Buyers can just tell Ebay they returned an item with no tracking and i have to refund?

[remote_controls_and_more]

I just got this message from Ebay today, I'm confused by it. Can a buyer just tell ebay they returned an item without giving a tracking number? i didn't receive this item yet and have no idea if they returned it yet. The return still says the buyer hasn't shipped it yet. The return is from Requested: Feb 21, 2019

Here is the message...It looks like its requiring me to refund by a certain date even though i don't have the item or a tracking number

We've asked the buyer to send the item

Hi ******,

***buyer*** indicated that they posted their return. The item should now be delivered and once you've received it, please issue the buyer with a refund by Mar 19, 2019.

When the refund is complete, you'll automatically receive a credit for the final value fee and other applicable fees.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it. if you like, you can contact buyer. If you can't reach a resolution, you can ask us to step in and help.

[bigdeals.etc]

Call eBay and double check with them if the buyer did in fact send the item back yet. Sometimes ebay won't show you the tracking number... which is dumb. Other times the buyer could have called eBay and used their own shipping and tracking and gave it to them by phone.

I'm not sure if you're a victim of this, but ebay has been REALLY tricky with their wording in regards to the items that haven't been returned yet. I've noticed it and it annoys me... they are trying to confuse sellers and "trick" them into issuing the refund prematurely. They'll say things like "the buyer SHOULD have returned it to you already. Please refund the the buyer to close the return and get your FVF fees back."

Sometimes in the Manage Returns page you'll see a status comment by your return saying "refund by (date)" but then you click into the return and you see that the buyer hasn't even shipped the item back. It's VERY misleading and shady of eBay if you ask me. I've complained to eBay CS about this a few times... not sure it's on deaf ears or not though. 

But it as I said, I'm not sure if you are a victim of this or not... call eBay to double check.

[pjcdn2005]

That’s a message they send out to the seller a certain amount of time after the return is accepted even when there is no indication that the return was sent out. I don’t know why they always say the buyer indicated the item was sent  back when there is no tracking number but the message really doesn’t mean anything.  The return will time out and close after approx. 3O days or business days. Or, you can phone ebay and ask them to close the return if it has been longer than 5 business days since the return was approved..assuming there is no tracking. I always wait until it closes on its own but some would rather phone.

[remote_controls_and_more]

I have gotten many many returns over the past year, this is the first time i have gotten this message. This return was requested over 20 days ago.

I plan to call when they open in a couple hours

[dhbookds]

@Anonymous 

That message is certainly ambiguous.......perhaps send it for review?

***buyer*** indicated that they posted their return

The item should now be delivered and once you've received it, please issue the buyer with a refund by Mar 19, 2019.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it.

[remote_controls_and_more]

When i goto the return it says

----

The item should have been delivered

Be sure to check the item carefully when it arrives and refund the buyer by Mar 19, 2019.

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Only "Return started" has a green check mark.

It says i can ask ebay to step in but i know that will just give me a defect and it will auto refund the buyer. Hopefully when i call they can help me.

[bigdeals.etc]

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@remote_controls_and_more wrote:

When i goto the return it says

----

The item should have been delivered

Be sure to check the item carefully when it arrives and refund the buyer by Mar 19, 2019.

-------

Only "Return started" has a green check mark.

It says i can ask ebay to step in but i know that will just give me a defect and it will auto refund the buyer. Hopefully when i call they can help me.

---

Yes, that's EXACTLY what I was talking about. OP, I'm pretty sure your just a victim of that shady ebay tactic trying to trick you into refunding the buyer. I've gotten this message many times and can confirm that the buyer simply hasn't sent back anything. I say you just call eBay when they open and close the return out in your favor. Complain to them about the wording of that message too. Like I said, it's intentionally misleading. They shouldn't be trying to scare you with a "refund the buyer by" date if the item hasn't even been shipped back yet. Smh.

[jklfindings]

Buyers get a week to actually put the return in the mail.  If they don't, just give ebay a call the next morning and get the case closed.  It happens every once in awhile.  Some change their minds about the return, and some just some forget.  Whatever the excuse it's all spelled out very clearly for the buyer when they initiate the return how much time they have to simply drop it in the mail.

[remote_controls_and_more]

I just got off the phone and i was able to get it closed in my favor.

it was just weird because i have had several buyer remorse returns where the buyer never returned the item and Ebay just closed the case after about 1 month. This is the first time i have gotten this confusing message before.

