How to be a good eBay Buyer

Dear eBay Queen;

I am very frustrated. I had company coming into town the first weekend in October. I purchased a new sheet set from a seller on October 5th. The seller shipped the item out on the same day, and I received them before the weekend. I washed the sheets, and noticed a small piece of tape residue on the fitted sheet. I desperately needed the sheets, so I let my guest sleep on them.

I contacted the seller last week to him know what happened, and ask if he would give me a refund for this sheet set. The seller emailed me back and told me I could send the sheets back for a refund as long as they were in the condition they shipped them. I don’t want to send them back; I want a refund because there is tape residue! I let the seller know this, and sent them a photo of the tape residue. This seller’s suggestion is the tape residue is from when I unpackaged the item, and I didn’t take the tape off of the sheets because it was taped to the cardboard insert. Who cares? The tape residue is still there! I want a refund for these sheets. I don’t want to send the item back!

Would you please tell me what to say to this seller to get them to realize they need to stand behind their product? I guess I am going to have to leave them a negative for this.

All Taped Up, Ottawa

Dear Taped Up;

I’m not sure there is anything that can be said to get a seller to change their refund policy. I think before I try to help you change the seller’s policy; perhaps we should change your expectations of buying. My first concern is you noticed the tape residue, but went ahead and let your guests sleep on the sheets. If this tape residue were so bad, why would you want your guests to see it or sleep on it? My second concern is the seller offered you a refund if you would return the items, but you don’t want to return them? If I read your note right, you want to keep the sheets and get a refund. My third concern is the seller offer a suggestion on how and why this tape residue was there. Could you have left the tape on from the packaging?

I’m not sure that negative feedback is warranted for this seller. They did offer you a refund if you sent the item back, but you did not want to send the item back. They shipped the sheets fast like you asked them to. Another thing to keep in mind is that this seller could give you a negative in return. So, weigh your options when thinking about leaving a negative for this transaction.

If I were the buyer of these sheets, I would let the seller know about the tape problem, and thank them for the fast shipping. My feedback for this would be positive, because I could have left that tape on, and the whole mess could be my fault. I think it is important to keep in mind that even though this is a internet transaction, there are real people involved behind the email address we are sending our complaints too. Would you return this same item to a store after using it with the same complaint?
Dear eBay Queen;

I am wondering how long I should wait for a seller to respond to a question before I send it again. I purchased a set of glasses from a woman and I need to make sure insurance is included. Do you have any suggestions?

Waiting

Dear Waiting;

I would email the seller via their email address (listed at eBay) and via eBay’s message system. If they don’t respond in 24 hours, call them. To find their contact information, go to: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQtZvbQQsofindtypeZ9 you just need their eBay id and the eBay auction number.


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Do you have a question for the eBay Queen? E-mail: questions@asktheebayqueen.com.