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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

I requested to cancel an order on May 15.  I sent my request to cancel the order after first checking to see the status on eBay showed the item as still awaiting shipment.  I briefly stated the reason for my request.  I hadn't looked closely enough at the glasses inside the original packaging, they had very thick glass on the base which I knew didn't want given my fused finger thumbs (too heavy to hold).  With that cancellation request I also offered to cover the seller's listing fee in case she wouldn't get that part back, and also cover the shipping cost, if somehow the item had already been shipped out by the time my request was made, received, and able to be responded to by the seller on May 15.

 

The response I got from the seller on May 15 included her claim the item had already been shipped out before my request to cancel came in.  Though the seller agreed to cancel the order.  I thanked her for agreeing to cancel the order because I knew she didn't have to cancel it, but I asked her for the tracking number that showed it had been shipped out like she said.  She did not want to give a tracking number to me and she did not give one to me.  She went on to say that she forgot to upload the tracking number and furthermore would need to contact her daughter to have her help recalling the package from usps, and that this process would take days to accomplish.  I offered to cover the recall cost as well, and requested the tracking number from her once more, but again she would not provide it.  So it went.

 

She began scolding me in messages asking what was wrong with me, saying I was the one who had requested to return an item that I had already paid for and that had already processed and shipped, what was my problem,  did I or did I not want to return it!  She complained to me about how she had been left all alone in the shop by her daughter, left trying to figure out how to refund me by herself while her daughter was on vacation.  The seller stated I would need to wait some days for my refund, "until after she received the package back."  She did not say why she needed to inspect the recalled package or why I needed to wait for her to complete the Cancellation and to receive my refund.  She later sent a message telling me no good deed goes unpunished, how lucky I was, or how lucky for me I think is what she said, that she got the package back intact, and how she never had to agree to do any of it (that part is true), and asking me never to bid on any of her items again, and that's her right.  The other part what she did I'm not sure about.  She did say my tone had changed when I kept asking for the tracking number and my request for it kept getting ignored.

 

This seller has great feedback and seemingly gets along great with all her other buyers.  Unless maybe it's not her, but her daughter who usually runs the business? But her daughter went away on vacation as the seller said in her messages, and her daughter left her "alone in the shop" in charge of the store?  I don't understand the acrimony directed at me when I offered to cover expenses if I had the tracking number to prove those expenses happened already (meaning they couldn't be avoided by the cancellation itself).  I thought it was a fair thing to do, and I thought it fair to ask for the tracking number.  But if my seller has early onset dementia or whatever I can understand her frustration not knowing what to do but I started out apologizing for my not seeing the heavy bases before, and I was offering to mitigate most of the inconvenience from a cancel request.  But after the bizarre scoldings I know my own replies got more shrill with each exchange, and how I regret that now.  Stupid pride.

 

 I asked for a cancellation and later on provided the seller the highlighted screenshots of my request, pointing out that it was a request to cancel, not a return, but a Return was created nonetheless, despite the fact I did not request one.  I did not have the item, right?  I did not even have the tracking number for it ever having been shipped as claimed, and was told by the seller she had initiated a recall on the supposedly already-shipped item, so I would never have an item to do a Return with.  I pointed out that I did not make a Return request, since I cannot give what I do not have, and never would have, because of the recall-package the seller claimed to put out on it, and that I actually had no tracking number to establish it's whereabouts, to prove I had returned the package to her or prove to eBay either, but those appeals to reason were all ignored by the seller.  The seller remained unconvinced I had made my cancellation request, she maintained in messages that I had requested to start a Return and that all the delay was due to me,  because I was somehow dragging my feet, "Do you or don't you want to return this!"

 

I am signed up with USPS Informed Delivery service and so I usually receive notifications when a shipping label has been created, or a parcel inbound to me has been accepted, along with when and where these things occurred.  Scanning events, transit exceptions, redirected packages, any of those things, I can see it.  But I never received any notification for any package being shipped to me and recalled by the seller.  Just a notification from today's freshly generated label.

 

 My seller created a shipping label with tracking just today.  The seller uploaded the tracking number from it to eBay today, on May 18.  There is no evidence the package was ever shipped out on or before May 15 as claimed, much less recalled by the seller or her daughter during the period following, or that the shipping costs claimed and now retained by the seller were ever incurred before today.

 

The seller issued a partial refund today,  under the Return she created.  She is now keeping the cost for shipping, as I noted.

