eBay sellers who don't offer a return policy frustrate me

[MethusalehHoneysuckle]

I'm curious if I'm alone in my grievances here.

I watch eBay very frequently for specific makes of suits and I know my dimensions very well.

Despite knowing my dimensions, I've been surprised a few times. I've had more than one instance where I've ordered something from a highly reliable seller and for reasons I don't understand the sport coat fit like a straight jacket even though the pit-to-pit and shoulder width were spot on.

Lately I've been super frustrated having repeatedly found items that I would 100% have purchased if there was a return policy. On all of them I had around a 95% confidence interval they'd fit just right, but I'm not willing to gamble $2000+ if it was one of those 5% cases.

Even more surprisingly, I've seen several listings like this where the seller can't even be bothered to post jacket length/sleeve length/pit to pit/shoulder width without me having to request it. Not knowing those before making a purchase has high odds of ending in disaster.

I genuinely don't get the reluctance. These items are seriously expensive: most people who shop on eBay aren't the type to drop thousands of dollars on something and not sweat it if the item is unusable.

Does this drive anyone else nuts? It just pains me to see something I want and would gladly pay the listed price for only to not be able to pull the trigger because there's no goodwill from the seller.

 

[Son Of Saphir]

There are sellers which offer great product on ebay, but usually they are garbage sellers and should be ignored.

Garbage sellers:
- no return policy on high priced items
- don't respond to messages
- don't provide measurements
- don't show how they do the measurements

Sometimes you will get lucky and find a seller that will work with you, but many won't. Just because items are for sale, it doesn't mean you will be able to purchase them, it is quite likely you won't be able to purchase for the above reasons. Those recommended sellers which move a lot of items are some of the worst offenders.

The reality is that some ebay items remain unsold for years because the sellers won't do the work needed to have them sold, ie, do the four things above.

 

[othertravel]

My understanding is that even if a seller doesn’t offer returns, a buyer can still force the issue.

 

[deepocean80]

Not having a return policy I understand, because you’re not a department store, if they are responsive or provide measurements in the description, that seems acceptable.

 

[Son Of Saphir]

Not having a return policy I understand, because you’re not a department store, if they are responsive or provide measurements in the description, that seems acceptable.

The issue is that measurements can vary widely, it depends how they measure it. For some things it can also depend on the type of tape measure or device they use. Lots of variables. We need to be speaking the same language, but even then it is not a perfect system.

The big question = how are you measuring it? Shows us some photos of you measuring it.

 

[Harwid]

I don’t sell a lot on eBay but I don’t accept returns. I give a lot of measurements and a good description. I hate it when a seller says see photos for condition.

If a seller won’t provide the measurements I want, I move on.

Jeff

 

[MethusalehHoneysuckle]

Not having a return policy I understand, because you’re not a department store, if they are responsive or provide measurements in the description, that seems acceptable.

I don’t sell a lot on eBay but I don’t accept returns. I give a lot of measurements and a good description. I hate it when a seller says see photos for condition.

If a seller won’t provide the measurements I want, I move on.

Jeff

Ok, I'm going to give an example of where this bit me and I was incredibly grateful for a return policy.

I'm a very consistent 42R and have a couple 40R and 44R pieces as well. I'm consistently around 21.5-22" chest, 18-18.75" shoulder, 25.5-26" sleeve and 30-31" jacket length.

I bought this item from Top Shelf Apparel, who I would argue is as close to a gold standard for selling suits and jackets as there is:

Oxxford Black and Silver Check Patterned Silk Dinner Jacket 40R Sport Coat NWT | eBay

Oxxford Highest Quality Blazer. Black woven silk fabric in signature XX check print. Silver lapels and trim details. 29" (from bottom of collar) Length. Vitale model - classic fit through the chest and across the shoulders.

www.ebay.com

Look at the dimensions listed compared to what I just said. Yes, the jacket length is a little on the short side for me, but everything else is a lock in terms of what fits me. Guess what? I couldn't move my arms in the thing at all and struggled even taking it off.

