Used like new - customers
Hello, anyone else recently getting quite a few customers returning items which they bought as ‘used-like new’ complaining they’re not Brand New?
Normally don;t get many returns but lately we have customers buy ‘used like new’ products from us and then later message us to say the item is not brand new and they’re not happy wanting a discount or refund to return?
They then have the cheek to leave us negative feedback - which in turn affects our account - getting annoyed now.
Also, not to mention the postage costs of over £6 each time!
63 replies
Seller_Yja9oH7DLHk2I
This happens to me all the time when there is no sellers selling a new item. I try and keep an eye on the listings now (I only sell some returns as used - like new). If there is no new sellers I remove the listing.
Amazon just doesn’t make it clear.
I suddenly sold 2 used like new items on Friday and when I checked there was no new sellers so I am expecting returns.
If this sort of thing happened elsewhere I would give the sellers a quick call to make sure they knew. I am too scared to do this on Amazon in case I am breaking some policy.
Seller_IjUdXgfytlivr
There is a known issue with all ‘Used’ listing being changed over to ‘Open Box’ when viewed on mobile browsers. Mobile browsers are more than 50% of traffic to Amazon now.
If they orderred them thinking they are ‘Open Box’ and receive a ‘Used’ item then they have a valid complaint. I have been trying to escalate this up to the website design team for about 2 weeks now, I do not think they even know about it yet.
This seems to be all sellers, all catagories, probably tens of thousand of units all in.
Madness.
Seller_lljyzgTxr5fgI
This is a very longstanding problem and the problem itself being that customers don’t read the listings properly. With some higher value items, we label the item stating that it was listed as Used condition. At least that way, if anything has been returned, it has been done so in good faith without negative feedback.
Seller_DTufFoxJuMU0M
Yeah I just bought some printer paper that was listed as “Save with Open Box” apparently the battery health will be 98% or more…
Seller_KWxWl2JIOBKWB
Yeah I sell loose unboxed action figures and i have had a lot of returns recently from people demanding new boxed toys even 20-30 year old toys. I list as used-acceptable no matter the item and descriptions clearly say “loose action figure no packaging, please see photos attached by me” but still they come.
Seller_l78koE9kGCu59
I had this a while back with a Batman XXL figure. It was (is) very collectible and worth more than other similar figures. So I listed it with photos (12 on eBay, 6 on Amazon) and even used a collage app to be able to show all 12 photos in the 6 photo colts allowed on here. Wrote a comprehensive condition report - which amounted to not in original retail box and his cape was made of felt so may pick up a few specks of dust. Other than this is was spot on. The item was wraped and even printed a label of the condition note on the outside of the figure.
I got a curt message after the buyer received it saying that I’d sent her a used item when she bought New. I assumed that she’d not bothered looking at or reading the provided info and told her to return it. Obviously making me over £5 out of pocket. She called me and asked what I meant by the information was all there and she may have missed it. She was adamant she had not and this was not shown.
After some investigation I found she was actually correct and it was the Amazon system that was to blame.
It goes like this… if your offer is the only one on the ASIN or if all others sell leaving you as the solo offer, you can be left on the main page and not in the “other offers” link. This link usually shows the photos and descriptions but if you are the solo seller then it doesn’t. I tried it myself over and over and didn’t manage to get the condition notes and photos to be viewable by the end user.
I re-listed it on eBay at £10 over and it sold.
Side point, when I tried to increase the Amazon offer price by the same £10 to get back my losses for Amazon’s mistake, the system kept awarding me with a ‘price too high message’, making the listing inactive and pricing policy warning to boot. As the only seller!
Keepa showed it had been much higher reently too, to rub salt in to the wound. 
Seller_9UUlSlJeeHU0I
When I list a book “as new” I make sure I mention any minor imperfections e.g corners slightly creased. Touch wood I have not had an issue in this area, even many brand new books have imperfections!
Seller_QVpjrN1BsybDT
Do they say why the items are not NEW ?
My reading of NEW and AS NEW is that they are both in perfect condition. The distinguishing thing is that AS NEW is old eg a 50 year old book cannot be NEW no matter how wonderful the condition. If there is anything in the condition of the item that prevents it being NEW then , in my opinion , it cannot be AS NEW.
The problem then arises as to when an item becomes “old”
Seller_pQ1d7zlEoylAI
we have had the same issue lately.
however all ours are opened boxed and nothings ever been removed or used, yet they still complain and amazon side with them in an a to z, when they get the item out use it for a week and return it with bits missing as they state we can buy new for £20 more and want to then return it.
i got one item back last week a printer, toner missing all sorts of tape stuck over the printer, now not worth reselling, partially refunded as returned in a different condition, amazon refunded them from our funds and also refunded the customers return cost out of our funds after the found the a to z in the customers favour, appealed and was rejected and managing director not responding.
regards
Seller_KVcg6sSdozQeU
I find this is happening more and more and there seems to be no way of getting amazon to remove the ODR by proving the description matches the item the buyer received and that its the buyers error rather than the seller. Also seeing an increase in buyers opening defect cases and then returning their old items and again theres no way to get amazon to listen and the return cases are harmful to the selling account.
