What is some common bad advice you seen given on other places?
Quite often I see people tell other sellers to wait for a return to "close" or "click ask to step in" after waiting out the return period before calling eBay with a fraudulent buyer.
You always have to accept the return within the time frame, doing the above gets a black mark on your account for "case closed without resolution".
quadcitypickers
Posted Sep 11, 2026 at 12:36 AM · Edited Sep 11, 2026 at 12:36 AM·Last reply Sep 11, 2026 at 9:52 PM
4 comments
christworks
·Sep 11, 2026 at 1:44 AMAny advice that tells a seller to fold up and give into scam buyers because any pushback whatsoever is a lost cost. That is almost always bad advice.
mam98031
·Sep 11, 2026 at 1:13 AMI think you have misunderstood some advice you have been given on one of the previous threads you have opened. What is it that you would be waiting for a Return to "close" to do? What does the "close status" gain you?
Asking Ebay to step in on a return claim is RARELY a good idea on a Return Claim. Because IF the buyer never returns the item, the seller automatically wins that claim and it hurts NOTHING to wait for Ebay to make that determination. If you get impatient, contact Ebay BEFORE clicking on the claim to have Ebay step in.
If a buyer doesn't return the item, why does that make them a fraudulent buyer? That would not necessarily be true, but as a seller I'd be grateful that they didn't return it as in a few days I would get my money off hold and Ebay would close the claim in my favor. Patience is a wonderful thing.
You are incorrect, accepting a return does NOT get your account dinged in the Service Metrics. The mere fact the buyer opened and INAD, whether or not you accept it, is what dings your Service Metrics numbers.
You only get a Closed without resolution if Ebay steps in and rules for the BUYER. And that is something you don't want to risk. Because not only does Ebay force you to refund the buyer, you will NOT get your selling fees credited back to you. All this stuff is in the policy pages for how to handle a return. Have you ever taken a peek.
I find the easiest way to pull up an Ebay policy is to Google it. It is far faster for me than trying to pull it up on Ebay.
puremichigand
·Sep 11, 2026 at 12:15 PM · EditedINAD's do hit service metrics. Just go to seller hub -> performance -> service metrics. One one of my accounts I have an INAD - and it is a hit on my metrics. I don't fight any INAD's - I just accept straight away and I don't require a return.
You might be mixing up some things - there is one metric for closed without resolution, another for defects. eBay is more forgiving with defects than cases closed without a seller resolution. It is all in the policy.
I do encourage folks to review these things every so often - don't just skim the results, really dig in to what the numbers mean and what eBay tracks, which will tell you what they care about. I'd encourage reviewing the service metrics information at least once per quarter so that you stay refreshed on anything new and perhaps strengthen your knowledge of what has been there for a long time.
Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
mam98031
·Sep 11, 2026 at 9:52 PMI think you may have missed my point. It doesn't matter if you accept the return, process the return, deny the return, close the return or any other action on the INAD. The mere fact the buyer OPENED the INAD is how you get dinged in the Service Metrics.
It is NOT based on the outcome of an INAD, ONLY the mere fact the INAD was opened, rightly or wrongly.
The metrics for closed without resolution, isn't part of the Service Metrics. It is on your Seller Dashboard which is a different set of numbers / stats that Ebay evals all sellers on each month. We have TWO sets of number that matter. Those on the Service Metrics Dashboard and those on the Seller Dashboard. Those are two DIFFERENT sets of number.
It is something I have disagreed with since they started the Service Metrics years ago. Early on it got changed so that small sellers weren't hit so hard and started requiring a minimum of 10 infractions in the SM before a seller would be sanctioned. That was a direct result of those of us that firmly objected to how this program was introduced. Unfortunately the other complaints didn't hit home and/or result in changes to the program.