Question About a Return

[ThePlaidPineconeCo]

Hi everyone,

I received an email this morning from a customer who purchased a rather expensive vintage necklace from me. She said there's nothing wrong with it, it's just not as she expected it would be and she's disappointed. It was very vague. She said she "has no intention of leaving negative feedback but I would like a return address and a refund."

This shocks me because I took very close up photos, even one of me wearing the necklace, and she purchased it without asking any questions. The customer has had the necklace for well over a week (according to my USPS delivery confirmation), and most importantly, my shop policies explain that I do not do refunds or exchanges due to the vintage nature of the pieces. Too often people purchase vintage and then backtrack and say, "I didn't know it would look worn."

I have done refunds in the past because I was nervous about getting negative feedback, but it always cost me in the end and left me feeling like I violated my own policies out of fear.

My gut tells me to stand firm on this one. My policies read as follows:

At this time, there are no refunds or exchanges. All items are sold in "as is" condition. Vintage items are expected to have some wear and we will always describe an item's attributes as accurately as possible. Please contact us prior to purchase if you have any questions or would like to see additional photos.


What do you all think? I hear people say the customer's always right, but what's the point of having shop policies if you don't adhere to them? Help!

[InspiredJewelryShop]

If she has had it well over a week and shes just now coming to you it would seem like maybe she wanted it to wear once and just want to return it because she doesnt need it anymore. Thats what it seems like. If you took pictures of it and explained it then its kind of her fault for not reading or looking.

You could give a refund but not give it until you get the item back.

[Former_Member]

I'd stick with your no return policy, personally. That is exactly why we have them! Brick and mortar stores have them; if you don't, people will endlessly take advantage of your time and good nature.

I'd just email her and tell her: "sorry, but as per my policies page, which I assume you read before you made your purchase, I cannot offer a return on this item."

Be prepared for her to leave negative feedback, but honestly, I don't think that will hurt you. I think there are probably buyers who use the threat of negative feedback when it is not warranted (like in your situation) and they bully shops into all sorts of unreasonable requests.

I changed my return policy after I had someone wait the better part of three weeks to return something to me. It was around the holidays and by the time she finally got around to returning it - guess what: I had no $$ to refund her. I explained this, and suggested an alternative, which worked out fine.

My only suggestion is to make it very clear on each listing: "SALE FINAL; NO RETURNS - please read my policy page before purchase!" so this doesn't happen again.

Good luck!

[ThePlaidPineconeCo]

Thank you both. I sent her an email apologizing for the inconvenience, but then quoted my refund policy in full.

I'm anticipating negative feedback since she brought up that she didn't intend to leave any (seemed like a passive aggressive threat) but I will do my best to respond to it by explaining that she didn't read the shop policies.

I asked my boyfriend about it, who has been very adamant about my issuing refunds to unhappy people in the past, and this time he actually said, "You're running a business here. You can't issue a refund to everyone who has buyer's remorse."

And Brittany, I too believe she wore the necklace once and then decided she had no use for it. Maybe she's wearing it for Valentine's Day and doesn't need it beyond that. So sad because it's a gorgeous piece from the 1920a that I was contemplating keeping for myself. :(

[QuirkyUniverse]

Another thing you could do is take it back but have the buyer pay the shipping both ways since it's not a problem with the item.

[Former_Member]

That necklace is gorgeous!!!

If you were to accept the return you would have no problem reselling it, and I also imagine that is the type of item that would draw a lot of views into your shop. Of course, if you do take her return be firm that she shipping costs are up to her, and will not be refunded.

....oh, and if she does return it, let me know :)

[MythOfTheWild]

Oh goodness, no, stick to your policies. It's the buyer's responsibility to read them before they buy, and if they don't then it's their own problem. When you go to some website and make a purchase you have to accept the terms and conditions - that's what the policies are, our terms and conditions. The problem is, though, that there are so many shops on Etsy with different policies - some replace packages, others don't, some have tracking, others don't, and some accept returns, and others don't - that it's hard to keep track of them all, especially if they're a frequent Etsy buyer. Personally, if something goes wrong with a package, I approach the seller asking for a replacement or a refund wherever necessary (so far I've only had to request a replacement for a missing package), but prepare myself for them to say no. I won't leave negative feedback for it, they're trying to run a business afterall.

I think you should count yourself lucky that this person seems so friendly and doesn't intend to leave negative feedback. Still, whether the person is nice or unpleasant also shouldn't affect your decision. Though, admittedly, it might affect mine ^^'

[ThePlaidPineconeCo]

I agree, Kim, about them being nice affecting my decision. She seemed nice enough, but that's because she's trying to get something out of me that I don't want to do. If it were a $10 necklace, I think I might've considered it, but it was the biggest sale I've had to date, and I already spent the money on groceries that I've long since eaten!

Of course, it's really just about the policies for me. I created those policies to protect myself from this very issue. This happens often with vintage wares. I've issued refunds when something arrived broken - something that I take full responsibility for. But if her necklace wasn't broken, and she's held onto it for over a week, I feel like maybe she's trying to pull the wool over my eyes. I hate to think so cynically of people, but you really never know.

[LittleAcornToronto]

I had a quick peek at the listing under your sold items and you took 5 great pictures of it. She should have emailed you if she had any questions about it (for instance, "What does the back of the pendant look like?").

I think you should stick to your return policy on this one as well. I agree with the other posters who thought it might be Buyer's Remorse or that the buyer decided to wear it for an event and now doesn't need it anymore...

I hope she doesn't leave negative feedback - but rest assured that negative feedbacks happen FAR MORE FREQUENTLY in the vintage sellers category than it does anywhere else... and I would daresay it's pretty much because people still expect their vintage purchases to still be brand new.

Let us know if you hear back from your customers.

**fingers crossed for you**