No return policy

[conttador]

I’ve had bad experiences with “no returns” and as a last resort I’ve filed disputes with the credit card issuer due to misrepresentation of items, always successfully.

 

[skycruiser]

I never offer returns. I'm not a store. I take excessive amounts of pictures and have good feedback and good prices.

You want the sweetwater experience, pay the sweetwater price.

Sweetwater makes you pay for return shipping if you just decide you don't want it.

 

[J Wilson]

No Return Policy. Oh really?

Don't fall prey to the I'M IN LOVE WITH THE PICTURE OF THIS BASS, so I'm going to lose most all good sense and hit the BUY button.

Whatever you get, it's yours.

At least, you'll never have to hassle with boxing it back up and paying for return shipping.

That's an automatic PASS for me. I just don't have to buy THAT one under those conditions. Too many other chances to buy another one.

 

[bolophonic]

Everybody thinks that they are owed corporate-level customer relations from anyone trying to offload some gear.

 

[Morningside]

As CoughSyrup notes above, the reason for me using this policy is that I'm just a guy selling an occasional piece of gear, mostly to simplify my life. Accepting returns would make my life harder, not easier. And I try to price the gear a bit below market value to make any potential risk more appealing.

Yup, same.

I don't want to deal with returns, so I say "no returns," then price slightly below the Reverb average, and try to disclose everything that could be an issue. A buyer did once contact me about a cosmetic issue with a pedal, and I immediately offered to refund him $10 off the purchase price. He was happy with that, and it was worth $10 to me to keep my five-star seller rating.

 

[Harold Runyan]

I have returned a few items over the years. All of them were damaged/not as described. I have also kept some purchases that required significant TLC to fix undisclosed flaws.

My experience is Ebay and Reverb typically side with the buyer and force a return, regardless of the sellers stated policy...at least this is what I have seen in the past. Based on Reverb and Ebay policy I believe "does not accept returns" means the seller accepts returns only when items are not as described.

Some people like to buy items to kick the tires (try it out). If the item does not make them happy, they force a return. So the seller is out shipping two ways and potentially the returned items incurs damage in shipping. IMHO anyone who does this when they receive an item "as described" and in good working order is uncool.

I’ve all but quit selling on Reverb. Most folks are honest (I believe) but there’s always the exception. Reverb forced me to accept a return when the buyer claimed a bass I sold him was received with damage not disclosed or depicted in my listing. I know for a fact that he inflicted the damage himself after suffering from buyer’s remorse. I cannot know if he damaged it intentionally or had an unfortunate accident, but I do know it was not received with the claimed damage. I pretty much proved it too but was still required to accept the return. The Reverb mediator was very helpful and the insurance I had purchased paid for the repair. It was still a mess and the buyer was not honest but came out smelling like a rose.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

When I was just a young lad, I had a paper route. One of my customers was a (large) New and Used car dealership.

I delivered to the used car guys. Many a time, I would see them nervously peering out the window. That behavior always confused me.

Once I had been delivering there over a year, I asked one of the salesmen: "John, what are you doing?"

He said: "Once that car hits the highway, it's his!"

I said: "Aren't you guys selling quality used cars?"

They cancelled their subscription.

If someone has a "blanket" no-returns policy, I am forced to look at them with a jaundiced eye.

 

[davec]

What to do…
I recently sold a bass on Reverb, higher end, under market with a substantial shipping charge. 2k bass + $250 for shipping. Because I see both sides of the no refund issue, (as part of my job I see a lot of retail rentals.)
So I clearly state 24 hour return, less shipping costs and 15% restock on my personal sales.
Figuring that you can return but the risk, of loss should be a deterrent to the buy and try crowd.
Many knowledgeable people played the above mentioned bass and commented how well it played and how well it was set up.

