Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Equipment => Bats => Bat Care => Topic started by: Bungle on March 30, 2023, 12:27:45 PM
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Hello everyone, I am currently dealing with a situation that isn't ideal at all on eBay. A buyer bought two bats from me exactly two weeks ago and yesterday opened a return on both of them without contacting me first. They have a combined value of £500 and were two of my best/favourite bats. As he stated in the return reason "doesn't work or is defective" eBay automatically offer him two return labels (that I have to pay for) to send both of the bats back without any possible input from my end. The two bats were sold as brand new and not knocked in, with the description stating that this will need to be done before the bat is ready to be used.
With how buyer friendly eBay is I am very worried I am going to get completely stuffed by this. I can (and plan to) dispute the refund once the bats get returned back to me and then they will make a decision on what has to be done but I really am not hopeful. Here are the pictures he has added for the first bat, including this comment in the return reason:
"I’ve had the bat serviced and knocked in, I’ve used the bat once and a huge crack has appeared on the side of the bat. I’ve taken this to a cricket shop and they’ve told me that this is not an authentic limited edition bat, limited edition willow does not crack after one session."
The bat is of course a genuine GN Limited Edition model that was sourced from India. "Limited Edition willow" did make me laugh. Here are two pictures he has added:
(https://i.postimg.cc/d3n3Hvqb/limited-edition.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/cHpWZLhq/limited-edition-2.jpg)
The second bat was without a doubt my favourite and I went back and forth between wanting to keep it or not several times, it makes me quite sad to see what he has done to it. In the return comments he added:
"I’ve had the bat serviced and knocked in, I’ve used the bat once and a huge crack has appeared on the side of the bat. I’ve taken this to a cricket shop and they’ve once again told me that cracks like this do not appear on this quickly on gray nicolls bats."
I sent him a message asking for the name of the person or company who serviced the bat, but unsurprisingly did not receive a response. Here is the only clear picture he added showing the damage on this one:
(https://i.postimg.cc/vBmX07wX/gold-edition.jpg)
If anyone could share some advice on how I can word my defence I would be very grateful, of course willow is a natural product and these things do happen but it seems extremely suspicious his two are in this condition in less than a fortnight.
Thanks :)
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Are they the Indian Red labelled marketed bats..
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Presumably you've got photos showing the condition they were in when listed? If he's used (and this includes having bats serviced or knocked in) the bats and caused damage then you surely should be able to argue they are not being returned in the same condition and are not eligible for refund?
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Presumably you've got photos showing the condition they were in when listed? If he's used (and this includes having bats serviced or knocked in) the bats and caused damage then you surely should be able to argue they are not being returned in the same condition and are not eligible for refund?
I was about to say the same
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You might be in trouble tbh. Grey imports (i.e those made for sale outside of the EEA but imported) are generally considered counterfeit if resold here.
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Sorry to hear you're in this situation,
once you've received these returned items, ebay will issue the buyer full refunds within 3 days.
Imo it's the best advice to contact eBay by phone and email, asap, and inform them of this situation and provide them with photos of the items when they're sent.
Best of luck with it.
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Ebays massively buyer friendly, I'm in a similar case at the moment where the guys has been desperate to use a bat, so I sent it next day delivery.
3 weeks later i then get an ebay return request under 'not as described' and reason ' not as good a bat as described', and uploaded a photo from my original listing. Still waiting for it back so hopefully it's just used a bit and not damaged.
It sucks but in reality you just have to suck it up.
My main hope is now that I have accepted the return request that he can't actually be bothered to send the bat.
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With how buyer friendly eBay is I am very worried I am going to get completely stuffed by this. I can (and plan to) dispute the refund once the bats get returned back to me and then they will make a decision on what has to be done but I really am not hopeful. Here are the pictures he has added for the first bat, including this comment in the return reason:
The returns process doesn't even have this feature now, literally no button anywhere in the return to do anything but accept the return.
All you get is the option to refund prior to them even returning it. Once its back with you, eBay will then hound you until you either give the money back or they take it from you.
