I assume you are reading this article for one of two reasons:  1.) Your customers claims they threw it out or, 2.) You love reading all of these articles. Either way, today we are going to discuss dealing with “I already got rid of it…. But please refund me (or ship a new one)”

MOST COMMON REASONS THEY “THREW IT AWAY” (supposedly)

• It was broke / leaking / shattered / chipped / ripped / had a hole
• It smelled terrible / weird / “not right” / I’m allergic to it!
• It was “covered in” (pet hair, liquid, etc. We once even had a lady claim it was covered in chocolate… which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever)
• Its disgusting / hideous!
• It seemed / is expired
• It was the wrong item
• It didn’t fit
• It's counterfeit!  (Now granted, if you really ARE selling knockoff crap, this is an entirely different issue.  However, we are discussing 100% legit items that some moron says they threw out because they feel it's not authentic)
• The customer claims they didn't see it inside the package and already threw out the packaging. 

YOUR RIGHTS AS A SELLER:

Regardless of the (supposed) reason the buyer rushed their purchase to the trash can, as a seller there’s one very important things you need to know:

Even if the person files a dispute / chargeback; A buyer is NOT allowed to keep it and also get a refund. According to PayPal and the credit card companies, it does not matter if it was ugly, broken or had more chocolate on it than an ice cream sundae; the buyer still can’t discard it and also demand a refund. 

Think of it on a bigger scale: lets say you go to the used car lot and buy a 2006 Tahoe. The day it is delivered to your house you decide you hate it…. So you take it to a Salvage Yard and dump it for $200…. Then contact the seller to demand a refund…

Or what if you bought a house and your first night sleeping in it you decide there’s a strange smell coming from the bedroom…. So you burn it to the ground…

When you think of it like this you can easily see how utterly illogical this concept of “I didn’t like it so I got rid of it and now you owe me” is.

REALITY:

There really isn’t any reason to rush an item to the trash. If the item was leaking through the packaging the mail carrier would not have delivered it. If the buyer opens the box and the lotion is leaking (but has not leaked through the box), USUALLY the lotion is inside some kind of bag. If the lotion is leaking and its not in a bag the buyer can take a pic, throw it into a plastic grocery store bag and ask for a return label. Any other issues are relating to the buyers dissatisfaction with the “quality” of the item. If an item is supposedly “poor quality” it can still be returned to the seller.

HOW OTHER SELLERS DEAL WITH THIS:

1. Some sellers just ask for photos of the item in the trash. Amazingly, the reply from the buyer will likely be “the trash man just came, so it’s not here”. The reason for this is because the buyer wants to keep it and also get refunded. Even IF the buyer really did throw it away and the garbage truck really DID come and take it away; this is still equal to the buyer keeping it.

2. Other sellers tell them to get it out of the trash and return it, or, at LEAST send some clear photos of it being "bad".

3. Another option: This idea came from a fellow wholesaler that I was chatting with and I think it is so brilliant that I think our company may start utilizing this method:

if you don’t want to waste time or money on getting the item back is to ask the buyer to destroy it. For example:

If the sunglasses are “sooooo bad” that the buyer needs to throw them away, ask them to break the arm completely off the glasses and send a photo of the glasses and the arm.

If the blouse is so terrible that it has to be discarded right away, ask them to cut a hole directly in the front-center. No, don’t cut the hole directly along the seam. Don’t cut the jeans 11” below the crotch so they can be turned into shorts. Cut it directly down the center.

The reason for this is to prevent fraudulent claims of the item being unacceptable, when the truth is the buyer just wants it for free.

If the buyer is willing to break the arm off the glasses or cut a hole in the center, they were being 100% honest. If they aren’t willing to send a photo of the merchandise destroyed, they never had an issue with it and simply wanted a freebie, at your expense.

IMPORTANT STEPS

Regardless of how you decide to deal with this, it is mandatory that you get the buyers response IN WRITING.  For example, if a buyer calls you to say they threw it away, ask them to send an email outlining the situation.  The reason for this is because you can use the email as evidence in the event of a chargeback / dispute.  

Unfortunately, if you choose to discuss the situation over the phone, it will end up being "he said, she said" / your word against theirs and (also unfortunately) Pay Pal and the credit card companies often side with the buyer... UNLESS you have thorough proof that they "threw out" the item, based on their own words.

BOTTOM LINE:

The buyer does not have the LEGAL right to throw it away and also get a full refund. How you decide to deal with the buyers unhappiness is up to you, but know your rights as a seller.  

MOVING FORWARD:

Create an iron clad return policy that outlines the absolute requirement for photos or return of the item before any refund is issued.   Although you can't prevent drama with your current buyer, you can prevent problems in the future. 

***NOTE: If you sell on a platform / marketplace, you have to follow whatever the marketplaces rules are because when you created your account on the marketplace you agreed to "Terms". If the marketplaces Terms state a customer is allowed to keep it and get a refund / re-ship, you have no choice but to follow their rules.   

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