Return request closed without refund despite proof of replica item and impossible return from India
Hi eBay Community,
My return request (Order: 11-13980-54285, Return ID: 5309525577) was closed without refund because I couldn't ship the item back.
Reasons:
- The item is a replica/not as described (proof photos with MX20 marking).
- Return is impossible from India (prepaid DHL label not accepted at any counters, no booking number – proof attached).
- Seller refused cooperation (last email attached: "this is our last email").
I explained everything in the messages with proofs, but the request was closed automatically.
Please advise how to reopen or escalate this case for refund under Käuferschutz policy.
Thank you!
21 comments
krazzykats
·8 months agoI’d reach out to my funding source next and initiate a chargeback. You probably won’t recover any of the forwarding costs but give it a try and see if you can get some of your money back.
á“šá˜á—¢
krazzykats
·8 months agoReturn it yourself if you want a refund or toss it if it’s not worth the hassle or cost and try to avoid doing business like this in the future.
á“šá˜á—¢
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoThank you for the continued replies.
I fully understand eBay's policy: sellers are only required to provide a return label for the country/region they originally shipped to (in my case, Germany warehouse via forward2me). This protects the seller in standard cases.
However, my case is different and highlights a serious loophole in eBay policy that harms buyers:
1. The item is proven replica/not as described (MX20 marking photos attached – not original Nokia parts). eBay policy allows refund without return in replica/counterfeit cases, but forwarding exclusion overrides it even with strong proof.
2. My total cost was over 100 EUR for a single loudspeaker worth maximum 10 EUR:
- Full lot purchase (seller refused to sell only the loudspeaker)
- Forward2me forwarding fee
- FedEx shipping fee
- Customs duty in India
I had no choice but to buy the full lot and use forwarding because:
- Seller does not ship directly to India (international listing limitation)
- Only this seller had the Nokia 3250 loudspeaker I needed
3. eBay policy assumes "item could be changed during forwarding" and voids protection – but eBay does not ask the seller for proof that the item was genuine when shipped to forward2me warehouse.
- Why is the burden of proof only on the buyer?
- If eBay suspects tampering, why not require sellers to provide evidence (stock photos, serial numbers, warehouse shipping proof) that the original item was genuine?
This loophole allows sellers to send replicas/fakes knowing that forwarding voids buyer protection. Sellers see a forward2me address and understand the buyer will forward to another country – they exploit this to sell non-original items as genuine.
eBay should urgently address this unfairness:
- Require sellers to provide proof of original item in replica + forwarding disputes.
- Remove forwarding exclusion when replica/not as described proof is strong.
- Make valid return labels for all countries mandatory in international listings, or reimburse return shipping when seller-provided label is invalid.
Please escalate this policy feedback to eBay. This is not just my case – it affects many international buyers.
Thank you for your time and understanding.
klhmdg
·8 months ago@sunsi7522
What you are requesting will never happen.
Policy is what it is and because you use a 3rd party to forward items to you, you are not covered.
Now that you know this either buy only from sellers who will ship to you directly or take your chance and continue as you are.
What you feel is fair or not doesnt matter.
Many sellers would like to be able to block selling to customers who use these forwarding companies but eBay doesnt allow it. So the seller is stuck and also feels it is unfair.
Lifes not fair.
gone.c-33
·8 months agoYou’re the one who instigated the loophole by introducing a third party to the transaction.
gone.c-33
·8 months agoeBay isn’t going to change their policy because you don’t understand them.
One last time: PayPal DOES NOT make sellers pay for return shipping on items not as described disputes. YOU need to buy a return label YOURSELF and ship the item back to get a refund. DID YOU SEND THE ITEM BACK YET?
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoThank you for your replies.
The real issue is this: eBay policy voids buyer protection (Käuferschutz) when using third-party forwarding (like forward2me), even if the item is proven replica/fake (MX20 marking photos attached – not original parts).
This means:
- Even if the item is fake/not as described, eBay does not help the buyer.
- The buyer is forced to buy a return label himself and ship the item back at his own cost.
- The seller gets full protection – he can send fake items knowing that forwarding voids the buyer's protection.