Last time it happened to me I genuinely considered closing my account. Thankfully the buyer sent me the product back essentially new (not cricket related) after accusing me of selling a fake. I then sold it again (for more) a couple of weeks later
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(https://i.ibb.co/FWKD6C5/62475-E7-C-C951-4443-A0-A5-2-EA98-D3-A53-C6.png) (https://ibb.co/9vNrnSb)
People 🤦🏻♂️
EBay 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
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Pretty poor reason for a return…the bat is not a good as described.. maybe it’s the user.
EBay’s def more buyer friendly than it was, if your returning something you must provide tracking info to the seller so at least you get the item back. If it’s not in the same condition I would open a case and dispute it
More likely here is buyers remorse, maybe he paid more than he was going to. Maybe he got another bat cheaper and decided to try his luck knowing eBay would not refuse a refund
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Also lucky you got the same bats in return. As long as they send something and have a tracking there’s a chance you get made to refund.
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Unfortunate and obviously they shouldn't be taken back imo if used. I saw a bat recently that someone had knocked in with a metal hammer. Should that be taken back??!
Can you not list on eBay with no returns? I thought you could?
However, that does look some serious damage for new bat and not what you'd expect to see, when of not knocked in. Where did you buy them from? I take it theres no storm damage etc evident? Saw a Kookaburra Kahuna Pro went like this early on, seemed very dry and had storm damage
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I’m going with rock hard balls & smashing everything including Yorkers
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Unfortunate and obviously they shouldn't be taken back imo if used. I saw a bat recently that someone had knocked in with a metal hammer. Should that be taken back??!
Can you not list on eBay with no returns? I thought you could?
However, that does look some serious damage for new bat and not what you'd expect to see, when of not knocked in. Where did you buy them from? I take it theres no storm damage etc evident? Saw a Kookaburra Kahuna Pro went like this early on, seemed very dry and had storm damage
No returns only covers when the buyer changes their mind, not incorrectly described or faulty.
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Any buyer can claim item is not as described regardless of whether you accept returns or not.
It’s an extra insurance for buyers.
EBay has changed from pro sellers to pro buyers I find
I sell and buy so it’s not great selling but buying gives extra protection
Depends how you view that
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Unfortunate but this is how eBay works! This is exactly I rather use forum to sell or swap my bats or just simply sell them to teammates and friends.
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A totally gutting situation. Just awful. And very off putting to use eBay ever again!!
Bat number 1 photos clearly show the bat hasn’t been knocked in properly judging by the deep seam marks?
What type of quality ball were they using also? I suspect a mix of poor knocking in and a 5 quid ball has broken both bats. Perhaps the lack of scuff sheet and edge tape is a bit more evidence that the purchaser didn’t really have any passion of protecting his £500 for years ahead. I do hope this ends positively for you. Or at the very least both bats can be serviced for you to enjoy using for years. Let us know how you get on. 🤞
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Fortunately, despite looking pretty ugly it doesn’t look like either have sustained damage that will drastically shorten their life, but is definitely a frustrating and time consuming situation.
Does mean they’re likely to be worth a lot less for a future sale though.
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You might be in trouble tbh. Grey imports (i.e those made for sale outside of the EEA but imported) are generally considered counterfeit if resold here.
I have not heard of that before, have they said that officially or where have you got that from?
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A totally gutting situation. Just awful. And very off putting to use eBay ever again!!
Bat number 1 photos clearly show the bat hasn’t been knocked in properly judging by the deep seam marks?
What type of quality ball were they using also? I suspect a mix of poor knocking in and a 5 quid ball has broken both bats. Perhaps the lack of scuff sheet and edge tape is a bit more evidence that the purchaser didn’t really have any passion of protecting his £500 for years ahead. I do hope this ends positively for you. Or at the very least both bats can be serviced for you to enjoy using for years. Let us know how you get on. 🤞
Or they've bit been manufactured to the highest standards? Not having a pop at GN here, are they actually genuine? No bat even if not knocked in should get damage this severe early doors imo. Although if he was absolutely whacking rocks it's possible I suppose. A scuff sheet wouldn't really stop this either
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Presumably you've got photos showing the condition they were in when listed? If he's used (and this includes having bats serviced or knocked in) the bats and caused damage then you surely should be able to argue they are not being returned in the same condition and are not eligible for refund?
