How do I decline a refund request?

[pacnox]

A few days ago, a buyer requested a refund stating that he did not want the item anymore. He simply did not want the item, at all. I told him that I have a no refund policy and he argued with me and stated that he would call eBay support. All this took place about 4-5 days ago, since then, no response and the case has not been closed. Another buyer opened a refund case stating that he got the wrong cable with his charger. He had a Galaxy S7 which only uses a micro-USB cable for charging while the listing I had was a type-c cable listing. I contacted the buyer, and I have not received a single response in days. Both cases are coming close to their deadline, and I have no clue how to decline the refund requests.

[coffeebean832]

@pacnox

The first case- what does the e-mail from eBay say as the reason for the case? I understand the buyer's comments are that he didn't want it, but what is the official note from eBay about why the case was opened?

The second case- it sounds like the buyer chose "not as described"- you cannot decline this case. eBay will find in favor of the buyer and you will be forced to refund. If that happens you will get a defect on your seller account. It's better to accept the return and avoid the defect. You can refuse the return, but you can't refuse the refund.

[lintbrush*]

If you received a remorse return request, the option to decline would be presented as an option.

If you received a Not As Described return request, your No Returns policy isn't an option.  You can either accept it, pay for return shipping, and refund in full upon receipt or you can refund it without requiring a return.

Failure to resolve the requests on your own will allow the buyer to "ask eBay to step in" and you will receive an Unresolved by Seller defect on your account.  You do not want those.

[pacnox]

In the first case, the buyer stated that the listing was incorrect but later admitted to simply not wanting the item. 

In the second case, the buyer won't even respond. I'm kinda stuck now and I find it quite annoying how unfair it is for sellers as buyers can simply claim whatever they want.

Quick Update: 
So I noticed how there is an option to actually decline the second refund case, so I'll be doing that if that's a good move.

[*smedley* · Accepted solution]

your feedback rating is low but unblemished... i would presume to say that because it's low you're also a relatively new seller...

if you plan to keep selling i would think seriously about simply agreeing to both returns and chalking it up to lessons learned...

sellers have virtually no protection from buyers, and ebay rarely agrees with sellers... if you want to sell, you have to play the game...

[dhbookds]

You can deny a refund with a no return policy.........but then you have to fight the case and even if buyers state "don't want it anymore"........there are times Ebay will side with them.  IF YOU LOSE THE CASE, buyer will keep item, ebay will refund from YOUR funds, and Ebay will give you a "seller not resolved" strike.  A couple of those and you may be suspended or kicked off............

Therefore, if Buyer files a case with a reason of item is not as described........you can rarely prove otherwise.....so best just to tell them to return for refund.  Ebay will send them a label and debit your account for the funds.

If the Buyer files a case with "I don't want it anymore", again you can deny the refund with a no refund policy.   BUT be sure that is the reason FOR the Case, not just an email a buyer sent you.......  What's in the case matters most, and mainly that is what ebay will look at. 

Some of us just think it's easier, less stress to just take any return......If you have a return policy, you will be given an option of how much ( to 50%) to give back to the buyer after a return.  That can cover your return shipping cost and part of the cost of the item, at least, if they have damaged it.  But that's a choice you have to make......

[coffeebean832]

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@dhbookds wrote:

Some of us just think it's easier, less stress to just take any return......If you have a return policy, you will be given an option of how much ( to 50%) to give back to the buyer after a return.  That can cover your return shipping cost and part of the cost of the item, at least, if they have damaged it.  But that's a choice you have to make......

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Only if a seller offers free returns, and if- as stated above- the item comes back altered.

[pacnox]

I accepted the refund.

It's unfortunate how unfair this situation was. It's not much about the refund that I cared about; rather, it was the fact that sellers are not fairly treated in these situations. The buyer selected a false reason and was pretty much able to get a refund for an item he/she did not want anymore.

Thanks for all the help, I hope it goes well!

[lintbrush*]

Don't be afraid to use the Report a Buyer link which you'll see in your Purchase History > item dropdown or when you go to leave feedback.

Get the falsehood on record.  It won't do much for you now, but if she makes a habit, eBay may eventually act.

[ferretofparis1922]

Your items state a 14 day free returns.

[gracieallen01]

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@pacnox wrote:

I accepted the refund.

It's unfortunate how unfair this situation was. It's not much about the refund that I cared about; rather, it was the fact that sellers are not fairly treated in these situations. The buyer selected a false reason and was pretty much able to get a refund for an item he/she did not want anymore.

Thanks for all the help, I hope it goes well!

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One must keep in mind that ebay is in this for the money, and that means keeping buyers happy.  There are plenty of sellers to take your place if you don't feel like playing the ebay game.

Some of keep hoping for the best, but it has yet to appear. 

[castlemagicmemories]

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@ferretofparis1922 wrote:
Your items state a 14 day free returns.

A very important fact! 

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Thus no falsehood and no reason to report.

To the OP, if you don't want returns, choose no returns as your policy, not free returns, because buyers will expect you to honor that free returns policy.

[helloandgoodmorning]

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@ferretofparis1922 wrote:
Your items state a 14 day free returns.

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Obviously because of information provided in this thread the seller changed the returns policy on their active listings. Sold and completed listings show a no returns policy.

[coffeebean832]

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@pacnox wrote:

I accepted the refund. It's unfortunate how unfair this situation was. It's not much about the refund that I cared about; rather, it was the fact that sellers are not fairly treated in these situations. The buyer selected a false reason and was pretty much able to get a refund for an item he/she did not want anymore.

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@pacnox

I agree with you that it's not fair, but fair and business don't always go together. eBay's stance is that it happens to all sellers and it's a cost of doing business.

Do what @lintbrush* said and report the buyers for misuse of the money back guarantee.

You switched your active listings to free returns. You realize that means you will pay return shipping, even if the buyer bought the wrong item or changed their mind, right? I ask because most sellers who offer free returns build the cost into their item prices. If you haven't done that yet you should check out this calculator:

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/service-and-payments/returns.html

You can only deduct from the return if the buyer alters the item before sending it back. When items come back in the same condition you still have to give a full refund.

[frock_my_world]

Also, keep in mind that even if you have a No Returns policy and a buyer wishes to return an item for, say, Fit, then even though you are told via the ebay message system that you are not required to accept the return, if you do deny the return the buyer can still leave you negative feedback and it will stand as long as they are vague in their comments or comment negatively about something they never complained about to begin with.