Refund Issued Without Return: What Can Sellers Expect from eBay?
The buyer didn’t initiate a return request and instead filed a dispute, which they won. eBay has now issued a refund to the buyer, and I’ve submitted an appeal.
My questions are:
1. Will eBay require the buyer to return the item or provide a shipping label for the return?
2. What safeguards does eBay have in place to prevent sellers from being defrauded in situations like this?
If the item isn’t returned and the appeal fails, I’m considering filing a report with the buyer’s local police department to recover my property. Is that a reasonable next step?
32 comments
roccotacodad54
·10 months ago"If the item isn’t returned and the appeal fails, I’m considering filing a report with the buyer’s local police department to recover my property. Is that a reasonable next step?"
As far as the police recovering your property. Most police departments won't even take fingerprints in a burgulary or car theft. They are mostly underfunded and understaffed. I think an eBay transaction gone sideways would be waaaaay down the list of importance to them. Sure they'll take a report to make you feel good but unless you are someone with sway over them (Mayor, Senator, Govenor etc.) that's all I would realistically expect considering...............................
reallynicestamps
·10 months agoRemember that you can have a No Returns policy but you cannot have a No Refunds policy.
If the buyer had gone to eBay first, you could have demanded the Return before refunding on arrival, in spite of your No Returns policy.
But the default is that , whatever else happens, you never want to see the item again.
This makes sense for sellers of breakables like glass. The seller doesn't want to pay for shipping a box of shards. A photo is just fine.
A very small comfort-- when you file your taxes this year, the loss on this sale is deductible.
short_circuit.lineman61
·10 months agoNo returns is exactly what you asked for
albertabrightalberta
·10 months ago@mishimaya
Several responses have asked you what the reason for the chargeback was and you've responded to other questions but haven't answered that one.
It's been a long time since I've had a chargeback filed but IIRC, when a buyer files a claim with their credit card company/payment source, you get notification of the chargeback.
And in that notification, you have the opportunity to respond. Depending on the reason given by the buyer, you may have seller protection.
You don't have protection against NAD (not as described) but there might be the opportunity for you to respond to the chargeback and click to pay return shipping. Then, if the buyer doesn't return the item, you don't have to issue a refund. (Not sure if this is still the process though.)
@mishimaya
Please tell us the reason the buyer claimed.
Another suggestion I'd make (since you don't have anything to lose by doing it) is to send a message to the buyer asking why they didn't open a return request. Let them know you would have accepted it had they contacted you and made the request.
It might be to your benefit to revise your return policy to accept returns, either with you paying return shipping or with the buyer paying. Understand that if the buyer opened a NAD request, you're stuck paying return shipping and issuing a full refund when you receive the return.
mishimaya
OP10 months agoReason - The item doesn't match the description in your listing
One of the automatically filled‑in features on the eBay listing does not apply to the product I’m selling, and the buyer was understandably unhappy about that. It seems that when I scan the barcode and publish the listing, some details are pre‑populated by eBay. I realize I need to review those details more carefully, though when I’m listing multiple items at once it’s not always feasible to catch every discrepancy.
bonjourami
·10 months agoDid the buyer file a case on Ebay first, or just go right to their cc?
mishimaya
OP10 months agoWent right to CC
gurlcat
·10 months agoSo when they realized it didn't match, then they looked again and saw: "Seller does not accept returns" -that is why you didn't get your item returned. Change your return policy if you don't want this to keep happening.
meme6253
·10 months agoUnfortunately that appeal cost you an extra $20, Which you will not be able to do anything about, ebay is no longer involved, No recovery of item or $ amount.
mam98031
·10 months agoThat isn't a fee for appealing a Chargeback. That is a fee charged if you dispute a Chargeback and lose. So that can be the initial outcome of a Chargeback and not an appeal.
gurlcat
·10 months agoEven though there is nothing eBay can do about a credit card's decision the Seller Protection you mentioned is when eBay pays for the chargeback out of their own pocket rather than yours.
We can't advise you on whether you could get that protection, without you answering the question numerous people here have asked: What was the buyer's stated reason for doing the chargeback? Did they claim they didn't make the charge? Did they claim the item never arrived? Did they claim it arrived damaged? Did they claim it was not as described in your listing?
Also, what was the return policy you had on the listing? No returns, buyer pays return shipping, or seller pays return shipping (AKA "free returns")?
pickapaper
·10 months ago@mishimaya
What was the item? Was it the $849 headphones?
What was the reason for the chargeback?
mam98031
·10 months ago@mishimaya
Dealing with a Chargeback Dispute can be very hard on the seller when the buyer claims some type of INAD reason.
What reason did your buyer give their credit card company to file the Chargeback Dispute? It would have been stated in the email you got from Ebay that notified you of the Chargeback.
Ebay has no ability to control what or how a Chargeback is processed by the credit card company. Ebay can't tell them to require the buyer to send the item back to the seller. No marketplace has the ability to do that. Sorry!
Trying to appeal it won't help because Ebay can't change the outcome only the CCC.
bgt_masters_of_tiki_d
·10 months agoWould need to know more information but if you feel they stole your item then by all means go after them legally. File mail fraud through the USPS and ic3.gov sites. The amount of the transaction also might decide how serious filing a report is taken. Many years back ebay told me to file a police incident report and I had to go to my local state troopers barracks to do so (out of local village cops jurisdiction) and the police officer actually called the buyer and talked with them. I've also had luck using the ic3.gov but that was like 15 years ago and overall took 9 months.
