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DRU · 11-16-2009, 04:18 PM

You're not gonna have much of a chance at not refunding his money. In situations like this I typically recommend that you ask the buyer to go ahead and file a PayPal dispute. Once the dispute is filed you can respond explaining your side of things (although, AS-IS doesn't really mean a whole lot eBay) and explain that even though you feel the buyer got exactly what he paid for you'd be happy to refund his money so long as he returns the merchandise in the same condition as originally shipped.

While rare, I have seen instances where PayPal actually sides with the seller on an AS-IS sale. Don't get your hopes up, though. The true reason behind filing the dispute is simply so PayPal knows you're willing to work with the buyer as long as you get your item back. This way they won't refund the money back to the buyer (although it will sit in holding after the dispute is filed) until he can show tracking information proving he's returned the item.

At that point it's probably worth it to just go ahead and refund the money and re-sell the item. You could attempt to say it wasn't returned in the same condition but that's probably more trouble than it's worth (especially if untrue) and will just delay things.

In my experience, a positive feedback explaining something like "seller refunded my money right away because I was not happy" goes a long way vs. a negative feedback of any kind. You'll get more money out of future sales...not to mention more future sales in general.

Also, I would recommend doing away with AS-IS auctions. It really doesn't do much of anything for you on eBay/PayPal these days and it can make you look like a BS seller to lots of buyers. Clearly describe the item as you would normally, and then in the returns area say something like "This item has been tested in excellent working condition and ships as described in the auction. I will offer a full refund should the item arrive DOA and an 85% refund should you wish to return it for any other reason."

Many times you'll get to keep your 15% because buyers are happy to abide by your return policy even if they aren't happy with the item. It's kind of funny the way it works out like that.

Of course, these comments are based on my own experience (I've developed eBay/PayPal solutions for sellers that do $500k/mo in sales volume on eBay) and you'll probably have instances where the buyer is simply an ass hole, but in most cases following these general rules will go a long way to making more money and maintaining a good rating on eBay.

11-16-2009, 04:18 PM	#13
DRU To the Game Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $7243516	dispute You're not gonna have much of a chance at not refunding his money. In situations like this I typically recommend that you ask the buyer to go ahead and file a PayPal dispute. Once the dispute is filed you can respond explaining your side of things (although, AS-IS doesn't really mean a whole lot eBay) and explain that even though you feel the buyer got exactly what he paid for you'd be happy to refund his money so long as he returns the merchandise in the same condition as originally shipped. While rare, I have seen instances where PayPal actually sides with the seller on an AS-IS sale. Don't get your hopes up, though. The true reason behind filing the dispute is simply so PayPal knows you're willing to work with the buyer as long as you get your item back. This way they won't refund the money back to the buyer (although it will sit in holding after the dispute is filed) until he can show tracking information proving he's returned the item. At that point it's probably worth it to just go ahead and refund the money and re-sell the item. You could attempt to say it wasn't returned in the same condition but that's probably more trouble than it's worth (especially if untrue) and will just delay things. In my experience, a positive feedback explaining something like "seller refunded my money right away because I was not happy" goes a long way vs. a negative feedback of any kind. You'll get more money out of future sales...not to mention more future sales in general. Also, I would recommend doing away with AS-IS auctions. It really doesn't do much of anything for you on eBay/PayPal these days and it can make you look like a BS seller to lots of buyers. Clearly describe the item as you would normally, and then in the returns area say something like "This item has been tested in excellent working condition and ships as described in the auction. I will offer a full refund should the item arrive DOA and an 85% refund should you wish to return it for any other reason." Many times you'll get to keep your 15% because buyers are happy to abide by your return policy even if they aren't happy with the item. It's kind of funny the way it works out like that. Of course, these comments are based on my own experience (I've developed eBay/PayPal solutions for sellers that do $500k/mo in sales volume on eBay) and you'll probably have instances where the buyer is simply an ass hole, but in most cases following these general rules will go a long way to making more money and maintaining a good rating on eBay.
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