my “buyer” asked immediately after purchase if he would be refunded the shipping “over charge” as he knew shipping costs were not that much. ( 1st sign of regret)
I replied no, that was flat shipping, explaining that that was my charge to clean, package, and ship the bass, as well as freight cost.
Before receiving the bass, sent a message concerned about fret level and condition (second sign of regret)

shortly after receiving the bass the buyer emailed asking for a refund, advising that they would ship the bass tomorrow.
claiming fret buzz and playability issues.
Again I don’t know what the monsters at FedEx might have done but a well packed bass in a HSC, without visible signs of damage, I imagine it’s fine or might need a slight adjustment. I believe the more likely issue is a “buyer” with regret who normally plays tape wounds playing bass with NYXL’s and dealing with regret.
If there is no issue with the bass, I could technically refund $1700 less $250, but even though listed. that doesn’t feel right.
Any thoughts are appreciated

 

[Harold Runyan]

This illustrates why I think one bad apple can indeed spoil the whole bunch. I had a similar issue with a buyer that soured me on selling online. I’ve refrained from selling online ever since! I do have a bass listed on Reverb but after all the memos this thread brings back, I think I’ll take it down.

 

[Alkali Ike]

I have a small side business. My policy has always been “No returns - I am not Amazon or Best Buy. But if something is wrong I will make it right”. There are “buyers” who really only want to try what I sell (modified hifi gear).

 

[Tanner5382]

What to do…
I recently sold a bass on Reverb, higher end, under market with a substantial shipping charge. 2k bass + $250 for shipping. Because I see both sides of the no refund issue, (as part of my job I see a lot of retail rentals.)
So I clearly state 24 hour return, less shipping costs and 15% restock on my personal sales.
Figuring that you can return but the risk, of loss should be a deterrent to the buy and try crowd.
Many knowledgeable people played the above mentioned bass and commented how well it played and how well it was set up.

my “buyer” asked immediately after purchase if he would be refunded the shipping “over charge” as he knew shipping costs were not that much. ( 1st sign of regret)
I replied no, that was flat shipping, explaining that that was my charge to clean, package, and ship the bass, as well as freight cost.
Before receiving the bass, sent a message concerned about fret level and condition (second sign of regret)

shortly after receiving the bass the buyer emailed asking for a refund, advising that they would ship the bass tomorrow.
claiming fret buzz and playability issues.
Again I don’t know what the monsters at FedEx might have done but a well packed bass in a HSC, without visible signs of damage, I imagine it’s fine or might need a slight adjustment. I believe the more likely issue is a “buyer” with regret who normally plays tape wounds playing bass with NYXL’s and dealing with regret.
If there is no issue with the bass, I could technically refund $1700 less $250, but even though listed. that doesn’t feel right.
Any thoughts are appreciated

What to do…
I recently sold a bass on Reverb, higher end, under market with a substantial shipping charge. 2k bass + $250 for shipping. Because I see both sides of the no refund issue, (as part of my job I see a lot of retail rentals.)
So I clearly state 24 hour return, less shipping costs and 15% restock on my personal sales.
Figuring that you can return but the risk, of loss should be a deterrent to the buy and try crowd.
Many knowledgeable people played the above mentioned bass and commented how well it played and how well it was set up.

my “buyer” asked immediately after purchase if he would be refunded the shipping “over charge” as he knew shipping costs were not that much. ( 1st sign of regret)
I replied no, that was flat shipping, explaining that that was my charge to clean, package, and ship the bass, as well as freight cost.
Before receiving the bass, sent a message concerned about fret level and condition (second sign of regret)

shortly after receiving the bass the buyer emailed asking for a refund, advising that they would ship the bass tomorrow.
claiming fret buzz and playability issues.
Again I don’t know what the monsters at FedEx might have done but a well packed bass in a HSC, without visible signs of damage, I imagine it’s fine or might need a slight adjustment. I believe the more likely issue is a “buyer” with regret who normally plays tape wounds playing bass with NYXL’s and dealing with regret.
If there is no issue with the bass, I could technically refund $1700 less $250, but even though listed. that doesn’t feel right.
Any thoughts are appreciated

Definitely sounds like a problem buyer. I severely doubt anything happened in shipping.

 

[davec]

So it resolved, buyer was very reasonable.