Sellers see a forward2me address and immediately understand the buyer will forward to his country. They know eBay policy will void protection, so they send replica/fake items labeled as original. The seller faces no risk, the buyer loses everything.
This is a major weakness in eBay policy: it protects sellers who send fake items and harms buyers who have no choice but to use forwarding (because many sellers do not ship to all countries like India).
eBay should fix this:
1. Remove forwarding exclusion in replica/not as described cases when proof is strong.
2. Make it mandatory for sellers in international listings to provide valid return labels for all countries (DHL Express International or equivalent).
I have filed PayPal dispute (Case ID: PP-R-RFB-613810661) because return is impossible (DHL Paket label not valid in India – DHL India confirmed).
Please provide feedback to eBay on this policy loophole.
Thanks!
12345jamesstamps
·8 months agoYou could have paid yourself to ship the item back.
Just because a return label doesn't work it doesn't mean you cannot return the item back with tracking to the seller.
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoThank you for your replies.
The item is replica/not as described (MX20 marking photos attached – not original Nokia parts). This is the main reason for refund under Käuferschutz.
The DHL Paket label is Germany local/postal type (tracking starts with 003404...), not DHL Express International. DHL India confirmed on call that it is not accepted in India for drop-off/pickup (they said contact DHL Paket Germany).
eBay policy allows forwarding, but seller/eBay should have provided a valid India return label (DHL Express International) since I shipped to India via forward2me.
Seller refused cooperation (last email attached: "This is our last email").
I have filed PayPal dispute (Case ID: PP-R-RFB-613810661) as return was impossible.
Please help escalate for refund without return.
Thanks!
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoThank you all for your replies.
I see a major loophole in eBay policy that is harming buyers.
eBay voids Käuferschutz protection when using third-party forwarding (like forward2me), because "the item could be tampered with". But in my case, the item is replica/not as described (MX20 marking photos attached – not original Nokia parts). Even with strong replica proof, forwarding exclusion applies – this seems unfair.
Additionally, sellers only ship to Europe/Germany. Buyers have to use forward2me because sellers do not ship to India. eBay should make it mandatory for international listings:
- Sellers must provide valid return labels (DHL Express International) for all countries.
- Or remove forwarding exclusion in replica/not as described cases when proof is strong.
What is happening now:
Sellers see forward2me address and understand the buyer will forward to their country. They know eBay policy voids protection in forwarding cases, so they send fake/replica items. Sellers are protected, buyers lose.
Please provide feedback to eBay:
1. Make valid return labels for all countries mandatory in international listings.
2. Remove forwarding exclusion in replica cases with strong proof.
I have filed PayPal dispute (Case ID: PP-R-RFB-613810661).
Thanks!
gone.c-33
·8 months agoTampering could include replacing the item with a counterfeit one.
The listing was NOT an international listing, it was a domestic one. The seller is allowed to choose where they ship and where they don’t ship.
YOU used a loophole by having your purchase forwarded to a country the seller doesn’t ship to and involving a third party in your transaction, thus voiding your buyer protection. The only way to avoid these hurdles is to shop from sellers who ship directly to your country or via eBay international shipping which handles the forwarding and allows buyers to keep their protection.
You keep saying you opened a PayPal case, have you sent the item back to the seller yet?
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoThank you all for your replies.
I understand eBay policy voids protection in third-party forwarding cases because "the item could be tampered with". But this argument is not practical:
- Forward2me type companies only forward packages – they do not open and replace items. Their business is based on forwarding fees, not tampering. If they did that, their entire business would collapse.
- The item is replica/not as described (MX20 marking photos attached – not original). If it's replica, it was replica before forwarding – tampering is not the issue.
The real problem is:
- Sellers see forward2me address and know the buyer will forward to their country.
- They know eBay policy voids protection in forwarding cases.
- So they send fake/replica items labeled as original – because buyer loses protection.
- eBay should make valid return labels for all countries mandatory in international listings, or remove forwarding exclusion in replica cases with strong proof.
This policy protects sellers and harms buyers – it is causing loss of trust in eBay.
Please provide feedback to eBay on this.
