Buyer opened return request. I decline. eBay refunds him and finds I'm not at fault. Huh???

[treasuremilpitas]

I'm going to keep this short and easy to comprehend b/c it's kind of complex. I (the seller) sell shoes to buyer. Buyer bought shoes in December. Buyer left positive feedback on January. Buyer opens return request in February b/c the shoes didn't fit yet I provided an accurate description (its not my fault if they don't fit, I just supply the product and give a description). I decline return request. Case is pending. Ebay replies and says they refunded the buyer and that I am not found at fault (so I am not impacted aka don't need to do anything on my end). So I was thinking, the buyer got his refund and gets to keep the shoes (I feel he got the better end of the deal if you think about it). I, the seller, don't get impacted so I keep the funds (better than getting impacted). So does eBay take the loss since they have to refund the buyer and I don't since I'm not impacted? Care to share your experiences and thoughts with this b/c it's kind of complex.  Thanks. 

[buyselljack2016]

@treasuremilpitas

It's simple.  They gave the buyer a coutesy refund from their piggy bank.

Generally a one time thing for a buyer.

[meoxcross]

I guess he did, but i wonder if this has anything to do with the GSP Pitney Bowes + USPS disaster that ebay is suddenly compensating everybody.

[missjen831]

Yep eBay takes the loss. While it’s a nice gesture on ebays part, it does set a precedence and I’m sure some buyers will expect a refund every time. It kind of encourages bad buyer behavior IMO. But at least for you, you didn’t have to refund the buyer.

[tiramisu41]

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@meoxcrosswrote:

I guess he did, but i wonder if this has anything to do with the GSP Pitney Bowes + USPS disaster that ebay is suddenly compensating everybody.

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Huh? What's that got to do with a pair of ill-fitting shoes?

[meoxcross]

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@tiramisu41wrote:

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@meoxcrosswrote:

I guess he did, but i wonder if this has anything to do with the GSP Pitney Bowes + USPS disaster that ebay is suddenly compensating everybody.

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Huh? What's that got to do with a pair of ill-fitting shoes?

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The point is as i have heard on the forums time and time again, ebay never compensates the seller when a sale falls through, so why are they suddenly compensating sellers in 2 separate incidents over a short time span. This has to coming from somewhere. 

[dhbookds]

They've done complimentary refunds for years.........

[meoxcross]

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@dhbookdswrote:

They've done complimentary refunds for years.........

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This is news to me, how often do they do this? Otherwise this is simply a PR move on eBay's part.

[partial*eclipse]

Yes, indeed.  It's been at least 5 years since one of my buyers got a "courtesy refund" after filing a SNAD claim, saying I had switched labels and sent them a different item that I had sold on the same day.  

Fortunately, while the claim was pending, the other buyer left glowing feedback, which demonstrated that the claimant was a big fat liar. She got a full refund, and also got to keep her (allegedly switched) package.

[dhbookds]

I've read about it about once a month/2 months or so.........  called customer service I think.........

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

Who the heck thinks they can sell shoes online with no returns? That’s crazy talk.

[missjen831]

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@meoxcrosswrote:

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@dhbookdswrote:

They've done complimentary refunds for years.........

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This is news to me, how often do they do this? Otherwise this is simply a PR move on eBay's part.

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It’s not a PR move. They do it regularly. On SNADs and INRs when seller has proof of delivery. It’s a one-time thing and I believe that many of these buyers don’t have a history of filing cases either.

[treasuremilpitas]

Similar to what happened to me. They get to keep the money and the item. The buyer could even sell the item that they essentially got for free for even more money which is a bigger win for them. At least I didn't get dinged. 

[richardwillardcollection]

Buyer said used shoes did not fit (you sold with no returns) ebay guarrentee says "get the item you bought or your money back" so this was a freebie on ebays part. Your very lucky, because the buyer could have said that they were not the color in the pictures, smelled bad, or some other reason that would have lost the case for you, so you are lucky, lucky you did not have to pay return shipping and refund the buyer.

[treasuremilpitas]

That's even another topic of discussion. They (buyers) shouldn't make false claims about any other stuff. I'm sure that has happened to some sellers where the buyers just try to swindle through the wording of the policy. In this case though I'm not responsible for how they fit. I can only provide a product and a description. Once I ship and it successfully delivers to the address provided by the buyer, my work is done.