Successful Listing Fee - refundable or not?

[city*satins]

There is a disagreement on this thread:

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Buyer-and-I-ve-seen-my-share-LOL/m-p/25423445#M744142

regarding whether the Successful Listing Fee is refunded if the seller opens an unpaid item case for a Motor Vehicle sale and closes it UNPAID.

eBay policy appears to say not, and I quoted this policy and linked to it but was contradicted and told that this is untrue - the Successful Listing fee IS refunded.

Does anyone here know for sure?

[marinermikes]

This is how I understand it. If it is completely unpaid as in no deposit, it's not a sucessful listing. If the buyer pays a deposit and does not complete the transaction the final value fee applies. That's the reason that the deposit is non refundable. It's to cover that fee and other expenses incurred.

[p-360]

So, in theory, say a member bids on and wins a vehicle.  They DO pay our deposit, we DO pay the fee.  If they do NOT pay the deposit, we do NOT pay the fee.

How does Ebay know they paid that deposit?  Because it is (we assume) paid via PayPal, and they can see it in the transaction?  What if the buyer overnights you a check? 

Curious, as we have our first vehicle up right now.

[legitimate_bidder]

Mike is correct.

No payment at all, you file an Unpaid Item Dispute, just like on core Ebay, and you get your fee back.

If you get the deposit (The buyer can prove he sent it with a PayPal transaction number, or other receipt), then you keep the deposit and don't get your Ebay fee back.

[atikovi]

I get charged the listing fee when I list, whether it sells or not. If someone buys and doesn't pay, I've had Ebay issue a courtesy refund of the listing fee a few times, but don't think they have to.

[legitimate_bidder]

Ati, if you specify a deposit you can do the UID in the resolution center after 4 days, just like for any other Ebay item, if they haven't paid. I've done it many times, recently.

Of course, if it's a Buy-It-Now with "Deposit required" which makes them pay the deposit before ending the listing....then no, 'cause ya already have the deposit. Are they giving you courtesy refunds on those?

[atikovi]

Never had someone pay the deposit and not buy, but wouldn't really push it if that happened. 

[legitimate_bidder]

Really? Wow, we seem to get that several times a year- where someone'll pay the $500 deposit...and then we'll never hear from them again- or worse yet, they'll try and get their deposit back (while not ever actually having seen the vehicle or anything); and the absurdity is, that they actually can file an "Item Not Received" dispute, and we'll have to go through the motions of reminding Ebay that it was a deposit for a vehicle. They always rule in our favor of course, but how ridiculous that we have tio go through the process, and they freeze the deposit and all. I laugh when I see the dispute and it says "provide tracking number"! Yeah....we mailed the 20K lb. truck out from the local Post Office on Thursday...as soon as we received the $500 deposit!

But yeah...as long as you have the deposit, you're whole, so need need for a credit.