I have got photos yeah, my main concern is the return reason being "item defective" - it will be hard getting across the entire preparation process over to someone who perhaps doesn't know about cricket or how a cricket bat works. Any bat will crack in the first net if you don't do anything apart from apply an anti-scuff sheet. Getting the point across to eBay will be very difficult. If he chose any other reason I could argue I did my part in supplying the bat the described brand new condition with no faults.
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EBay is very buyer friendly and wonder if the buyer has played this game before and is confident of a refund so just buys them uses and if they break them just claim they’re defective.
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EBay is very buyer friendly and wonder if the buyer has played this game before and is confident of a refund so just buys them uses and if they break them just claim they’re defective.
Could be. He started messaging me on one account and then said he will "buy on his other account" - which has 1 feedback score.
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Could be. He started messaging me on one account and then said he will "buy on his other account" - which has 1 feedback score.
Hope you get it sorted. Who is the buyer? So many dodgy ebayers
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Are they the Indian Red labelled marketed bats..
Is it just a different colour for different country with the red ones?
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Unfortunate and obviously they shouldn't be taken back imo if used. I saw a bat recently that someone had knocked in with a metal hammer. Should that be taken back??!
Can you not list on eBay with no returns? I thought you could?
However, that does look some serious damage for new bat and not what you'd expect to see, when of not knocked in. Where did you buy them from? I take it theres no storm damage etc evident? Saw a Kookaburra Kahuna Pro went like this early on, seemed very dry and had storm damage
Nope no storm damage or anything, perfectly good bats. One was bought from an Indian retailer and another one was bought from someone in the UK (who had sourced it from India).
You can list on eBay without accepting returns, but if the buyer puts defective or doesn't work as the return reason the label gets instantly supplied.
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Hello everyone, I am currently dealing with a situation that isn't ideal at all on eBay. A buyer bought two bats from me exactly two weeks ago and yesterday opened a return on both of them without contacting me first. They have a combined value of £500 and were two of my best/favourite bats. As he stated in the return reason "doesn't work or is defective" eBay automatically offer him two return labels (that I have to pay for) to send both of the bats back without any possible input from my end. The two bats were sold as brand new and not knocked in, with the description stating that this will need to be done before the bat is ready to be used.
With how buyer friendly eBay is I am very worried I am going to get completely stuffed by this. I can (and plan to) dispute the refund once the bats get returned back to me and then they will make a decision on what has to be done but I really am not hopeful. Here are the pictures he has added for the first bat, including this comment in the return reason:
"I’ve had the bat serviced and knocked in, I’ve used the bat once and a huge crack has appeared on the side of the bat. I’ve taken this to a cricket shop and they’ve told me that this is not an authentic limited edition bat, limited edition willow does not crack after one session."
The bat is of course a genuine GN Limited Edition model that was sourced from India. "Limited Edition willow" did make me laugh. Here are two pictures he has added:
(https://i.postimg.cc/d3n3Hvqb/limited-edition.jpg) (https://i.postimg.cc/cHpWZLhq/limited-edition-2.jpg)
The second bat was without a doubt my favourite and I went back and forth between wanting to keep it or not several times, it makes me quite sad to see what he has done to it. In the return comments he added:
"I’ve had the bat serviced and knocked in, I’ve used the bat once and a huge crack has appeared on the side of the bat. I’ve taken this to a cricket shop and they’ve once again told me that cracks like this do not appear on this quickly on gray nicolls bats."
I sent him a message asking for the name of the person or company who serviced the bat, but unsurprisingly did not receive a response. Here is the only clear picture he added showing the damage on this one:
(https://i.postimg.cc/vBmX07wX/gold-edition.jpg)
If anyone could share some advice on how I can word my defence I would be very grateful, of course willow is a natural product and these things do happen but it seems extremely suspicious his two are in this condition in less than a fortnight.
