Item returned as undeliverable, unable to forward. Buyer asked to forward to a different address....

[chksinga]

After a USPS goose chase, an item I sold was returned to me. I had messaged the buyer while watching the tracking history who replied "this thing has been totally a mess". The buyer provided an alternate name/address for his friend in a different state that the item was intended for as a birthday gift. The buyer requested the item be forwarded "asap" to his friend's address, stating "this was the address I originally intended to have it sent to, I have no idea why it was sent and not delivered to my home".

The buyer offered to pay for additional shipping and requested I call him (I did not).  I did not yet have the item back in my possession as when it was first returned to my city's USPS distribution center, they promptly sent it back to the original intended address on the Ebay shipping label. I was hopeful that on the 2nd attempt it would reach it's destination and messaged the buyer that the USPS had sent it back, suggesting he possibly contact his local USPS to confirm delivery.  My messages were polite and professional.

Several days later, the item was delivered yesterday to my mailbox with a sticker "Return to Sender, Unable to Forward". The buyer messaged me yesterday noting the item was delivered back to me and requested again that I call him on the phone so he "can explain".  I do not want to call the buyer, the tone of his messages was off-putting.

Ebay advised me that in this event, the seller is not obligated to do anything including issue a refund. That doesn't seem ethical, the buyer did pay for the item and I do now have the item back. I've decided to issue a partial refund minus shipping. My concern is that for the partial refund, there is no option to describe that the item was undeliverable, unable to forward and/or that there was a problem with the address. The options are as below:

Seller canceled / Out of stock

Buyer canceled

Item not received

Buyer return

Item not as described

Other adjustment

Shipping discount

I'm guessing "other adjustment" is the best pick?  Does it matter that much? I was planning to message the buyer, notifying of the partial refund and that the item will be re-listed. If the buyer wants to re-purchase, he has to provide a valid mailing address. 

I realize I can also BLOCK the buyer but from what I understand, he will still have the ability to send messages to me via Ebay which I would like to avoid! 

Thanks in advance for any input as I've never dealt with this situation. 

[casprrr]

I would first attempt to cancel the order using "problem with shipping address" as the reason for cancelling. Not sure if you can do this once the label is created, however. If you can cancel the sale, I believe that eBay then refunds the buyer. I would also contact the buyer via eBay's messaging system (don't call the buyer) and suggest that they update their shipping address in eBay, otherwise the same thing will happen to subsequent orders. Also let the buyer know that they can repurchase the item once their address is corrected.

[chksinga]

"If you can cancel the sale, I believe that eBay then refunds the buyer."

Yes, thank you!...I do now see that "cancel the order" is an option to refund the entire amount with the option "Issue with buyer's shipping address".

Since the total refund includes the shipping charge this means I (think) I would then "eat" the shipping charge.  Not a huge deal I suppose but I'd rather not actually lose money on this "Return to Sender/Unable to Forward" situation.  Does Ebay then refund the shipping charge to the seller? 

[caldreamer]

You cannot "cancel order" that was already shipped.   You should go to Orders, All Orders (click on item and select SEND REFUND).   I would just refund "purchase price" only.

[chksinga]

"I would just refund "purchase price" only."

Yes, thank you...that was my original plan, refund purchase price minus shipping charges. However, there is no option in the Send Refund drop down menu that says "Issue with buyer's shipping address" etc.  

If I choose "item not received" that doesn't seem accurate or could reflect badly on the seller.  As stated in my original post, the best option seems to be "Other adjustment".  Maybe the reason is not that important. That was my main question. 😊

[mamacassidy · Accepted solution]

@chksinga 

Yes, the reason you choose is very important.

Ebay will ding your metrics if you choose Out of Stock or Item Not As Described. And probably will also for Item Not Received.

You should definitely choose Other Adjustment, and I'd write a little message in the box stating "Item was undeliverable to the seller's address on file. I'm refunding the purchase price of the item" or something like that.

[chksinga]

"You should definitely choose Other Adjustment..."

Thank you, that is exactly what I did. Ebay advised me yesterday that I could do nothing, keep the item and not refund the buyer at all but that did not seem right.  They also advised me that nothing the buyer can do at this point would ding my metrics or seller status and would stand by me in this matter.  I just wanted to get it right to avoid any problems. Thanks again. 

[mamacassidy]

Well, technically, there is nothing THE BUYER could do to ding your metrics with this return.

But YOU could if you choose the wrong return reason. These customer service agents aren't great at giving proper advice.

And as far as keeping the item and not sending a refund, I just think that people who do that are setting themselves up for a credit card chargeback.

[reallynicestamps]

For the record, eBay does not require any refund on an Undeliverable shipment

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

Most sellers will refund the purchase price - but not fees, shipping , taxes etc.

And of course, the buyer still is covered by the chargeback policy of their credit card.

[jonathanbrightlight]

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@casprrr wrote:

I would first attempt to cancel the order using "problem with shipping address" as the reason for cancelling. Not sure if you can do this once the label is created, however. If you can cancel the sale, I believe that eBay then refunds the buyer. I would also contact the buyer via eBay's messaging system (don't call the buyer) and suggest that they update their shipping address in eBay, otherwise the same thing will happen to subsequent orders. Also let the buyer know that they can repurchase the item once their address is corrected.

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My advice is always that cancelling an order is never the right choice if it has been shipped.  As @chksinga  noted, that only allows for a full refund, without the ability to withhold the shipping charges.  It sounds like they have the right course of action now, but I wanted to let you know as well.