When a Buyer Cancels an Order
When a buyer cancels an order and wants a refund for reasons such as the buyer:
- changed mind
- doesn't want to pay shipping fees
- doesn't want to pay import duties/taxes
- refused delivery
- moved and neglected to update mailing address
I think I am going to start charging a "restock" fee of 30% of the TOTAL order, including shipping fees, and I would block the buyer from future purchases if sellers had that option.
If the buyer had not yet paid for the purchase, AND sellers had the option to block a buyer, I would block that buyer.
Since the buyer did not fulfill the obligation of paying for what was purchased, I would also leave negative feedback for the buyer.
- changed mind
- doesn't want to pay shipping fees
- doesn't want to pay import duties/taxes
- refused delivery
- moved and neglected to update mailing address
I think I am going to start charging a "restock" fee of 30% of the TOTAL order, including shipping fees, and I would block the buyer from future purchases if sellers had that option.
If the buyer had not yet paid for the purchase, AND sellers had the option to block a buyer, I would block that buyer.
Since the buyer did not fulfill the obligation of paying for what was purchased, I would also leave negative feedback for the buyer.
Comments
CONTACT SELLER BEFORE MAKING ANY RETURNS! SELLER IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR RETURNS MADE WITHOUT PRE-AUTHORIZATION.
All requests for returns must be made within 7 days of receipt of merchandise.
A full refund will be given, including return postage, if an item is not as described.
Note: This is not an approval service! All requests for returns/refunds must be pre-approved. All item(s) returned must be in the same condition as when received, and include the original packaging. Return postage and insurance is the buyer's responsibility, unless the item is returned for not being as described. Seller is not responsible for any returns until received. Refunds are issued in the same manner as the original payment, less the original shipping fee, unless the item is returned for not being as described.
A 30% restocking fee based on the invoice total - including the shipping fee - (for returns AND canceled orders) applies, unless the item is returned for not being as described. A refund will only be issued after the returned item has been inspected to ensure it conforms with this return policy.
I reserve the right to refuse to sell to anyone who abuses the return policy, who files non-receipt disputes with this site and/or PayPal, or who cancels orders without an appropriate reason (changing one's mind; refusal to pay shipping fees; refusal to pay import duties; refusal to pay taxes; refuses to pay for items purchased are NOT considered legitimate reasons to cancel an order. IT IS THE BUYER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO READ THE TERMS OF SALE. Negative feedback is left for buyers who conduct themselves inappropriately.
Other than that, this is a great return/refund policy. Thanks for sharing.
A 30% restocking fee based on the invoice total - including the shipping fee - (for returns AND canceled orders) applies, unless the item is returned for not being as described. A refund will only be issued after the returned item has been inspected to ensure it conforms with this return policy.
If the buyer cancels the order,you refund less the 30% restocking fee,the buyer then files a non-receipt dispute due to the fact it wasn't ship is Paypal actually going to side with you the seller or is Paypal going to side with the buyer? Under both the buyer and seller protection there is NO MENTION of the buyer being liable for a restocking fee or the seller being
entitled to a restocking fee.
If Paypal will not cover a sellers restocking fee it is an unenforceable policy.
- Michael - good points, and I don't have an answer for that question as no one has ever requested cancellation of a purchase from me after they had paid for it. I think that such policies, like higher shipping fees, help to dissuade people prone to playing the return/cancel game. With the inability to block such people, what other choice do we have at the moment?
I did get another response from the buyer. It began, "I am sorry you are taking such an unsympathetic attitude over such a small amount..." So, when is the dollar amount of a sale appropriate to expect a buyer to pay for what they bought? It actually isn't about the dollar amount.
I have to shake my head over such buyers as they only relate to the dollar amount of the sale. They don't take into consideration the time, effort and cost a seller puts in to listing items for sale. They also don't consider the effort needed to double those actions of relisting the items, and requesting refund of fees. I could be wrong, but I don't believe that PayPal refunds 100% of fees to a seller. I think Doug has stated that in the past. HipStamp does. If such a buyer tried to sell something, and their buyer pulled the same stunt, they would be screaming the loudest.
Can't we relist items in bulk from the close/sold items table? If so then the time to relist cancelled orders is at a minimum.
Returns on the other I can see where that can be a bigger problem.
Now if the buyer does ask to return something because of their mistake for any reason are they really asking anything more of the seller then what the seller asks and requires of the buyer when it's sellers mistake on the time effort and shipping materials back?
I did complain, both verbally and in writing, to the local postal authorities, but never got more than a shrug of the shoulders, as they claimed that since it had been "delivered" they had no way of finding it. This happened at least a half dozen times over two years. It seems my local postman would scan all tracked items to be delivered to the 300+ unit complex as "delivered", and then put the items in the mailboxes (assuming he didn't keep them).
Tracking of international mail did not guarantee delivery, either. I ordered a set of carrier stamps from a German company, only to have the order disappear en route. Ordered again from the same company. Disappeared en route again, but this time I was able to access the tracking, which showed the envelope was received for sorting in New York City. No other tracking points were ever added. It's possible the letter package went to the customs inspectors, but I was not ever able to confirm this.
My point here is that tracking is all well and good when it works, but my experience has been that the US Postal Service could care less. I have never tried to claim a non-exisrent loss. When the order is received I occasionally find that items were missing (not sent) or fail to match the description. I send the seller an email detailing the problem, and about half the time the seller responds to it. Some promise to send the item, but, particularly with European sellers, they rarely do.
I have had better luck with HipStamp sellers. While my orders are frequently short one or more items, I usually receive a refund before the shipment is even delivered. So far, I have no complaints about HipStamp sellers.
I still use Delcampe as a backup choice if I can't find a specific issue on HipStamp, but. all in all, I'd rather find it here.