Buyer started a return, tracking number still in pre-shipment after 2 weeks. Should I be suspicious?

[billythekid16]

A buyer from California started a return on February 21 with the reason of "just didn't like it" and provided a USPS tracking number, which as of this message (March 6) its status is still "Pre-Shipment, USPS Awaiting Item." I know the post office can be slow, but not THIS slow for it to take two weeks (and counting) for a package to go from California to Massachusetts, presuming she sent it ground advantage.

What are the chances she may be trying to fool me and eBay into refunding her money and keeping the item I sold to her? The tracking number is legit, but is it possible she never mailed it?

I am definitely going to NOT refund the buyer until I get the item back, if it ever does come back.

My questions...
On the return details, eBay states "If the buyer doesn't ship the item back by Mar 13, we may close the return automatically and you will not be required to refund the buyer..."

So once March 13 passes and I never get the item back, and the tracking number is still in limbo...

I am concerned about her giving me negative feedback in retaliation. How much time does she have to do something like that?

Is there anything else I can do about this situation, aside from putting her on my BBL?

FYI this is the first return I experienced that feels sketchy.

[heckofagame]

Did you approve a return and label or did the buyer purchase their own label for the return?

[a_c_green]

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@billythekid16 wrote:

My questions...
On the return details, eBay states "If the buyer doesn't ship the item back by Mar 13, we may close the return automatically and you will not be required to refund the buyer..."

So once March 13 passes and I never get the item back, and the tracking number is still in limbo...

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It won't be. eBay will see that the number has not been used and there is nothing traveling back to you.

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@billythekid16 wrote:

I am concerned about her giving me negative feedback in retaliation. How much time does she have to do something like that?

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I believe that if the return is cancelled due to lack of any return shipment activity, she will not be able to leave feedback.

[billythekid16]

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@heckofagame wrote:

Did you approve a return and label or did the buyer purchase their own label for the return?

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She (allegedly) purchased her own label for the return.

[luckythewinner]

Is there anything else I can do about this situation, aside from putting her on my BBL

Your "situation" is simply that the buyer has been given a time frame to return the item, and that time frame has not yet passed.

So IMHO you should stop worrying about things you have no control over.  The buyer will either return the item in the specified time frame, or not. The buyer will either leave negative feedback, or not.

[caldreamer]

Sometimes customer "change their mind" and decide to keep the item.   I would not worry...open case will automatically close if customer doesn't return the item.

[robbie31415]

Many of my returns never get returned and eBay automatically closes in my favor and I get to keep my sale.

I have two right now. I figure either they are procrastinators who do things on the last day, or they changed their mind and are too lazy to close the return so it will just eventually time out.

[albertabrightalberta]

If tracking doesn't update by the date by which the buyer needs to send it, you can go back to the transaction/return request and request that ebay close the return. I believe it's automatic but I've waited until the next day and requested closure and they closed it citing that it's closed because the buyer didn't return the item and that the hold on funds is released.

[xadexane]

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@albertabrightalberta wrote:

If tracking doesn't update by the date by which the buyer needs to send it, you can go back to the transaction/return request and request that ebay close the return.

I believe it's automatic but I've waited until the next day and requested closure and they closed it citing that it's closed because the buyer didn't return the item and that the hold on funds is released.

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Unless you hacked the code on the "transaction/return request" page to "waited until the next day and requested closure" there's no way but automatic until after the deadline has passed.

Or has that policy changed?