SHORT EXPLANATION: For listings with Authenticity Guarantee where the seller accepts returns, the buyer will automatically be refunded the entire item price plus original shipping even in buyer's remorse cases (e.g. item doesn't fit, changed mind, bought by mistake, just didn't like it), even though eBay policy clearly states that, in buyer's remorse cases, the seller isn't obligated to refund the original shipping fee.
DETAILED EXPLANATION: I sold a $1,000 jacket with $48.50 for postage and insurance (the actual fee was slightly higher due to the weight, size, and high value). The item had Authenticity Guarantee, so it went through an authenticator. Authenticator said all was good, and the item went to the buyer. The buyer then opened a return case stating that it didn't fit. The return case clearly stated that the REQUESTED AMOUNT for the return was just the item price of $1,000.
But when the item was returned, it had to go through the authenticator again, which I like, since this guarantees that the buyer can't get away with pulling a switch. The problem, however, is that the authenticator becomes the one who determines the refund, which technically means this is a "case." And when a refund is decided by eBay in a case, the buyer is refunded every penny, including the original shipping fee, regardless of reason for return.
Now, in situations where the buyer and seller can't come to an agreement about the refund, and the issue gets escalated so that eBay has to mediate, it makes sense that a decision in the buyer's favor would result in a full refund of the item price and original shipping. However, this is not technically a mediation "case," since the buyer opened a return request with a specific requested amount for the refund (in this case, $1,000), and I, the seller, agreed to that amount, and neither of us had any issues with this agreement.
So basically, eBay forced themselves into the middle of the return process, labeled this intrusion a "case," then decided to disregarded the agreed upon refund amount by refunding the original shipping as well.
Of course, I called eBay and presented my argument. I spoke with an agent in the Returns Department who then transferred me to the Authentication Department--which I believe is separate from the actual authenticator themselves, since that is a third-party company. The agent in the Authentication Department basically listened to my logic, then wholesale dismissed it all, saying that this is technically a "case," and so the seller loses everything. Then he did what many eBay reps do in similar situations: he blamed me for accepting returns at all.
ADVICE TO SELLERS: Even if you're a Top-Rated Seller (TRS) and qualify for the TRS discount on Final Value Fees, don't bother. The potential loss and stress just isn't worth that measly discount. With all of your listings that have an Authenticity Guarantee, make sure to revise them so that you don't accept returns. This way, once it's authenticated, it's guaranteed not to be returned for any reason. Yes, the buyer can still make a return request, but the seller can reject it.
If you're a TRS and want the 10% discount off the FVF, then you're required to not only have a 30-day return window, you also have to pay for return shipping labels yourself. And now since every authenticated return is technically a "case" mediated by eBay, you're guaranteed to lose the original shipping cost as well, regardless of reason for return. That's too much of a loss every time a buyer returns. Just too high of a risk.
My advice is to go through all your Authenticity Guarantee listings and make them all FINAL SALE items with no returns. Once you do that, there's no longer any reason to try to meet all the other requirements for the TRS discount, so, for instance, you can change the handling time to more than just one day.
