Buyer will not respond and lost my return. Ebay won't help.

[cmountain]

Buyer will not respond to any of my messages. They sent my item that they wanted to return to the wrong address that was provided by ebay. The item was sent in excellent condition. I have all the evidence to prove it. I tried to appeal but ebay sided with the buyer and continues to do so even with them failing to respond to all of my inquiries to redirect the package. FedEx always states it's on the shipper to redirect. My final options will be to file a police report and I do have the means to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit. Ebay isn't helping and refuses to and buyer won't respond. I was told a refund would not be processed to the buyer until I received the item back in it's original state and yet when it was delivered to the wrong address, they immediately refunded the buyer and left me to have to pay the 13.25% fee. 

[wooden_flower]

Why would the buyer respond?  They did exactly as instructed.

Is the address is your old address?  eBay doesn’t just make up an address.  It sounds like you missed updating your address for returns, which is your responsibility.

I think the police will tell you that you need to work through a lawyer, if it is worth the expense - I do not see anything criminal in your description of events.  eBay did exactly what they said they would do - refund after delivery to the address you had on file for returns.  

[cmountain]

My issue is the seller is responsible for providing the return label not ebay. Nor was I made aware of the label being provided nor was I given the tracking number until I reached to ebay then that's when I found out it was going to the wrong address. The buyer did not communicate that the item was shipped nor did they provide tracking. In addition I was not abel to legitimately appeal the buyers claims as I was instructed to by ebay. The buyer must respond simply because ebay is the one directing me to the buyer to communicate getting the package redirected shipping companies will not redirect a package if you are the one recieving it. It has to be the shipper to correct the address. 

[cmountain]

In addition the condition the buyer claimed they received the phone in was not what I shipped so how am I supposed to know if this person switched the phone with another one just to get a free phone? Obviously the serial numbers would have to match what I sent but this was weird to begin with because they removed the protective skin that was on the phone. If you received an item you don't remove things them say I want to return. You have already defaced the item and can't return it since it would not be returned in it's original state. 

[house*of*paws]

Hi @cmountain 

I'm very sorry this happened ... and I'm confused about why eBay would provide the return address OR a shipping label.

Your item was listed as 'Seller does not accept returns'.  eBay usually just refunds the buyer (and lets them keep the item) if the seller doesn't provide a shipping label when a Return Request is filed.

Did the buyer file a 'return request'?  If they did ... what was your response?  Could the buyer simply have returned the item using the return address on the package without notifying anyone?

[We need to understand the whole process in order to tell what options you have.]

[wooden_flower]

If the package was already delivered, then there is nothing to redirect, so again, nothing for the buyer to respond to. I don’t know what they could do at this point - the carrier is not going to try to retrieve the package after successful delivery to the address on the package. 

When you accept the return, you make the selection to either provide your own label or have eBay provide it.  If you did not accept the return and eBay had to step in, then eBay is going to issue the label.

Obviously we can’t see the details and dates and who did what when.  I can only offer the opinion that it doesn’t sound like there is anything for the buyer or eBay to do at this point. I’m sorry that it was what sounds like a pricey lesson.

[cmountain]

The situation was he request to return the device per his findings I did not agree and I reached out to ebay for help, the first person I talked to, and of course I have all transcripts saved and printed, said not to refund him and to wait to have ebay step in. I followed instructions and waited, they stepped in and they had he return the device, again I was not given an opportunity to provide a tracking number and label as it was done given there was no where in the app or desktop to do so since at the point the case was close. I do not agree with people saying the buyer doesn't have to respond, that is unacceptable and bad practice. Because I was never sent a tracking number nor did the buyer provide one I had to reach out again to ebay and they said oh yeah there's one let me get that for you. So the fact that the buyer was fully in communication with me during the initial process then decided not to provide me with tracking is unacceptable. The reason I refuse to accept the return was it was not the device I mailed to him and I provided all the photos to ebay to show that the device I sent him did not match the device he showed that had damages. He claim there was damage on the camera cover yet my device had no scratches. My device I sent had a Dbrand skin on the back, per his photos one was not present. So I'm to believe that it's the same device and accept it? I was told to file an appeal once I received it, I have not yet, and that the refund would not be processed until I inspected the item. I have returned times before and never was refunded immediately. I always got a notification saying I would be refunded once the seller inspected the item. I never got that opportunity nor do I feel I have been given a fair chance at challenging the case. I was also told I'd be protected back the seller protection but apparently that's only when a case is open. So my issue overall is every person I spoke to gave me misinformation or was not fully capable of handling my situation to properly guide me through the steps needed to be protected. And that's not my fault. 

