Why did seller Give me a refund?

[vintagemoth12]

I ordered the item on February 4 and on February 13 I sent the seller a note asking if he had any updates on my item as it showed him printing the label but not registering with the post office.

later that day I went through eBay help on the item and just said that I wanted the item but if I could not get the item I would like a refund. A few minutes later I received a note from the seller saying how he guesses he will just refund my money and I can enjoy the item. I was confused and wrote him back telling him so. I told him I did not want a refund that I wanted the item and I was just checking because it had been nine days since I had heard anything about the purchase. He wrote me another message saying it was entirely his fault that the item had been in his backseat but that he had shipped it yesterday priority mail and would give me a partial refund for having to wait. I told him I did not need a refund but a few minutes later one showed up. Does anyone have any idea on what happened here? I was just asking a simple question about my item. I wasn’t trying to get a refund. Just wondering what was going on in the thought process. I messaged him and told him that if he would send me an invoice I will pay for it when I receive it  
The shipping alone had to be over $10 and I only paid $26 total.

[ferncliff-39 · Accepted solution]

@vintagemoth12 

It sounds like the initial steps you took opened a Refund Request case against the seller for not receiving your item - that may have triggered the seller to refund you as they wouldn't be able to prove it was delivered.

Or they just refunded you when they realized their mistake and how late it was.

That's very nice of you to want to repay the seller. Wait until you receive it and make sure there aren't any other issues.  The seller won't be able to invoice you again in eBay though, you will have to exchange payment outside of eBay - such as with PayPal.

[vintagemoth12]

Thank you for taking the time to write. This makes sense.