Moral Dilemma - Sent Multiple Items by eBay Seller, What to Do?

Chazzozz on 05/12/2022 - 11:27
Last edited 06/12/2022 - 11:58

I'm sure this has happened to everyone. You order an item from eBay (or AliExpress, or Amazon, or any other busy platform) and think you got a great deal. But, the deal gets even sweeter when you receive your shipment, only to find the seller has sent you two of the same item.

Score, Mate!!

That's what happened to me today when I received my keyboard(s) from this deal. What to do now?

  • On one hand I can keep it and view the situation as The Universe working in my favour, which is a rather refreshing change, as it was completely not my fault and simply good fortune that handed me a second keyboard for no cost.
  • On the other hand I'm benefitting from someone else's honest mistake and therefore the Right Thing To Do is contact the seller and offer to send it back.

Edit: For those asking, I've already made my mind up what I'll do but I would like to know if my decision aligns with what others think. I'll post my thoughts once I've had more feedback from the community, it's really good to see what arguments there are for & against.

Also, pegaxs asked where is the option to contact the seller and ask them what to do. I can't edit the poll so that's implied in the 'Send it back' option.

Edit 2 - the day after Thanks to everyone who took time to vote and post their thoughts, this was quite an interesting exercise. As promised, I'm putting this update here to provide my part of the story.

As I expected, my own feelings on the subject aligned with what the majority opinion the community has shown - which is, contact the seller and advise them what happened and await their reply. They have asked me to return it and will provide a prepaid shipping label to do so, which I am more than happy to do. For confirmation, here's a screenshot of their reply from yesterday afternoon. I did consider passing it on to someone else at no charge, but with the skinny profit margins companies like this work under I felt the better option was to offer to send it back.

However, what I didn't expect was the general feeling here that if it was a large national or multi-national company then it would be perfectly fine to keep it and carry on. It's as if I was being given permission to shaft The Big Guys but definitely to look after the little people. That was an interesting observation.

I'll close the poll off today but I think you'll still have till midnight to vote.

Poll Options expired

  • 92
    Send it back you cheap bugger!
  • 27
    Not your mistake, keep it!
General Discussion

Comments

  • bobbified on 05/12/2022 - 11:33
    +34

    Notify the seller of the situation in writing and let them know that it's ready for their collection. If they don't try to make arrangements for the item to be collected after three months, it's yours.

  • Hybroid on 05/12/2022 - 11:34
    +12

    I would let them know. More often than not they'll just tell you to keep it as the added return postage cost and inventory hassle isn't worth it to them.

  • highon2str on 05/12/2022 - 11:38
    +3

    If you are experiencing enough dissonance to ask, then whatever you choose to do, you must be able to live with knowing that you've done the right thing.

    Personally, I would contact the seller, informing them that they've sent an extra item by mistake. What they decide will be up to them. If I have to drop it off at the post office with a reply paid label, I'll do it at my convenience knowing that I've probably helped someone out who could have made an honest mistake at work and hopefully this wouldn't cost them their job. I know it's "just" a keyboard but you just never know.

    If the seller tells me to keep it then I'll re-sell/re-gift it knowing that I can now do so without feeling guilty inside. Either way, it's a win-win for me and my life karma levels are maintained… 😊

    • ESEMCE on 05/12/2022 - 15:12

      A ~$100 lost item isn't going to lose anyone their job… unless they've done it 20 times.

      In my calculations, this item's value is well above the cost of return postage and above that of the return postage plus a reasonable value of my time to arrange the return.

      If it were a
      $20 item, it's not worth my, or their time to return, I wouldn't (and haven't) even bother notifying them.
      $50 item, I'd tell them, but I'd do so expecting them to just write it off.
      $100 item, getting into the unknown zone of them just writing it off or not.
      $300+ they're definitely going to want the item back.

      Karma has a price… I'm going to be fairly pissed at you wanting me to burn 20 minutes of my life to correct your $50 mistake. I'm not even especially happy doing so for your $120 mistake.

  • FocusRider on 05/12/2022 - 11:40
    +2

    Do you seriously need to make a post about this?