PayPal dispute filed (Case ID: PP-R-RFB-613810661).
Thanks!
jonathanbrightlight
·8 months agoIt's not an argument. It's simply a statement of fact. That is eBay's policy, it cannot be overruled or changed, and you need to know going forward that you are not covered by the eBay Money Back Guarantee if you use a forwarding service.
No one responding to this thread can "provide feedback to eBay on this". You can, by using the ? button on any eBay page, but I don't expect you'll get any response or change, because this is a policy that was created for a good reason. Not only can sellers not guarantee that you'll receive what you order when another party (the forwarder) is taking responsibility for the package you receive, but they cannot and should not be expected to pay for international return shipping when they shipped an item domestically.
It sounds like you need to re-evaluate your purchasing process.
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoThe seller is only required to pay return shipping from where they shipped the item.
Just because you had it forwarded to India, doesn't mean the seller should pay return shipping from there.
With Pay Pal, you'll have to pay all the return shipping charges.
gone.c-33
·8 months agoI didn’t say it wasn’t allowed. eBay does allow buyers to use freight forwarders. But since it’s impossible to know what happen to the item (for example, how it may be repackaged) after the initial delivery, eBay doesn’t extend protection to items that were reshipped by a third party:
“Not covered:
Source
For the seller, this was a domestic transaction, they only had to provide domestic shipping back.
Now that you have opened a claim with PayPal, eBay is out of the picture (not that eBay claims can be re opened anyway). And when filing a claim with PayPal, the buyer is responsible for shipping back to the seller.
gone.c-33
·8 months agoUsing a freight forwarder voids your Money Back Guarantee, but even if it didn’t, the seller is only responsible for return shipping from the address the item was originally sent to.
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoधनà¥à¤¯à¤µà¤¾à¤¦ gone.c-33 जी आपके ओपिनियन के लिà¤à¥¤
eBay पॉलिसी में forwarding service यूज करना allowed है (eBay Help पेज पर "International shipping via forwarder" मेंशन है)।
मà¥à¤–à¥à¤¯ समसà¥à¤¯à¤¾ ये है कि सेलर/eBay ने रिटरà¥à¤¨ के लिठवैलिड इंडिया लेबल (DHL Express International) नहीं दिया – सिरà¥à¤« जरà¥à¤®à¤¨à¥€ लोकल DHL Paket लेबल दिया, जो à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤ में काम नहीं करता (DHL India ने कनà¥à¤«à¤°à¥à¤® किया)।
इसलिठreturn impossible हो गया, और आइटम replica à¤à¥€ है (MX20 marking proof)।
PayPal dispute à¤à¥€ फाइल कर दिया है (Case ID: PP-R-RFB-613810661)।
कà¥à¤¯à¤¾ कोई सलाह है कि eBay पर केस दोबारा कैसे खà¥à¤²à¤µà¤¾ सकता हूà¤?
kensgiftshop
·8 months ago@sunsi7522
The return wasn't impossible.
ryry-jj
·8 months agoExplain more the DHL label not being accepted....was it a fake label?
sunsi7522
OP8 months agoThank you rayri-jj ji for your reply.
No, the label is not fake – it is the genuine prepaid DHL return label from eBay (tracking number: 00340434317658927024). But it is DHL Paket type, which is for Germany local/postal service (Deutsche Post DHL Paket).
DHL India customer care confirmed on call that DHL Paket labels are not accepted in India for drop-off/pickup (they said contact DHL Paket, which is German postal service).
Therefore, I could not drop the label at DHL counter.
Seller/eBay did not provide an international DHL Express label for India return – they gave only Germany local Paket label (because delivery address was in Germany via forward2me). But I used forwarding service to ship to India (allowed on eBay policy), so seller should have provided a valid India return label (DHL Express International).
This made return practically impossible.
The item is replica (MX20 marking photos attached – not original Nokia parts).
Seller refused further cooperation ("This is our last email" attached).
Please help reopen the case and approve refund.
Thank you!
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoIf you used a freight forwarder located in Germany, the seller only has to provide return shipping from there.
You have to ship the item back to the freight forwarder in Germany, then the return label could be used.