Buyer never returned item - ebay asking me to refund or escalate

[andrew547]

I'm confused...

Buyer initiated a return on April 28. He never returned the item. A shipping label was created and status is "USPS awaiting item".

Today, day 45, I got a message from ebay presenting me with two options: refund the buyer or escalate to a "case".

I thought buyers have 30 days to return an item, and if they fail to return it within that time, their return is automatically closed.

Any idea why ebay is pushing me into this corner?

[andrew547]

There is a new message from Ebay on the return details page:

"Be sure to check the item carefully when it arrives and refund the buyer by Jun 22, 2020"

On day 45, I am being asked to refund the buyer (or I guess escalate) by day 55 of the return request for a return that expired 24 days ago with no return shipping. I don't understand this at all.

[andrew547]

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@mtgraves7984 wrote:

I thought that eBay wasn't forcing the closing of returns right now due to the pandemic. Am I wrong?

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My understanding is that ebay increased the time window for returns due to covid19. I don't know about keeping them open indefinitely. As a concept, that doesn't make sense to me. They have to be closed at some point.

[andrew547]

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@silvergemjewelryetc wrote:

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this happened to me as a buyer, USPS lost the return package & the item is awaiting acceptance with no update on the return tracking for nearly a month. perhaps this is what happened to your buyer as well?

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I have no idea. If I, as a seller, ship a package and USPS never acknowledges having accepted it, that's on me. I assume that works both ways. Buyer never used the shipping label and I don't have the item. That's what I know, based on the information I have. I can't really begin assuming scenarios beyond the evidence.

[buzzapparel]

Recently had a return closed after 48 days past the open return window. 

-buyer has 30 days to open a return

-theres a glitch which prevents the returns from closing well beyond 30 days or 45 days

-buyers technically have 75 days before having to send back the item

-if the buyer enters fake tracking number or escalates stating the item was shipped eBay will give them an additional 21 days for tracking to show up

-this brings return window to 96 days on 30 day return not including transit time

[vkjfau-0]

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@andrew547 wrote:

There is a new message from Ebay on the return details page:

"Be sure to check the item carefully when it arrives and refund the buyer by Jun 22, 2020"

On day 45, I am being asked to refund the buyer (or I guess escalate) by day 55 of the return request for a return that expired 24 days ago with no return shipping. I don't understand this at all.

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What it is you are missing?

Read that again:

"Be sure to check the item carefully when it arrives and refund the buyer by Jun 22, 2020"

Today is Jun 13...

You should wait.

Patience.

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@buzzapparel wrote:

Recently had a return closed after 48 days past the open return window. 
-buyers technically have 75 days before having to send back the item

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Correct, 30+45 = 75

[1tuna]

you are correct but it has nothing to do with covid 19.Ebay did decide that sellers can no longer call in and get a return closed, we are now supposed to wait.It looks like the new estimate is 45 days for a return which  can be started  on day 30  and just push it right to 75 days.I am still waiting for a negative to come off whenever ebay decides to get it in gear and do something

other sellers have stated that they went 2-3 months with nothing returned   and ebay slapped on another 30 days to wait.I have funds now so my money is not held on a return but it sucks being at the mercy of a bot which does lie

I have had my return marked as delivered by AI bots,when you push the order number in blue the truth comes up.I asked a CSR why the bots lie and I was told that they just assume it was returned and mark it as so

this is a great big time suck that ebay expects us to just go along with,when will the extension be retracted,next year maybe

[mtgraves7984]

@andrew547 

I can't find anything in print that supports my ^^ gossip. I still only find this:

We’ve temporarily extended our returns timelines and adjusted our eBay Money Back Guarantee policy to help you process returns during COVID-19.

Buyers will now have 21 business days from when you accept their return or issue a label to send their item back to you. Once tracking shows that the item has been successfully returned, you’ll have 5 business days to inspect the item and issue a refund.

The 'gossip' I'd heard never made sense to me, either. I agree that closing an abandoned return is the right thing to do. 

