refunds for third party buyers

[dudeboy777]

I sold an item for 290 and the buyer had a note to not include an invoice. Thats fine i sell to deakerships who ask the same. However the shipping address and name did not match the buyer. I emailed but got no answer. A couple days i get an email from who i thought was the buyer. I include detailed instructions as this is a sensitive part and requires special equipment to install. I had asked if they were installing or a dealer in my first email. Person tells me their mobile mechanic says the part is bad. after a few questions i realize they dont have the skills to install or tools plus my part is not their problem. He asks for a refund and i told him to go thru ebay. He some how states he paid 400$ and will he be returning it to arizona or tenn? Thsts when i found out the buyer that bought from me was in arizonia and had the address changed to ship to this guy after selling to him on another site. I told him to go thru the buyer he bought from. I get emails from this buyer demanding i send a return label first claiming wrong part. I refused as i know he does not have the part and may try to scam me with an empty envelope as ever dealing with him has been a lie. Now he has filed with ebay saying does not fit. I told him to send it to me his expense and ill gladly refund. I also asked him for a photo of the part with my  number engraved on it. Should i go ahead accept the return knowing he does not have the part and just wait until i never get it back for ebay to close the case. Its not about me refunding the buyer but im a little concerned for the  car owner who is old that they may not refund him after paing 400$ for the item. I know its not my problem but im old also and would hope someone helped keep me from getting scammed.

[shipscript]

A middleman is involved in a purchase and resale, making you a dropshipper against your will.

And now there is also a moral dilemma that I don't think can be helped.

When a buyer opens a claim, the seller has no more than 3 days to respond.

An eBay claim of "does not fit" is a buyer remorse. Buyer pays shipping and is not required to provide a photo.  Claims that involve seller fault, all require a photo (damaged, missing parts, defective, wrong item, doesn't match description) and the seller must issue a prepaid return label.

Do you think the item has been damaged by the end-user?

Is it the wrong part for the application?

Since the middleman buyer opened a remorse return, you could decline only if you don't normally accept returns, but if you accept, then you must honor your return policy.

When you accept the return, the buyer pays return shipping.

If the returned item is not yours, or is an empty envelope, you can report the buyer, but may still be required to refund. In that case, you would have to contact customer support to see if you have other options.

[dudeboy777]

Then why does the seller keep asking me to send a return label? I know they do not have the part so how are they going to send it back. Ive bought parts before that did not fit and every time Ebay required a photo before they would honor the claim. Ive bought items before and had them shipped to my daughter. Every time i did ebay sent emails saying the address was not confirmed and i had no buyer protection.

[shipscript]

An unconfirmed address used to be a PayPal thing. I haven't seen that on eBay since Managed Payments.  Is this something you've seen recently?

I've only tested the return reasons for core listings. Vehicle parts and accessories may be different, since they typically use eBay's fitment charts, and if eBay's charts are wrong, both the buyer and seller are protected for not fitting the vehicle. The buyer may get a free return to seller, but the seller can also request reimbursement shipping from eBay for the chart error.

For seller protection, eBay honors the address the buyer enters at checkout. If the buyer-middleman requests a return label, it will probably be issued for the ship-to address of the end-user, and the end-user would return the item. That's just a guess, but it would seem logical because that is how returns are handled for international buyers who use a middleman forwarder.

If the end-user returned the part and you issued a refund, the refund would go to the middleman-buyer.

[dudeboy777]

Thanks yes that mskes sense.  Ive been scammed a couple of times with this new fitment thing. i sell a thunderbird tool and noticed someone hought one and had their vehicle listed as a mustang. i emailed and asked if they knew the tool was only for a thunderbird and they never answered so i canceled and refunded. Ebay wanted to give me  a strike for being out of the item . i had checked buyer requested cancel since he did not answer but i finally got it all worked out. on this one today ebay said they had other issues with the buyer and i was within my rights in asking for proof he had the item to return when i know for a fact he does not have it. i accepted the return at his expense and ebay is on notice if he tries to rip me off by not sending the part back.