no returns, pushy buyer
Summary: cosmicrhinoceros888 seeks advice on handling a buyer who requested a return after changing their mind about a purchase post-shipment. Despite maintaining a "no returns" policy, eBay closed the issue in the seller's favor, but the buyer continues to message, insisting on returning the item. Other participants provided insights on handling such situations, including the potential for buyers to request chargebacks or manipulate return reasons. Advice varied from refusing the return to offering partial refunds, underlining the complexities and risks sellers face with return requests.
I need some advice. I have maintained a no returns policy from the get go.
on saturday, a buyer purchased an item. this morning (monday) i mailed the item. this afternoon, the buyer appears to have changed her mind and no longer wants the item. ebay contacts me asking if i will accept the return because the buyer changed their mind. i said no.
ebay closed the issue.
the buyer is reaching out to me via messages saying she no longer wants it, changed her mind, and will send it back to me.
i am a little upset about this and also worried they are trying to pull some sort of scam.
any advice would be appreciated.
danasjunkshop
·2 weeks agoInclude "No buyers Remorse" in your no return description. This buyer will no doubt find some other reason to get a refund. The first thing you do is block the buyer. Then, do a bulk revision. Open your description with your new policy in detail. A real buyer will continue. A bum might not. Let that be your opening line. It's easy. Ebay probably will honor their protection since you have a no return policy and you provided a tracking number. Now you want to deter another remorseful buyer.
mykhailo_hut
·2 weeks agoThat uncertainty is exactly what I’m testing around.
I’ve built a short demo for eBay sellers showing what they can see once a payment dispute is open — the amount at risk, current status, what action may be needed next, relevant deadlines, and whether the key evidence looks ready.
If you’re open to it, I’d really value your honest take on whether something like this would make that stage clearer for you.
mykhailo_hut
·2 weeks agoSince eBay closed the return but a chargeback is still possible, did eBay give you any clear guidance on what evidence you should preserve now or what you’d need to do if the buyer goes to their card issuer?
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP2 weeks agothe ebay rep advised me if it comes to an attempt at chargeback, they will back me up. i told the buyer to call ebay directly should they have further questions. i guess i will find out in the next few weeks.
hartungcards
·2 weeks ago"the ebay rep advised me if it comes to an attempt at chargeback, they will back me up."
You'd be better off believing that you'll be getting a unicorn for Christmas.
mam98031
·3 weeks ago@cosmicrhinoceros888 You have nothing to be worried about. Because the buyer chose a Buyer Remorse reason, you were not required to accept the return request. Ebay backed you up on this. So there is nothing for this buyer to do now.
If for any reason the buyer goes and opens a Chargeback with their Credit Card Company [if they paid with a CC], you should win that too. Ebay should take care of it under Seller Protection.
If the buyer leaves you negative feedback, Ebay should help you get rid of that as well. But if it happens, come and tell us about it and let us assist you in getting that darn thing removed.
Chin up. You have done nothing wrong and Ebay is protecting you on this transaction.
I'm unsure as to why you think this is a "scam". Often people use that word to describe something other than what the word actually means. To get scammed means you would have to be out product or money or both. Which is NOT your concern at this point. So no scam here.
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agoThank you. I was worried. I appreciate the support.
luckiestalive
·3 weeks agoWhat I do in this situation is tell the buyer to refuse the package and have the post office return the package without opening it. That way she wont have to pay the postage back to you, (if thats an option). Then I would refund the buyer minus the shipping costs you paid to send it to them. They get the purchase price refunded and you are not out any money due to their changing of mind. Very few buyers argue with me about the shipping costs not being refunded. They know they waited until it was shipped to say anything. My opinion is they are hoping you just let them keep it and refund them too.
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agogreat idea! thanks
ruby_c_took
·3 weeks agoThis is a good suggestion. Just make sure they understand that a) they won't receive a refund for the shipping already paid to ship it to them and b) by refusing the package they'll avoid paying postage to send it back. You'll have your item back and can relist it, and you don't have to worry about the buyer not repackaging it properly. You're also safe from a potential abuse of the INAD system if the buyer doesn't have the item they didn't want. Less likely to have to worry about a feedback dispute, too.
christworks
·3 weeks ago · Edited@luckiestalive I respectufully must disagree with this advice.
@cosmicrhinoceros888 I disagree with the advice given about having the buyer refuse delivery. It sounds easy and a case where everybody wins. But, you need to consider things can go awry.
What if the package arrives back to you damaged and you cannot resell it? You then must gamble that USPS insurance will pay out and not blame you for not packing the item correctly. If the buyer got a damaged a package, they've already spent their return option.
What if the package is lost? Again, you will have to now refund the buyer and then put your trust in USPS insurance to pay a claim and not find a way to wiggle out of it.
Refused packages take much longer to get back, sometimes 3 weeks or longer. They are among the last to be placed on trucks and often get left behind because a truck is full. Do you really want to be dealing with this another three weeks, with your buyer bugging you every few days about their refund?
I presume there is a reason you do not accept returns. My guess one of the reasons is that you do not want to deal with headaches like this, and yet here you are bending your policy to appease a buyer who should not have clicked buy. If you are going to put yourself through this, you might as well accept free returns and reap the benefits of that.
You've been given a gift. I would not drag this out longer. I would direct the buyer resell it if they no longer want it.
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agonoted with thanks.
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agoThe buyer opened a return request after i shipped the item, but before she received it. the reason stated was that she "changed her mind"
eastlaneave
·3 weeks ago@sin-n-dex
It sounds like the buyer either
1) Requested to Cancel, or
2) Opened a Return Request for a remorse reason.
It's important that we know which one it was; our advice will change based on that.