 

My offer to cover the cost of her listing fee and the cost of shipping the item, and the cost to recall the package was made on condition that the item had already been shipped prior to my request to cancel being received.  Only it apparently wasn't shipped by that time.  The seller could have cancelled it, since to all evidences it never was shipped by the time I asked to cancel it, but she didn't.  Then came today's partial refund under a Return I did not request, with a newly minted tracking number for shipping starting today on it.

 

I'm not real proud or happy that I wrote back to her the way that I did, with highlighted screenshots of our messages and my repeated (ignored) requests for her to provide me with the original tracking number from May 15 or before.  I was trying to show her where she was mistaken, again, stupid pride.  I called eBay to ask about what should I do.  I was told to refuse delivery.  Is there any consensus on doing that?  I'm not even talking about a lot of money that I'm out, less than $15.   It's the way it was taken from me that has my attention.

 

Does anyone know how the seller was able to create a Return Request without me and carry out actions under such a case without my knowledge or my consent?

 

USPS could give me no information about her claiming she shipped and recalled a package addressed to me.   Just the information from the label she created today.

Message 1 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

@barely_tan_gerbilIf the seller never provided a tracking number, there will never be proof it was delivered. As suggested, wait until the promised delivery date has passed. If you haven't received it by that date, open an Item Not Received case. If you do receive it, open a return that you changed your mind, or you ordered the wrong item.

If the seller never provided a tracking number for the item to be shipped to you, there will be no way for her to prove that she ever sent it.

You were being more than honest and fair in admitting that you failed to notice something in the listing.And offering to make good by offering to cover any costs that the seller might incur due to the cancellation. You were also correct in uploading your proof that you attempted to cancel before the item shipped. If you enter the tracking number on the USPS website, it will show you the entire history of the label - the date it was created and the date that it was in the USPS possession. You can buy a label and then not drop it off for a week or more.

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Message 8 of 26
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25 REPLIES 25

Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

A seller can not create a return request.

Only a buyer can.

From your story it sure sounds like the item was not sent until after your request to cancel.

The seller should have just canceled the order.

She wouldn't have been out anything.

What is this about a partial refund?

The customer service agent told you to refuse delivery but i think if you do that and the package is returned to the seller, they are not obligated to refund you anything.  Hopefully someone else smarter than me can chime in...

Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
Message 2 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

Buyers can create returns and request cancellations.  Sellers cannot create returns and they do not have to honor cancellation requests.  I will give an example of something that d to me as a seller.  Overnight, I received an order and later a cancellation request.  I processed the order first without reading message.  After I had put the item in my mailbox, I read my messages and saw the request.  I quickly retrieved the package and went about refunding the buyer and voiding the postage.  Not an easy process.  From then on, I have read my messages first.

 

As for your seller, I can't pretend to know the circumstances.  Your seller might now have known what to do with a cancellation request.  It shouldn't happen.  You buy we ship.  You can open a return once you receive the item.  

evry1nositswindy  •  seller since 2013
Volunteer Community Mentor

Message 3 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

     As others have already stated sellers cannot initiate a return request only the buyer can. It is possible that the seller simply issued you a partial refund and withheld the $15 you stated you were out. If the item is still showing up as one of your orders with an expected delivery date wait until the delivery date has passed and open a INR and you should receive the rest of your money back I believe. If the seller had canceled the order you should have received notification but it sounds like the order is still in a pending status. 

     If the seller did in fact purchase a label and they never used it they should be able to cancel the label and be reimbursed from USPS. Since you now have the USPS tracking number you can simply plug that into USPS tracking and see what the history was with regard to the use of that label.

Message 4 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

What an annoying situation - sympathies. I have been selling on eBay (mostly gemstones) for many years and would never treat a customer like that! First off, you can refuse the package. It will not be counted as having been delivered, if it was not delivered and you should eventually get your money back. However, it is probably simpler and quicker for you if you do NOT refuse to accept the package. Accept and then file to return because it was not as expected or for shipping delay. Do you know when the daughter is supposed to return from vacation? Hopefully, by the time you receive the package and file for a return label, she will be back and duly mortified by how you were treated. BTW, I suggest you open the package outside with photographs because the person you describe sounds unhinged and I would not assume anything good about it. I hope this helps. Let us know?

Message 5 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

This is from ebay's money back guarantee section...

 

Screen Shot 2023-05-19 at 1.37.25 AM.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe refusing the package may not be a good idea.

 

Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
Message 6 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

Hi,  I have a question... 

 

Did you receive a message from eBay stating that your cancelation was being processed?

