Cancellation Refused but Return Window Shorter than Delivery Estimate

[ajchu]

I purchased an item and attempted to cancel it less than 24 hours after purchase. They have still not, after just shy of 5 days, shipped it. They finally responded to my request to cancel this morning and declined my cancellation request. It's an internationally shipped item and the listed return window closes February 15th, yet they have not yet shipped it, so am I just going to be screwed over and stuck with the item by them waiting until the 15th to ship?

They tried to offer me a $100 discount because they had already ordered the item from their distributor and said they couldn't return it to the distributor, but I just can't use the item, it required another item which broke the night I ordered, and I spent the whole day troubleshooting before realizing I had no choice but to cancel.

Should I just wait for the item to be delivered and then try to initiate a return back to Germany, or am I better off contacting eBay support since they have clearly indicated in our messages that they have not shipped the item yet?

[ajchu]

I contacted eBay customer support and they froze the funds and assured me I would be refunded no matter what on February 11th if the seller does not refund the order before then!

[yo0339]

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@ajchu wrote:

I contacted eBay customer support and they froze the funds and assured me I would be refunded no matter what on February 11th if the seller does not refund the order before then! 

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Please come back @ajchu when you find out you've been lied to?

1. The return window doesn't start until you've started a return and the seller accepted your request.

2. And if the item arrives after the latest estimated date, you can start that return request with the DOESN'T MATCH DESCRIPTION reason

-- and get a seller-paid return label to get your refund after return

-- or an outright refund no return needed if the seller doesn't pay for a return label

because it's likely to arrive late now, with all of the delays.