For a business to succeed, having a fully equipped and knowledgeable seller is a must. Being familiar with the know-how of your business can save you from tons of problems that could arise when you don't do well in selling and dealing with customers. That is why, before you venture into something, it is crucial to know the process of vending, what could cause problems, and how you could solve them.

In any business, including online selling, creating a seamless and good buyer experience is an essential part. Of course, the more satisfied your buyer is, and the better experience they get from your shop means more returning buyers in the future. To do this, it is your responsibility to ensure that they don't encounter any issues with the item they ordered from you.

There are different marketplaces on the internet nowadays. Each has a seller guideline to follow along with Poshmark, Mercari, Tradesy, and many others like Depop. On this blog, we will share some tips on how you can avoid disputes in your Depop listing, which may result in buyer return requests, and how you can also process a refund for them. Read on and learn how to save your Depop listing and your earnings.

How to Avoid Returns

While you can do many things to avoid receiving a buyer return request from your sold items, here are some of the key points that you should remember when listing on Depop.

1. Create clear, complete, and honest item descriptions.

Aside from making your item appear on buyer searches accurately, a clear and complete description is what helps push your buyer to finalize their purchase decision. A good description outline of your item is what sets a buyer's expectations, and it matters that they get what they expected when they placed their order. Your honesty as a seller can make a huge impact on your business. You must mention essential details such as:

• Brand
• Size and measurements
• Condition of the item (BNWT or BNWOT)
• Any flaws the item has (even a tiny one)
• Category and subcategory
• Color
• Style

2. Use your own photos.

Your item photos are vital when listing as it gives your potential buyer a visual experience. While some use stock photos, it is always a good practice to use yours. Aside from dodging copyright issues, posting the actual photos of your item also help set your buyers' expectation. To have appealing photos, ensure that you only use clear and high-quality ones to stand out from other competitors. You should:

• Take a picture using a square format to ensure that it is sized correctly.
• Ensure that the item is well lit and the details are clearly captured.
• Use natural lighting to avoid over-exposur or soft light boxes to find the perfect level of lighting.
• Shoot your item on a clear background to keep your buyer's attention on the item.
• Show the different angles of your item.

3. Only sell authentic items.

One of the most valuable characteristics of a trustworthy seller is being honest. Aside from claiming that an item is authentic when it's not, Depop's guidelines prohibit selling fake or counterfeit items. Avoid disputes on your items and get your Depop account in trouble. Always ensure that your item is authentic before claiming that it is. Do thorough research on your item if you are unsure of its authenticity. It may be worth investing into an authentication service for higher priced or luxury items.

4. Price your items right.

The price of an item is another factor that dramatically affects your potential buyer's purchase decision. While some have a specific budget to follow, some would also consider buying an item if it is reasonably priced. Remember that the competition on marketplaces like Depop is tough. You should find ways to have an advantage over other sellers with the same item. However, pricing your item right doesn't mean that you should compromise your earnings. Aside from checking the prices of the same item in the market to get a reference, you can price your listing correctly by matching its price to its condition. If the item is brand new, check the retail price or similar brand new listings as yours and take it from there.

In addition to this, you can decide on a reasonable price but let your buyers know that you accept offers. Offering free shipping is a plus, too, if you want to sell your item faster.

5. Use tracked shipping labels.

Shipping is a crucial part of finalizing your sale. Being fast in sending orders is a good thing. It pays to know that you should ensure that you and your buyer can keep track of the status so they would know when to expect their order or if there will be a delay in the delivery.

Using a tracked shipping method is the ideal way of sending your orders. First, it qualifies you to Depop seller protection. And second, you can use it as proof when issues against your item arise.

To provide a good customer experience, remember to ensure that the item is clean before you pack it. Once shipped, keep your buyer updated.

Buyer Claim: Item' not as described.'

A responsible seller is very unlikely to receive any disputes. However, sometimes tiny details get missed, which is understandable as long as you are willing to correct the mistake and make amends. But, take note that not all buyers are the same. While there are honest ones, you may encounter some who would like to take advantage, so you have to be wise while keeping it professional.

When you receive a dispute, always resolve it with the buyer before involving Depop. You should respond within 24 hours to resolve it quickly before asking for Depop's help should you unsuccessfully find a resolution with the buyer.

When a dispute like this arises, you must do the following:

• Ask for proof of the flaws or issues. The best action would be to ask for proof of the flaws or issues that the buyer thinks as not described. This will help you figure out what went wrong in the transaction or if it was an honest lapse on your end. Proof of the claim will also help you evaluate if the buyer's claim is valid or not.
• Check the flaw or issue mentioned by the buyer. Flaws could be something you missed mentioning in your listing description or something that you missed seeing before shipping. But it might have also occurred during shipping; hence it is important to know what caused the flaw or where it came from.
• If the flaw was something you missed, try to settle it with the buyer and provide a resolution that works best for both parties. Be a responsible seller and offer the buyer something to compensate for the inconvenience. It could be a partial or full refund or a new item you are willing to send them for free.
• If the damage was incurred during shipping, you may get in touch with the shipping provider and file a damaged in transit claim. You don't have to shoulder it all, especially if the issue is something beyond your control. In this instance, you may contact the shipping service to help you settle the issue.
• If the claim is untrue, contact Depop immediately and prove that the buyer's claim is false. Provide necessary evidence, and you should be protected for as long as you qualify for Depop's seller protection.

