Communicating with buyers and answering visitors' questions
A visitor interested in one of your products can contact you by sending you a message.
Make sure your answer is clear and precise, as you can only reply once.
To access and reply to these messages, log in to your account and click on My received questions in the Messages section.
Here’s a tip:
Respond as quickly as possible! If the buyer doesn’t receive a quick response, he may lose interest in your product, or find an alternative with another seller.
Customer satisfaction is our priority.
It’s important that you communicate well with your buyers:
- Reassure them of any doubts, questions or comments they may have about your products.
- Keep them informed about the dispatch of their orders.
- Remind them to rate you as soon as possible, so that you get paid as soon as possible!
To contact a buyer, go to your Rakuten account.
Then click on All my sales, then on the order number in question, and finally click on Order tracking for the item.
On this page, you’ll find all the messages you’ve exchanged with the buyer of the item, both before and after the order.
You can also reply automatically to your messages. To do so, go to the dedicated webservice.
After a sale, your customers may leave you comments. These are very important, as they give buyers an idea of the quality of your product and the customer experience you offer.
To access them, log in to your account and click on Latest customer comments in the Sales section.
Please note:
If you don’t agree with one of the comments, or if you see an abusive message directed at you, go to the section entitled A note seems unjustified on our help page.
Managing a non-conforming order
In accordance with the applicable regulations, a product is considered to be non-conforming if it does not correspond to the description you have given in your ad or your product sheet, if it does not allow the use or does not present the qualities that the buyer can legitimately expect, or if it does not correspond to the characteristics on which you have agreed with the buyer.
For example, a product will be considered non-conforming on the Rakuten platform if it falls into one of the following sub-categories:
- Out of order
- Physically damaged
- Different (e.g. color)
- Incomplete (e.g. missing accessories)
- Empty parcel
Once the buyer has indicated that he has received a non-conforming parcel, you have 3 days to respond and propose an amicable solution, such as a discount or the return of the item.
Please note: in some cases, you may not benefit from an amicable phase (you’re on vacation, your MQS is too low, a previous complaint has already been opened for the same item, etc.).
If the problem remains unresolved after this time, Customer Service will intervene and investigate with you and the buyer. It will then decide whether to issue a refund, return the item or reject the claim.
It’s important to respond to complaints! If you do not reply within 3 days, Customer Services may cancel the sale.
To propose a discount, log into your account and click on All my sales.
You can then propose a discount directly from the Order Tracking page.
Please note that you cannot offer a discount in the following cases:
– If the buyer has opened a retraction request
– If you’ve been paid but have no money left in your wallet
– If your wallet is blocked
– The discount cannot exceed 50% of the item’s value.
Note:
The Offer a discount link is available at all times, and is not activated only to follow up a claim.
The return of an item can be decided by you and the buyer during the amicable phase, or by Customer Services if it has been deemed necessary.
To find out more, go to Managing a return on our Help page.
Managing an order that has not been received
A product is considered as not received if it falls into one of the following sub-categories:
- Parcel blocked in transit
- Parcel delivered to the wrong address
- Package lost
- Package returned to sender
- Delivery dispute (delivery indicated as delivered but not received by buyer)
The “non-receipt” dispute may concern all delivery methods.
As a reminder, the different non-prepaid shipping methods are :
- Normal (tracking number not mandatory)
- Tracked (with tracking number and without signature on receipt)
- Registered (with tracking number and signature on receipt), mandatory for all items over €200
- Express (24h delivery with tracking number – reserved for pro sellers, optional)
The various prepaid shipping methods are :
- So Colissimo (with tracking number, with or without signature on receipt)
- Chronopost (with tracking number and signature on receipt)
- Mondial Relay (with tracking number and signature on receipt)
You must always respect the delivery method to which you have committed yourself, or propose a superior delivery method (e.g.: Tracked instead of Normal).
Once the buyer has indicated that he has not received his parcel, Customer Services will contact you. You must confirm shipment within 48 hours by providing the following information:
– Tracking number (not mandatory for Normal delivery mode)
– Shipment date
– Carrier name
You then have 2 days to provide proof of delivery if your parcel has been shipped, or to ship the parcel if this has not yet been done.
If you do not reply within 48 hours, the sale may be cancelled.
Note: In the case of registered mail, you can dispute delivery up to 72 hours after delivery.
Tip:
Make sure you have your parcel forwarded, as you risk not being reimbursed if you don’t receive your order.
If you have provided proof that the parcel has been sent, but the buyer still indicates that he or she has not received it, the buyer has 5 to 7 days to provide you, by e-mail, with a number of items (declaration on honor, proof of identity, proof of address, complaint).
