Refunded buyer before receiving item back

[myriambouhnik]

Hi Trying to be helpful and a great seller I refunded the item as soon as I got the return request. Unfortunately since eBay closed the case ( was not advised it will close the case if I was refunding it ) and buyer is not  responding to messages. It seems he will not send item back.

Is it a usual practice? Called eBay they said they can't do anything and see if can do a goodwill gesture. I can't even report the buyer to eBay. I am 200 GBP out of pocket.

Any suggestions?

[aproudparent2010]

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@myriambouhnik wrote:

Hi Trying to be helpful and a great seller I refunded the item as soon as I got the return request. Unfortunately since eBay closed the case ( was not advised it will close the case if I was refunding it ) and buyer is not  responding to messages. It seems he will not send item back.

Is it a usual practice? Called eBay they said they can't do anything and see if can do a goodwill gesture. I can't even report the buyer to eBay. I am 200 GBP out of pocket.

Any suggestions?

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When you refund before you get the item back then eBay considers it a done deal and that you don't want it back. So unless your buyer on good faith returns it then nothing can be done.

[pickapaper]

The usual chain of events is that the buyer files a claim, you approve the claim and issue a label for return of the item, buyer returns item, upon receipt of the item you issue a refund.

I know you were trying to be a good eBayer but you found out the hard way that when you issue a refund before the item is returned, there is no incentive for the buyer to return the item. 

Have you ever returned an item to a store?  Did they give you a refund before they got the item back in their hands?  Of course not.  eBay is the same way.

[inhawaii]

Consider this a 200 GBP lesson.

Not a good idea to refund before you get the item back.

[broto_64]

Ebay is very specific in these regards, I don't think your buyer is going to return the item as things stand.

To get your item back wait until tracking shows the item has been delivered back to you, then issue the refund.
In that order, always, every time.

[house*of*paws]

Hi @myriambouhnik 

I can only recommend that you deal with the buyer directly … person to person … and hope that the buyer has a conscience.  

If the buyer is willing to return the item … you will need to provide either a prepaid shipping label or the money to purchase one.  

Good luck!  🙂

[nobody*s_perfect]

As you have learned, that's the process for eBay: If the seller wants to get the item back, then they have to provide a return label before issuing the refund.  

Sometimes a seller doesn't want to pay for return postage, either because the item has a low value relative to the shipping cost, or because it is too damaged to resell -- for instance, if your $200 item had been a vase which got smashed during shipping. There is no process for reporting a buyer in this situation because it is a situation of the seller's own making. It is unfortunate that you are out of pocket because you were too trusting and did not understand eBay's process.

[myriambouhnik]

I refunded him including the postage...

[aproudparent2010]

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@myriambouhnik wrote:

I refunded him including the postage...

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If you want the item back you need to pay for a return label for your buyer

[albertabrightalberta]

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@myriambouhnik wrote:

Hi Trying to be helpful and a great seller I refunded the item as soon as I got the return request. Unfortunately since eBay closed the case ( was not advised it will close the case if I was refunding it ) and buyer is not  responding to messages. It seems he will not send item back.

Is it a usual practice? Called eBay they said they can't do anything and see if can do a goodwill gesture. I can't even report the buyer to eBay. I am 200 GBP out of pocket.

Any suggestions?

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When you respond to a return request, you have 2 options: 
1. Issue a refund (which allows the buyer to keep the item)

2. Accept a return. Choosing this option allows you to automatically send a return shipping label and you're advised not to refund until you receive the item.

It sounds like you chose #1.

[meme6253]

Hopefully this is a lesson learned, Never refund before getting your item back, Unless you don't want it back.

[dnasilver]

This is a US board and very few of us know the laws of the UK that would protect consumer transactions. Might be best to see if you have laws that protect you against this.

[house*of*paws]

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@myriambouhnik wrote:

I refunded him including the postage...

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@myriambouhnik

I understand that … but you could only refund the amount of the original payment.  If you want the buyer to return the item … then you have to send buyer either a prepaid shipping label OR the money to pay for return shipping.  You wouldn’t do that UNLESS the buyer agrees to return the item to you.

[tools*]

You're in the UK, so you have more rights than an American might have. You should look into your local laws and consider the British version of small claims court.

[fern*wood]

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@dnasilver wrote:

This is a US board and very few of us know the laws of the UK that would protect consumer transactions. Might be best to see if you have laws that protect you against this.

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Wouldn't it be nice if the country a poster is selling in was visible at the top with their posts?  It could be under their ID or replace the useless Rockstar or whatever terms.   So much time is wasted and often advice given which doesn't apply to their country versus the US.