Refund without return?

[criticalbackflip]

I was scammed by a so-called "dropshipper" who actually just bought the item from Walmart, sold it to me for 2x the price and put in my address. I'm going to report them to eBay of course, but I'm not sure if I should try to get a refund. The reason why I'm hesitant is because eBay only gives me the option for a return, not a refund. Also, the seller accepts refunds for up to 60 days. I don't want to return the item even if that means getting my money back cuz I only got scammed out of $5 (it's just some WD-40 that I've been waiting on forever), but if I could get only my money back that would still be great.

So can I get a refund without returning? Or does eBay not work like that? Also, can I even report the seller without trying to return the item to begin with?

[7606dennis]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

Here's the way I see it:

I bought an item, that item was priced too high. The seller misled me into believing I was buying from HIM, not Walmart. Now he's taken money from me without doing any work. Taking money from someone without working for it sounds a lot like a scam to me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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The flaw in the way you see it is that the seller of the property can ask whatever he wishes for it, unless it comes under the definition of necessary items during a declared emergency.  You, the buyer, are free to not purchase the item if you think the seller's asking price is too high.  Not doing your due diligence and shopping around is not the seller's fault, it is entirely on you.

[7606dennis]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

You've got a point, but it doesn't change the fact that the seller violated ebay polices (they don't allow dropshipping without repackaging). Plus, if you were in my shoes i.e you needed some WD-40, you'd never bought it before, and you didn't have a lot of time, you probably would've done the same thing.

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Frankly, I never permit myself to run low on WD-40 or Duct Tape.  However, if you had time to order it online and get it delivered, why didn't you just order it from Wally World yourself.  

[criticalbackflip]

There was a scam, back in the 90's (i think), where a group of men would pull up to the sidewalk with a nice looking pair of speakers, and would tell the victim it was worth something outrageous, say $1500, but they needed to get rid of it for some arbitrary reason (they were moving, they had something very important to do, etc), and they would offer it to them for a "low price" of $100-$300.

The way I see it, is that sellers like these are predatory in the exact same way. They prey on anyone with a sense of urgency or anyone who hasn't thoroughly researched the item, and then mark the item up to a ridiculous extent, without even repackaging it or doing any work at all.

I think the flaw in your point is that you aren't willing to accept that people are imperfect, and not only that but in most situations it's not even worth thoroughly researching items this cheap. Like when's the last time you spent time thoroughly researching the shampoo you buy at the supermarket? If they bought it from the store next door and sold it for 3x the price, you probably wouldn't even notice, but that wouldn't make it morally right either.

Not to mention, this still violates the eBay policies, so right or wrong it's still not allowed on eBay regardless.

[7606dennis]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

There was a scam, back in the 90's (i think), where a group of men would pull up to the sidewalk with a nice looking pair of speakers, and would tell the victim it was worth something outrageous, say $1500, but they needed to get rid of it for some arbitrary reason (they were moving, they had something very important to do, etc), and they would offer it to them for a "low price" of $100-$300.

The way I see it, is that sellers like these are predatory in the exact same way. They prey on anyone with a sense of urgency or anyone who hasn't thoroughly researched the item, and then mark the item up to a ridiculous extent, without even repackaging it or doing any work at all.

I think the flaw in your point is that you aren't willing to accept that people are imperfect, and not only that but in most situations it's not even worth thoroughly researching items this cheap. Like when's the last time you spent time thoroughly researching the shampoo you buy at the supermarket? If they bought it from the store next door and sold it for 3x the price, you probably wouldn't even notice, but that wouldn't make it morally right either.

Not to mention, this still violates the eBay policies, so right or wrong it's still not allowed on eBay regardless.

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Any item is worth what someone is freely willing to pay for it and someone is willing to sell it for.  Your failure to do your homework and shop around for the best price is on you and not the seller.  The seller never forced you to hit the buy now button so, despite what your way of thinking tells you, it is on you if you paid more than you had to because you didn't shop around.  The seller didn't scam you.  If anything, you scammed yourself by not doing your homework.

[justafemster]

YOU messed up, so now it's the sellers fault.  Do I have that correct?

We're allowed to dropship on ebay.  We're allowed to make a profit on ebay.  

YOU messed up.  Adult up and stop blaming someone else for YOUR mistake. 

[laperlalady]

I am confused. 

you bought an item that you paid for. You received said item. 

then you found the item for $5 less and you want the seller to refund you $5?

do your research before you purchase. 

