Buyer sending item back after case closed

[customcomputers158]

Hello, I sold a rather high value at the end of March. The item was received by the buyer on April 5th.

The next day, I receive a video and pictures claiming that two of the items included in the package were missing and that the box appears to have been tampered with. It is very obvious to me based on how I packed it that the contents were messed with somehow.

Anyways, I contact FedEx and file a claim, they come back and say there is no evidence of tampering on their end.

So buyer requests a return, and I accept, send the shipping label to them. They do not mail the return, but they open a case claiming item not as described. Still buyer does not return item, and is asking for me to send them a partial refund or resend the missing items.

The case is closed, my funds are released, and 4 days later the buyer mails the item back to me. I see that it will be delivered to me tomorrow.

What should I do in this situation? It is a bit concerning given the value of the item, plus it has been over a month, who knows if the buyer has used the item, and whether it is in the same condition or not. Do I need to worry about chargebacks or eBay reopening the case?

[fab_finds4u]

Yes you need to worry about chargebacks.

Do you think it's  right to keep the item and their money? Especially if it was a lot of money? 

[lakefor94]

You will know what you get back when you receive it.  Speculating does no good. See what you get.

I am not going to guess.

Come back here after you have the item if you have questions.  

A buyer can file a chargeback up to 180 days if they used PayPal or a credit card.

[customcomputers158]

No, I don’t think it’s right, and I’m not saying I wouldn’t refund anyways.
I am concerned about the state of the item, and the missing items the buyer claimed weren’t in the box.

Not to mention that the item has been with the buyer for over a month. And they had the entire time to ship it back as I accepted the return as soon as they requested it.

[xadexane]

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@customcomputers158 wrote:

The case is closed, my funds are released, and 4 days later the buyer mails the item back to me. I see that it will be delivered to me tomorrow.

Do I need to worry about chargebacks or eBay reopening the case? 

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Yes, if you don't refund, the @customcomputers158 buyer can reopen as an eBay "payment dispute" by

- starting another return request at PayPal, provide the return tracking* number, and get a refund, or

- filing a "Credit Not Processed" chargeback at their card, provide tracking*, and get a refund.

The shorthand description is “Credit Not Processed.” The cardholder returned merchandise or canceled services (including timeshare rentals and guaranteed reservations), but no refund has been processed.

*Just tracking suffices, regardless the condition or completeness of the returned item since eBay not you, is the target of the payment dispute.

[customcomputers158]

Regardless of what I receive in the box?

[xadexane]

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@customcomputers158 wrote:

Regardless of what I receive in the box? 

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Or if tracking says delivered, but nothing arrived. The payment flows 

Buyer > Card > PayPal > eBay > @customcomputers158 

So eBay can't see who is the Card, 2 steps through PayPal.

And you already know you can't see PayPal, 2 steps through eBay.

eBay must repay PayPal, and PayPal must repay the Card -- whether or not you repay eBay voluntarily.

So your complaint about the box won't be reaching past eBay to PayPal or to the Card, to stop the refund.

[customcomputers158]

Wonderful, doesn’t help my anxiety at all.

[fab_finds4u]

If you issued a label through a case eBay gives them like 3 weeks ro put it in the mail. it used to be 5 days but they've extended it.

[customcomputers158]

Yes, they opened a case on 4/18 and they had till 5/2 to ship it. They did not, so eBay closed the case.

They received the item on 4/5 and asked to return, I said they could but they never did and then they opened the case.

[xadexane]

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@fab_finds4u wrote:

If you issued a label through a case eBay gives them like 3 weeks ro put it in the mail. it used to be 5 days but they've extended it. 

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Before the pandemic 

buyers had 15 business days to put it in the mail.

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After the pandemic

buyers have 15 business days to put it in the mail.

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

The camera you sold was $2750, so I can see why you are nervous.

I can see the buyer had a feedback score around 100, so it's not like a brand new account and trying to scam.

I can see under "bidder details" that your buyer has 94% positive feedback. They've done some selling on here, not just buying.

I can see they have bid on a whole lot of digital camera/lens auctions.

That is everything I can find out about your buyer. So... they aren't new to EBay, they've used this platform to sell, not just buy, and they are very interested in cameras/equipment.

My conclusion. Nothing is certain, but the tiny bit of info I see doesn't strike me as any red flags, and they are genuinely interested in camera stuff, and they went through the hassle of shipping it back to you.

IF they wanted to scam you, they could've sent back an empty box during the return window. Why wait til the end of the window. Maybe they thought you would send a partial refund if they waited you out. I have absolutely no clue what happened to these "missing parts". That sounds extremely strange.

Like others have said... just wait and see what happens, don't speculate. 

[customcomputers158]

Thank you for your insight and explanation. It helps calm my nerves a bit.

I do agree that it is odd that they wouldn’t have returned it in the window whether they are scamming me or not. 

I will see what comes in the mail tomorrow and go from there.

Once again, thank you.

[ajs_coins_and_alchemy]

As someone that can get extremely nervous and over-analyze everything under the sky, I like to turn to facts and data. The data isn't concrete enough to form real conclusions, and we are only speculating one way or another, so why not make it at least FEEL better by having data points? 🙂

This all pacifies the anxious scientist in me. Trained chemist turned e-commerce seller.

[customcomputers158]

Okay, so I received the package.

The package contained the items the buyer received minus the two items they claimed were missing.

How do I proceed now? Do I refund them the entire cost or subtract the missing items?

Is there anything eBay would do to cover the missing items?