Locked
Discussions in this board are limited to the original poster and Community Mentors
Preorder Never Shipped – Refund Option Expired for Both Buyer and Seller
Summary: wydengelff sought advice on handling a preorder issue on eBay where the refund option had expired. The preorder item was never shipped due to delays from the manufacturer, causing a cooperative seller to be unable to process the refund through eBay. eastlaneave suggested using PayPal for the refund, warning about potential risks and eBay policy violations. wydengelff confirmed receiving the PayPal refund but raised a new concern about recovering VAT paid up front, as the item was not shipped. eastlaneave recommended contacting customer service for a possible VAT refund, noting eBay's assumptions about shipping in presale situations.
Hi, I’m looking for advice on how to handle an old preorder that can no longer be refunded through the usual eBay options.
I bought an item as a preorder, but the seller never received it from the manufacturer, so the item was never shipped to me.
The seller is cooperative and wants to give me a full refund. The problem is that the transaction is now too old: I can no longer open an “Item Not Received” request, and the seller says the refund option is no longer available on their side either.
There is no dispute between us — we both want to resolve this properly through eBay.
What is the correct procedure in this situation? Is there any way for the seller to issue a refund after the normal refund window has expired, or for eBay to manually process it?
Thank you for any guidance.
eastlaneave
Mentor3 weeks ago@wydengelff
There is no way for the seller to refund after 90 days.
If you trust the seller is a US or Canada-based, long-time, established eBay seller, you can provide them with your PayPal email and have them refund you that way. But be aware of future shenanigans involving your PayPal account if the seller isn't reputable.
If you are less trusting, have them snail mail you a check or money order. They already got your mailing address; you may need to provide it again.
This seller violated eBay's Pre-Sale policy, and if they mailed you a flyer or something, they are manipulating the system.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/listing-policies/presale-listings-policy?id=4252
Presale listings must guarantee that the item will be shipped within 40 business days of purchase
The date the item will be available to ship must be clearly stated in the listing
Listings must clearly indicate in the title and description that the item is being offered for presale
Handling time details should include the time it will take the seller to acquire the item, in addition to the time it will take the seller to deliver the package to the shipping carrier
Unfortunately you are beyond eBay’s Money Back Guarantee https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?id=4210
However, you can file a chargeback on your payment method, PayPal, or credit card. That goes back to eBay and your seller.
I would also report the seller
Report the seller here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/resolving-issues-sellers/report-issue-seller?id=4022
Choose
Suspicious seller activity
Other
Explain in the box that the seller violated the pre-sale policy and (if it applies) shipped you a token item that wasn't what you purchased to circumvent the requirement to ship.
wydengelff
OP3 weeks agoThank you very much for your reply. However, in my view, the advice it contains, instead of helping to resolve the issue, risks creating a conflict where there currently is none.
This is an honest seller who has 2,720 feedback ratings on his account, all of them positive. Communication with him has been smooth, and I would like to continue buying from him in the future. The problem is simply that neither he nor I had previously encountered a situation like this, where the supplier kept postponing delivery of the goods to him until it eventually became doubtful whether the goods would be delivered to the seller at all.
I understand why eBay sets a deadline after which the buyer can no longer request a refund, but I do not fully understand why the platform prevents the seller from issuing a refund when he wants to do so voluntarily.
The problem here is not the seller, who wants to return my money, but rather the lack of a solution that would allow him to do this safely within the eBay platform.
An eBay customer service representative told me via chat that, at this point, the solution would be to refund the money outside the eBay system via PayPal.
Once again, thank you very much for your interest and for your reply.
eastlaneave
Mentor2 weeks agoYes, I agree and offered that solution too.
I can't see your seller.
If they are reputable, give them your PayPal email address (venmo, cashapp, etc) for a refund.
Your seller did violate policy.
There is no need for a refund on eBay after 90 days for an order that follows policy, and it could open the system up to money laundering.
I see scammers asking for PayPal addresses often, so I am always careful with suggesting this, as it can be misused.
Sounds like you have a friendly seller.
I am sorry this happened
wydengelff
OP2 weeks agoThank you for your interest and assistance. :) The seller refunded me the cost of the item and the shipping through PayPal.
However, I have another problem. The seller is located in Australia, while I live in Poland. When I buy something on eBay from outside the EU, I pay VAT in advance. This VAT is collected in my country on imported parcels. The money does not go to the seller, but to eBay - to the service responsible for handling import charges.
Since the parcel was never shipped, the VAT was not paid to the authorities in my country. I do not know who I should contact to get this money refunded, where the money currently is, or who is holding it: eBay, PayPal, or my bank?
This is quite a significant amount, as VAT in my country is approximately 23% of the value of the item.
Thank you very much for any advice or guidance you can provide.
eastlaneave
Mentor2 weeks ago@wydengelff
I don't believe the VAT will be returned. eBay would have forwarded the VAT to Poland because on eBay's books, the item was shipped.
Did the seller mail you a token item (letter or brochure?)
wydengelff
OP2 weeks ago · EditedThe item was not shipped. In my purchase history, it is not marked as shipped; it is still shown as awaiting shipment. No tracking information ever appeared, and there was never any indication that the parcel had been dispatched.
The seller did not send me anything - no letters, brochures, or any other items.
eBay employees are aware that the item was not shipped. They reviewed my correspondence with the seller, in which the seller repeatedly confirmed that the item had not been sent. They also instructed the seller on how to issue the refund through PayPal.
eastlaneave
Mentor2 weeks ago@wydengelff
You'll have to speak with customer service again to see if they will issue a courtesy refund.
eBay assumes the item has been shipped after 30 days + handling time.
This situation is why the pre-sale rules are in place.