[bigdeals.etc]

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@remote_controls_and_more wrote:

I just got off the phone and i was able to get it closed in my favor.

it was just weird because i have had several buyer remorse returns where the buyer never returned the item and Ebay just closed the case after about 1 month. This is the first time i have gotten this confusing message before.

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Yea... that deceiving message comes at random for me too. Some returns close out after a month like with yours. You can expect to see this message more often as it's ebay's attempt to trick you into refunding the buyer and letting them keep the item too. It's all about bending over for the buyers, right??

[Anonymous]

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@remote_controls_and_more wrote:

I just got this message from Ebay today, I'm confused by it. Can a buyer just tell ebay they returned an item without giving a tracking number? i didn't receive this item yet and have no idea if they returned it yet. The return still says the buyer hasn't shipped it yet. The return is from Requested: Feb 21, 2019

Here is the message...It looks like its requiring me to refund by a certain date even though i don't have the item or a tracking number

We've asked the buyer to send the item

Hi ******,

***buyer*** indicated that they posted their return. The item should now be delivered and once you've received it, please issue the buyer with a refund by Mar 19, 2019.

When the refund is complete, you'll automatically receive a credit for the final value fee and other applicable fees.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it. if you like, you can contact buyer. If you can't reach a resolution, you can ask us to step in and help.

---

Hi @remote_controls_and_more, the buyer can mark an item as shipped in a return the same way a seller can mark an item as shipped when they sell the item. The buyer may have misplaced the tracking information or not obtained any, or they may have had to ship the item with a different label than the eBay label they were provided and were unable to update the tracking details in the return. A seller can contact their customer for clarification/more information, as well as touch base with Customer Service if they have concerns.

Additionally, if an eBay label was printed or tracking was provided at some point in the process and the item should have already been delivered, we will send this notification to the seller to prompt a resolution in case they have received the item back successfully. Once you receive the item back, you would be expected to issue a refund as normal. 

[goodluckselling]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@remote_controls_and_more wrote:

I just got this message from Ebay today, I'm confused by it. Can a buyer just tell ebay they returned an item without giving a tracking number? i didn't receive this item yet and have no idea if they returned it yet. The return still says the buyer hasn't shipped it yet. The return is from Requested: Feb 21, 2019

Here is the message...It looks like its requiring me to refund by a certain date even though i don't have the item or a tracking number

We've asked the buyer to send the item

Hi ******,

***buyer*** indicated that they posted their return. The item should now be delivered and once you've received it, please issue the buyer with a refund by Mar 19, 2019.

When the refund is complete, you'll automatically receive a credit for the final value fee and other applicable fees.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it. if you like, you can contact buyer. If you can't reach a resolution, you can ask us to step in and help.

---

Hi @remote_controls_and_more, the buyer can mark an item as shipped in a return the same way a seller can mark an item as shipped when they sell the item. The buyer may have misplaced the tracking information or not obtained any, or they may have had to ship the item with a different label than the eBay label they were provided and were unable to update the tracking details in the return. A seller can contact their customer for clarification/more information, as well as touch base with Customer Service if they have concerns.

Additionally, if an eBay label was printed or tracking was provided at some point in the process and the item should have already been delivered, we will send this notification to the seller to prompt a resolution in case they have received the item back successfully. Once you receive the item back, you would be expected to issue a refund as normal. 

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@Anonymous   While I can appreciate your response,  I am not sure why you are not instructing the seller in this thread about the time frame the buyer has to take action on the return? Your answer seems cryptic to me?

Both buyers and sellers are given directions on what to do.  The seller did its part and provided a label, it is the buyer who is not or did not follow the instructions based on the request history as described by the OP. 

If you truly value sellers as an important customer to eBay then please try to help sellers with the most complete info and direction as possible, even if the answer might work against a buyer.

@remote_controls_and_more  Because eBay does not have a way to send an international buyer a return shipping label through the resolution center we know this is a domestic transaction,

• you can call eBay and have this return request closed because the time frame has passed for the buyer to take actions. Buyer have 5 business days or 7 days total to get an acceptance scans that shows the package is on its way.
• You can also just escalate the return request through the resolution center which shows all the details of the request which sounds like no tracking number is updated and or with an accepted scan.
• Lastly you should also report this buyer for misuse of the eBay MBG

Good Luck Selling!

[ohnojoey]

"If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it. if you like, you can contact buyer. If you can't reach a resolution, you can ask us to step in and help."

