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Why Did eBay Allow Refund When Ad Was Specific About Damage?
Summary: tradefreak is frustrated after eBay decided to allow a full refund for headphones they sold, despite clearly mentioning damage in the listing. They outlined that the buyer initially accused them of not disclosing the information, only to later admit they had seen the details. comics-scifi-collectibles explained eBay's refund policies, emphasizing that the eBay Money Back Guarantee can override a no-return policy and suggested ways to handle return abuse. They also offered advice on appealing the case after receiving the item back.
I sold a pair of Shure headphones July 19. The "condition" section of the ad specifically said that, sonically, they worked great but that the headband was broken (hence the $19 price instead of it's average retail of $65). The buyer obviously did not read the ad at purchase or view the pics, and when he received the item he accused me of "burying" the mention of the damage in an obscure "secondary" section of the ad (which was actually the "condition" description), then later he questioned "when did that information get added?" and questioned whether the broken pics were added AFTER THE SALE !! Later he admitted, that he saw the pics of of break, and that he read the condition description which included the broken headband, but he persisted in badgering me to refund. In addition to my condition report, the description section instructed buyers specifically to "See Condition Description Above". He did not file a "case" but I just got tired of his whining messages and opened a case myself, expecting eBay to do the right thing and read our complete thread and view the ad. However, eBay did just the opposite which makes me think the person handling the case did not do any investigation of the ad or the thread before throwing out an arbitrary "we're allowing the buyer to return the item for full refund" to get it off his/her plate. It's not the money, it's the PRINCIPLE. I have nearly 1300 100% positive feedbacks and have sold dozens of professional studio items, mostly electronic, and have never had this kind of situation. This is infuriating!
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor5 days ago · Edited@tradefreak I understand that this is frustrating.
If the buyer files a refund request SAYING that the item is not as described then you need to accept the return and issue the return shipping label.
The eBay Money Back Guarantee overrules your no returns policy. No returns does not mean no refunds.
If you do not accept the return willingly then the buyer can ask eBay to step in and force a refund. You do not get your seller's fees back, you get a defect and the buyer may be allowed to keep the item.
If the buyer abuses the eBay MBG in some way then you can report them but it doesn't get your money back:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/resolving-buyer-issues/report-issue-buyer?id=4084&st=
Sellers have protection for return abuse if they offer FREE RETURN shipping on their listings OR if they are a Top Rated seller and offer 30 days or greater returns. The seller can then reduce the refund amount by up to 50% if the buyer sends a different item or somehow reduces the value of the item.
Seller protection:
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-protections?id=4345&st=12&pos=4&query=Seller%20protections&intent=seller%20protection&context=DEFAULT_SELLER
After you receive the item back you can try and appeal the case.