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Buyer kept full refund AND item, then left "Scammer" feedback. What else can I do?
Summary: truem2260 shared a difficult experience with a buyer who received a full refund for an item but never returned it, then left negative feedback calling them a scammer. Despite attempts to resolve the issue, including contacting eBay and sending a prepaid return label, the buyer was unresponsive, and eBay support was not accessible. rfmtm suggested appealing to the buyer for item return and feedback revision, while stuff4divas advised blocking the buyer and moving forward to avoid further distress. truem2260 thanked the participants for their advice and expressed intent to focus on future actions.
Hi everyone, I am feeling completely lost, hurt, and discouraged after a recent transaction, and I would really appreciate any advice or support from the community.
Here is what happened:
Mistake with Refund: A buyer requested a return. Due to my mistake with the return process buttons, a full refund was issued before the item was shipped back to me.
No eBay Support Available: I tried contacting eBay customer service right away, but I couldn't reach a live representative, so the case ended up closing.
Prepaid Return Label: Knowing I made a mistake, I purchased a prepaid shipping label out of my own pocket and messaged the buyer politely. I explained the error and asked if they would kindly drop the package off since the shipping was fully paid for. I ONLY asked for the item back—never for money.
Buyer’s Response & False Feedback: The buyer never returned the item. Instead, they recently left negative feedback calling me a "scammer" and warning others to avoid me. He claimed I was harassing him by demanding a refund (which I never did) and claimed eBay told them they don't have to return items to "scammers." but i am not a scammer, i just asking him to return it.
The buyer claims I overcharged them by selling a used item for $200, alleging a new one costs $165. This is completely unjustified:
Market Value: When listed, identical used items on eBay were around $270–$300.
Shipping Included: Considering shipping costs, $200 was a fair total price.
Original Value: The original MSRP was over $400, so I never lied about or inflated its value.
Most importantly, the price was 100% transparent. If the buyer felt it was too expensive, they simply shouldn’t have bought it. They made a conscious choice to purchase it at that price, so complaining about it after the fact makes no sense.
Current Situation:
The buyer now has $200+ item and the full refund.
I have NO item, NO money, and a damaged reputation from false accusations.
I am not a professional seller—just an individual who listed an item as a favor. Being accused of being a scammer when I lost everything in this transaction is deeply painful.
Actions I have taken so far:
Reported the buyer for abusing the return process.
Submitted a Feedback Removal request to eBay.
I just recived mail from the ebay. thay not going to remove the his feedback becasue of item desciption is not matched??? i copy and paste the description from original manufactur's instruction. buyer was asked me to refund because of this issue so i explianed and that is why i refund for him. but why i have to accept this untrue unfair feedback? i am super depressed about this situation...
What further steps should I take in this situation? I am concerned that the buyer will keep contacting me or checking out my other listings. and I dont want to see this untrue feedback. or i wish to add the my side stroy so my future buyer can do fair judrge with this feedback at least. please help me. i'd like to talk with ebay associate but i couldnt reach them.... I need help.
rfmtm
Mentor3 weeks agoAs long as you replied to the the bad feedback, buyers will see that and most will understand what happened and ignore this bad buyer's feedback.
truem2260
OP3 weeks agoRight? I hope so. 😢 thank you so much for share your thoughts. ♡♡♡
stuff4divas
Mentor3 weeks ago@truem2260 since this was a mistake in not waiting to receive the item back b4 refunding, you should move on since there is nothing you can do to change it, but u CAN learn from it. us sellers have all made mistakes and wallowing in them will only do harm to ourselves.
the buyer did not abuse the return process since you refunded without receiving the item back. sure, he is a jerk for not returning it, but it is what it is, and that's on him. better he is the scammer and not you.
as far as receiving future messages or him purchasing more from you, just block him.
you already left a reply feedback, so that is "your side of the story"
monetarily, you did not lose $200, your loss is what your cost of the item was.
move on, don't give this situation any more of your time.
truem2260
OP3 weeks agoYou're right. It was my mistake, so I put it down. According to a recommendation from a mentor here, I sent him a return label just in case, but he didn't use it, so I almost gave up.
The next day, I found bad feedback that was untrue. This was my first time experiencing a case like this, so I was really nervous and upset... But you are totally right! I will block him and move on from this situation.
However, I'm still sad that the eBay team didn't remove his negative feedback. I just hope it doesn't affect future buyers. Thank you so much for your advice. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me! :)
rfmtm
Mentor3 weeks agoSorrry, but if you messed up the Return Request and refunded without getting the item back first there is little ebay can do since ebay no longer has your money.
Then you created a return label before asking whether the buyer would use it. Hopefully you used a pay-on-use label so you won't be charged for it.
The best you can do now is to appeal to the buyer to please send you item back. Also that you feel bad enough about your mistake even without the bad feedback. If he does send it back or at least feels sorry for his premature feedback and the fact he has both your item and money whether he would consider revising his feedback. Then only if he agrees to, send him a Feedback Revision Request.
truem2260
OP3 weeks agoYes, I followed the exact standard procedure, but the website skipped the return process and went straight to the refund process, which I found strange. The refund was processed in just one day. I immediately tried to contact eBay Customer Service, but there was no way to reach them, so there was literally nothing I could do until the case was closed.
Seeing how different the process was from usual, I had no choice but to give up. Following the advice I got here, I sent the buyer a return label, but he remained completely unresponsive from the moment of purchase all the way to leaving the feedback. Just as I was about to move on, I saw his feedback and was so shocked and upset. I tried everything I could, but again, there was nothing within my power to change.
Feeling so wronged, I managed to find the reply option and left a response. However, I wasn't as polite as you had advised, so I probably lost the chance to make him feel sorry or remove the negative feedback. I simply explained the situation truthfully. Since he kept both the item and the money, I just replied that I was disappointed and deeply hurt by him calling me a scammer.
It made me even sadder to think that my emotional reaction might have made things worse. But since the reply can't be edited once posted, I've decided to just accept the situation as it is. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my story and for your warm advice.