What can I do if the seller does not want to pay the return shipping costs?

[otoko_oidon]

The item arrived damaged, it doesn't work.

It has been 14 days since the return was initiated, but the seller wants me to pay the return shipping costs. This is against eBay rules as far as I know.

But I have no option to ask eBay to intervene or appeal to someone in authority. The deadline for the return is 3 days away.

What can I do?

Thank you in advance.

[soh.maryl]

Did you or did you not open an item not as described case? If the seller doesn't either reimburse you in advance for return shipping (international sale) or send you a prepaid return label for it to be returned, you will have to assume he does not want it back.  You may wind up having to contact eBay to get a refund.  

[lakefor94]

Go to your eBay Purchase History and open a return case. Select "Item Arrived Damaged" as the reason for the return.

If it requires you to upload a photo to the return case you will need to do that.

Seller will be required to provide a prepaid shipping label IF they want the item back before refunding.

Come back here with any or all questions you might have throughout this process.

[kensgiftshop]

@otoko_oidon 

Have you done this:

Go to your purchase history and click return item and select, the item doesn't match the description as the reason.
The seller will have 3 days to accept the return and pay return shipping or refund without returning.
If they don't, return to the case on day 4 and ask Ebay to step in.

[lakefor94]

Can you go back into the return and ask eBay to step in?  Is that option available?

[otoko_oidon]

Thank you all.

Yes, I started the return process 14 days ago (31 Oct).

eBay Purchase History -> "Item Arrived Damaged" -> Attached photo

And the seller accepted the return 11 days ago (03 Nov).

But the seller doesn't want to print the return label.

The seller is from my same country and the total cost was 7,11 €.

I sent him a few messages to tell him what to do, since he did not send me the return label. And since November 4, I have not received any response from him. I translated our messages with DeepL so you can check the context.

• Me:
  In order to return the item I need you to provide me with a return label. Ebay states the following: "The seller is responsible for the return shipping costs, so you can ask the seller for a return label".

• Seller:
  In our case, what Ebay tells us is the following
  Pending shipment
  The buyer has until Nov 17 to return the item.
  So we are waiting for him to return the product to the address indicated for evaluation and refund.

• Me:
  It is in the rules of eBay. The item does not work and the return must proceed as stated in their rules.
  "If the buyer has received the item, but the item is damaged or defective or does not match the description in the listing, you must work with the buyer to resolve the problem. In addition, you will have to bear the cost of returning the item."
  https://www.ebay.es/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/devoluciones-artculos-no-recibidos-y-reemb...

• Seller:
  Correct, so the product has to be returned and evaluated by the technical department, which will determine whether the failure you mention is caused by a manufacturing fault or misuse or buso, in the first case you will be refunded the order plus the costs of the return, in the second case only the product that has been returned.
  We remind you that neither you, nor Ebay, nor we have technical criteria and we can not determine the causes of the failure that indicates that the product has, so until it is not evaluated we can not determine any direct responsibility.

[lakefor94]

The way it works here in the USA is if you open a return case with the reason of "Item Arrived Damaged", the seller has ~3 days to upload a prepaid return label. If that does not happen, the buyer can go back into the return case and there will then be an option to ask eBay to step in.

It is automated and eBay refunds your entire purchase price.

[otoko_oidon]

I just can't choose the option to ask eBay to step in. It should be called "Pedir ayuda a eBay." in Spanish.

And in "Ver detalles de la devolución" I can't choose any other option besides "Contact to seller", "Mark as sent" or "Close the return".

How can I contact eBay to get a refund?

[pjcdn2005]

You will have to contact ebay customer service to let them know that the seller is not sending the label.  Here in North America the best way to contact them is to send a private message through ebayforbusiness on Facebook or askebay on Twitter.  It's possible that in Spain they may have a phone number for customer service or their own Facebook page.  If the .es site has a seller's discussion board, you might want to ask about it there.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@lakefor94 wrote:

Can you go back into the return and ask eBay to step in?  Is that option available?

---

No. Once the seller has accepted the return, the ask ebay to step in option doesn't come up.  If the seller isn't providing a label, the only way to continue with the return is to contact customer service.

[lakefor94]

---

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

---

@lakefor94 wrote:

Can you go back into the return and ask eBay to step in?  Is that option available?

---

No. Once the seller has accepted the return, the ask ebay to step in option doesn't come up.  If the seller isn't providing a label, the only way to continue with the return is to contact customer service.

---

@pjcdn2005 @kensgiftshop @soh.maryl 

We have conflicting opinions on how a return works if the seller does not upload a return label. 

I dont do many if any returns as a buyer.

As a seller, I know I have a time limit to provide a label of ~ 3 days. 

Did not know the buyer would have to call ebay if I did not comply.

[soh.maryl]

If the seller faced with a return request did not provide a prepaid return label, what do you suggest the buyer do as his next step in attempting to return the flawed item?  

[lakefor94]

---

@soh.maryl wrote:

If the seller faced with a return request did not provide a prepaid return label, what do you suggest the buyer do as his next step in attempting to return the flawed item?  

---

I thought the seller had to provide a return label within 3 days on a INAD return or if the seller has free returns.  If that did not happen, I thought the "ask eBay to step in" option was available to the buyer thru the return case.

This is all I could find in the policies:

Get help from eBay

Most of the time if you have an issue with a purchase the seller will be able to solve it for you. However, we're here to help.

Here are the main reasons you might ask us to step in and help on a return:

• The seller hasn't responded to your return request after 3 business days
• The seller responded, but hasn't provided a resolution (for example, they accepted the return but didn't provide a return shipping label)
• You returned the item and it's been delivered back to the seller, but they haven't processed a refund after 2 business days

[kensgiftshop]

---

@lakefor94 wrote:

---

---

I thought the seller had to provide a return label within 3 days on a INAD return or if the seller has free returns.  If that did not happen, I thought the "ask eBay to step in" option was available to the buyer thru the return case.

---

I thought that option would be available on day 4 and stay available until the case was closed.

If all the seller has to do is accept the return, but not provide return shipping, the Ask Ebay To Step In is kind of worthless.

I've only had to return 1 item and that was years ago.

[lakefor94]

---

@kensgiftshop wrote:

---

@lakefor94 wrote:

---

---

I thought the seller had to provide a return label within 3 days on a INAD return or if the seller has free returns.  If that did not happen, I thought the "ask eBay to step in" option was available to the buyer thru the return case.

---

I thought that option would be available on day 4 and stay available until the case was closed.

If all the seller has to do is accept the return, but not provide return shipping, the Ask Ebay To Step In is kind of worthless.

I've only had to return 1 item and that was years ago.

---

@otoko_oidon @kensgiftshop 

The OP states that there is no option to ask eBay to step in from the return case.

So the only option I suppose is for the OP to contact eBay as @pjcdn2005 stated.