Depop Seller Protection

Being obedient to Depop's policies is important. Not only does it keep your account safe, but it also protects you from disputes and chargebacks. To get covered by the Seller Protection, you must:

• Strictly keep all your transactions in-app while using Depop Payments.
• Ensure to ship orders to the address on the Depop receipt
• Ship your item using tracked postage that can show confirmation of delivery to the buyers' address. Always keep your proof of shipping and delivery.
• Send orders as soon as possible.
• Promptly answer Depop's emails in the given timeframe.
• Your item was as described, but the buyer changed their mind.

You are not qualified when:

• You made the transaction outside of the platform.
• Your item is listed on Depop's prohibited items list.
• The item is significantly not as described (Incorrect sizes, colors, counterfeit, has severe damage, significant wear or flaws, incorrect item/s, missing items in bundles)
• You fail to respond to Depop's emails within the timeframe.

Depop Payments vs. PayPal

When you receive a dispute, it is important to identify whether the transaction was paid using Depop payment or PayPal, as your steps in resolving them would vary.

• Sold through Depop Payments

  If the item was sold and paid using Depop Payments, you could settle any issues with your transaction through Depop. Depending on the buyer's dispute, you may give them a partial or a full refund in your app or with the help of Depop Support.

  Once a dispute is opened against your sold item, be sure to provide all the necessary proof of the item's condition, authenticity, or size to Depop. You should do this within the allocated time frame to show that you are an honest and responsible seller.

  You must also include a return address if your item is requested to be sent back to you. Depop will then conduct an evaluation to see whether your item is significantly not as described. After this, Depop will mediate a resolution between yourself and the buyer. Suppose both parties did not arrive at a resolution. In that case, the buyer will be advised to return the item using tracked postage before you can issue a refund of the full sale price, excluding the shipping fee.

  Note that counterfeit items must be automatically be refunded without the need for the buyer to return the item as shipping any counterfeit goods is illegal.

  To process a refund for a transaction paid using Depop Payments:

  1. Log in to your Depop account
  2. Tap then All Sold Items
  3. Choose the transaction you'd like to refund, then tap Refund
  4. For a full refund, select the Full refund tab
  5. To send a partial refund, choose the Partial refund tab instead and type in the amount you'd like to refund.
  6. Tap Continue to review the details, then click on Confirm refund.

  If you issued a full refund on a whole transaction using the app's refund button, the shipping label would also be automatically refunded to you. But for a partial refund, you will have to get in touch with Support so they can process a shipping label refund for you.

  Note: Before you can refund your buyer who paid through Depop Payments, you'll have to add a top-up card (debit or credit card) to your account. This will ensure that you can always refund buyers when necessary.

• Sold through PayPal

  Items sold via PayPal follow a different way of solving the dispute. If you can, try to settle the issue with the buyer first to prevent an issue from being raised with PayPal. You can provide any pictures of your item's condition to establish what the problem is about, and you can go from there.

  But if you cannot establish a resolution between you and the buyer, you will have to resolve the issue by directly dealing with PayPal and providing them with proof to help your case. Be on top of this by keeping an eye on your email for any letter coming from PayPal.

Arrange a Return

Arranging a return is easy. All you have to do is ask your buyer to return the item with tracked shipping. This way, if the refund gets delayed, it can be processed for them as long as they can provide proof of return.

Note: Be aware that any sale of confirmed counterfeit items, PayPal and Depop may not be able to arrange or facilitate a return.

Boost Your Sales with OneShop

Now that you have equipped yourself with the tips on avoiding receiving return requests and processing a refund for your buyers, you can now focus on growing your business and boosting your sales. One of the practical tricks to do this is by cross-listing. Many Depop sellers do this to reach more audiences, making their chances of coming across the right buyer for their item higher.

To help you seamlessly and conveniently cross-list across other platforms like Poshmark and Mercari, automation bots are created, and one of them is OneShop. It is intelligent software that can help you list items across platforms easily. All you have to do is link your Depop, Poshmark, and Mercari accounts to the app. All you have to do is create a draft once, and you can effortlessly cross-list to any platform that our team has integrated.

Furthermore, the OneShop app gives you access to a helpful and fun community when you sign-up. You also don't have to worry about signing up and paying straight away to test our bot. We offer a 7-day free trial to let you experience the difference of what our app can make. All you have to do is sign up here, and we will text you the link to the app.