On receipt of the various elements, Customer Services will contact you to inform you that a claim must be made against the carrier. Finally, you have 25 days to return to Customer Services with the findings of the investigation, which will determine whether or not a refund should be made.
Handling a retraction
This category covers cases where buyers wish to exercise their right of withdrawal, i.e. cancel the sales contract and obtain a refund.
If the buyer has expressed his or her wish to cancel within 14 days of receiving the item, you may not refuse it under any circumstances.
In accordance with the General Terms and Conditions of Use, withdrawal does not apply to :
- audio or video recordings or computer software which have been unsealed by the Buyer after delivery ;
- Products made to the Buyer’s specifications or clearly personalized;
- Products likely to deteriorate or expire rapidly;
- Products which have been unsealed by the Buyer after delivery and which cannot be returned for reasons of hygiene or health protection;
- Products which, after delivery and by their nature, are indissociably mixed with other Products; newspapers, periodicals or magazines, except for subscription contracts to such publications;
- The company’s products and services are available in a wide range of formats, and are available in a wide range of formats, and are available in a wide range of formats, and are available in a wide range of formats, and are available in a wide range of formats;
to the supply of a digital content not provided on a material support whose execution began after prior express agreement of the Buyer and express renunciation to its right of retraction.
There are two scenarios for handling retractions, if :
- The item has not yet been received
- The item has been received
1. Item has not yet been received
Once the order has been placed, the buyer may cancel it within the first hour.
Once this period has elapsed, the buyer may contact you directly by message or contact Customer Service to express his/her wish to cancel.
An e-mail will then be sent directly to you, asking you not to dispatch the order. If you do not reply within 3 days, the order will be cancelled and reimbursed.
You can find all your exchanges directly in Order Tracking from the All my sales section of your Rakuten account:
There are 2 possible scenarios:
- You did not ship the order: inform Customer Service, who will cancel and refund the order. To do so, click here.
- You have already dispatched the order: inform Customer Services of the tracking number and date of dispatch. The buyer will then be informed that the item has already been dispatched and that he/she should refuse it on delivery or return it to you after receipt.
2. The item has already been received
The buyer has a period of 14 days following receipt of the order in which to make a cancellation request.
Withdrawals are notified directly by e-mail. The buyer must refuse the item on delivery or retract after receipt. With certain exceptions, the buyer is responsible for return shipping costs, as indicated in the section entitled “Cancelling an order“.
The item must be returned complete, with all accessories and documents, and in the same packaging in which it was shipped. If the item is reproducible (CD, DVD, video game, software, etc.), it must still be sealed.
The buyer then has 14 days to ship the item. If the buyer has not confirmed shipment of the item within 14 days, the retraction is rejected.
In order for the refund to be validated, a valid tracking number must always be provided to Customer Service.
To find out more, go to our Help page and click on Manage a return.
Managing a return
One or more items may be returned to you after an order has been dispatched. This may concern :
- a complaint about a non-conforming product
- A retraction by the buyer
- An undelivered parcel returned to sender without any refusal action on the part of the buyer.
The return of an item may be decided by you and the purchaser during the amicable phase, or by Customer Service if it considers this to be necessary.
The refund of the purchase may be triggered in accordance with the provisions of the General Terms and Conditions of Use, the Special Terms and Conditions applicable to Professional Sellers and the applicable regulations. For security reasons and to enable you to check the condition of a product returned to you, a 48-hour delay may be observed as soon as the parcel is delivered, depending on its price.
Please note:
If the returned product is damaged, please notify Customer Service immediately!
Unlike returns for non-conforming items, a valid tracking number must always be provided to Customer Service for the refund to be validated, regardless of the amount.
Amounts over €200 are refunded once the item has been returned to you. For security reasons and to enable you to check the condition of the product, a 48-hour delay is observed once the parcel has been delivered, before the buyer is reimbursed.
Please note:
If the returned product is damaged, please notify Customer Service immediately!
If you receive the parcel as a return, you must inform Customer Services so that they can organize the return shipment. If you are unable to return the item, please also state this.
If the buyer no longer wants the item and requests a refund, he or she will be reimbursed. Please wait for Customer Service to reply before sending the item back.
In the case of a return, the buyer will send the order to the address indicated on your account. It is important that this address is up to date! If you wish the return to be made to another address, let the buyer know directly.
To configure your contact details, go to your Rakuten account, then fill in the information in the Shipping and Pro Package section of the Account Settings category.
