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Ebay question. Item arrived in pieces!?
If I offer insurance to the Buyer and state in my listing that buyer pays for shipping and insurance and when buyer gets item it is broken in pieces and I did not purchase insurance am I responsible ? Buyer asked me if I wanted him to send me back the item so I could be refunded for item..What is the best way to handle this? I did not insure this but again did state in listing that buyer pays for shipping and insurance.I was just going to write back a message and say I am sorry his item arrived like that.I wrapped it with bubble wrap and newspaper.Did you purchase insurance on it? After sending this see how he responds to it? I guess the question is how should I respond ?
1 Answer
- 1 decade agoFavourite answer
You are in the middle of the biggest ebay snafu. The buyer has you right where he wants you. If you don't do what he wants, he's going to negative you. Even if your listing covered all bases...
Now I have a question, you wrote that the "buyer pays shipping and insurance" does this mean that you stated in the auction that the shipping fee includes insurance? If so, and you did not pay the insurance, then YES you are responsible as the customer paid for it, and you did not get it.
However, if the listing states that the buyer is responsible for optional insurance, and the buyer chose not to buy insurance, technically, it is his loss as he opted out of the optional insurance. But he can still negative you!
Don't ask him if he paid insurance, as you know that already as a seller and it will make you look like you don't know what you are doing. He also knows how you wrapped it as he has the broken item in his hands. Now are you 100% confident that your wrapping job was up to par? I've gotten some things from sellers with horrid wrap jobs that certainly could be better. If you feel you could have wrapped better, insurance or not, it's something to consider...
So if it is scenario A, and the customer paid for insurance and you did not get it, you simply have to take the item back and refund the money.
If it is scenario B, send a message to buyer
"I find it unfortunate that your item was destroyed by the USPS during the delivery process. Due to the delicate nature of the item, I clearly state in each listing that insurance is optional. However, you chose not select or pay for insurance when you made your purchase so unfortunately the item was not covered for damages."
Tread lightly, if he threatens negative feedback report him to ebay immediately as it is feedback extortion. However, be prepared, he CAN leave you a negative feedback.. You can fight it, but ebay almost always sides with the buyer not the seller.
In the future, consider printing your postage via Endicia.com, you can get insurance for $0.75 and put it in the price (much cheaper than USPS) I've used them for years, love them!
Good luck!
Source(s): eBay seller for over a decade