[cmountain]

What is being lost is ebay is specifically telling me to reach out to him so again I am following their instructions. My point is I reached before the package was in the possession of FedEx I have the time stamps to show he had enough time to call FedEx before they processed the item to change the address. I get nothing probably can be done after the fact, I'm pointing out that I immediately contacted him when I saw it was going to the wrong address so you are telling me it's okay for him to not respond and say, oh let me call real quick and get that change? That is pretty poor customer service overall. I have never had one issue with an item I have sold on any platform and this is the first. Simply put if this is you and I and you reach out to me to make a change on your return I would immediately respond. Sadly it sounds like you are okay with lack of communication between both parties. That's not how ebay works. 

[cmountain]

[house*of*paws]

Thank you for the additional information.  Sadly, the CS reps that can be reached using the 'Contact us' link do not always give accurate information.

It is NEVER a good idea for a seller to ask eBay to 'step in'.  Aside from receiving a defect and forfeiting your fees for not handling the return yourself ... you risk eBay refunding the buyer without asking them to return the item ... especially when you have a 'no return' policy.  [I'm very surprised that eBay provided a return label at all.]

I'm afraid you lost the opportunity to take control over the return address when you declined the buyer's return request.  eBay wants sellers to accept all returns whenever a buyer claims an item is 'not as described'.  Things only get worse for sellers when they decline.

All I can think of doing right now is to contact the most competent bunch of CS reps eBay has.  These can be reached on Social Media:

https://twitter.com/askebay
https://www.facebook.com/eBay/

I'm not sure what they'd be able to do to locate where your item went ... but they may be able to offer you help that I don't know about.  

I will also let eBay staff know that you were given poor advice from CS reps.  I'm really sorry about that.

[cmountain]

As you can see FedEx received the information, not the package on may 31st around noon. I reached out end ebay the next day and immediately message the buyer around yet since I had not yet received any notification of shipping. I even provided the new qr to scan and tracking. Package was accepted the next day around 11am so he had time. 

[cmountain]

Thank you house*of*paws. 

[kensgiftshop]

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@cmountain wrote:

 again I was not given an opportunity to provide a tracking number and label

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Yes you were, when the buyer first filed the INAD, you could have accepted the return and provided a shipping label.

Once you get Ebay involved, they take over and it never ends good for the seller.

[kensgiftshop]

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@cmountain wrote:

What is being lost is ebay is specifically telling me to reach out to him so again I am following their instructions. My point is I reached before the package was in the possession of FedEx I have the time stamps to show he had enough time to call FedEx before they processed the item to change the address. I get nothing probably can be done after the fact, I'm pointing out that I immediately contacted him when I saw it was going to the wrong address so you are telling me it's okay for him to not respond and say, oh let me call real quick and get that change? That is pretty poor customer service overall. I have never had one issue with an item I have sold on any platform and this is the first. Simply put if this is you and I and you reach out to me to make a change on your return I would immediately respond. Sadly it sounds like you are okay with lack of communication between both parties. That's not how ebay works. 

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Since Ebay provided the shipping label, they use the return address you have listed in your account.

Even if the buyer had responded, they couldn't change the address that Ebay gave them.

[cmountain]

I guess you don't understand the process of shipping. If I shipped a package to you and you needed to have it redirected or something change, and you contacted the shipping company, you would get a response that says you have to contact the shipper to make changes.