 

 

Just my Two Cents...
Thank you for being here!
Penny
Message 7 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

@barely_tan_gerbilIf the seller never provided a tracking number, there will never be proof it was delivered. As suggested, wait until the promised delivery date has passed. If you haven't received it by that date, open an Item Not Received case. If you do receive it, open a return that you changed your mind, or you ordered the wrong item.

If the seller never provided a tracking number for the item to be shipped to you, there will be no way for her to prove that she ever sent it.

You were being more than honest and fair in admitting that you failed to notice something in the listing.And offering to make good by offering to cover any costs that the seller might incur due to the cancellation. You were also correct in uploading your proof that you attempted to cancel before the item shipped. If you enter the tracking number on the USPS website, it will show you the entire history of the label - the date it was created and the date that it was in the USPS possession. You can buy a label and then not drop it off for a week or more.

Message 8 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??


@inhawaii wrote:

A seller can not create a return request.

Only a buyer can.

From your story it sure sounds like the item was not sent until after your request to cancel.

The seller should have just canceled the order.

She wouldn't have been out anything.

What is this about a partial refund?

The customer service agent told you to refuse delivery but i think if you do that and the package is returned to the seller, they are not obligated to refund you anything.  Hopefully someone else smarter than me can chime in...


It's about a cancellation request that I made before the order was shipped out.

 

The seller claimed it had been shipped before the day I made my request (May 15).

 

I asked for the tracking number and she said she had it from shipping the item it already but that she simply forgot to upload it.

 

I kept asking for the tracking number but she just ignored that and went on about other things in her replies to me.

 

I made a Cancellation request but that's not what I got.  I was issued a partial refund which held back shipping portion for the order which never shipped.  Well, not that any tracking shows anyway.

 

The recent tracking label uploaded in the last 24 hours appears to have been generated for the sole purpose of the seller somehow justifying her retainining that portion I paid, although to date there has been zero evidence provided that the item was shipped when she said it shipped, or that it was redirected back to the seller, or that it was ever received by USPS.

 

(The recent label created yesterday shows no acceptance by USPS yet.)

 

I could be totally misreading things, but from the face of it, it does appear to me that she made up this new shipping label 4 days after my cancellation request was responded to, just so she could keep the shipping.  Without ever really shipping anything. 

 

 

Message 9 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

Thank you for the good advice.  There has been no movement from the tracking information as of today.

Message 10 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

I will let you all know.  Thank you for helping me.  I don't think I will ever see it.

Message 11 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??

I understand about your cancellation request before the shipping label was even created and the item shipped.

It would have been way better for the seller to just cancel the sale.

Old ebay term among sellers...

"It's better to cancel then to have a return."

Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
Message 12 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??


@inhawaii wrote:

This is from ebay's money back guarantee section...

 

Screen Shot 2023-05-19 at 1.37.25 AM.png

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe refusing the package may not be a good idea.

 


Hoo boy that's good information to know.  Thank you. 

Message 13 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??


@pennysdream wrote:

Hi,  I have a question... 

 

Did you receive a message from eBay stating that your cancelation was being processed?

 

 


Nope. 

Message 14 of 26
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Can a seller create a Return Request without me??


@cstpos wrote:

@barely_tan_gerbilIf the seller never provided a tracking number, there will never be proof it was delivered. As suggested, wait until the promised delivery date has passed. If you haven't received it by that date, open an Item Not Received case. If you do receive it, open a return that you changed your mind, or you ordered the wrong item.

If the seller never provided a tracking number for the item to be shipped to you, there will be no way for her to prove that she ever sent it.

You were being more than honest and fair in admitting that you failed to notice something in the listing.And offering to make good by offering to cover any costs that the seller might incur due to the cancellation. You were also correct in uploading your proof that you attempted to cancel before the item shipped. If you enter the tracking number on the USPS website, it will show you the entire history of the label - the date it was created and the date that it was in the USPS possession. You can buy a label and then not drop it off for a week or more.


Thank you for that advice.  And for not hating on me for making a cancellation request in the first place😂. There is a lot of truth to the counsel of "You pay, we ship" but in this case it appears the seller never shipped.  Even now, no movement on the parcel yet, going by the label created yesterday.

 

I'm guessing the seller created a shipping label at this late date (4 days after receiving my cancellation request)  just so she could issue a partial refund and retain the remainder for shipping.  But which actually had not been and will not be used for shipping. 

 

I could be wrong, I guess we will see what she does.  Thank you again for the helpful advice!

 

 

Message 15 of 26
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