I think your purchaser is either confused or making something up. But I'm pretty sure that it's the seller who is responsible for items damaged in the mail - that is according to the US post office. So if you ship USPS the insurance protects you the seller, not the buyer. This is not ebay policy put laws regulating purchases sent by mail as I understand it. If I am wrong please let me know!

You absolutely need to respond to her emails ASAP. Let her know that you do not have an aol email address. (Are you sure you don't have an old email on the account?)

in the future, use actual photos vs stock photos.

ask her in the email to send you pictures of the dress and of the packaging. Was the dress in the packaging very tight? Maybe she cut it while she was opening the package (still her fault for not being careful, but that makes a little more sense).

What's her feedback rating like?

Sounds like she may have you confused with another seller, if she's referring to an aol address you don't have.

i sell on ebay quite a bit, for the last 7 years. I offer insurance on all packages but it is up to the buyer to ask for it. the only time I automatically include it is when it is something fragile, and only to cover my own self should something happen to the item. i too wonder if she is confusing you with someone else. and I do not understand why she says she sent something to an email address because it is all private unless she has asked ebay for your contact info. Then I think it is provided, along with your phone number and all, but you would receive a message from Ebay letting you know the buyer requested your info.

I have just recently dealt with 2 returns, both of which were my fault (quickly listing and overlooked the fact that the pants I listed were tall and not avg length and one of the tool sets I listed had one odd wrench that didnt match the rest of the set). Since both were my fault in the listing, which I DO state I take no returns unless the item was inaccurately described in my auction. I did have one guy a while back who tried to get money back from me for something sold claiming the package was destroyed and the powder formula inside was spilled all over. but he wouldnt provide pictures to us. Luckily we had insurance on the package and we disputed it with ebay, and ebay sided with us on that. but i hate to say it, ebay favors the big time sellers and bidders, and skips over the little people often. IF you end up having to take it back because ebay says you have to, I would take this as a lesson learned and use insurance on packages as well as making sure you take pics of the actual items and not a stock photo. just covers you better in a time like this. Sorry this happened to you. it it enough to turn one off to auctions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone for the advice. The package wasn't insured (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to offer it or if she would have requested it or how it works, but I didnt have any on the package). As far as I can see from ebay's return policy, she has to send it back with delivery confirmation and I have to take it back because according to her it's damaged (which I can only assume it is because apparently she cut it to pieces).

My feedback is 100% positive - I've sold about ten items and have used stock photos I've found online to sell them, rather than taking an actual photo and uploading it, cropping it etc because it's been all brand new tagged items that I havent worn. I didnt think there was a problem with using those photos because everything was brand new.

She sent a message to me on ebay saying she sent me a photo of the torn dress to my aol address (I have no aol address) and then sent another email asking if I've received it. I havent responded to either message because I'm so flabbergasted that someone would lie like this and destroy the dress to get their money back. It really bothers me.

I think it's a good idea to open the dispute on ebay. I bet the PP is right who said that she's probably done this before.

Are you sure she is talking about something that you sold her. Maybe she is trying to reach someone else about another item and this person has an aol address.

I wondered that too because the whole thing is so bizarre, but I don't think you can even see people's email addresses when you email sellers or buyers. I think all you get is a way to contact them on ebay (I'm not 100% certain on this though so I could be wrong)

Anonymous wrote:The PP who asked about insurance here. I think when I've sold things (which has been a couple of years, but I buy regularly) there's an option during the listing process that allows you to offer insurance. Most people make it optional. So next time you list something watch for that and then make it an option. Also, as a buyer, I never ever bid on anything with stock photos. I want to see the actual item for sale.

OP here - good advice, thanks. By using the stock photos I was trying to show that you get exactly the item as it's sold in the store because it was never worn, but I see your point. Thanks for the advice re the insurance too.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone for the advice. The package wasn't insured (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to offer it or if she would have requested it or how it works, but I didnt have any on the package). As far as I can see from ebay's return policy, she has to send it back with delivery confirmation and I have to take it back because according to her it's damaged (which I can only assume it is because apparently she cut it to pieces).

My feedback is 100% positive - I've sold about ten items and have used stock photos I've found online to sell them, rather than taking an actual photo and uploading it, cropping it etc because it's been all brand new tagged items that I havent worn. I didnt think there was a problem with using those photos because everything was brand new.

