just omitting the investigation part. If this is true, I think this is terribly unfair and I hope you were just talking to an employee that was misinformed? Hopefully we will have some comments to shed more light on this as this policy seems like it will open up a world of problems for sellers.

Thanks for your contribution, Linda!

Post from: EveryJoe

Can eBay Sellers Ever Win Paypal Disputes?