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I’ve sold pre-owned clothing on eBay for eighteen months. My listings read “pet-friendly, smoke-free home”. I do not smoke, but I do have a cat.
I feel “smoke-free” carries the implication that the pre-owned clothing I offer is also smoke-free when in reality I cannot know who owned it, what their habits were, who their friends were, or where they may have worn it. I focus on quality and launder clothing items visibly in need of it, items with an offensive odor, or those smelling of perfume.
I once hand washed a silk blouse prior to shipping. The buyer insisted it smelled like smoke, stated her husband was allergic and “almost had an asthma attack.” Although highly skeptical, I apologized profusely, offered a refund, and to pay for return shipping. She said she shouldn’t be expected to touch it again. Instead, she wanted a full refund and to dispose of the item.
A few days ago a buyer asked me to reduce the price on a denim jacket newly listed. I explained that I do not include “best offer” on newly listed items, but to check back in a week or two because I did include best offer or reduce the cost of items that did not sell right away. Instead, she immediately purchased the item at my asking price.
Today she messaged me saying the jacket “smelled like an ash tray”. I’m not a bloodhound, but I can smell an ash tray. This was a huge 3X jacket which I refolded and refolded in an effort to make it look neat and I noticed no offensive odor. I strongly suspect this is another attempt on this buyer’s part to adjust the price to her liking.
I offered a refund and to pay for return shipping. No, she said getting it laundered would be a hardship, getting it to the post office would be a hardship, and insisted I had misrepresented the jacket with “smoke-free home” in my listing. In any case, she wanted a partial refund and to keep the jacket. I again offered a full refund and to pay for return shipping.
Frankly, I simply don’t believe her, and feel manipulated, which makes me want to dig my heels in. Am I setting myself up for a negative by refusing to allow her to dictate my response to her complaints? Also, should I omit “smoke-free home” from my listings since I cannot know the history of pre-owned clothing items?
Input from anyone who sells pre-owned items from a smoke-free home will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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I would offer:
1. Remove smoke free home.
2. You have done your job in offering a return and paid return shipping.
I think she is trying to manipulate the situation.
If getting it laundered is a hardship, then why does she need to keep it? And what is so hard about returning it?
I would offer to call ebay.
Other sellers might have a different opinion. -
My listings state “All items are stored in a climate controlled smoke free environment.” And I agree entirely with your position. I would play the J&R card: state that you take returns for any reason, that you will happily accept her return and offer a full refund on the intact return of the garment, then go silent. Seeing as you have already made the offer, go dark. Do not respond. Do not engage. Either she uses the eBay mechanism to trigger a return/refund/claim, or she eats it.
Stand your ground. I’d be annoyed too, in your position, but I’d just let it go and let her stew, not get involved in anything. Thank goodness for this forum! It’s my sanity, some days! 🙂
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I agree with Amatino about going dark and not getting any further involved. If the buyer contacts you again and you must respond,simply reiterate that she may open a return case. Don’t worry about the feedback. She can give you negative feedback even if you give a discount and she keeps the jacket.
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As far as the person who wanted a cheaper price, I have been saving some of my replies to a file on my desktop that have work in the past. I rarely do best offers and I almost always use calculated shipping.
Here’s one for “I want free shipping” scenario:
“I feel I price my items competitively, so I just do not use the best offer option when listing. I pretty much just list it and forget it until it sells. Plus the cost of shipping would be over 10 dollars, then the eBay and PayPal fees. Sorry but it just doesn’t work out for either of us.”Here’s one for the “best offer / discount” scenario:
“I feel I price my items competitively, so I just do not use the best offer option when listing. I pretty much just list it and forget it until it sells.I also pre-pack my items at the time of listing and use the “Calculated: Cost Varies By Buyer Location” Method. This is actually the shipping charged by the USPS to the customer based on size and weight from where I live in North Dakota.
Sorry if it just doesn’t work out for either of us.”
It seems to happen about once or twice a week that someone wants better deal. But since using these pre-canned replies I actually have received back positive comment.
I just copy and paste, and don’t waste my time thinking of how to respond.
As far as the ashtray jacket, she is just trying to rip you off, plain and simple. Don’t tell her that. Just follow the eBay return procedure.
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I have a smoke-free home but do not mention it in my listings. And I don’t think it negatively affects my sales, and I have never gotten any questions from buyers about whether my home is smoke free or not. If I did get lots of questions like that, then I would add it to the listings. For now, I’m happy to keep it simple.
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In my experience ebay does not let buyers demand full refunds without returning the item, even if it is a “hardship.” Want a refund? Return the item. Don’t want to return? No refund. Some sellers may choose to allow this, but ebay won’t make them. Others can correct me if I’m wrong.
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I had a buyer ask me if an item I was selling (it was a DvD set or video game) if it came from a smoke free home. I don’t think metal discs can absorb smells, but whatever I don’t smoke, so I said yes.
I also had a buyer once who wanted to return a DvD box set because one DvD didn’t work, I suggested he get it fixed instead and gave him a location, but he said he didn’t have a car to drive there. Must have been amateur hour on ebay. Of course when he returned it, nothing was wrong with the DvD he just changed his mind.
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I never put “smoke/pet free home” on any of my listings.
I’ve sold items I’ve noticed a smell at the “too late” point of packing and went ahead and shipped the item. To date I have never had a complaint or return due to smells.I specifically remember a pair of tennis shoes that I totally missed the smoke smell on when I bought and listed them, but it hit me like a wall when I was going to pack them. I shipped it and hoped for the best. Got a glowing feedback 2 days later.
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First of all, thanks for the input and shared experience. I did hold my ground. I responded to her last lengthy and absurdly hostile email with “please return for full refund” and I haven’t heard from her since.
Having read and considered all the responses, I’ve decided I’ll just take off the whole smoking/pet thing. Thanks!
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That is the best thing to do and agree with all who replied.
We never know where any item has come from. It could have stayed in several homes before you aquired it.
Think about every time you go into an Antique Mall, Thrfit Store and how that environment smells. That Antique Mall smell is a combination of all of the items environments out gasing into that one environment. They all smell about the same no matter what state you visit them in. That is a combination of musty oils, polish, smoke, mold, mildew and god only knows what else. Those odors are also absorbed by all of the products placed in those environments.
so agree whole heartedly do not put anything into the Description area / listing that states about not having odors, smells, stains, etc. If anything state that it probably does, but that is wasting space. It is a description area, so describe the item and insert Product specifications / Item specifics.
As a last reminder, also wash your hands after handling your merchandise, before you pick up any food or eat and keep your hands out of your mouth until you do. Some of our old antique mall buddies wore gloves while handling their inventory. We just wash up after handling our stuff all day.
the team at MDC Galleries and Fine Art
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