She sent a message to me on ebay saying she sent me a photo of the torn dress to my aol address (I have no aol address) and then sent another email asking if I've received it. I havent responded to either message because I'm so flabbergasted that someone would lie like this and destroy the dress to get their money back. It really bothers me.

I think it's a good idea to open the dispute on ebay. I bet the PP is right who said that she's probably done this before.

Are you sure she is talking about something that you sold her. Maybe she is trying to reach someone else about another item and this person has an aol address.

The PP who asked about insurance here. I think when I've sold things (which has been a couple of years, but I buy regularly) there's an option during the listing process that allows you to offer insurance. Most people make it optional. So next time you list something watch for that and then make it an option. Also, as a buyer, I never ever bid on anything with stock photos. I want to see the actual item for sale.

Thanks everyone for the advice. The package wasn't insured (I'm not sure if I'm supposed to offer it or if she would have requested it or how it works, but I didnt have any on the package). As far as I can see from ebay's return policy, she has to send it back with delivery confirmation and I have to take it back because according to her it's damaged (which I can only assume it is because apparently she cut it to pieces).

My feedback is 100% positive - I've sold about ten items and have used stock photos I've found online to sell them, rather than taking an actual photo and uploading it, cropping it etc because it's been all brand new tagged items that I havent worn. I didnt think there was a problem with using those photos because everything was brand new.

She sent a message to me on ebay saying she sent me a photo of the torn dress to my aol address (I have no aol address) and then sent another email asking if I've received it. I havent responded to either message because I'm so flabbergasted that someone would lie like this and destroy the dress to get their money back. It really bothers me.

I think it's a good idea to open the dispute on ebay. I bet the PP is right who said that she's probably done this before.

What does ebay's policy say on this?

I'd ask her to send you photos to confirm damage and then determine what to do. Ask her if there was damage to the package, etc. Did you insure the package?

PP here...basically she's out of luck. It's buyer beware when dealing in used goods.

She's lying. I wouldn't accept the return. She'll file a claim with ebay, you'll have the pictures as proof that the dress was in new condition and you can tell her to buy insurance next time because that's what the insurance is for. Do you offer insurance as an option? Most sellers do offer it for a buck or two more. I have bought a ton of stuff from ebay (and sold a few things too) and have never had an issue like that and have never bought the insurance. (Though I probably would for something high dollar or particularly fragile.)

If you said in the listing that you don't take returns, why do you have to accept the return and give her her money back. I would not commit to anything, write her back and tell her that the item was not damaged when it was shipped and she should take up her complaint with the shipping company. If it was damaged during shipping, they are the ones that should handle this issue. She if she comes back and says that the packaging wasn't damaged, but just making her take this extra step may be enough to discourage her if she is just out to rip you off. I also think that ebay has a place to mediate disputes, so you could involve ebay. She may have done this to other seller and ebay will have a record of it.

As a matter of principle, I would not accept the return. Besides that, do you have good ratings?

I've sold a few things on ebay recently. I'm pregnant and it's been mostly things that I bought last summer and never wore, and that I know that I wont be able to wear this summer because I'll be very pregnant. One of the things I sold was a dress that was brand new never worn with the tags still on it. I sent the dress to the buyer and then received an email from her saying that she opened up the package (which she did not say was damaged) to find the dress cut into pieces/shredded at the bottom. There's just no way the dress was somehow damaged and that the package wasnt. The dress was in perfect condition-I had never worn it and packed it myself in a padded envelope.

I don't really know how to handle this. I put in my listing that I'm not a store and I don't accept returns (I'm not an experienced e-bayer, I haven't sold many things) and what I think is going on is that she didnt like the dress or it didnt fit, and decided to destroy it so that she doesnt have to pay for it. It's not tons of money but I'm really bothered by her dishonesty and that she's trying to/going to rip me off. As far as I know, she can send it back to me now that she's ruined it and I have to accept it and give her her money back.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do? I'm super annoyed. I wish she would have just told me she hated it or it didnt fit and sent it back, instead of destroying it and expecting me to take it back.

Any advice would be really appreciated - thanks.