Help! Only two days to Refund / Problem with Return

[antflan77]

   Okay, I brought this up earlier in the week, now I have a new question. Customer said their Hi8 tapes wouldn't play in my camcorder I sold them, but they are not compatible with it. Anyways, he said "I put numerous tapes in, but I couldn't get the tracking right on any of them". Return request was automatically approved because he said it was defective. Now, I received it back today in a different box and the crappiest packing material. I plug it in and IT DOES NOT WORK AT ALL. Not the camera, not the playback, nothing. When I put a tape in, it just makes a grinding noise and flashes a message saying D.End/Eject. It won't play FF, REW, nothing. So my questions:

Will Ebay / FB get back to me in time before I have to do the refund? Do they work on weekends?

Shall I just do the refund, then try to fight this? I don't want to run afoul and ruin things for myself, but I also don't feel like being treated like a pinata.

I'm so "gosh darn angry" about this. Customer obviously completely screwed this thing up and it's basically worthless and I'm furious that I'm supposed to refund his original shipping too?

By the way, I went to Facebook and posted a comment there as the blue "message" button didn't do anything when I pushed it, so hopefully I'll get a private message as I saw others get on that page.

[ebooksdiva]

What is there to fight? Clearly the camera is defective. My guess is something happened to it in transit to your buyer. You the seller are responsible to get the item to the buyer in the condition stated in the listing.
Your only recourse now is to refund. Because quite frankly, asking eBay to do something will go in the buyers favor, giving you a defect for not handling your business yourself. 
Sorry,  but that is how it will play out. 

[antflan77]

 Now the camera is defective, it wasn't before. I won't let the 2nd day arrive before I refund him, but I reported the buyer and also clicked the "report a problem" with the return. If I get screwed over, I at least want to go down swinging.

I listed both items 1) that he misused the return (by saying it was defective, when he actually bought the wrong camera) and 2) that he damaged the camera and can no longer sell it.

[antflan77]

Edit: For anyone who would like to know how this ended up; I spent 3 hours and 15 minutes on and off (answer, wait, reply, wait) chatting with the Ebay person on Facebook. Ebay decided to refund the customer's money themselves. I basically ended up paying the $12.00 return shipping, but I wasn't going to raise a fuss about that. To me the time spent was worth it, not for the $76 I saved, but winning in principle.

[mam98031]

It more than likely got damaged by the buyer when they tried to get tapes the wrong size to work in the camera.  They may have been less than gentle in this process.

[mam98031]

Make sure you read this policy fully so you make sure you understand what is available to you and what isn't.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115

What to do if an item is returned used or damaged

Once you receive the item back, you need to refund the buyer. However, if the item has been used, altered or damaged, it may be appropriate to deduct an amount from the buyer's refund to cover the loss in the item's value.

If the return is eligible, you'll see the option to deduct a specific amount or a percentage when you refund the buyer through the return request. Once you've sent the refund, we'll keep the return open for up to 10 days so that we can help the buyer if they ask us to step in, but because you're protected there's nothing more for you to do.

See our seller protections for full details of eligibility and how we protect you in these situations. Keep in mind that you're not eligible for fee credits when you deduct from the buyer's refund for a return that was used, altered or damaged, and you’ll no longer see this option if eBay steps in to help with the return.

How to deduct from the buyer's refund when the item is returned in a different condition

If you qualify to deduct an amount from the buyer's refund:

1. Find the item in your Returns dashboard.
2. Select Report Problem or Refund Now and enter the reason for the deduction.
3. On the next screen, select the percentage you want to deduct from the refund amount (see our guidelines below).
4. Add a comment explaining why the refund isn't full.
5. Select Refund now.

Guidelines for how much to deduct from the refund

Here are some guidelines to help you determine how much to deduct from the buyer's refund.

Condition of return	Refund deduction guidance
Excellent condition: Unused, undamaged, or unaltered All items included in the original package Factory or vacuum seal must not be broken/opened (if applicable) Original tags included & attached (where applicable) Must include provided certificates of authenticity, grading, or appraisal	No deductions
Good condition: Missing original packaging Factory or vacuum seal is broken/opened, but the item is still in its original condition Original tags included but unattached	5%–10% deduction
Fair condition: Missing parts Some signs of wear or use Item has been installed Item has been registered or user has not logged out of the device's account, and it cannot easily be set back to factory settings Original tags missing	15%–30% deduction
Poor condition: Significant signs of wear, or significantly different than how it was shipped to the buyer Missing essential parts Item is damaged, scratched, defective, or requires service or repair  Missing provided certificates of authenticity, grading, or appraisal Opened items that cannot be resold (perishables, liquor, makeup)  Sold multiple items but the buyer didn’t return all of them	35%–50% deduction

Misuse of this protection

Sellers may only deduct an amount from the buyer's refund in order to recover lost value when an item is returned used, altered or damaged. Sellers may not use this protection to recoup market losses on items returned in the same condition or recoup return postage and/or restocking costs.

See the Seller protections abuse policy for more examples of activity that we don't allow.