I cancelled a return but not sure the seller understands...
Summary: don21480 shared their experience of purchasing a handmade item that arrived incorrectly. They initiated a return through eBay, which upset the seller, leading to a misunderstanding about the return’s impact on the seller’s metrics. Other participants explained that such returns wouldn't heavily impact the seller unless frequent. don21480 acknowledged their mistake and learned that the seller's feedback would not be significantly affected. Ultimately, don21480 resolved the issue by receiving a refund and expressed hope that the seller understood there was no serious harm done.
I purchased a handmade item after positive and lengthy discussions with seller. The item that arrived was different than what we discussed. I asked the seller if I could return it for a refund and he said he would refund it but I could keep the item. I did not see any reason to keep it and thought returning it was the right thing to do. Under the impression that all transaction related info should be in the Ebay message system I initiated a return online. The seller sent me a message immediately that it was uncalled for to initiate a strike against him and hurt his business and to never contact him again. It was not a lot of money so I cancelled the return and indicated I had initiated it in error and did not want any negativity to be associated with the sellers account because he had been very helpful and agreeable until I initiated the return. Ebay live agent (virtually impossible to get to a real human) keeps telling me system will send seller an email but I can't get them to understand that I want to make sure he sees the reason the return was cancelled/closed - that it was my error thinking I had to initiate thru the system rather than just let him return my funds. Now, he is mad at me, probably won't refund my funds. Both Ebay agents I talked to did not seem to understand my concern and seemed to be reading off a screen prompt. Any advice on how to clear this up with the seller so that he knows there are no strikes or negative associations with him and his account? Also how do you chat with a live agent - would be easier for me with a hearing difficulty than phone?
simba6
·1 month agoDid you ever get the refund? Since you canceled the return you can't do any more with eBay. If you paid by credit card, contact your card company.
You were correct and did follow the right eBay steps filing the case. You should not have canceled it once filed.
Your seller should have refunded right away to avoid that. Your seller is over reacting. If they don't refund, you can leave feedback......
don21480
OP1 month agoI got the refund - all good
simba6
·1 month agoOk then it's best to just drop it and move on.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoAn item not as described claim is a minor infraction for a seller unless they have many of them or are exporting to the USA, so long as the seller resolves the claim with you and Ebay is not asked to step in.
Either the seller has many such claims, or the seller does not have a clue how Ebay works. Either is possible.
Any messages to the seller may not reach him if he added you to his blocked buyer list.
Seems to me that you should no nothing further.
don21480
OP1 month agoYes I think I've done all I can do and hopefully the seller will realize it's not a big ding on him and I did not ask Ebay to get involved before I closed the return request. Thanks!
don21480
OP1 month agoWhen closing a return one of the reasons you can check is I opened the request by mistake but I did not realize it would affect the sellers metrics. Totally my error in this and seems no way to rectify.
christworks
·1 month ago@don21480 You didn't say, but I am going to assume you selected an Item Not Described return reason rather than a remorse reason. The former can impact a seller's account, the latter does not.
Unfortunately you cannot unring the bell. The seller's account is already impacted. But, don't lose sleep over it. A single item not as described return should have little impact on their account. I've had two INAD returns opened this year. In both cases the buyers lied and I reported them. There is a lag from the time they appear on the account, reporting the buyer, and then them being removed. Even when the two INADs were impacting my account, the imact was little to none because of how eBay weighs sellers against their peers. Had eBay left them on my account, they would not impact my ability to continue to have a healthy store. You really have to be making a lot of mistakes in the same categories over and over again for INAD returns to heavily impact you.
The seller's reaction was poor. You opening a return required them to help you, so I find it odd that they would then tell you not to contact them again and they still would not issue the refund. I think the seller knew what they were doing, and they guilt tripped you into closing the return so they would not have to issue any refund at all. Again, unless they are screwing up all the time, a single INAD return should not heavily impact their account. They may have been frustrated because they thought they had worked things out with you, but at the same time if they had simply accepted returns there would not be anything to work out. You send them the item back, and they refund. No mess, no fuss.
don21480
OP1 month agoGood to know 1 ding will cause little to no harm to his account. I should have handled it differently for sure. I think he was sensitive to the request because he has perfect feedback and takes pride in his work and we just had a misunderstanding on the item so lesson learned on my part.
christworks
·1 month agoA return won't impact his feedback score. The seller will be fine. They do need to refund you if they told you they would do that. If they don't, they deserve a negative feedback. That's my two cents.
soh.maryl
·1 month agoThe item that you received was different than what you and your seller had discussed. In eBay language, that's an ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED CASE and you could've opened an NAD case within 30 days of receipt of the item, would have been sent a prepaid return label and would have gotten a refund shortly after the seller received the return. Evidently you and/or your seller didn't know about the MBG and chose to handle this the wrong way. If this has been dragged out past 30 days, you'll have to do a chargeback on your credit card. Before making any further purchases, how about reading the MBG so you'll understand your protection on eBay if/when a transactio goes wrong.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 month agoOnce you open a return- the 'reason' sticks and will NOT be removed from the Sellers Metrics even if you 'close' (cancel- you only 'CLOSE' and never cancel a return, just not a thing). Seller Metrics get a 'ding' if for reasons of 'Not As Described' as well as 'Not Received (not your issue).
So, stop worrying about it. Damage is done.