I settled on restitution over pressing charges, amount was over $1000 and in CA where it is considered felony theft. Details are a bit fuzzy but the thief actually sent a check to pay off restitution and had the nerve to cancel it on me, since it was his wifes account we (detective assigned to the case) went after her as well and as soon as she was involved it got cleaned up really quick. Funny how the guy would screw around with a detective but didn't dare tangle with his wife. Guess he wasn't THAT stupid.
I have had to file a few appeals over the years, once ebay did try and get me for the $20 fee but it was waived after I appealed that fee. Certainly pursue action.
mtgraves7984
·10 months agoMy questions are:
1. Will eBay require the buyer to return the item or provide a shipping label for the return?
2. What safeguards does eBay have in place to prevent sellers from being defrauded in situations like this?
@mishimaya
1. Nope, not in this case. The buyer's move took it out of eBay's hands.
2. None that I know of. If that buyer files too many, their CC might see a pattern and take issue. But that's no help to you.
Sellers here empathize. Heck, I sold until last Spring. Good luck to you moving forward, wherever it takes you.
inhawaii
·10 months agoA!: They will, if you handle the return the right way.
A2: None. It's the risk of selling online or on ebay.
jonathanbrightlight
·10 months agoIn this case there is no return, the buyer filed a payment dispute/chargeback with their bank.
kensgiftshop
·10 months agofiresteel_surplus
·10 months agodhbookds
·10 months agoWhat was the reason for the dispute? you are protected w cc disputes if it was "unauthorized use" or Item not received (assuming you have tracking showing it was delivered)........
slati_2013
·10 months agoDid the buyer contact you before filing a dispute? If so, what was your response?
12345jamesstamps
·10 months agoIs this a dispute of the buyer's credit or debit card?
If so, that is done...
submitted an appeal'...and that might be another $20.00 charge to you from eBay.
mishimaya
OP10 months agoYes. It says - The buyer's payment institution sided with the buyer. Since this dispute didn't qualify for seller protections, the dispute amount and fee were deducted from your funds. If you disagree, you can file an appeal.
So is this a known loophole that buyers use to get free items on eBay? So what should I do?
bonjourami
·10 months agoSad to say not much you can do, its out of Ebays hands with a cc dispute. And they dont require the buyer to return the item. And you will pay $20, as previously stated, for the privilege of filing an appeal.
mishimaya
OP10 months agoThank you Ami. Honestly, I’m starting to reconsider selling on eBay. I have never thought about this.
If buyers realize they can bypass the return process, dispute the transaction, and still get refunded without returning the item, that’s a serious flaw in the system. It undermines seller trust and opens the door to abuse—bad for individual sellers and bad for the entire marketplace.
bonjourami
·10 months ago"If buyers realize they can bypass the return process, dispute the transaction, and still get refunded without returning the item, that’s a serious flaw in the system. It undermines seller trust and opens the door to abuse—bad for individual sellers and bad for the entire marketplace."
Understood, but its not just a problem here, but on all online market places.
hotwheelsbum
·10 months agoTrue. But, ebay is the only platform out there that allows their Buyers to do this unlimited times undermining Sellers trust AND opens the door wide for Buyers to abuse this process. Yes, there are Buyers out there that DO abuse this system, and ebay turns a blind eye to it. You try this on both Poshmark and Mercari, bypass their return process, the policy to get your funds back YOUR way, you are automatically banned from the platform. It's even clearly outlined in the TOS for Poshmark. You do a charge back for any reason, immediate removal from the platform.
Is it a serious flaw in the system when it comes to ebay, or is it just a serious flaw on ebay itself. It's a flaw with ebay and the ignorant policies they've created over the years. Nothing compared to "All" online market places as you hinted at.
inhawaii
·10 months agoWhat do you base this statement on?
Pure speculation, and using common sense, I doubt it's true.
bonjourami
·10 months ago"Is it a serious flaw in the system when it comes to ebay, or is it just a serious flaw on ebay itself. It's a flaw with ebay and the ignorant policies they've created over the years. Nothing compared to "All" online market places as you hinted at"
Then I guess Poshmark and Mercari are the exception to the rule.Most major online marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, PayPal, and Walmart, allow for CC chargebacks because they are processed through the credit card networks and the buyer's bank. These platforms typically have their own systems to help manage chargebacks, but the final decision rests with the cardholder's bank.
kensgiftshop
·10 months agoBuyers have known and been doing it for years.
That's one of the downsides to not accepting returns.
Sometimes when a buyer sees no returns and there's a problem with the item or just doesn't like it, they know they can dispute the payment for a refund.
It's not just Ebay, it happens anywhere, where credit cards are accepted.
slippinjimmy
·10 months agoIt's not a "loophole" it's the way credit card companies and banks operate.
What was the reason given in the payment dispute?
12345jamesstamps
·10 months agoIf it was a dispute...normally you first dispute it by putting in the tracking and any other information that might help you in writing report and uploading a photo(s) which the bank of the buyer's credit card will read.
eBay doesn't do anything. It's between you and the bank. Then eBay sends you email saying you win or loss.
Now, after all this, if you did an appeal...that's when eBay will charge you $20.
Usually, once the bank says no...it's a done deal.
Sometimes, not always, eBay will reverse the $20. as a one-time thing.
But I would say it's a done deal.
Sorry about that.