My buyer sent a message that her daughter didn't like the item so she wanted to return it. I replied as long as item was in original condition, tags, etc that was fine. Told her to go to her purchase history, find the item, and find the return option in the drop down menu. Let me know if she had any questions.
Item was $99.99, shipping for her was $20.xx, and item has a 10% restocking fee.
I didn't hear anything back for several days, and wondered if she didn't change her mind again and decide to keep it afterall.
Then I got home after being gone for 3 days and the package, still unopened/in my original packaging was sitting on my porch. I looked on eBay, but there weren't any returns or messages, nothing about it. Package had a 'Return to Sender' sticker on it, so I looked at tracking for the item and it shows that the package was refused 5 days after it had been delivered to buyer. I'm guessing she didn't want to pay return shipping, so she 'refused' the package after having it for 5 days. Buyers sure are creative...
The next morning she messaged me 3 times: Have you gotten the package?... I see you got the package, when do I get my money?... You've had it 'almost a week', where's my money?... I've only had two returns, and they were through eBay, so I wasn't sure what to do. Did she still need to start a return? That way eBay can take out the 10% restock fee. But she wouldn't need a label since the package was already back... How do I get my FVF back? So I called eBay, and the rep was friendly and understanding, seemed to know what she was talking about. She said if I refunded the buyer I would definitely get my FVF back, just refund her through Paypal and take the 10% off her refund myself for the restock fee. I'd have to call back to get my FVF refunded. She also said I was not even obligated to do a refund since the buyer returned the item without using eBay and refused the package, and if any case was opened eBay would close it in my favor.
So I refunded the buyer the item price minus the 10% restock fee through Paypal like rep said, and called eBay back. The 2nd rep told me she can only refund FVF on the amount I refunded the buyer, not the original price/shipping cost. So I'd only get $9 instead of $12.10 like the first rep told me. Ebay policy. (I did nothing wrong, nothing wrong with the item, but some shady buyer is going to cost me $3.10? No.) I explained again what the 1st rep told me, and that I shouldn't be charged fees because a buyer didn't start an official eBay return like I messaged her to do. She stated eBay policy to me 4 times, I asked to talk to someone else, she said it didn't matter who I talked to, policy is policy. I told her again the first rep said I'd be fully refunded for my FVF, etc. (If I wasn't getting my full FVF back, I was at least going to gripe about it.) She finally said she'd see if there was anything she could do. I was on hold about 2 minutes, and she got back on and said they were going to do a one-time override or something and give me back the full FVF amount. She sounded really irritated, but I didn't care. It was just $3.10 more, but really it was so much more.
Sorry to ramble, but in case a buyer gets your item and refuses it 5 days later and it shows up at your door without anything done through eBay and they want their money back ASAP, hopefully this might be helpful to someone. Apparently I should have kept my extra $3.10+/- by refunding the buyer that much less. Or something like that. Otherwise you have to tango with customer service.
If a buyer returns an item outside of the eBay system, can a return still be started WITHOUT having to print a return label? How would that work? Would it? Any easier way to deal with this if it unfortunately happens again?