Thanks :)
“Gray-Nics bats don’t crack in the first week of use”. What an absolute joke. I had a hit with David Boon 30 years ago, he had 2 brand new GN bats, threw one to the ground when he edges a ball resulting in a crack just like this. He was angry at him self for playing a s#$t shot!
There is more at play here, quality of the ball?, temperature of the environment?, quality of the shot selection? Knocking in does not make soft willow immune from any damage.
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Nope no storm damage or anything, perfectly good bats. One was bought from an Indian retailer and another one was bought from someone in the UK (who had sourced it from India).
So what's their return policy or warranty?
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I have not heard of that before, have they said that officially or where have you got that from?
That's just the law here in the UK. Biggest case was in 2002 when Tesco got banned by Levi's from selling jeans they'd imported from USA.
https://www.vennershipley.co.uk/insights-events/the-criminalisation-of-grey-goods/ (https://www.vennershipley.co.uk/insights-events/the-criminalisation-of-grey-goods/)
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I'm having a similar load of nonsense but in reverse from a seller. Basically lied about the state of some bats - good condition to me doesn't mean broken handles!
We'll see what Paypal say, hoping as I'm the buyer they'll find in my favour but totally understand your pain and frustration when dealing with douchebags!
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I have received the bats back, how do you even do this sort of damage in your first net? Was he trying to break it? Genuinely looks like he was using a hockey ball... the denting is very severe and has compressed the face by several millimetres. The other bat has a full blown seam mark on the toe which is laughable.
(https://i.postimg.cc/jSvg70Zw/limited-edition3.jpg)(https://i.postimg.cc/NjQCFf7v/limited-edition2.jpg)
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“As he stated in the return reason "doesn't work or is defective" eBay automatically offer him two return labels (that I have to pay for) to send both of the bats back without any possible input from my end.”
Can I please ask if you listed offering Returns?
I realise listing with No Returns can still leave a door open but perhaps prevents an automatic acceptance by eBay?
In summary, I am surprised to hear a buyer can request a return and this is automatically generated including postage labels without photos being shared first with the seller etc.
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Having seen the photos , I do hope you are able to reject the return and not be left out of pocket. The bats have been mistreated. Evidence of shop knocking in must be provided.
I doubt a retailer or bat maker would accept this (and nor should they)
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In summary, I am surprised to hear a buyer can request a return and this is automatically generated including postage labels without photos being shared first with the seller etc.
That's exactly how ebay works.
Offering a listing with no returns means the seller doesn't have to accept it back if the buyer changes their mind, or has bought the wrong size etc. However, as with any item sold online in the UK, the buyer has the right to return if the goods are faulty or significantly different to the description.
This is a pandoras box when it comes to ebay, as buyers just choose this option regardless of the real reason for the return, and there is no mechanism within ebay for a seller to fight it.
@Bungle when (sadly not if) ebay find in favour of the buyer and refund them, your only course of action will be to jump in the car and confront this person. When purchasing they should have given their phone number. Sometimes a call stating you'll be driving over to see them is enough to get them to drop the case, but i do know of people who have followed through on this promise.
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@Bungle just to clarify, was this a private sale or through your business? Wasnt it 'The Bat Garden' you ran as your business, selling imported bats?
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@Bungle just to clarify, was this a private sale or through your business? Wasnt it 'The Bat Garden' you ran as your business, selling imported bats?
Yes it was through that account.
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In fairness then mate, I think it's a little different to a private sale. What's your returns policy?
Its a business transaction and if I sold a bat to a customer and they came back with this type of damage after an initial net, I'd replace it, at worst offer a foc repair. You can't 100% prove there has been misuse and this sort of damage isn't really representative of fair wear and tear. Knocked in or not.
Unfortunately, as a business you'll always have costs such as this. Maybe go back to the manufacturer and see what they say?
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I think in both cases it a poor do lad sells bats and no disrespect I bet with new balls a lot and don’t get damage like that,does look excessive to me.
As for imports or not shame I have looked on some of your bats they look nice and decent priced to be honest.