The buyer can tell anything to ebay but if the buyer shows no proof of tracking, then no refund to the buyer.

Do what the message says. Ask/demand ebay to step in and close the case. Don't let them bully you! 

[Anonymous]

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@goodluckselling wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@remote_controls_and_more wrote:

I just got this message from Ebay today, I'm confused by it. Can a buyer just tell ebay they returned an item without giving a tracking number? i didn't receive this item yet and have no idea if they returned it yet. The return still says the buyer hasn't shipped it yet. The return is from Requested: Feb 21, 2019

Here is the message...It looks like its requiring me to refund by a certain date even though i don't have the item or a tracking number

We've asked the buyer to send the item

Hi ******,

***buyer*** indicated that they posted their return. The item should now be delivered and once you've received it, please issue the buyer with a refund by Mar 19, 2019.

When the refund is complete, you'll automatically receive a credit for the final value fee and other applicable fees.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it. if you like, you can contact buyer. If you can't reach a resolution, you can ask us to step in and help.

---

Hi @remote_controls_and_more, the buyer can mark an item as shipped in a return the same way a seller can mark an item as shipped when they sell the item. The buyer may have misplaced the tracking information or not obtained any, or they may have had to ship the item with a different label than the eBay label they were provided and were unable to update the tracking details in the return. A seller can contact their customer for clarification/more information, as well as touch base with Customer Service if they have concerns.

Additionally, if an eBay label was printed or tracking was provided at some point in the process and the item should have already been delivered, we will send this notification to the seller to prompt a resolution in case they have received the item back successfully. Once you receive the item back, you would be expected to issue a refund as normal. 

---

@Anonymous   While I can appreciate your response,  I am not sure why you are not instructing the seller in this thread about the time frame the buyer has to take action on the return? Your answer seems cryptic to me?

Both buyers and sellers are given directions on what to do.  The seller did its part and provided a label, it is the buyer who is not or did not follow the instructions based on the request history as described by the OP. 

If you truly value sellers as an important customer to eBay then please try to help sellers with the most complete info and direction as possible, even if the answer might work against a buyer.

@remote_controls_and_more  Because eBay does not have a way to send an international buyer a return shipping label through the resolution center we know this is a domestic transaction,

• you can call eBay and have this return request closed because the time frame has passed for the buyer to take actions. Buyer have 5 business days or 7 days total to get an acceptance scans that shows the package is on its way.
• You can also just escalate the return request through the resolution center which shows all the details of the request which sounds like no tracking number is updated and or with an accepted scan.
• Lastly you should also report this buyer for misuse of the eBay MBG

Good Luck Selling!

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Hi @goodluckselling, I responded to the direct question posed by the OP of why they received this type of message. Additional steps were not necessary, both based on the information provided here and the details I investigated internally. Perhaps the OP will return to update this thread, but I do want to clarify that often times there are details not presented on a thread that would guide the response that I provide. In general, the question posted is the question I will answer. The seller would be able to review the return request and the Communication they've received from eBay for the dates where they can ask eBay to step in, as well as more information on how to do this.

While I cannot share the details of the OPs situation here, I can confirm that I provided the information they needed. I will not avoid providing next steps that "might work against a buyer", nor do I have the perspective of information working against anyone. This, in addition to the fact that other members on this thread have provided suggestions on next steps, led to my reply being focused on the reason a message like this would be sent.

Lastly, there is no misuse of the eBay Money Back Guarantee described here and the OP would not need to report concerns to eBay - they have described a return request where an item may not have been returned. A buyer can open a return request, then decide not to return an item. This is not a misuse of the program, as it is their prerogative to choose to keep the item if they so choose. eBay will monitor if there are signs of excessive returns being opened or other abuse.

[remote_controls_and_more]

I actually posted yesterday (message 9) that i called and was able to close the return because they see no indication the buyer returned the item and i did not receive it.

The message was confusing because it stated i need to refund the buyer by a certain date, so if had not called and then waited until after the deadline what would have happened?

Would the return auto close? Since it was over 20 days old..

Would ebay automatically refund the buyer and i get a defect?

The wording of that message is very misleading and confusing by giving me a deadline to refund even though there is no actual proof they mailed the item and i never received it. It sounds like from the message that if i don't refund by that date it will just refund the buyer and give me a defect.

While talking to the customer service person he said they had a meeting already about this very message and that it needs to be changed because of the way its worded.