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eBay vendors and 'free shipping'


lazarusvt84

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My son's band bought a new mixer off an eBay vendor (80,000 transactions and 99.5%) listed as free shipping with buyer paying return freight. So good so far. But now they want to return it (didn't have wanted functionality)...and the vendor says they will charge a 5% restock fee, and deduct their ORIGINAL shipping charges (on top of what we need to pay to send it back).

 

Does this seem right to you?

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Don't know. But if I was you, I would be contacting Ebay and asking them that question rather than us. :)

 

Yeah, tried but their number didn't work...and they don't accept email questions. I won't be able to formally contact eBay until I have an 'issue' with the vendor that we can't resolve.

 

 

 

.

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Riffster has a point. EBay/PayPal actually has a lot of good things to protect the buyer/consumer but in cases like this when there's nothing wrong with the item, probably not. Speaking objectively, if you were the seller, what would you do? Surely there was a cost incurred to ship regardless if they charged the buyer or not. Hope you get it resolved. Good luck.

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My son's band bought a new mixer off an eBay vendor (80,000 transactions and 99.5%) listed as free shipping with buyer paying return freight. So good so far. But now they want to return it (didn't have wanted functionality)...and the vendor says they will charge a 5% restock fee, and deduct their ORIGINAL shipping charges (on top of what we need to pay to send it back).

 

Does this seem right to you?

Free shipping is free shipping.

 

As you say, "buyer paying return freight" does not mean buyer paying return freight plus origonal shipping charges (listed as free).

 

If these things are true, it's in writing.

 

As for the 5% restock fee, it seems reasonable, BUT...what is depends on what was written or was not written. If the seller states returns are accepted with "x" or states terms, those are the terms. If the seller does NOT state in the add returns are accepted, then you have no contract.

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From your description, you bought a product and they shipped it to you free. Now you changed your mind (possibly your fault as to why you bought it - didn't educate yourself on what you were buying). Why should they pay for the return and now they have a used/opened item. Sounds justified to me.

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From your description, you bought a product and they shipped it to you free. Now you changed your mind (possibly your fault as to why you bought it - didn't educate yourself on what you were buying). Why should they pay for the return and now they have a used/opened item. Sounds justified to me.

 

You have misunderstood. I agree to pay to send it back...that's not the issue.

 

 

100% satisfaction comes without conditions...except the obvious and written expectation that I'd pay to send it back. I"m good with that. In fact, I have a new guitar coming tomorrow that if I'm unhappy for whatever reason, I merely have to pay to send it back. I'm good with that. It's clear based on the vendors return policy. I've bought from these guys before.

 

 

But this mixer vendor expects me to take it in the shorts by deducting their 'free shipping' cost from my refund. It's not free if I incur an obligation in the event I need/want to send it back (for whatever reason). As I see it, It's the cost of doing business and one can expect that that's part of their 'price'....i.e., to expect a certain nunber of items to be returned for whatever reason. I also don't care for the insult to injury with a restocking fee. It's a triple whammy...shame on me for not doing a better job of reading the fine print. Buyer beware...

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I don't know, you paying for shipping seems seems fair to me. After all, why should he loose money because you decided to return it? There is a cost associated with shipping things. There is nothing wrong with the item and you just decided to change your mind.

 

I don't agree with the restocking fee unless it was specified under the return policy of the auction. If it were me, I would take this part up with eBay/PayPal and possibly file a dispute on the bases that a restocking fee was never disclosed anywhere in writing.

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^^^^ Exaxtly.

 

So I guess I'm not clear but if there is anything that was in print regarding reimbursement for shipping of returns and restocking fees, you will be obligated for it. If not, then it is worth taking up with ebay. I got screwed once on an item that the vendor changed the price on in their price list and it was small enough that it wasn't worth my time disputing. Now I try to do business with only larger vendors or through Amazon. Small retailers can be harder to deal with with little chance for recourse when things go wrong.

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