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In fairness then mate, I think it's a little different to a private sale. What's your returns policy?
Its a business transaction and if I sold a bat to a customer and they came back with this type of damage after an initial net, I'd replace it, at worst offer a foc repair. You can't 100% prove there has been misuse and this sort of damage isn't really representative of fair wear and tear. Knocked in or not.
Unfortunately, as a business you'll always have costs such as this. Maybe go back to the manufacturer and see what they say?
This context changes my previous post somewhat, as I had assumed this was a private sale, a return under these circumstances for a private seller would be pretty unfair.
As a retailer in a previous life I wouldn't be happy about a return like this, but ultimately there wouldn't be much I could do. I imagine I would decline a refund and repair the bat for the customer. No doubt this will result in an unhappy customer, but we all know the game they are up to here. Obviously in this context declining the refund is not possible thanks to ebays policies. It does then lead me to suggest that ebay is probably not the best platform to use when operating a retail model.
These pitfalls are part and parcel of operating as a retailer. Customers just see the prices, not the costs involved in operating.
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That's exactly how ebay works.
Offering a listing with no returns means the seller doesn't have to accept it back if the buyer changes their mind, or has bought the wrong size etc. However, as with any item sold online in the UK, the buyer has the right to return if the goods are faulty or significantly different to the description.
This is a pandoras box when it comes to ebay, as buyers just choose this option regardless of the real reason for the return, and there is no mechanism within ebay for a seller to fight it.
@Bungle when (sadly not if) ebay find in favour of the buyer and refund them, your only course of action will be to jump in the car and confront this person. When purchasing they should have given their phone number. Sometimes a call stating you'll be driving over to see them is enough to get them to drop the case, but i do know of people who have followed through on this promise.
Not sure if it is for a private seller which is what I would be.
I see further comments on this thread about the difference between a private and business seller.
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Yes it was through that account.
That’s quite an important point and wasn’t clear at the outset, was written personally.
That said, I still feel this is bad behaviour by the buyer who should not be refunded in my opinion.
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Probably should of been made clear this was a business sale rather than a private one. It does beg the question how retailers deal with this sort of damage as they seem to always be at a disadvantage when it comes to returned damaged bats.
Flat face modern bats thou dried out as much as they can be simply cannot withstand new or poor quality balls.
I’m no batmaker but common sense tells us there is not enough wood behind that angle, there’s heartwood on the edge in one picture it’s just damage waiting to happen.
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Private or Retail it looks fairly clear to me the bat has not been prepared properly if at all for use. The buyer has a hell of a nerve just asking for a refund in my opinion.
In fairness then mate, I think it's a little different to a private sale. What's your returns policy?
Its a business transaction and if I sold a bat to a customer and they came back with this type of damage after an initial net, I'd replace it, at worst offer a foc repair. You can't 100% prove there has been misuse and this sort of damage isn't really representative of fair wear and tear. Knocked in or not.
Unfortunately, as a business you'll always have costs such as this. Maybe go back to the manufacturer and see what they say?
Would you actually replace that? Madness if so as it has clearly been abused and surely the maker is not at fault
Does the responsibility of bat preparation not lie with the buyer if sold not knocked in?
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Of course, if these were my only two bats it's quite a different story and obviously much worse. I recently started accepting returns with the idea in mind if someone doesn't like the pickup or the way the bat feels, they can pack it back up and send it back. This buyer is completely abusing that though, I fully accept things will not always go perfectly at times and you just have to take it on the chin but this is too far imo.
I don't understand why people don't just send a message first or use simple communication (as well as common sense). If it's something small it's alright and can be moved past, this is just taking the mick. Surely after breaking your first new bat you don't carry on doing what you're doing with the second....
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Private or Retail it looks fairly clear to me the bat has not been prepared properly if at all for use. The buyer has a hell of a nerve just asking for a refund in my opinion.
Would you actually replace that? Madness if so as it has clearly been abused and surely the maker is not at fault
Does the responsibility of bat preparation not lie with the buyer if sold not knocked in?
