Introduction
Annemariesbreiblog's items have a very well balanced return policy for items like this great dragon fly
Sometimes things go wrong in the mail. There is nothing we can do about that. Items get damaged in the mail for countless reasons. Now the questions is what to do if an item reaches a customer and they say it has been damaged? Remember if you selling in a real world shop items there would still be occasional issue of damage and in the real world the seller would eat the costs. In general there are a few ways you can deduce if the item has been really damaged and that the buyer is no dishonest.
Have it in Your Shop Policy
First no matter what you have as a policy make sure to include a damage item policy. That way when someone claims “it came to me broken.” You can say “Lets start the process, here is a link to my shop policies”
The buyers will know what they have to do and you have something to fall back on. Also if the dispute gets out of hand you can always tell Etsy to look at your shop policies as a way to defend yourself. A good idea is to include who is responsible for return shipping on a damaged item. Make your policy reasonable; you have to meet the buyer in the middle. Shop policies are meant to help protect the seller as well as the buyer. Having a pro-buyer shop policy can result in repeat business and praise.
Photos
If I get a damaged item request the first thing I ask for are photos of the damaged work and packaging. I will send an email saying, “could you please send me a couple of photos of the damage item and packaging so I can start the insurance process.”
If the item had been damaged naturally the buyer will not hesitate to do this. If they are being shady they might decide that the damage is not as bad as originally thought. And the photos are good way to see if you made a mistake packaging the item, which also is possible.
No Refund or Replacement Until the Original Item is Returned
This wonderful sign, by HeritagePrimitives, has a very clear return policy
The next step is to politely tell the buyer that there are no refunds or exchanges until the original item has been returned. This step is important for two reasons. First, this way the buyer knows that you want the item back even if it has been damaged, which might encourage dishonest people to change their mind.
Second, for someone in the silver smiting world there are plenty of parts that can be salvaged from a piece. Can the item be easily fixed then returned or resold again? Is the stone in good enough order to put into a new piece? And of course the silver can always be used as scrap.
With both of these steps in mind it is always a good idea to get the original back before doing anything drastic. Never ever give someone their money back until the item is back in your hands. If a buyer pesters you about waiting for the item to come back tell them to look at the shop policy. Do not give a refund after a buyer says they shipped it even if they give a tracking number. Very few things are worse then losing a piece and the payment for it in the online selling world.
Conclusion
If it turns out that the item has really been damaged in transport and if you have shipping insurance then start the paper work. This process can take a while and be prepared for not receiving the full value. At the same time things go wrong and part of your budget should include money for these kinds of events. Most of the time returns are honest and with a good shop policy many of these problems can be avoided.
Posted by Silver Drops Designs Blog
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