eBay conundrum!

Sorry if this post sounds a bit petty, but I'm just genuinely not sure what to do....I shop on eBay a lot and recently I bought a pair of designer earrings. I got them about $15-$20 cheaper than RRP but you usually do expect to get a discount on eBay.

So today the earrings arrived in the mail, but a piece is broken off one of them and the back of the earring (stud part) also broken off. The earrings came in a small flat soft cardboard box and just wrapped in a bit of tissue. So basically can't wear the earrings at all due to this.

I messaged the seller on eBay and very politely and in a friendly tone thanked for the earrings but explained the situation. I also sent a photo of the earring with the broken pieces. I paid $40 for them and I asked if I may get a partial refund due to the breakage.

The seller replied reasonably politely also but said something like: "Oh, that is very odd that it broke, that's never happened to me before. That's the reason I send all my earrings out in a box and not envelope. Can you fix them? What sort of refund are you thinking?"

I said that I can try to glue the earring back together with super glue and see how it goes. But I don't already have super glue so I told her I'd have to go out and buy it.

She just replied saying: "OK, see how you go. Then we can see about the compensation. Fortunately super glue is quite cheap".

I am going to try to glue the earring back together because I really like the earrings but I don't know if it'll hold well, etc. I feel a bit like while the seller is not directly being rude but she's basically denying any fault and just wants me to deal with it and fix it myself? She never said "sorry" at any point. But I don't know if that's because she did actually put the proper earrings in but they got squashed while being transferred? They are quite thin but she didn't use any bubble wrap or write "fragile" on the parcel.

She has a lot of good reviews but she does maybe have 3 reviews where people said that either the product was faulty and seller became rude when asked for refund or that she was unfriendly and unhelpful.

I don't know what I can expect from her in this situation? Any advice?

Check what the seller's/ebay policies are on refunds, defective merchandise, etc.

Sorry if this post sounds a bit petty, but I'm just genuinely not sure what to do....I shop on eBay a lot and recently I bought a pair of designer earrings. I got them about $15-$20 cheaper than RRP but you usually do expect to get a discount on eBay.

 

So today the earrings arrived in the mail, but a piece is broken off one of them and the back of the earring (stud part) also broken off. The earrings came in a small flat soft cardboard box and just wrapped in a bit of tissue. So basically can't wear the earrings at all due to this.

 

I messaged the seller on eBay and very politely and in a friendly tone thanked for the earrings but explained the situation. I also sent a photo of the earring with the broken pieces. I paid $40 for them and I asked if I may get a partial refund due to the breakage.

 

The seller replied reasonably politely also but said something like: "Oh, that is very odd that it broke, that's never happened to me before. That's the reason I send all my earrings out in a box and not parcel. Can you fix them? What sort of refund are you thinking?"

 

I said that I can try to glue the earring back together with super glue and see how it goes. But I don't already have super glue so I told her I'd have to go out and buy it.

 

She just replied saying: "OK, see how you go. Then we can see about the compensation. Fortunately super glue is quite cheap".

 

I am going to try to glue the earring back together because I really like the earrings but I don't know if it'll hold well, etc. I feel a bit like while the seller is not directly being rude but she's basically denying any fault and just wants me to deal with it and fix it myself? She never said "sorry" at any point. But I don't know if that's because she did actually put the proper earrings in but they got squashed while being transferred? They are quite thin but she didn't use any bubble wrap or write "fragile" on the parcel.

 

She has a lot of good reviews but she does maybe have 3 reviews where people said that either the product was faulty and seller became rude when asked for refund or that she was unfriendly and unhelpful.

 

I don't know what I can expect from her in this situation? Any advice?

You paid for what the seller had in the listing description. The seller take full responsibility for the product listed on ebay. That's a legal policy on ebay. If what you received is not what the seller described (to the minimal detail) on the listing, then you have a case against the seller. If somewhere in the listing mentioned the earrings were broken or with deffects and you missed that part you have a slim chance of getting a refund. There is also a legal policy on eBay that you, as buyer, fully understood the listing of the item you want to buy.

Ok, I've been buying and selling on eBay for bit more than a decade.

You paid for what the seller had in the listing description. The seller take full responsibility for the product listed on ebay. That's a legal policy on ebay. If what you received is not what the seller described (to the minimal detail) on the listing, then you have a case against the seller. If somewhere in the listing mentioned the earrings were broken or with deffects and you missed that part you have a slim chance of getting a refund. There is also a legal policy on eBay that you, as buyer, fully understood the listing of the item you want to buy.

Thank you very much. In the listing, there was nothing whatsoever about the earrings being broken and in all the photos provided they looked completely whole. Moreover, this is a repeat design by this designer brand (Mimco) and I saw many other earrings exactly like this sold and know what they look like. I also think she is quite rude because she did not even apologise at any point and told me to fix them myself!

Thank you very much. In the listing, there was nothing whatsoever about the earrings being broken and in all the photos provided they looked completely whole. Moreover, this is a repeat design by this designer brand (Mimco) and I saw many other earrings exactly like this sold and know what they look like. I also think she is quite rude because she did not even apologise at any point and told me to fix them myself!

Don't fix them change them or anything , don't do a thing and ask for a full refund ...if she refuses open a case .....just had my own experience ...believe me ..don't touch them ..!

I personally think you're being too nice on fixing them. You don't have to at all. That's the seller's responsibility. Not yours at all.

It's fine to be assertive. You received a broken item. Some sellers will have a "no refund" policy, but that doesn't mean it's enforceable. Particularly if they do have a refund policy, simply tell them you received the item broken and that you'd either like a refund or to exchange it. It should be a relatively easy process. I wouldn't try to repair it yourself as that can often hurt your claim. Of course they'll take advantage of your generosity when you offer it. Try not to open that window.

It's fine to be assertive. You received a broken item. Some sellers will have a "no refund" policy, but that doesn't mean it's enforceable. Particularly if they do have a refund policy, simply tell them you received the item broken and that you'd either like a refund or to exchange it. It should be a relatively easy process. I wouldn't try to repair it yourself as that can often hurt your claim. Of course they'll take advantage of your generosity when you offer it. Try not to open that window.

The policy of "no returns accepted" will apply only if the item is as described in the listing. If those earrings were broken at arrival and the listing describes then as new (or even if they were used) but there was no mention of any deffects, then the buyer can open a case asking for refund. eBay automatically holds the amount paid for the earrings from the seller until eBay make a decision.