Yes, I would. Call it madness but there's no way of knowing it's 'clearly' been abused. I haven't knocked in bats since I started playing again 5 seasons ago. So a H4L, Keeley and various bats I've made myself. None of which have sustained damage such as this. I'm not saying the buyer shouldn't have taken more care, but some bats are more prone to damage now due to how they're made and how the cleft is processed.
I'm confident my bats are made to a standard I'm happy with. So if there's an issue, I'll accept it and move on. I've had two bats returned after a few wks use in over 3 years. Both times I've provided a new bat no question to the customer. I don't want unhappy customers, part of the reason I wanted to control the whole process. Every brand/company has issues, imo it's how you deal on with my them in and safeguard against future issue s which sets you apart. Maybe thats madness, but to me it's just how I'm comfortable operating.
The reasons why bats are damaged in this way aren't so solely down to knocking in and be a scuff sheet, there are far many more factors to take into account
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Ebay does appear to carry material risks for sellers with little recourse against buyers acting in bad faith
The only thing you could do would be to issue a claim in the small claims court for the damage caused to the bats.
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Hello everyone, after spending 30 minutes on the phone with eBay I was told that I have no option but to refund the buyer fully, no dispute available and no ability to offer a partial refund. As the return reason is "doesn't work or defective" the lady on the phone said that eBay can't prove that he has used the item and damaged it despite him literally saying that in his return reasoning..
Very disappointed.
Thank you to all that responded and gave their advice.
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Hello everyone, after spending 30 minutes on the phone with eBay I was told that I have no option but to refund the buyer fully, no dispute available and no ability to offer a partial refund. As the return reason is "doesn't work or defective" the lady on the phone said that eBay can't prove that he has used the item and damaged it despite him literally saying that in his return reasoning..
Very disappointed.
Very disappointing indeed.
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Hello everyone, after spending 30 minutes on the phone with eBay I was told that I have no option but to refund the buyer fully, no dispute available and no ability to offer a partial refund. As the return reason is "doesn't work or defective" the lady on the phone said that eBay can't prove that he has used the item and damaged it despite him literally saying that in his return reasoning..
Very disappointed.
Thank you to all that responded and gave their advice.
Sorry to hear that. Really a shame, sounds unreasonable.
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Hello everyone, after spending 30 minutes on the phone with eBay I was told that I have no option but to refund the buyer fully, no dispute available and no ability to offer a partial refund. As the return reason is "doesn't work or defective" the lady on the phone said that eBay can't prove that he has used the item and damaged it despite him literally saying that in his return reasoning..
Very disappointed.
Thank you to all that responded and gave their advice.
As a business, what's your returns and it warranty policy mate? I know this might not help in this case, but might in future?
Also, what's your deal with your suppliers? Is there any recourse there for you? Again, although it seems to have been abused/under prepared, it's still even then pretty heavy damage for a bat to be sustain early on.
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As a business, what's your returns and it warranty policy mate? I know this might not help in this case, but might in future?
Also, what's your deal with your suppliers? Is there any recourse there for you? Again, although it seems to have been abused/under prepared, it's still even then pretty heavy damage for a bat to be sustain early on.
I was told by my supplier that GN (India) don't give warranty for the edges/toe and offer no cover for "wrong shot selection". The damage is quite extreme you are right, never seen anything like it for a first net.
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I was told by my supplier that GN (India) don't give warranty for the edges/toe and offer no cover for "wrong shot selection". The damage is quite extreme you are right, never seen anything like it for a first net.
Same, so this leads me to question if there's an issue with the bats too rather than just the prep/usage. It's extensive damage and maybe due to drier willow, manufacturing, hidden issues. Then compounded by poor prep, cheap balls and misuse. I'm not having a pop here, just speaking from experience of a few brands who I've spoken to who had switched to new suppliers, as they'd been down the route of buying bats from cheaper suppliers and found it was giving them more headaches/costs in terms of returns etc. So wanted to have more control of the production/buying side more, to lessen returns/issues but also have some recourse to their supplier if things have gone wrong. In the same way, I'm sure UK retailers who demand support/warranty from brands etc if there are issues. If you're buying bats from India cheaper than you'd get them elsewhere, then you maybe won't get the same level of support maybe.
