Buyer Requested Refund and did not send item back

[mg_2014]

I sold and item "as is no returns" and the buyer fraudulently initiated a return claiming my merchandise was fake (it's not). I opened a claim regarding this return with eBay but eBay chose to side with the buyer and has given me no recourse to get my item back. I contacted eBay support via phone multiple times throughout this process and expressly told to NOT issue a return label as the claim was groundless and had been decided in my favor. However I then got an email saying the opposite and now my appeal has been denied. I never agreed to the return throughout this entire process. EBay has released the funds back to the buyer, so I am out my item and money. I have attempted to contact the buyer, but they will not respond to me. I talked to customer support and was told nothing could be done. So short of hiring a lawyer to sue this buyer for obvious fraud and theft, what recourse do I have?

[mg_2014]

I responded to the request and opened up a case. The Buyer did nothing but request the return and I filed a case, appeal and contacted them multiple times while verifying what would happen with eBay c/s. I talked to customer support who expressly told me that I WOULD get my item back should the case not be decided in my favor. They also told me the case was decided in may favor and then took that back a few days later.

[lakefor94]

@mg_2014 
If the buyer opens a Item Is Not As Described type return case, you have choices. YOU chose number 3 below. If there is a next time, try number 2 if you want your item back before refunding and do not involve eBay.  Come here for assistance if you need it.

Happy Holidays.

1. You can refund the buyer now and let the buyer keep the item. eBay refunds the final value fees on the sale to you, the seller.

2. If you want the item back before refunding, accept the return and make sure a prepaid return label is available in the return case. The buyer returns the item and then you refund in full. eBay refunds the final value fees on the sale to you, the seller.

Seller protection:
Top Rated Sellers who accept 30 day returns and sellers who offer free 30 day returns can do partial refunds, up to 50%, if the item is returned in a condition different than when you shipped it.

3. Do nothing, contest the case or allow eBay to handle the case, eBay will close the return, refund the buyer and allow the buyer to keep the item. You also receive a serious defect on your seller account for having eBay step in and refund, thus doing your job as a seller. And, eBay keeps the final value fees for the transaction.

Here is an eBay link with just about all you need to know.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/managing-returns-refunds/handle-return-request-seller?id=4115

[mg_2014]

I was expressly told the opposite by eBay c/s, told the case was decided in my favor by eBay c/s and have a paper trail for all of this. How is this even remotely legal?

[lakefor94]

You are beating a dead horse.

If there is a next time, try number 2 if you want your item back before refunding and do not involve eBay.

[mg_2014]

Being lied to and defrauded by eBay is not a small thing. I don't understand how anyone could be normalized to such abhorrent behavior.

[slippinjimmy]

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@mg_2014 wrote:

I responded to the request and opened up a case. The Buyer did nothing but request the return and I filed a case, appeal and contacted them multiple times while verifying what would happen with eBay c/s. I talked to customer support who expressly told me that I WOULD get my item back should the case not be decided in my favor. They also told me the case was decided in may favor and then took that back a few days later.

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What is this "case" you keep referring to? There is no such thing as far as I know, never has been in the 25 years I've been selling here. BUYERS open cases, Seller respond by accepting the return and providing a return shipping label. Sellers can appeal but only AFTER they have received the return.

What you actually did is refuse the return and that is why you lost the item, lost the money, didn't get a fee refund and earned a mega-defect.

[lakefor94]

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@mg_2014 wrote:

Being lied to and defrauded by eBay is not a small thing. I don't understand how anyone could be normalized to such abhorrent behavior.

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@mg_2014 

It is having a clue as a seller how online sales venues with a payment processor work. Same as with my AMZ seller account. Nothing different over there on AMZ. Same basic rules and policies, only tougher for a seller over there.

Since you are so uninformed, here is another one for you. Anything you have sold in the past can be refunded to the buyer, out of your funds, for up to 6 months give or take, if the buyer files a INAD credit card chargeback with their Credit Card issuer.

If the buyer would happen to lose a case here on eBay, they can file with the credit card issuer and they rarely ever would have to send the item back, if at all. EBay does not cover you on a Item Not As Described chargeback and has no say in the matter with the issuer.

The INAD credit card chargeback is the trump card for a buyer. They win all the time.

[theteamsetguy]

@mg_2014 ,

As a long time eBay seller I've learned the best way to avoid having to refund the buyer and not getting my item back is OFFER FREE with AUTOMATIC approval. This way the buyer HAS to return the item before getting any refund.

Yes your returns will go up but I avoid the situation you just wen thru. I've also learned that if an item sells once it will sell again once you get it back. Also, my experience has been that about 1/3 of the buyers who open a return case never follow thru with the return. 

[mg_2014]

I immediately disputed the return which is the other option besides "issue refund" or "issue partial refund". You can dispute based on the claim made by buyer being fraudulent (it was in this case). I didn't refuse anything, I challenged the grounds of the return based on the 3 options provided to me. I confirmed I WOULD get my item back unless the case was decided in my favor by c/s before and after completing this process.

[mg_2014]

You seem to not understand that I talked to customer support and did exactly what they told me every step of the way. They lied to me multiple times, I have hard proof of this.

[lakefor94]

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@mg_2014 wrote:

You seem to not understand that I talked to customer support and did exactly what they told me every step of the way. They lied to me multiple times, I have hard proof of this.

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We have read the same thing you have posted over and over, ad nauseam.

You seem to not understand that you are beating a dead horse. 

[fern*wood]

We do understand that, but unfortunately we have read far too many posts where the reps that man the phones give terrible advice.  They may have only been employed a day for all you know.  There are some reps that post here on the boards that are good and I've heard the ones you can contact through facebook are good, so you might try there.  You could report what you were told and see if they could have the transcripts (if there are any) reviewed.  Maybe they can help--it's worth a try.

[mg_2014]

I cannot believe that lying to sellers to defraud them of merchandise is in Ebay's ToS, and there is no recourse for that. 

[slippinjimmy]

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@fern*wood wrote:

We do understand that, but unfortunately we have read far too many posts where the reps that man the phones give terrible advice.  They may have only been employed a day for all you know.  There are some reps that post here on the boards that are good and I've heard the ones you can contact through facebook are good, so you might try there.  You could report what you were told and see if they could have the transcripts (if there are any) reviewed.  Maybe they can help--it's worth a try.

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Personally I believe that at least half of these "eBay told me" things are result of one or the other of......

Seller didn't explain clearly what they were after and therefore got a wrong answer.

or

CSR explained what to do but the seller misunderstood

It's demonstrated here daily that many seller who have an issue cannot clearly explain the issue and when the answer is given to them they don't clearly understand that answer.

I'm not saying it's the OP in this case but customer service is a GIGO situation. Putting the blame on a CSR is the easy way out.

[fern*wood]

Another thing I’d like to see are those options you mention on the return.  I just had a not as described return and I swear I don’t remember seeing any option to deny the return by disputing. Either it’s really new or I’m so careful to pick the option to supply a label & refund when my item is returned that I don’t even see it.