    • Chazzozz on 05/12/2022 - 11:48

      Please elucidate! I'm curious to know why you feel that way, and what you'd do in this situation.

      • eccaz on 05/12/2022 - 12:50

        No you’re not, stop lying.

      • AndyC1 on 05/12/2022 - 15:44

        "I've already made my mind up what I'll do"

  • FireRunner on 05/12/2022 - 11:42

    I admit I’d be tempted to just stay quiet and keep it if I were in your situation. But I would want to do the right thing and let the seller know of the mistake. Who knows, they might let you keep it anyway.

  • EightImmortals on 05/12/2022 - 11:42
    +3

    On the on other hand sometimes I get parcels missing part of the order. I expect the vendor to sort it out. On the odd occasion I have got something extra I contact the vendor to see what they want to do. Most of the time they just say to keep the item but I'd rather give the opportunity either way.

  • macola51 on 05/12/2022 - 11:55
    +2

    I'm curious to know what your conscience said to you before you decided to post this thread? Sounds like you are hoping your Ozb peers will relieve you of the responsibility of managing your own behaviour.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 05/12/2022 - 11:55

    Honestly, the profit margins wouldn't make sense for them to ask you to ship it back to them and for them to re-stock and sell it again.

  • ThithLord on 05/12/2022 - 11:55
    +1

    If you accidentally sent payment twice without realising, what would you expect the receiver to do?

  • pegaxs on 05/12/2022 - 11:57
    +10

    Where is the "Contact the seller and ask them what they want to do" poll option??

    If they say "meh, keep it", then you keep it.

    If they say "send it back", ask them for a return shipping label at their cost and send it back.

    If they wont supply a shipping label at their cost, you just polity tell them that the item is there and when they can come up with the funds to have it shipped back, you will return it and that they have 90 days to complete this "recovery". After about 90 days (depending on state laws), if they have not picked it up/paid for its return, you can dispose of it how you wish.

    • Chazzozz on 05/12/2022 - 12:08

      Where is the "Contact the seller and ask them what they want to do" poll option??

      Fair question. I assumed that would be implied with 'Send it back' but I can't edit the poll now, so I've updated the post with an explanation.

      • Quantumcat on 05/12/2022 - 12:36
        +1

        Yes it is very different - I wouldn't just send it back as that could make more headache for them. But I would contact them and then do what they want me to do (if it involves printing a prepaid label and dropping it at a post office, or having it picked up from my house that would be fine, but I wouldn't pay and have to hope they refund me or have to line up in a post office to lodge it or drive a long way to get to a particular courier drop off point)

  • Ghost47 on 05/12/2022 - 12:38
    +5

    This kind of thing is only a dilemma to people who have a propensity to be dishonest.

    As others have said just message the seller to let them know. Request they pay for the postage.

    • dtxau on 05/12/2022 - 13:07
      -3

      Agree. Took OP 40 minutes to update the post with:

      For those asking, I've already made my mind up what I'll do

      40 mins after realising not everyone is a dodgy person like them.

      OP is the type of person who finds a wallet and returns the contents to the police station minus the cash.

      • Chazzozz on 06/12/2022 - 12:06
        +1

        Please see my second update above. I'm disappointed you formed such a low opinion of me before you knew all the facts. Do you do that with everyone?

        And, for the record, I've found wallets before and always ensured they were returned to their rightful owners with all contents fully intact. What I think is even more telling is when one my children was still a teenager they found a ladies handbag at a large shopping mall (Chermside, in north Brisbane), and proceeded to take it straight to the mall's Information Centre to hand it in without even looking inside. Not only that, also checking up later in the day to ensure it had been safely collected by the owner. Children learn by example, so that speaks far more to my honesty and moral code than me telling you myself.

      • hazzad on 06/12/2022 - 17:07

        Dont you love it when people form opinions of others without knowing a single shred about them. Gotta love the internet..lol

        • Ghost47 on 07/12/2022 - 12:47

          Plenty of people do this on the OzBargain forums especially. Never see those people get downvoted so hard.