That's why I find it especially surprising and annoying when a seller lists an items that's in the $3000 range with no return policy. So, not only am I supposed to trust that you measured correctly even though you sell two items a year, but even if you did I'm also supposed to gamble that everything fits exactly as expected? I think that's an unreasonable ask, but I guess as the seller it's your problem if the item just gets relisted for years and no one is willing to take the chance; I just hate that I'm dissuaded from taking the risk even though I'm highly confident the fit would work out.

 

[TimothyF]

If the measurements are not correct then you are entitled to a free return no matter what, as it would be a case of "not as described". I understand small time sellers not wanting to deal with the hassle of returns, potential for friendly fraud etc. But a legitimate business should have a program to deal with return requests, even as far as provisions that a certain percentage of sales will go bad

 

[single_origin]

There are sellers which offer great product on ebay, but usually they are garbage sellers and should be ignored.

Garbage sellers:
- no return policy on high priced items
- don't respond to messages
- don't provide measurements
- don't show how they do the measurements

Sometimes you will get lucky and find a seller that will work with you, but many won't. Just because items are for sale, it doesn't mean you will be able to purchase them, it is quite likely you won't be able to purchase for the above reasons. Those recommended sellers which move a lot of items are some of the worst offenders.

The reality is that some ebay items remain unsold for years because the sellers won't do the work needed to have them sold, ie, do the four things above.

Yeah. It's really a shame to see so many amazing pieces on there that are basically unbuyable for these reasons.

 

[St1X]

If you are based in EU and you are buying from EU based business than no mater what they tell you, the law guarantees you a right to return unused goods.
P.S. Shame on Sartoriale for saying you can't return items bought on sale for a full refund. That goes against the law

 

[MethusalehHoneysuckle]

You know what's kind of funny? Right now I'm pretty sure none other than @eddyroxx has a Tom Ford dinner jacket listed on eBay that looks like my exact dimensions and I'm too nervous to buy it from him because he offers no return policy. Legit 99% sure that jacket is going to fit like a glove but can't bring myself to gamble a chunk of cash on it. If it had a policy I'd have already bought it.

 

[deepocean80]

You know what's kind of funny? Right now I'm pretty sure none other than @eddyroxx has a Tom Ford dinner jacket listed on eBay that looks like my exact dimensions and I'm too nervous to buy it from him because he offers no return policy. Legit 99% sure that jacket is going to fit like a glove but can't bring myself to gamble a chunk of cash on it. If it had a policy I'd have already bought it.

If it’s really that close, why not just take it to a tailor?

 

[moltoelegante]

This isn't just an issue on Ebay.

Many people are absolutely ignorant about clothing sizes, probably because they have grown up wearing M-sized T-shirts and hoodies their whole lives and that's all they know. Many used suit and jacket sellers will describe a jacket size as 'M' or 'L', for example. If you're lucky they will give a numerical size, e.g. 40, but I have seen size 40 shoulder width measurements ranging from 42 to 50cm, whereas I need 46.5cm, give or take 0.5cm, so relying on a size '40' is useless.

When I write to such people asking for detailed measurements, they often respond "How tall are you? How much do you weigh? Then I will can you whether it fits". The concept of different body proportions or sleeve length or trouser opening width preferences never even enters their minds.

Even if they do provide measurements, they don't describe how they were taken, so again they are useless.

I send people a diagram showing how I like my items to be measured and politely ask for measurements to be taken that way, so that I can compare apples with apples. Many do provide the measurements. If they don't I won't buy.

 

[William Kazak]

Your problems are not my problems with eBay sellers. My truth is not your truth. The colors and/or color descriptions are off. For instance; they may call a sport coat or Chino's beige. The manufacturer calls it stone or silver. Like someone said, many sell so many items that they don't even know the manufacturers description of the product. Add "no returns" to that.

 

[MethusalehHoneysuckle]

If it’s really that close, why not just take it to a tailor?

There's a rule in surgery: don't mess with the pancreas. It's largely because the pancreas is a critical and delicate organ that's can cause loads of problems if manipulated during surgery.

If I were to apply this rule to sport coats, I would say: don't mess with the shoulders.

Shoulders are the worst part of a jacket to try to alter, and with the dimensions listed it's the part I'd assume would be off. The attachment to the rest of the garment is complicated and it's the greatest point of mobility. You'd have to find a tailor who would feel comfortable even making the alteration, and assuming you can, it could be fairly expensive and still not produce the result you wanted.