Buyer filed for a return before I shipped. How can I cancel or return an item I haven't sent?

[sitonmycar]

Buyer filed for a return before I shipped. How can I cancel or return an item I haven't sent?

Buyer opened a return on Jun 06, 2019.

The return was approved automatically.

The return was closed.

June 7, the buyer sent me this messagea: When are you going to ship. This is not cool. Just cancel the purchase"

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So what do I do now. The buyer has filed for a return befor I shipped. The return closed. Then they ask when I'm going to ship and cancel the purchase in the same breath.

I'd like to just cancel the purchase or let the "return" the buyer filed for stand and walk away from this psycho.

[parkersparrow]

Who closed the return ebay or the buyer? When was it supposed to ship? Message them to confirm what they want to do. Cancel or ship? 

[myangelandmyprincess]

I’m not sure the system will let you cancel since a return was opened and closed.   

You likely have to call eBay to cancel

how long ago was the purchase 

[goodluckselling]

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@sitonmycar wrote:

Buyer filed for a return before I shipped. How can I cancel or return an item I haven't sent?

Buyer opened a return on Jun 06, 2019.

The return was approved automatically.

The return was closed.

June 7, the buyer sent me this messagea: When are you going to ship. This is not cool. Just cancel the purchase"

-----------

So what do I do now. The buyer has filed for a return befor I shipped. The return closed. Then they ask when I'm going to ship and cancel the purchase in the same breath.

I'd like to just cancel the purchase or let the "return" the buyer filed for stand and walk away from this psycho.

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If the buyer asked to cancel then I would cancel and be done with it.  Block the buyer and move on.

Good Luck Selling!

[equid0x]

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@sitonmycar wrote:

Buyer filed for a return before I shipped. How can I cancel or return an item I haven't sent?

Buyer opened a return on Jun 06, 2019.

The return was approved automatically.

The return was closed.

June 7, the buyer sent me this messagea: When are you going to ship. This is not cool. Just cancel the purchase"

-----------

So what do I do now. The buyer has filed for a return befor I shipped. The return closed. Then they ask when I'm going to ship and cancel the purchase in the same breath.

I'd like to just cancel the purchase or let the "return" the buyer filed for stand and walk away from this psycho.

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Is this item still showing in your "paid but not shipped" items? If they opened and closed a return, I would think that the sale should have disappeared from your pending shipments and should already show cancelled or returned. 

If its already shown as cancelled or returned, I would verify that the refund was already provided, and if it was, I would inform the buyer that you received a return request that was automatically approved and that the buyer should have already received a refund and they will need to repurchase the item, if they would still like to purchase it. 

Sounds scammy to me, though. Maybe they're trying to trick you into shipping something they already processed a return and got a refund for. 

Don't go by your e-mails. Look directly on the eBay & PayPal sites. 

[loveyourimagination49]

Ask the buyer if they may have sellers mixed up.

[equid0x]

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@loveyourimagination49 wrote:
Ask the buyer if they may have sellers mixed up.

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Good point. I had this happen once and they buyer had my item confused with someone else's similar item.

[7606dennis]

What type of return request did the buyer open?  If he used the not as described reason, I would accept the return and send a return label.  Then when the buyer fails to return the item in the time allotted by eBay to do so, call and have the case closed because they failed to return the item.

Seriously though, I would ask the buyer if he made a mistake and wanted to request a cancellation rather than a return of the item he hasn't yet received.  He probably just selected the wrong thing from eBay's clear as mud choices. 

[mam98031]

Sellers can NOT close a claim that is opened by a buyer.  We just don't have the ability to do that.  Only the buyer and Ebay have the ability to do that.  At this point Ebay would not do this even if you asked.  You need to have your buyer close the claim.  

When did the buyer purchase the item?  Were you taking too long to ship or did your buyer have you confused with another seller?

If you are willing to cancel the transaction, then after the buyer closes the claim, you can tell them you will file for a cancellation of the transaction.  

Don't do anything until the buyer closes that claim.  You will get an email that it has been closed.  Once you have that email, then cancel the transaction and select the reason is the buyer requested it.  Then make sure you refund your buyer.

