ebay bitch

[seldear]

I sold an item about a month ago, got the payment, sent it out. A week ago, I got notification that the person hadn't received it.

Upon clarification, we discovered that she hadn't updated their ebay address to their new address. ie. the error was hers.

Unfortunately, me being the generous soul I am, I offered to repay her if the items didn't arrive before I thought about the situation. Namely, that I'm paying for a stupidity on her part.

Anyway, she's just mailed me today saying she's "really sorry" but she wants her money back and she'll pay if she receives the goods.

I have this feeling I'm being taken for a ride.

Comments

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Doesn't the mail return stuff to sender, or forward to new addresses?

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

It should. It doesn't always, though. :(

[arrietty.livejournal.com]

If she gave you the wrong address, that is her problem. There is no way you can be held responsible for her negligence.

As you've offered to refund her payment, maybe you could just refund the item amount and let her pay the postage or even split it right down the middle so you're both out of pocket the same. But personally, as I've said above that is what I think.

Toddle over to TradeMe (NZ and Aust version of Ebay) and look up the forum, you'll hear the same thoughts as me as this problem pops up quite often. Wrong address given. It nearly happened to me when their automatic address came through. I'd packed up the item addressed it ready to go waiting for payment, then she sent an email asking that it to be sent to same address but a different name. So I just crossed out the name and wrote in the new one. I didn't want to repackage it up or cover up the address - she should have made sure that the correct name was on the first email.

Sorry the humidity it getting to my brain and it is leaking words all over the place.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

S'okay. :)

I contacted her and she said she was only asking for payment because I offered. She didn't leave me her bank details so...I guess I'll leave it at that.

[arrietty.livejournal.com]

Good. I hope it turns up in the end okay or the parcel gets back to you. *hugs*

[jo-siris.livejournal.com]

no way do you pay her.

contact ebay. They will tell you where the fault lies.

Also tell her to contact her last address.

Sorry but no way would I repay for this.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

S'okay. I let her know that I was only paying her because I said I would and the fault was hers, and she said she was only asking for the money because I offered it back.

So...since she didn't leave me her bank details, I guess that's it.

[anjak-j.livejournal.com]

Personally, I wouldn't refund her. It's not my duty to ensure my buyers give me their most recent address - it's their duty to keep their account updated. Why should sellers pay for buyer stupidity?

I say tell her no, and if she makes a big deal out of it, let her make a complaint about it - it'll only make her look royally stupid anyway.

And as has been pointed out - she should know her previous address - why doesn't she just contact whoever is living there now and get the parcel redirected?

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

why doesn't she just contact whoever is living there now and get the parcel redirected?

According to her, the old address hasn't received it.

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

I don't see how she can expct you to pay for her stupidity - ebay/paypal shows you the address before you complete checkout, so if she didn't notice and change it then then it really is her mistake - I'm fairly sure an dispute over this would side with you. I guess the issue is about any negative feedback, but hopefully you could counter that with a fair explanation.

So she can't really expect anything more than if they get returned to sender for you to post them on to her. It's not exactly in your power to get the items back after all, short of the person now living there returning to sender or someone going to the address to try and claim them back, what else is there to be done? Even so the impetus should be on her as it was her mistake.

If it was me I'd politely refuse to give the money back, because it's not like you'd know it was the wrong address without her having mentioned it prior to shipping.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Well, I explained that I was only paying her because I said I would and that the mistake was hers. She said that she was only asking for repayment because I offered.

And since she didn't leave me her bank details, I guess that she's accepted the loss.

[missyvortexdv.livejournal.com]

I was thinking common decency would dictate she doesn't accept it given she obviously knows it was her mistake, so fingers crossed that has won out instead of her simply forgetting to give her details.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Well, I've sorted it out. See above. :)

[kismatt.livejournal.com]

Don't refund it. The package has to either come back or be forwarded - it is not your fault she provided the wrong address.

If she complains to eBay about it, they will tell her the same thing. It is the BUYER'S responsibility to make sure that the shipping address is correct.

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

It looks like I'm not refunding it after all. She said she was only asking for the money back because I offered to repay it.

Which is perhaps a bit dodge, because she initially implied that the fault was mine that the package hadn't turned up. Although what I'm supposed to do after sending it through the mail, I don't know.