etzee

What if the seller lied about the item?

It is decided on the description, which is why this is one of the more winnable cases.

The Metzee team15 Oct 20262 min read

Raise it from the order. Not as described is one of the clearest cases there is, because the evidence is written down: the listing said something, and the thing in your hands does not match it.

Why it is winnable

A dispute is decided on the evidence, and in this case the evidence is the seller's own words. A listing that said "no chips" against a chipped bowl is not a disagreement about taste.

So this is a case to raise with confidence rather than apologetically.

Your window

7 days from delivery, whatever the store's own returns policy says. A store advertising no returns has not shortened this. How returns work

What to send

The listing text itself, quoting the line that was wrong.

Photographs of the item showing the difference, in daylight.

The packaging, if it is relevant.

Nothing else. A short message naming one specific mismatch is far stronger than a long one listing grievances.

Lying versus being wrong

Worth separating, because the outcome is the same and the tone should not be.

Honest error is most of it. A seller who said "silver" about something unmarked, or got a size wrong. They are still responsible, and most will put it right in one message.

Vagueness that flattered — "excellent condition" about something middling. Also the seller's problem; condition claims are part of the description.

Deliberate misrepresentation is rarer than it feels at the moment of opening the parcel.

Start by assuming the first. You get a faster resolution, and if you are wrong the evidence does not change. How to raise an issue

When it is a pattern

If a store is doing this repeatedly, report it under Safety / report someone as well as raising your own order. Your refund and the store's conduct are two different things, and the second only gets looked at if somebody says so. What happens to a reported seller?

What does not count

Not liking it. Taste is not a misdescription.

A colour that looked different on screen, unless the listing stated a colour that is wrong.

Something you assumed. If it was not said, it was not claimed — which cuts both ways and is why reading the description before bidding matters. Can I ask for more photos before bidding?

For sellers

The whole of this page is avoidable by naming the flaw. A described chip costs you nothing; a discovered one costs you the sale, the postage and a mark on your record. How to write a condition description

More: how refunds work, the wrong item was sent, how buyer protection works.

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