If the buyer requested a cancellation and you declined, the buyer can still open a Return Request
If the buyer opened a return request for a remorse reason, and the return was closed, the only option left is a credit card chargeback.''
My advice is going to be accept the return from the buyer, but the steps will vary based on what's happened to date.
If you don't work with the buyer, they can file a credit card chargeback. If that happens, you may have to refund, plus pay a $20 fee, plus not get your item back.
dhbookds
·3 weeks ago · EditedIf ebay closed the case, that's it. Changed mind isn't a valid excuse for a refund. As I understand it, buyer can't open another case with ebay. If buyer sends back the item on their dime......you're under no obligation to refund.
But they can open one with their cc co. and if an "not as described" challenge they may win.
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agothanks to everyone here for tge advice. the buyer stated the reason fir her return is that she changed her mind. i decided to uphold my no returns policy because i had already shipped the item. the buyer has not even received the item yet.
ebay closed the return, but the buyer messaged me and reiterated she no longer wants the doll and can send it back to me.
i let her know that i already shipped it. had she reached out to me in a timely manner i would have been happy to cancel the sale, but she waited until after it had already been shipped.
i kept screenshots of everything. hopefully this will be the end of it.
christworks
·3 weeks ago@cosmicrhinoceros888 Having a no return policy does not mean any refunds. Why in the world eBay allowed the buyer to open a return when they have not even received it is just plain dumb. That misleads the buyer and obviously causes sellers like yourself stress.
What reason did the buyer use when they opened the return? That matters. If they were honest and selected changed mind or some other remorse reason, then you should be fine. eBay should have shown you a message telling you that you did not have to accept the return because it was a remorse reason.
As to whether the buyer can appeal, I don't know. If they do and eBay should ask you for a reponse, you need to respond to it and clearly state that the reason you denied it is because the buyer selected a remorse reason.
In the meantime you have an unhappy buyer. You might consider making an exception. Explain to her your policy. You can offer to refund her if she pays to ship it back. Tell her she must use tracking and provide to you the tracking number and it must be returned as you sent it. If you do this, this will be handling it outside of eBay which I think is going to be the only way to do it now that eBay has closed the return.
If the buyer selected a INAD return reason, that's a problem. Let us know if that is the case.
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agothanks to everyone here for tge advice. the buyer stated the reason fir her return is that she changed her mind. i decided to uphold my no returns policy because i had already shipped the item. the buyer has not even received the item yet.
ebay closed the return, but the buyer messaged me and reiterated she no longer wants the doll and can send it back to me.
i let her know that i already shipped it. had she reached out to me in a timely manner i would have been happy to cancel the sale, but she waited until after it had already been shipped.
i kept screenshots of everything. hopefully this will be the end of it.
shire123
·3 weeks ago@cosmicrhinoceros888 While it would be nice to not have to deal more with this a lot will depend on how much the buyer pushes on this. Once they get the item, they can change the return to "not as described" and then you are going to have to accept the return or lose the money and the item. And that is even if the buyer lies about the "not as described"
Crazy, I know, but that is how ebay works with the 30 day money back guarantee for buyers even with "no returns" sellers.
Or they could possibly go back to their payment source and try a charge back.
Here's hoping you are done with it.
christworks
·3 weeks ago@shire123 Are you sure a buyer can change the return reason? My understanding is that once the return is closed, that's it.
I recently had a buyer open a return and lie about the reason. I told her if she moved forward with the return under that reason her account would be reported for buyer abuse. I also told her if she now realized she mistakenly selected the wrong resaon she could close it and re-open it using the correct reason. The buyer did that but they were not allowed to re-open it.
ruby_c_took
·3 weeks agoAn INAD isn't the same as a refund request, or at least it used to be a separate process. If it still is, I don't know if you can open one after a refund has been refused, so you may be safe.
christworks
·3 weeks ago@ruby_c_took But an INAD isn't a refund request. It is a return. You can select an INAD reason or a remorse reason. So far as I know both are treated the same.
Many buyers have come here upset that seller's have tricked them into closing the return, then they cannot reopen it.
If a buyer to simply open a new return under another reason, it would defeat the whole purpose of eBay closing out returns when buyers fail to send items back, regardless of the reason they selected.
ruby_c_took
·3 weeks agoGood to know. I haven't as a buyer had to open one in a long time, and I mean a long time, and the last time I did the current return system wasn't in place. I think then it was treated separately but since they've streamlined the return process I'm glad to hear that it's integrated. Like you said, that only makes sense.
mr_lincoln
·3 weeks ago · EditedHi @cosmicrhinoceros888
We've seen this before from time to time where a Buyer starts a return or asks for a refund before the item is ever delivered. None of that should be allowed until delivery is confirmed. Anyway, I am going to tag some other members who may have some insights for you. I will say though that the DEFAULT No return poilcy you use is not a guarantee against returns or refunds. Normally, if you decline certain return requests ebay can be asked to step in by the Buyer and you are forced to refund in full and the Buyer gets to keep the item. I hope that does not happen to you in this instance.
@comics-scifi-collectibles @eastlaneave
Would either of you be able to shed some light on this situation ...
cosmicrhinoceros888
OP3 weeks agothe part that irks me is that this buyer easily could have reached out to me on sunday, before i shipped it. i gladly would have cancelled the sale.
sin-n-dex
·3 weeks agoI've had people wait until I ship to cancel because they know I don't want the item back and think I'll refund and let them keep it. Thing is, I'm not fast, and often I'm shipping the day after I mark it shipped, sometimes the package is in the mailbag in my car all day before I get to drop it off. So most of the time this wouldn't work because I'd just pull the package and refund their money.