Ebay advice please.

[windywillow]

Just had an email from a buyer - she says has received the bone folder I sent but it has arrived broken - it has been smashed in the post.

For those that don't know, bone folders are made of animal bone. You can get synthetic ones, but this one was genuine bone and (I imagine) would be very hard to break.

I suspect she is fibbing, but for £2.50, would you just give her a refund and forget about it? My OH has suggested I ask her to email me a pic of the broken item, but is it worth it for £2.50? And even if it was broken in the post, I don't suppose I could claim my money back from the post office - anyone had a similar experience please?

[delphfolk]

ask her to send it back and if its as she said then refund her but not till you are sure

[lozzer50]

as for pics at least.

[TWR]

Ask her to send it back.

[Squitty]

Send it back? send pictures? if its not broken it soon will be.
I like to trust so I would just refund and put it down to unlucky - theres more to life.
Karma bonus points will be awarded

[vodkancoke]

I think I would just refund her. If you ask for photos or for it to be sent back, she will just go ahead and break it. I think £2.50 is nothing compared to the neg feedback she will give you if she is that devious. Just put it down to bad experience.

[Maydup]

Agree with squitty, assume your packaging let you down and send her £2.50. I would assume she isn't fibbing for £2.50, doesn't seem worth a lie. But either way you will be the better person for it.

[windywillow]

Thanks for replies all.

I reckon she'll have quite a job on her hands to actually smash it, solid bone is quite a substance to smash (unless she takes a sledgehammer to it). :o)

But I might just refund and be done with it.

[snags]

What's a bone folder used for?

[lcg]

i would ask for a picture or for her to return it for a refund. i have to return stuff on amazon - why should it be different? good luck x

[boxtops]

I do, windy - I ask the buyer to email a photo of the broken item, and if it's broken, I give them a refund, no questions asked. if the transaction resolves after that, I'll give her reasonable feedback - it's not her fault that the item arrived damaged.
However, don't forget to claim from the PO in that case - you'll only get the cost of the item, you have to send a copy of the eBay description and final price, and the proof of posting slip, but the PO do refund you if it got broken in the post. (Last time I sent them a copy of the photo of the broken item, too).

Don't just think that it's only £2.50, it's the principle of the thing - sets a precedent for any next time.

[boxtops]

PS I had one a few weeks back who told me that part of what I'd sold was missing - I asked her for confirmation and agreed to make a partial refund, asked her what she thought was reasonable - she never came back to me, so I suspect she was trying it on...

[scowie]

yeah, you can ask for a photo and say it's so that you can make a claim from royal mail, so they dont think you are asking cos you dont believe them.

[windywillow]

It's used in card-making to create a professional crease in cards.

[Old_Geezer]

It has to be a personal choice. If she is asked to return it, or pictures of the broken item, and if she is trying it on, and so smashes it, then at least she hasn't the benefit of a bone folder she got for nothing. But as many have pointed out, is it really worth it ? Keep a note of the name in case she has a similar problem again in the future.

[windywillow]

Thanks for replies all, much appreciated. x

[theringdepot]

rule of thumb is to avoid fraud buyers having been a seller in ebay since 1995 I have found that if one ask's the buyer to post a picture or detail pictures for the damaged item and then return the item in most cases the buyer will simply go away. Clearly everyone is scared about getting negative feedback on the other hand if you feel that the buyer is a fraud a negative feedback will ensure other buyers not to claim that something arrived broken when in fact it is nothing but a simple buyers remorse and these future buyers will see that you take the page your item and the messages serious. Fraud buyers are more common now then ever if they cannot be honest in their claim but we sellers must be honest than there is something wrong in the whole ebay idea.
theringdepot