EBay Overdraft Fees - Won't Cancel Transactions in Timely Way

[Anonymous]

Buyer and seller agreed to cancel transaction on November 26th. EBay wouldn't allow it. Customer service contacted 5+ times for requests to void transaction, return fees. The various automated steps set out for seller and buyer did not allow cancellation either. Payout was automatic, despite request to immediately reverse transaction and return payment to buyer. Customer service failed to escalate issue in timely way, ensuring that option to cancel timed out. Now, buyer has filed a payment dispute, and EBay told me the would void transaction. Never did. They charged my account resulting in overdraft fees (2 months after request to cancel and contacting them). Payment dispute said I have to accept dispute ao eBay can look at getting me overdraft fees back. Then Payment dispute manager today told me Customer service was "mistaken". EBay doesn't support sellers or stand behind their Customer service reps statements. I won't be using this platform anymore. 

[stainlessenginecovers]

The only way eBay wouldn't allow it is if you, as the seller, already purchased a shipping label. 

Did you?

Buyers cannot cancel anything.  Only sellers can and it's easy, find order, click on left to drop down and pick 'cancel order', input reason (choose per their reasons) and then refund (sometimes refund is automatic). 

[lacemaker3]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

Buyer and seller agreed to cancel transaction on November 26th. EBay wouldn't allow it. ...

@Anonymous,

Why didn't you just cancel the transaction and refund the buyer's money?

I'm not being snarky here, just trying to understand what went wrong ... cancel and refund is the proper way to handle this situation, if the buyer requested to cancel, then you choose that for the reason, and all the fees are credited back to you.

If eBay did not allow you to refund ... did they ask you to update your information? Add a payment method? Those are the most common reasons for not being able to refund, but you said that you received the payout, so that doesn't jive.

[Anonymous]

No, I did not purchase shipping label. I tried to cancel transaction the same day, in November, and EBay wanted me to cover their fees from my bank account instead of cancelling the transaction. I had very little cash at the time, and asked for their help to simply void the transaction. They refused. They said if I waited a few days, the buyer would be able to request a cancellation from them, which is what I told the buyer. EBay is a massive platform, and their customer service should be able to process cancellations without dipping into seller accounts at random times. I'm selling on eBay because of cash flow problems, not to create more by way of overdrafts. I would never give them access to a financial account again. $200 in accumulating overdrafts for a $40 sale? Nope.

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't let me cancel without covering EBay fees. My buyer is a new EBay user with 0 feedback, and now it has taken two months to get her money back. I tried numerous times to refund her when I had the cash in my account, vut eBay automatic options blocked it for various reasons. Finally she had to open payment dispute. Apparently,  I got an automatic payout even after I contacted eBay to send her money back to her institution. She wrote me saying "eBay didn't help m at all."

[lacemaker3]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

No, I did not purchase shipping label. I tried to cancel transaction the same day, in November, and EBay wanted me to cover their fees from my bank account instead of cancelling the transaction. ...

---

If the buyer requested the cancellation, then you would get all the fees credited back. If it was cancelled for any other reason, then you would have gotten everything except the $0.30 fixed final value fee credited back.

You do have to be able to cover the fees, and you have to have a valid payment method for fees that eBay can charge. It sounds like you may have refused to cancel the transaction and refund, when you say this:

---

@Anonymous wrote:

... They said if I waited a few days, the buyer would be able to request a cancellation from them, which is what I told the buyer. ...

---

Technically, that is true. The buyer would be able to ask eBay to cancel. Unfortunately, when the seller allows that to happen, by not refunding on their own, voluntarily, then you don't qualify for the fee credit.

These terms are posted on the website, when you search for info about canceling and refunding buyers.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/refunding-buyers?id=5182#section2

[mtgraves7984]

... and EBay wanted me to cover their fees from my bank account instead of cancelling the transaction.

@Anonymous 

Had you cancelled, all you'd have been out of pocket was $.30... the Transaction Fee. 

[fab_finds4u]

You have a method for payouts.

In a separate action did you  specifically choose a method to pay seller fees that are not taken from your payout,  such a the .30  transaction fee you have to pay when you cancel and refund?

You need to link your checking account for payouts and then attach your credit card for seller fees, like the .30 that eBay charges you before they process their refund. Then when you cancel eBay will charge .30 to your credit card (personally I think that's what you should  link for seller fees), and they'll pay the buyer from your Available, Processing, or On Hold funds. If you don't  have enough funds to refund they'll take it from your checking account (which could cause an overdraft if there's not enough there, or from an on-file payment method you specified.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/setting-changing-payment-method-fees-selling...

[janet9988]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

No, I did not purchase shipping label. I tried to cancel transaction the same day, in November, and EBay wanted me to cover their fees from my bank account instead of cancelling the transaction. I had very little cash at the time, and asked for their help to simply void the transaction. They refused. They said if I waited a few days, the buyer would be able to request a cancellation from them, which is what I told the buyer. EBay is a massive platform, and their customer service should be able to process cancellations without dipping into seller accounts at random times. I'm selling on eBay because of cash flow problems, not to create more by way of overdrafts. I would never give them access to a financial account again. $200 in accumulating overdrafts for a $40 sale? Nope.

---

You simply failed to give ebay the info requested to fully refund the buyer. Ebay requires a back up payment to cover all nonrefundable fees.  Part of those set ups you stated in your OP were to set up a payment method for fees. You did not do so.