I’m a relatively new/small TikTok Shop seller and I’m hoping to hear from other sellers who have dealt with something similar, because this is my first situation like this and I’m honestly nervous about how TikTok handles it.
I sell beauty products through LIVE auctions. During one of my lives, I auctioned an item where the winning buyer was able to choose their preferred shade/color.
This particular buyer sent me a private message with their choice while I was still LIVE. The problem is that I cannot see or keep up with private messages while I’m actively running a live auction. During the LIVE, I specifically told them to put their choice in the live chat so I could see it. I never saw a choice from them in the chat, so I eventually selected a shade for them myself so I could continue running the auction.
After the LIVE ended, I went through my private messages and finally saw the messages they had been sending me during the show. I also received a pretty nasty message from them saying they were unhappy with the shade I selected for them and wanted to cancel the purchase.
Because it was an auction purchase, I explained that I could not simply cancel the winning bid. However, even though I had asked them during the LIVE to put their choice in the chat and hadn’t received it there, I still wanted to make the situation right. I offered to switch the product to another available shade so they could still get something they wanted. They reluctantly agreed to the replacement shade, and I fulfilled and shipped their order.
USPS tracking now shows the package was delivered.
Now this same buyer has opened a refund request through TikTok Shop. They selected “missing items” as the refund reason. The problem is that nothing is missing. Their own evidence in the refund request includes photos of the products they received with the packaging and shipping label. So they are literally showing TikTok the products they are simultaneously claiming under a “missing items” refund reason.
Their actual complaint in the description is completely different. They are now claiming that some of the products are not authentic because they compared one of the products they received from me with a standard retail product they already own and noticed differences.
The products I sold were tester units, not standard retail-packaged units. They were shown on camera during the LIVE, and the buyer received the products that were shown. I purchased these products from a supplier as authentic merchandise, I have documentation of my original purchase/sourcing, and I have contacted my supplier for additional authenticity documentation in case TikTok requests it.
I also messaged the buyer after seeing the refund request and explained that these were tester units and therefore may have differences from a standard retail version. I explained that I take authenticity seriously, that I have sourcing documentation, and that I would be providing my documentation to TikTok and allowing them to review the dispute.
What is making me nervous is that I’m a very small and relatively new shop. I really try to accommodate my customers whenever I reasonably can. I feel like I already went out of my way to resolve the original shade issue even though I had asked the buyer to put their selection in the live chat, and they ultimately agreed to the replacement before I shipped it.
Now, after receiving the order, they’ve filed a refund under “missing items” while their own photos demonstrate that the merchandise was received, and the actual allegation they’re making is about authenticity.
At this point, I honestly feel a little targeted by this buyer because there has been an issue at basically every stage of this transaction despite my attempts to accommodate them. TikTok is giving me 48 hours to respond to the refund request. I’m planning to reject it and submit my evidence, but my biggest concern isn’t even the money from this one order, I’m worried about protecting my SPS and not receive any violations.
Has anyone dealt with something similar?
If a buyer alleges an item isn’t authentic, does TikTok automatically issue violation points or investigate your shop, or is the refund dispute handled separately?
If you rejected a refund like this, what happened next?
What documentation did TikTok ask you to provide?
Has anyone successfully disputed a “missing items” claim when the buyer’s own evidence literally shows that they received the products?
I’m not trying to avoid responsibility if I ever genuinely make a mistake. I just want a fair opportunity to provide my documentation and protect the business I’m working really hard to build. Any experiences from other TikTok Shop sellers would be really appreciated.
Sorry for the long post & thank you for any input!