Counterfeit Cologne - Bought, Seller Issued Refund, Wants to Cancel Trans.

I bought fake cologne on eBay from a seller that has a 100% positive rating: Please provide advice on what I should do. Here is the sequence of emails. 3/21: Dear myjunkyourtreasure31, I just received the cologne. It is fake. I previously bought Armani Code from Macy's so i can tell that this is fake. It smells nothing like the real one, the packaging was tampered with and closed with a piece of tape. Also the cap of the bottle is different/cheaper. Please refund me immediately plus charges for return shipping. If I don't hear back from you tomorrow morning/afternoon I will report you to eBay. It is a good fake, that not every consumer could spot, but I could tell the difference. - yankslover He then emails me (not through eBay) back on 3/23 I am sorry to hear that. I get these from a VERY reputable company. I actually pay a lot of money for these and dont make much money on them at all. I actually use Calvin Klein Euphoria and purchased on from eBay and it was fake. Horrible smell and the bottle was plastic. But I ordered myself one from my supplier and it was original, great smell and made of glass not plastic just like the one I got from macys. So honestly I am not sure what happened. I sincerely apologize, I do know that they are older, possibly years older. So maybe it is because of that. Either way I want my customers to be happy and to leave positive feedback. So what I can do is 1) let you keep the item and give you a partial refund, or 2) have you send it back for a full refund.(honestly I would like to send it back to my supplier and ask what happened). Just let me know what you would like to do and again I apologize for the inconvenience. I respond through ebay 3/31 I am sorry, I was out of the country, and just recently returned. I think you should talk to your "reputable" company you overpay for these fakes from. The product I was shipped can not be that old being that it has the newer logo. I see you have went ahead to process a refund. However unless you pay me for return shipping + delivery confirmation, I will not be losing money by sending you the product back. Please confirm what you would like to do ASAP. Either you refund me in full and pay for return shipping + delivery confirmation, which I will get a price for if you would like, but I am estimated $10, or you refund me in full and I throw the fake in the garbage. Thank you. He responds to me 3/31 via email, not through ebay again Oh of course I will pay you for the return shipping, I want to get it back so I can send to my supplier and see if they will refund me. Go ahead and send it back to me with delivery confirmation. If you print the label online and ship priority flat rate it should be about $4.95. Once you do that let me know the total and I will send it to you through paypal if thats ok. I appreciate you sending it back He refunded me through paypal 3/23. I got a request 3/28 to cancel the transaction (which I haven't acted on yet because I am not sure what to do) Just got an email today 4/5 about unpaid item reminder (even though I paid, im guessing it is because I didn't follow up to cancel the transaction)? I am wondering what I should do? Should I wait for him to pay for return shipping and then send it back? Am I obligated to do so? Also should I cancel the transaction? And what type of feedback should I leave. Thanks!|||If you had filed with ebay/pp you would have had to return on your dime.There is no way to force seller to pay return shipping.Of course is some cases rumors say ebay has not required the return of fakes or had them returned directly to ebay/pp. The reminder is that you need to respond to the mutually agree to cancel or it will close automatically Since he refunded without awaiting return I would probably not leave feedback at all.It may not be your fault but it is your responsibility Silver rule "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"|||Thanks for the quick response. I "filed" through paypal as a conflict, but it said it was resolved once he refunded me. Am I forced to return the item though? So you are saying I should agree to cancel the transaction, since I have been refunded. But don't leave feedback making others aware that it is counterfeit since he refunded without awaiting product to be returned?|||So you are saying I should agree to cancel the transaction, since I have been refunded. Why not? Should Ebay be allowed to keep the commission on the sale when it was refunded?|||yankslover... I'm both a buyer and a seller... so I understand your frustration. I purchased a Prada, and was less than pleased when I got it and it was a fake.... and I had to pay to return it. But yes, it is your responsibility to get the item back to the seller, and he is not obligated to refund you for the return shipping. As a buyer, I hate that practice when the item is not as described, but that's the way it is.|||If the seller refunded w/o requiring a return ebay will not force you to and since seller has not sent you money to return they don't appear to be expecting it back. I would not leave fb because while it was not a positive experience for you are not out anything. I would only accuse someone of selling conterfiets if I had proof from a recognised authorityIt may not be your fault but it is your responsibility Silver rule "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"|||I would return the item. Maybe the seller will refund you the shipping. DO they have excellent feedback?Need a website fast?|||You should contact your seller regarding the return shipping cost again, since they indicated they want the item back to return / review with their supplier and have agreed to pay for the return shipping. Your seller in this case, has been reasonable. Sample Email to seller. Dear Seller As per our agreement, I await your refund of the return shipping cost of $____. Once I receive the return shipping cost via Paypal, I will be happy to return the item with D/C, so you can review the authenticity of the item with your supplier. Best regards, Your buyer If the seller refunded 100% including return shipping, I think I would give the seller the benefit of the doubt. It is entirely possible/probable the supplier is selling counterfeit fragrances to your seller, who may not have been aware. I do not think, I would leave any feedback, in this case.|||Your seller is asking you to cancel the transaction, so they can get their final value fees back from Ebay. Since the seller has already refunded you item price and the original S&H, I would agree. This is all the seller is obligated to do per Ebay/Paypal. Be aware Ebay/Paypal always require the buyer to return the item with D/C on their dime , in order to receive a refund.Since your seller has refunded without the return already, I would return, if the seller refunds the cost of return. This is what they offered and agreed to. If they don't, then they have no intention of taking the matter up with the supplier, as they have indicated.|||The basic principle here is that you cannot keep both the product and the money. For $5, you can do the ethical thing. Or you could buy a grande macchachino at Starbucks.|||Looking at the auction, it appears this is a brand new seller. They have NO feedback yet for sales, they are using manufacturer stock photos and are selling "designer" fragrances. The chances of this being authentic or "current stock" are slim.|||I think the seller should pay the return shipping fee . If the seller need the item back .|||Boy, Have people around here forgotten how to be polite and cordial?||||||Come on, chances are this seller knows the cologne is fake. Do you really think Armani allows eBay sellers to buy their cologne wholesale? Unless this was a retail item bought on mark down/close out or received as a gift that isn't wanted, it is almost 100% fake. Name brand/designers sell through certain channels and to authorized retailers and eBay sellers aren't authorized unless they have brick and mortar stores or are huge internet sellers like Amazon. Just not going to happen.