  • djsweet on 05/12/2022 - 12:43
    +1

    I would definitely give them the option to get it back, but I wouldn't go above-and-beyond to return it. If they supply return labels I would take it to the post office, or if they offer to pick it up, all good. If they asked me to do anything more than this (like return at my own cost, or take it to some far away location), I wouldn't be stuffed with that.

  • SlowCarSlow on 05/12/2022 - 12:43
    +2

    I bought something off ebay, they never shipped it, never responded to messages, I got a full refund from ebay. 2 months later it arrives on my doorstep. I messaged them on ebay, "hey, I cancelled this order after you never sent it, why do I have this?"

    They quickly respond back, "oh, sorry we were waiting for it to arrive and sent it out when we got it. Would you like to pay for it?"

    I respond back "I'll give you $5."

    Them: "We will arrange a courier to pick this up. We will contact you with more information"

    2 days later

    Them: "Due to the high cost of courier we will not be able to arrange courier to pick this up. Feel free to keep the item."

    All this over a $20 item. And they were quick to respond to me asking why they sent it to me after the refund, but just completely ignored my prior contact with them.

  • brokenglish on 05/12/2022 - 12:55
    +3

    If you are a seller, what would you want your buyers to do?

  • MITM on 05/12/2022 - 13:19

    Put it up on Ozbargain Classifieds for those that missed the deal.

  • bluesky on 05/12/2022 - 13:35

    What you do depends on how much you value yourself, your brain, and more importantly, what it might lead you to do in the future. As this article, What Dishonesty Does to Your Brain explains, adaptation means small acts of dishonesty can snowball over time.

    The next time you’re tempted to lie, keep your amygdala in mind. Recognize that your choices do not just shape the outside world. They also shape your inner world—the world of your mind, character, and emotions—in ways we are only just beginning to observe.

    Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher, said: “Consider at what price you sell your integrity; but please, for God’s sake, don’t sell it cheap.”

  • foxmulder on 05/12/2022 - 14:15

    Once i sent a wrong item to a buyer, then I contact them to let her know I'm sending them the correct item with return label. Buyer assure me that she will help in return. Once shipped, no news from the buyer since and even to any of follow up months after.

  • northern nsw on 05/12/2022 - 14:22

    Is there anything legal covering this situation?

    Received an item this week after cancelling (due to prolonged delay) and purchasing elsewhere, item cost $1450 which has been refunded to credit card, have notified seller via email but no reply yet.

  • qaz182 on 05/12/2022 - 14:48

    I'll be honest and say that if it was Kogan, BigW, Kmart or some other big retailer, I would be more tempted to just keep the item.

    But an ebay seller, I would like to think i'd contact them and offer to send it back.

    I do have experience on ozbargain where I was bought a whole bunch of beef jerky for like $70 and was never charged until I contacted them and I had received the product and wasn't charged. They sent me an invoice (which I paid) without them even saying "thankyou for your honesty" which was a bit short, but meh…….

  • Flying Ace on 05/12/2022 - 15:29
    +2

    Depends on the seller - a largeish company I wouldn't send it back - if it's a private seller or a small business I probably would.

    • RotundPolarBear on 05/12/2022 - 22:23

      Yeah same, a big corp like Logitech likely wouldn't even notice the error, so keeping it doesn't seem so bad. But I would probably message the seller in any case, and secretly hope that they will say: keep it. That way my conscience is clear.

  • Intel1 on 05/12/2022 - 20:15

    Ordered a knife sharpener a couple of years ago & got a carton of 12! Value was around $39 ea. Still have 8 in the cupboard!

  • DrScavenger on 06/12/2022 - 01:08
    -2

    Keep it. It is within your right to do so

  • ajwhi on 06/12/2022 - 09:12
    +1

    My philosophy in these situations is this:
    Is this a sole trader/small business? Definitely get in touch to return it (at their expense).
    Is this a massive multimillion dollar company? Then I only received one keyboard.

    I would probably end up giving the second keyboard to a colleague or friend, not try and sell it.

  • 2esc on 06/12/2022 - 09:15

    Send it back.

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