Refund closed but no money returned to my account.

[nearlyfifty]

I am new to the refund process as a seller. I sold an item and about 10 days later the buyer complained that it wasn't working. (User error probably). I authorized a return a month ago (didn't look like I had a choice). Now I have never received the item back and have not seen a tracking number. The refund shows to be closed, but my funds show 0 and the money never returned to my bank account. Any ideas? Anyone I can talk to at eBay?

[lakefor94]

Are you saying the return timed out because the buyer never return shipped and there is/was no movement shown in carrier tracking in the return case?

If that is the case, eBay sends a communication stating that they are closing the return and then shortly after that, they release the Hold on funds

Can you give any more Information on what all has transpired so far?

[mam98031]

It is all about word choices and how it changes the meaning.

Buyers open a Request for Refund when they file an INAD.  It is called that because the buyer has to actually return the item before the seller is obligated to refund the buyer.  So since your buyer did not return the item to you and it has been 30+ days, Ebay automatically closed the REQUEST for refund and found it IN YOUR FAVOR.  Which means there was NO REFUND.

Just read your screens and emails a little closer, you would have seen all this info.

I'm glad it worked out for you.

[nearlyfifty]

Yes.. I never received the item back, never got any tracking info, the return shows closed and I never got the money back. At this point, I don't know if they sent the refund to the buyer or are holding it in escrow still. Although the status on the refund shows closed and states that my funds are now available, I never received notification of such and the balance in my account shows $0. I checked my bank records and nothing there either.

Is there even a phone number to call eBay? 

[mtgraves7984]

The refund shows to be closed, but my funds show 0 and the money never returned to my bank account. 

@nearlyfifty 

A bit confused... was the refund pulled from your bank account?

[kensgiftshop]

When the buyer filed the INAD, did you provide a shipping label in the time Ebay allowed?

If a shipping label wasn't provided, the buyer could ask Ebay to step in, then Ebay could refund them from your account and let them keep the item.

[nearlyfifty]

Bottom line.. The buyer never returned the item. No tracking info received. The refund shows closed, but

I still don't have the money ! Not in my eBay account or my bank. Am I missing something here, or is it just possible that eBay screwed up?

[nearlyfifty]

My understanding is that eBay was sending them the shipping label. They deducted that amount from my bank. Did I miss that? We are talking about a $600 item here.. not exactly chump change.

[nearlyfifty]

Yes.. Including the return shipping cost.

[robbie31415]

I think you are missing something.

You need to look at the transaction details from the original order and look at the breakdown.

You also need to look at your return information history and closed reason.

So much lacking information and I doubt this is an eBay mistake but not understanding.

Your return should look something like this.

 

[mtgraves7984]

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@nearlyfifty wrote:

Yes.. Including the return shipping cost.

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@nearlyfifty 

If that's so, I'd be reaching out to eBay beginning with a message on the eBay facebook page. 

[lonebuck-books]

Typically eBay does one of two things on a return while the return is in process.  They either put a hold on your funds for that amount or they don't hold your funds because your track record says you can be trusted to fund a refund once it is completed.  Either way, eBay doesn't take your money away before the buyer has returned the item and you have confirmed the returned item arrived and is in the correct condition.  

So, if you have a buyer who wanted to return an item, never did and eBay closed it out because it passed the time limit, eBay doesn't have to 'put money back' into your account because they never took it out in the first place.  The most they will do is release funds on hold if that is what they did.  

If however it was an INAD that you didn't handle correctly so eBay refunded the buyer and you were hoping to get it returned, that's not how it works.  eBay won't return the money back to you because the buyer took advantage of the money back guarantee which eBay makes you pay for.

[monster-deals]

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@nearlyfifty wrote:

I checked my bank records and nothing there either.

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You never would have. It is done with your pending payoyuts.

[mam98031]

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@nearlyfifty wrote:

Bottom line.. The buyer never returned the item. No tracking info received. The refund shows closed, but

I still don't have the money ! Not in my eBay account or my bank. Am I missing something here, or is it just possible that eBay screwed up?

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And you won't have the money returned to you as it was NEVER refunded to the buyer.  You still have the funds.  I think if you look at your detail transactions in your MP account for the time period of when the buyer filed for a return and now, you will find the money is still in your account.

This isn't an "ebay screwed up" situation.  It is merely a learning process for you.  Ebay did exactly what they should have done which was to protect YOU!

[mam98031]

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@nearlyfifty wrote:

My understanding is that eBay was sending them the shipping label. They deducted that amount from my bank. Did I miss that? We are talking about a $600 item here.. not exactly chump change.

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When you respond to the INAD a buyer files, you accept it and have a return label sent to the buyer.  Ebay is the one that sends the return label to your Buyer for the return at YOUR expense.  Ebay is not responsible to fund your return shipping.

This is yet another thing you can verify through looking at your detailed transactions in you MP account.  The seller does NOT get charged for the return label until the buyer actually uses it by putting the package in the hands of the carrier.

No one has suggested it is "chump change".  You just need to do your own research to show you that what has been shared here is correct an the normal course of how an INAD gets closed when a buyer does not return the item.

There is one exception here.  If you Refunded the item voluntarily before the buyer actually shipped the item back [this is NOT something Ebay would do], then you would be out the money and it would be a good reason why the buyer didn't ship the item back.