Try to be kind to your buyer.  It sounds like they got a bit confused or overwhelmed by something.  We all make mistakes.

[myangelandmyprincess]

The return already closed according to the op.  I’m guessing the buyer opened it and then closed it when the realized they had nothing to return ?   

Since it was opened I’m not sure the system will allow the op to just cancel.   They may get the error message that only one case can be opened for the transaction...I would definitely try to cancel but If it doesn’t work I’d call eBay to see if they can cancel.  The buyer opening and closing a return may have created a mess 

[city*satins]

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@sitonmycar wrote:

Buyer opened a return on Jun 06, 2019.

The return was approved automatically.

The return was closed.

Was the payment refunded?

If possible, cancel the order as BUYER REQUESTED.   Do this in the ORDER DETAILS screen rather than in the REPORT A PROBLEM Screen.   It should have an intermediary ISSUE REFUND point, go ahead and allow the refund and then complete the cancellation.

If you can't cancel, then ship.

Alternately you could call eBay customer service and ask what to do but..hmm....on a weekend I don't expect really good advice from their phone reps.

[sitonmycar]

After paying, then canceling, then complaining about me not shipping fast enough, the buyer somehow got the item showing up as paid and not cancelled. So I shipped it. Then, right after I'd shipped, the item shows as "Returned". This buyer ( mikeymike2008 ) has been an eBay member since May 22, 2019 and has total of two feedback.

[mam98031]

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@sitonmycar wrote:

After paying, then canceling, then complaining about me not shipping fast enough, the buyer somehow got the item showing up as paid and not cancelled. So I shipped it. Then, right after I'd shipped, the item shows as "Returned". This buyer has been an eBay member since May 22, 2019 and has total of two feedback.

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If you cancelled after the payment was received, you would have refunded the buyer as well.  Or you should have.  

The buyer has NO ABILITY to reverse a cancellation.  Heck they can't even create or process a cancellation.  They can request one, but the seller is the only one that can actually process one.

Unless there was a claim previously opened by the buyer for a return, there is no way for it to show "returned" right after you shipped the item.  I think you misunderstand something that happened in this transaction.

Lets start with the cancellation.  Did you actually process a cancellation for the buyer on this transaction?  If you did, you should have refunded the payment the buyer made when you cancelled the transaction.  If this was done, there is no way a buyer could then go in an open any kind of claim for any reason because they are refunded and the transaction cancelled.

[sitonmycar]

 I wasn't keeping minute-to-minute track of the timeline of events - usually don't need to.  But sometime after I saw it go from "Returned" to "Sold" and then I shipped, it went back to "Returned" . This before the buyer'd even received it. 

Buyer paid June 4. Sent me an email June 7 ("When are you going to ship. This is not cool. Just cancel the purchase"). So, now that I'm ready to ship, he says to cancel. Soon as I ship June 7, the item is back to "Returned".

[mam98031]

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@sitonmycar wrote:

 I wasn't keeping minute-to-minute track of the timeline of events - usually don't need to.  But sometime after I saw it go from "Returned" to "Sold" and then I shipped, it went back to "Returned" . This before the buyer'd even received it. 

Buyer paid June 4. Sent me an email June 7 ("When are you going to ship. This is not cool. Just cancel the purchase"). So, now that I'm ready to ship, he says to cancel. Soon as I ship June 7, the item is back to "Returned".

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I'm not at all sure I can help, but maybe I can shed a little light.

Just because a buyer says to go ahead and cancel the transaction does NOT mean the transaction is cancelled.  Only YOU can actually do that.  You have to file for a cancellation of the transaction.  It doesn't happen on it's own just because the buyer wants it.  The seller has to approve it and file for the actual cancellation of the transaction.

It sounds like you shipped it the same day the buyer asked you to cancel the order.  You would not have been able to do that in the Ebay system if you had actually cancelled the transaction.  So it sounds like you never cancelled the transaction.

After you shipped are you saying the buyer filed to return the item to you?  Does the tracking show that the buyer has received the item?  Or did the buyer file for a return BEFORE they even received the item?