ebay returning item

[Sachin]

I boought an item from ebay last week however item was mis-advertised and is not fit for purpose. The seller is happy to issue a refund. Should I send the item first and wait for the refund OR Wait for the refund and then send the item. The ebayer requested payment by cheque so I sent a cheque and had to wait for it to clear.

[kat23]

Whenever I have given a refund for an item I have sold on Ebay I have requested the item back first, then once I have checked that it is indeed faulty (or whatever the reason is) I then have sent out a full refund.

As a seller I wouldn't give a refund without getting the item back first purely because there are a lot of people on ebay who would take advantage and never bother sending the item back.

The only times I have refunded without the item back first was when the item was of no use to me and was cheap, in that case I just sent the refund and let them keep or dispose of the item.

[talksalot81]

I recently had to do a refund for a pc..... I guess I was a bit naive but i refunded first at which point i thought there was trouble because the buyer wasnt keen on paying the return postage.

I can see two sides to the arguement, but I think it is probably more 'correct' that the item is returned prior to a refund being issued.

[gazthomas]

I boought an item from ebay last week however item was mis-advertised and is not fit for purpose. The seller is happy to issue a refund. Should I send the item first and wait for the refund OR Wait for the refund and then send the item. The ebayer requested payment by cheque so I sent a cheque and had to wait for it to clear.
think about it logically - if you had to return something to a store - say dixons - you wouldnt go there and say "i have this tv i bought off you - its not as described so can i have a refund" - yes sir you can have a refund here you go - bring the tv back next time youre passing....it wouldnt happen - likewise any other on line store - is not going to refund you until they have their goods back.

[Arthur Fowler]

think about it logically - if you had to return something to a store - say dixons - you wouldnt go there and say "i have this tv i bought off you - its not as described so can i have a refund" - yes sir you can have a refund here you go - bring the tv back next time youre passing....it wouldnt happen - likewise any other on line store - is not going to refund you until they have their goods back.

Not really the same thing is it?

You are no more likely to give them the TV and say "I'll pop in and get the refund next time I'm passing".

I think the comparison is spurious. The Dixons example is a simultaneous exchange which is not practical in this situation.

[gazthomas]

Not really the same thing is it?

You are no more likely to give them the TV and say "I'll pop in and get the refund next time I'm passing".

I think the comparison is spurious. The Dixons example is a simultaneous exchange which is not practical in this situation.
you are being pedantic - it is the same thing - using dixons again - only online - you wouldnt get a refund to your credit card until they have received the goods back simple - no sane business will refund you until they get back their goods...

[talksalot81]

Online goods return..... the suppliers simply do not refund as easily as that. For something such as faulty goods or those not fit for the purpose, not only will they not automatically refund BEFORE the return, they will often insist that the goods are inspected to ensure that whatever problem wasnt caused by the receipient!

As someone expressed before, ebay isnt an online store and the sellers are often not retailers. You must expect the seller to do absolutely everything to ensure they dont lose out, perhaps even more so than a retailer because the average ebay seller will have minimal to no insurance

[molerat]

On a similar subject .....

I purchased an aftermarket car part which was model specific and it did not fit correctly due to poor sizing on the plastic moulding therefore unfit for purpose. The seller has agreed to a return for a refund although arguing that they have sold hundreds with no problems (perhaps other buyers are not so picky about the thing wobbling about whereas the original clicks firmly into place). Should the seller refund my postage (both ways ?). The seller is a VAT registered business.