How do I determine if a sale is eligible for eBay-provided return labels?

[amesrg]

I got scammed by someone who purchased a camera lens and wanted to return it.  I tried to purchase the return label through eBay but was not able to do so.  I called eBay and they said they don't know why the sale was not eligible for an eBay-provided return label.    This was a US buyer in Florida and I had no issues purchasing the initial label through eBay.

So I purchased a return label directly from UPS but the buyer claims it does not work.  Of course, it does: you can enter the tracking number on the UPS website and it says "awaiting shipment".  The issue is that eBay says it's up to him to determine if the label works or not.  If he says the label doesn't work then he keeps the lens and gets a full refund.

Obviously, this is a scam.  Well, it's obvious now...

So, how do I know if a sale is eligible for purchasing a return label through eBay so I can prevent this from happening again?

Furthermore, how do I refuse those kinds of transactions?  I can't find anything that seems remotely close to that option.

Thanks

[wastingtime101]

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@amesrg wrote:

All I know is, as of right now, ebay tells me my buyer will be refunded two days from now because he says all of my return labels are invalid.

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What about the advice I posted above about sending funds through PayPal for return shipping? Did you do that? If you send funds for return shipping, then buyer doesn't return the item, buyer can't claim invalid label. You have legs to stand on.

[amesrg]

No, I have not tried that but I have tried many other methods to get him to return the lens.  Sending money via PayPal would, I believe, just be good money after bad.  I have to limit my losses at some point. 

I offered to mail the label - no response.  I offered to have the lens picked up- no response.  I offered to have the label delivered to the store where he is dropping it off - no response.  I've sent jpg, pdf, ebay messenger, email, etc. for multiple labels.

He says they're all invalid and the only direction I get from ebay is to keep sending labels.

If he keeps denying them, he gets refunded.  End of story.

[bonjourami]

"Well, like I said, point me to someone who can prove me wrong and force my buyer to accept one of the perfectly valid labels I've provided. "

I wish I could, but as I posted earlier, Im stumped. And so are many of the other responders. The replies may have been 'irrelevant and incorrect' to you, but we all were trying to help you to the best of our abilities. 

[wastingtime101]

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@amesrg wrote:

No, I have not tried that but I have tried many other methods to get him to return the lens.  Sending money via PayPal would, I believe, just be good money after bad.  I have to limit my losses at some point. 

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If you read my first post above, you'll see I gave info on how to send the money (using the goods and services option) so you can get the money back if the buyer never returns anything. I think this is your best shot here because buyer can't claim label invalid when you send them cash.

[amesrg]

Ah OK.  I see that now.  So I guess that might be a way to limit my loss on the return shipping costs but it won't do anything to prevent the refund to him.

I just don't think it's worth the effort given my experience with the guy.

[amesrg]

Yes - understood.  I got some good info.  Not all of the responses were irrelevant or incorrect, but many were. 

[wastingtime101]

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@amesrg wrote:

Ah OK.  I see that now.  So I guess that might be a way to limit my loss on the return shipping costs but it won't do anything to prevent the refund to him.

I just don't think it's worth the effort given my experience with the guy.

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That's the whole point, it would prevent the refund if the buyer returns nothing. Showing CS a screenshot of the paypal transaction that you sent them cash for a return label will skew this in your favor if the buyer doesn't return anything.

It's a high value transaction - worth the effort in my opinion. But it's your money, man. Do what's right for you.

[amesrg]

Understood, but I think the part you're missing is that eBay doesn't care about the facts.  I have all kinds of proof that the buyer has a dozen ways to get the lens back to me.  Ebay does not care about any of that evidence.

They rely *solely* on whether the buyer says he has a legitimate way to return the lens.  If he says he does not, ebay takes his word.  That's the source of my dilemma.

[wastingtime101]

All I can tell you is we have years worth of proof that sending PayPal funds for return shipping will win you the case if the buyer doesn't return anything. Sellers often have to send funds on international returns because they can't purchase international return shipping labels with rare exceptions, like going through DHL.

[amesrg]

Yeah got it - there have been several others who have chimed in with similar stories.

Unfortunately the info I have directly from ebay contradicts all of that experience.  There was no ambiguity in the email I got, or the info over the phone, or the response from two different people on the Facebook group.

Maybe something has changed recently and your experience no longer applies - I don't know.

But, as of right now, ebay is telling me the only way I can avoid a refund is to get the buyer to agree that the shipping label/method I provide is a valid way to return the lens.

I believe I posted the email I got from ebay somewhere in this mega thread.  That is exactly what that email says.

[kyle@ebay]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@amesrg wrote:

•  items that do not specify weight and/or dimensions are not eligible for an eBay return label.

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Can you verify the validity of the quoted statement kyle@ebay ? I was under the impression that listings void of weight/dimensions (sellers using flat rate shipping that left those fields blank) can still use eBay-generated return labels because eBay will bill based on category averages.

Is it an accurate assessment that the value of this transaction is what prevented the eBay-generated return label? Items valued at $750+ (includes item+tax+ship) require a signature and I don't think eBay-generated return labels include signature, regardless of item value.

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Hey @wastingtime101 thanks for checking in.  Unfortunately that quoted statement is not accurate.  You are correct that our system will go off of averages for similar items within similar categories.  
I also agree with your assessment.  Since the transaction was over the $750 threshold, it was not eligible for the automated eBay return label.  

@amesrg based one what you have described within this thread, it sounds to me like you are in good shape right now.  The suggestions @wastingtime101 provided here are great.  Once the label was provided to the case (which it sounds like you have done already), we'll give them 10 business days to get the item returned.  You don't need to take any other actions at that point.   

[kensgiftshop]

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@amesrg wrote:

No, I have not tried that but I have tried many other methods to get him to return the lens.  Sending money via PayPal would, I believe, just be good money after bad.  I have to limit my losses at some point. 

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If you did send the money to return it through Pay Pal and they don't ship it back, you can open a case with Pay Pal and get the money back.

[amesrg · Accepted solution]

Thanks - hopefully it works out.

FYI the quote about label restrictions came from Carl on the ebay for business Facebook group (attaching pic).

Maybe a good idea to get together and make sure you figure out who's correct then send out an email.

Thanks

 

[amesrg]

Kyle - From what I have been told by multiple people at ebay, ebay defers to the buyer if the buyer says a shipping label is invalid.  But there are several people in this thread who say otherwise.

Who is correct?  And based on what official ebay policy/document?

Thanks again

[kyle@ebay]

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@amesrg wrote:

Kyle - From what I have been told by multiple people at ebay, ebay defers to the buyer if the buyer says a shipping label is invalid.  But there are several people in this thread who say otherwise.

Who is correct?  And based on what official ebay policy/document?

Thanks again

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Hey @amesrg that's a fair question after all you've been told!  This is a bit of an oversimplification, but essentially, as long as our agents can view the label and would be able to print it out and send a package on its way, we consider your obligation to be fulfilled at that point.  

So there IS some validity to having to deal with sending a second label in some circumstances (for example, if the first was too blurry or pixelated), but generally speaking you are done once you've provided the return label through the case.  

A quick side note:  For future reference you'll want to tag myself or my colleagues like this "kyle@ebay" so that we are notified of your message.  If you simply respond, no notification is sent to us and we might miss your message.