Buyer trying to take advantage of me
Summary: thestoreonline365 described a situation where a buyer is requesting a refund for a game, claiming it was not as described, despite evidence showing otherwise. Concerns were raised about the buyer using deceptive tactics. gurlcat, inhawaii, momtoabeautifuldaughter, and ryry-jj all advised thestoreonline365 to respond to any official return case filed by the buyer, emphasizing the importance of following eBay's rules rather than relying on verbal assurances from customer support. They warned that failing to handle the situation correctly could lead to the buyer getting a refund without returning the item.
i clearly tell people to check the pictures thoroughly when you buy and i don't offer refunds on collectibles and sports cards and stuff like that. a buyer is trying to get a full refund for this nba2k game and he's stating i sent it to him and it didn't match my photos on the listing. but you can clearly see i zoomed in the original loading and you can see that the lower right corner has a little wear to it and if you look at the photo of the person took a picture of the game inside the bubble mailer and you can clearly see that both pictures match identically and then if you look at the picture the person took of the game or if the bubble mailer you can clearly see that the lower right corner looked nothing like that when he originally opened the bubble mailer and took a picture of the item in there. i will not be taken advantage of on here because i do everything by the book and every item i sell is the exact item you get from the pictures in the listing. it looks like he used AI to create fake damage to try and get a refund. i contacted ebay and the representative looked over everything and said they will definitely close your case because the buyers claim is invalid because the item i sent him matched the photos exactly but i have to wait until September 18th to officially call them back and explain to the new representative what the other representative told me to say. any thoughts or some type of help on here. i would greatly appreciate it. 
ryry-jj
·Sep 15, 2026 at 12:40 AMIf the buyer files an INAD case you will be forced to accept the return, regardless of your policy of no returns. Once you get the item back, you send the refund, and can at that time report the buyer if you feel they are abusing the INAD reason. If you let eBay step in, it wont end well for you at all
momtoabeautifuldaughter
·Sep 15, 2026 at 12:33 AMDid they open an official eBay return case? if so that rep gave you horrible advice. If you don't respond to the case the buyer will get a refund and get to keep your item.
inhawaii
·Sep 15, 2026 at 12:13 AMYou don't set the rules, ebay sets the rules.
Your "no refund" rule means nothing.
Ebay offers all buyers a money back guarantee if they claim the item is not as described.
If the buyer is complaining about that damage to the box (it doesn't matter if he is right or wrong) you have 2 options.
A) Offer a partial refund - but you have to come to an agreement on how much.
B) Accept the return. Pay for return shipping. Refund the buyer when you get the item back.
If you deny or try to fight the return, ebay will force you to refund the buyer and will let the buyer keep the item.
Good luck!
gurlcat
·Sep 14, 2026 at 11:41 PM · EditedOkay are you saying the buyer just asked for a refund in messages, or did they file an official RETURN?
If they filed an "Item Not As Described" return, thank goodness you came here rather than take the phone rep's word for that bee ess they told you. You cannot just wait until the 18th and have the case closed in your favor. You MUST respond to the return by either issuing a return label or issuing a refund. -Obviously I recommend the label, so you can have the item back to sell again.
If you want more information just ask. We're getting tired of posting lots of information for newbie members who start a panic post and then never come back to follow up, ask/answer questions, provide updates, etc.