[andrew547]

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@vkjfau-0 wrote:

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You should wait.

Patience.

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Why? The return window closed 24 days ago. Buyer never shipped the return, and now I am being asked to escalate or refund?

If I remember right, it used to say "Buyer has until May 28 to return the item" on the return page.  He didn't.

It is now June 13. No return shipping. No item. Based on my understanding of ebay's return policy, the return should have been closed weeks ago.

I've already been patient.

[packitup23]

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@andrew547 wrote:

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@silvergemjewelryetc wrote:

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this happened to me as a buyer, USPS lost the return package & the item is awaiting acceptance with no update on the return tracking for nearly a month. perhaps this is what happened to your buyer as well?

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I have no idea. If I, as a seller, ship a package and USPS never acknowledges having accepted it, that's on me. I assume that works both ways. Buyer never used the shipping label and I don't have the item. That's what I know, based on the information I have. I can't really begin assuming scenarios beyond the evidence.

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If Usps loses the package on the way back then the buyer or whoever sent it back better have paid for insurance or it’s on them. If the buyer receives a refund and does not return the item they are now in possession of stolen property. If they cannot verify they have returned this they should be very concerned. Using false tracking information is also considered mail fraud. You can and should report this to the proper authorities. I would surely hope eBay would not force a return knowing something has not been returned. 

[andrew547]

Just to be clear....

The buyer made the return request. Ebay says buyers have 21 days to ship items back to sellers after starting a return. Ebay did not close the return after 21 days of no activity. On day 45, buyer has still not used the return label created when he made his return, and ebay is asking me to refund or escalate. 

There are two things here: (1) Time to initiate a return and (2) time to follow through once a return is requested. 

The time to initiate a return is not a factor here. The times I am referring to here are entirely post-return request.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@andrew547 wrote:

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@vkjfau-0 wrote:

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You should wait.

Patience.

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Why? The return window closed 24 days ago. Buyer never shipped the return, and now I am being asked to escalate or refund?

If I remember right, it used to say "Buyer has until May 28 to return the item" on the return page.  He didn't.

It is now June 13. No return shipping. No item. Based on my understanding of ebay's return policy, the return should have been closed weeks ago.

I've already been patient.

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Exactly.

I could see waiting if there was some activity on the tracking, even if it were just an acceptance scan. But a LACK of tracking for a month? No activity at all? Pandemic or not, it needs to be closed in your favor.

[parkersparrow]

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@gwzcomps wrote:
Yeah the cases never close on their own. You have to call customer support. I don't understand why eBay is so insistent on setting their sellers up to fail?

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I Just contacted customer service via facebook chat on June 11th to close a return that I had approved on May 11th and the buyer was supposed to return by June 10th.  This was the response I got today:

"Thanks for reaching out to us about this return. I'm sorry to hear this buyer never acted on it and the case has been sitting there. Due to the situation with covid-19 we've extended return times and we're no longer able to close these out manually. I'm sorry about that! Instead what happens is these will expire automatically after 35 days if the buyer does not ship the item back."

[packitup23]

Was the 35 day extension in place during the date the transaction occurred? If this was not an adopted and publicized policy at that time how can it be enforced? 

[andrew547]

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@parkersparrow wrote:

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"Thanks for reaching out to us about this return. I'm sorry to hear this buyer never acted on it and the case has been sitting there. Due to the situation with covid-19 we've extended return times and we're no longer able to close these out manually. I'm sorry about that! Instead what happens is these will expire automatically after 35 days if the buyer does not ship the item back."

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Dear ebay,

Sellers are people too.

[andrew547]

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@parkersparrow wrote:

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"Thanks for reaching out to us about this return. I'm sorry to hear this buyer never acted on it and the case has been sitting there. Due to the situation with covid-19 we've extended return times and we're no longer able to close these out manually. I'm sorry about that! Instead what happens is these will expire automatically after 35 days if the buyer does not ship the item back."

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And also...

45 > 35

Buyer initiated the return 45 days ago.