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?

[nocoolnamejane]

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@bctk5292 wrote:

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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.

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NO ONE in this thread said anything about Amazon. Is that just what you copy paste on every thread about retail arbitrage? Not sure advising buyers to threaten sellers’ account status in order to obtain a refund is smart…

[releasethekraken_1]

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@nocoolnamejane wrote:

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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 🤦🏼‍♀️ 

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“arbitrage”

[bctk5292]

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@nocoolnamejane wrote:

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@bctk5292 wrote:

*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.

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NO ONE in this thread said anything about Amazon. Is that just what you copy paste on every thread about retail arbitrage?

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If it stops the noise about FBA every time we've a post saying Amazon delivered an eBay order, then it worked. But where is any other thread with this as a copy paste?

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@nocoolnamejane wrote:

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@bctk5292 wrote:

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Not sure advising buyers to threaten sellers’ account status in order to obtain a refund is smart…

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Does asking for a refund and a return label, and quoting those eBay's warnings of consequences word-for-word threaten sellers’ account status?

[pjcdn2005]

I agree that sellers are not supposed to order direct from a retailer and have the item sent to the buyer...that is against ebay rules so you can report the seller for that.   But look at it in another way....What if the seller had gone to Walmart and purchased the item and then listed it on ebay for $10 plus shipping.  Then after you received it you realized that you could have bought it for $5 with free shipping yourself.  Would you still think that you are entitled to a refund without a return?    Or would you give yourself a little kick for not realizing that you could pay it for cheaper? 

[justafemster]

YOU posted the second half of the policy.  I posted the first half.  

I believe like amzn, WM also stores product for sellers.  I'll have to do some research before I commit positively. 

@nocoolnamejane

Retail arbitrage is legal,.  No idea where you got that it's not legal.  I'm going to guess a good percentage of products sold on the bay are retail arbitrage.  Amzn doesn't allow retail arbitrage, they want invoices of all products sold.  

[soh.maryl]

Still waiting for the answer to my question.

How could the seller who uses a dropshipper repackage something he never even sees or holds in his hands?

It goes directly from his dropshipping source to the buyer.  That's why it's called "dropshipping". 

[criticalbackflip]

I see now that everyone is right, it's unfair to request a refund for something so petty, especially if you aren't prepared to return it. However, I've still reported them since it's still against eBay's policies.

As for what bctk5292 was saying, I don't think I could actually get a refund out of them anymore since I already said I had reported them for retail arbitrage, so they wouldn't really have any reason to give me my money back at this point since I have no leverage, which isn't really a big deal anyways since like I said before, I only lost about $5 from what I should have paid.

Thanks for the advice.

[bctk5292]

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@justafemster wrote:

YOU posted the second half of the policy.  I posted the first half.    

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The message was a reply to the seller who implied they need 3 business days to provide (as it turns out, the retailer's) tracking. Then the item arrived directly from the retailer with a packing slip showing the seller paid with their credit card.

Why should the message quote the first half of the policy, which does not apply?

[buyselljack2016]

I was manipulated by the grocery store yesterday.

I bought grapes for $2.99 a pound.

I later saw an add for $0.99 a pound.

That store should have displayed the competitor's add so that I would not overpay.

Can I do a charge back with my CC company.  Can I keep the grapes.  I ate some of them.

Insert sarcasm emoji here (     ) for my post.

[bctk5292]

Just happened yesterday.

Got a refund and cooked the item.

[nocoolnamejane]

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@justafemster wrote:

YOU posted the second half of the policy.  I posted the first half.  

I believe like amzn, WM also stores product for sellers.  I'll have to do some research before I commit positively. 

@nocoolnamejane

Retail arbitrage is legal,.  No idea where you got that it's not legal.  I'm going to guess a good percentage of products sold on the bay are retail arbitrage.  Amzn doesn't allow retail arbitrage, they want invoices of all products sold.  

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Never said it was illegal?

It IS against eBay policy though.

[nocoolnamejane]

Sorry, French keyboard autocorrected 

[justafemster]

Mind showing me where ebay says retail arbitrage is against policy?  

So you're saying ALL the sellers here, who don't go through the manufacturer are "breaking ebay's rules"?  

Really?  Show me the policy.

[nocoolnamejane]

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@justafemster wrote:

Mind showing me where ebay says retail arbitrage is against policy?  

So you're saying ALL the sellers here, who don't go through the manufacturer are "breaking ebay's rules"?  

Really?  Show me the policy.

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“However, listing an item on eBay and then purchasing the item from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed on eBay.”

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/drop-shipping?id=4176