[friskya]

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@me298530 wrote:

Now imagine how quickly all businesses would collapse if that was their policy..."We give full refunds and you don't have to return anything!"

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You've just described the eBay Money Back Guarantee.

[releasethekraken_1]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

You've got a point, but it doesn't change the fact that the seller violated ebay polices (they don't allow dropshipping without repackaging). Plus, if you were in my shoes i.e you needed some WD-40, you'd never bought it before, and you didn't have a lot of time, you probably would've done the same thing.

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The seller's policy violation doesn't mean that you get the item for free.

Seems that the seller provided a valuable service to you. If you go to a convenience store, do you complain because the prices are higher than in a supermarket?

[soh.maryl]

"They don't allow dropshipping without repackaging."

Can you show me where eBay has that rule?

[u_cant_take_it_with_u]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

You've got a point, but it doesn't change the fact that the seller violated ebay polices (they don't allow dropshipping without repackaging). Plus, if you were in my shoes i.e you needed some WD-40, you'd never bought it before, and you didn't have a lot of time, you probably would've done the same thing.

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WD-40 is ubiquitous...It is EVERYWHERE.  In my location I can pick it up at a gas station, a convenience store, a grocery store, a tire store, etc. Certainly you pop into one of those other places from time to time. It's just unfortunate that such a cheap, non-special item, as WD-40, had to cause you so much stress. Just sayin'. 

[fab_finds4u]

A retailer can't be used for dropshipping so what they did was improperly source their item. You can report them for that.

Yes, no doubt it would be great to keep the item, however buyers aren't entitled to free items.  

Report the seller for abusing the dropshipping policy. 

I would not leave negative feedback because you got exactly what you wanted to buy at a price you agreed to pay and you got it fast.  You were not scammed. 

If  sellers see you left the seller negative when the item arrived as described they would probably cancel your bid and block you.

[bctk5292]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

I was scammed by a so-called "dropshipper" who actually just bought the item from Walmart, sold it to me for 2x the price and put in my address.

I don't want to return the item even if that means getting my money back cuz I only got scammed out of $5 

So can I get a refund without returning? Or does eBay not work like that? Also, can I even report the seller without trying to return the item to begin with?

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Yes, do not start a return request. Instead @criticalbackflip write to the seller, quoting the policy but without any links (eBay will block any message with links, so the message won't be sent to the seller). If the seller had originally written (in ESL-quality English) to forestall the delay of providing a tracking number due to the dropshipping, reply to that message with the strongly-worded eBay policy on dropshipping:

Invariably the seller will

- understand the veiled threat and

- quickly refund with no return needed.

And because the seller does not want to

- pay return shipping, and then

- store the Walmart* item in their house.

And you will receive an advisory in eBay-quality English "We send, vs sent" that the seller has refunded.

*to the Fulfilled-by-Amazon pundits: A gift receipt is enclosed with every it's-from-Amazon complaint; please stop explaining FBA, as here on the boards it is always a dropship via Prime.

[justafemster]

You "intentionally" forgot the first part of the article.

Drop shipping, also known as product sourcing, is when you buy stock from a supplier and work with them to send items directly to your buyers without ever handling them yourself.

Drop shipping, where you fulfill orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed on eBay. Remember that if you use drop shipping, you’re still responsible for the safe delivery of the item within the time frame stated in your listing and for the buyer’s overall satisfaction with their purchase.

[bctk5292]

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@justafemster wrote:

You "intentionally" forgot the first part of the article.

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Are you well? Please let us know, really worried about you!

Because you'd only quote the part of the policy that the seller violated -- that it's not allowed to buy the item sold in the listing from a retailer which ships directly to the buyer.

[nocoolnamejane]

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@criticalbackflip wrote:

You've got a point, but it doesn't change the fact that the seller violated ebay polices (they don't allow dropshipping without repackaging). Plus, if you were in my shoes i.e you needed some WD-40, you'd never bought it before, and you didn't have a lot of time, you probably would've done the same thing.

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What the seller did is retail arbitration, not drop shipping. Retail arbitration CAN be reported to eBay.

But just because the seller committed a policy violation doesn’t mean you’re entitled to a refund: you got the item as it was described in the listing.

If all was required for a refund was a policy violation committed by the seller, every other sale would be refunded for keyword spamming 🤦🏼‍♀️