As @KettonJake mentioned, returns are part and parcel of being a maker/retailer. Sometimes, even though you may feel a bat hasn't been prepped correctly etc, you can't prove it. So your choice is you take the hit, or alienate a customer and get a bad name for service/quality. Just chalk it off and go again imo. Maybe look at the supply chain if u have no comeback and your route to market (eBay isn't great imo due to lack of control you have, as this demonstrates). However, with the amount of dodgy stuff sold on eBay, it's maybe necessary from a consumer safety pov. I bought some golf grips recently which were obviously fake when I received then. Got a refund straight away, which obviously worked in my favour.
This was why I asked about your returns. If you were selling through your business site, you have more control of the returns process and could offer a repair under warranty, or replacement. Both options leave you not so much out of pocket. Obviously, there are then other costs to factor in though.
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Yes, I would. Call it madness but there's no way of knowing it's 'clearly' been abused. I haven't knocked in bats since I started playing again 5 seasons ago. So a H4L, Keeley and various bats I've made myself. None of which have sustained damage such as this. I'm not saying the buyer shouldn't have taken more care, but some bats are more prone to damage now due to how they're made and how the cleft is processed.
I'm confident my bats are made to a standard I'm happy with. So if there's an issue, I'll accept it and move on. I've had two bats returned after a few wks use in over 3 years. Both times I've provided a new bat no question to the customer. I don't want unhappy customers, part of the reason I wanted to control the whole process. Every brand/company has issues, imo it's how you deal on with my them in and safeguard against future issue s which sets you apart. Maybe thats madness, but to me it's just how I'm comfortable operating.
The reasons why bats are damaged in this way aren't so solely down to knocking in and be a scuff sheet, there are far many more factors to take into account
Excellent Post!
To be honest, these bats did look extremely dry, unlike GN.
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Same, so this leads me to question if there's an issue with the bats too rather than just the prep/usage. It's extensive damage and maybe due to drier willow, manufacturing, hidden issues. Then compounded by poor prep, cheap balls and misuse. I'm not having a pop here, just speaking from experience of a few brands who I've spoken to who had switched to new suppliers, as they'd been down the route of buying bats from cheaper suppliers and found it was giving them more headaches/costs in terms of returns etc. So wanted to have more control of the production/buying side more, to lessen returns/issues but also have some recourse to their supplier if things have gone wrong. In the same way, I'm sure UK retailers who demand support/warranty from brands etc if there are issues. If you're buying bats from India cheaper than you'd get them elsewhere, then you maybe won't get the same level of support maybe.
As KettonJake mentioned, returns are part and parcel of being a maker/retailer. Sometimes, even though you may feel a bat hasn't been prepped correctly etc, you can't prove it. So your choice is you take the hit, or alienate a customer and get a bad name for service/quality. Just chalk it off and go again imo. Maybe look at the supply chain if u have no comeback and your route to market (eBay isn't great imo due to lack of control you have, as this demonstrates). However, with the amount of dodgy stuff sold on eBay, it's maybe necessary from a consumer safety pov. I bought some golf grips recently which were obviously fake when I received then. Got a refund straight away, which obviously worked in my favour.
This was why I asked about your returns. If you were selling through your business site, you have more control of the returns process and could offer a repair under warranty, or replacement. Both options leave you not so much out of pocket. Obviously, there are then other costs to factor in though.
Thanks for the advice mate, it's much appreciated. I don't have a site right now but this situation has definitely put it at the front of my mind to get one ASAP. As you said this is unfortunately one of the downsides of buying from India as some of the willow can be dry and the overall support isn't great. Of course eBay returns do massively help for items like you mentioned, clear fakes or something that actually doesn't work. I've had countless bats arrive with cracks that weren't mentioned at all, eBay is good in that regard.
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Assuming you are a registered and approved GN retailer/ importer then I would imagine they may be able to help.
However if you are a grey market importer bringing in Indian GN models without UK GN approval then you will probably have very little recourse