Return never arrived

[mynewfindstore]

I have a return that did not get shipped back before the deadline of June 18.  On that day, I received an eBay message to refund the buyer!  It would usually close automatically but this one did not.  I contacted customer service THREE times and they said they would close it.....it is still open!  The only option now is to refund.  The tracking shows no movement.  Where can I get real help on this?  It says to respond to the return buy June 24....then what?  I get a defect and money taken from me with no item back??  eBay for Business on Facebook is not there anymore and I can't find where they moved to....was going to go wherever they went.  Very frustrated!

[gurlcat]

Do you actually think that anyone here is saying the 21 day timeframe didn't come from the pandemic?   When that occurred is completely besides the point!  It was well BEFORE this thread started, can you accept that?   The topic of THIS thread is about the 21 days being LONG OVER for THIS return case, yet it remained STILL OPEN.   

Look, just tell me you're sorry if I'm upset like you usually do Mam.  Then you can go about your day happily thinking you just made me more upset by saying that.  

[gurlcat]

Thank you, and for SHOWING it, not just repeating the words over and over like somebody here. 

[albertabrightalberta]

Edit Never mind

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[mynewfindstore]

It was requested on May 25.  Deadline to send back was supposed to be June 18....this seems to be meaningless now!  She had it at the post office on June 29!

[mynewfindstore]

You really get what my issue is....thank you for that!  I got busy today and this thread kind of exploded.  I didn't mean to start so much drama lol but I really don't like what is happening with this return.  It's so hard to make any real money here so if I can at least stick to a return time frame then at least there is something going for us if you get what I mean!  Fees, having to promote to be seen when you sell in a saturated category, having to even  accept returns, worried about buyers saying things are not as described and getting gouged on fees if we go above some random number....ugh!!!  We just wanted to have a business so my daughter could supplement her income as she can't go out and have a real job.  She has had health issues her whole life.  She's 37 now.  We are forced to cross-post on other platforms but we used to make enough money just on eBay.   I'm kind of stressed out most days....but I still like selling what we sell and the positives....

[gurlcat]

I am really sorry your thread turned into way too much unnecessary and unrelated drama, especially now in light of the much bigger struggles you face.  You really don't have time for this. 

But to be honest the reason I am staying so active in this thread is it's like a horror movie to me -LOL okay that's a bit much but I mean it's must-watchable because it feels vital to know how to handle this if it ever happens to me, or if I see any other posts like it in the future.  Also the frustrating thing in horror movies, as in, some of the replies in this thread are like telling the character being chased to run upstairs, ha!!   I don't think anyone has addressed it properly from the start, and then your updates just made it weirder.  -I just went back and reread all the replies, and I really don't think anybody quite 'got' how bizarre and wrong this case is.  Maybe if you had said from the start that the buyer filed the return on May 25, it would have been clearer.  And probably some people just skimmed what they were reading, and mixed up different kinds of scenarios that they have seen before.  

But I did a Community search and I could not find a single thread with a case like yours. As far as I can tell it is literally unique.   So I don't think you should take ANY of the advice you were given by anybody, not even the eBay employees you have talked to, because it doesn't seem like they quite understood either.  

So, let's regroup.  June 18th aligns perfectly with the normal time window for the buyer to ship back after filing the return on May 25th, because Memorial day was in there.  So YES, with no acceptance scan showing that the buyer actually shipped, it absolutely should have closed automatically on the 18th (maybe the 19th).  Instead, you got that loonie tunes message telling you to refund by the 24th. 

Well you didn't .... and the 24th passed without it closing in your OR the buyer's favor, without eBay stepping in and taking your money, it just came and went with no repercussions, didn't it?  -So that shows that people telling you not to ignore it or you'll get a defect were wrong.  The chat CSR who told you TO ignore it because it would automatically close was wrong.  

So then the buyer shipped yesterday (Sat. June 29th).  Here is what I am curious about. -Where/how did you see that?  Did eBay send you an email stating the package is on its' way, or did you just happen to check the tracking outside of ebay, like on the USPS website?  Does the Return Details page now reflect the tracking progress as having an acceptance scan?  Does it show any new lines in the (worded) details? -If you know how to take screenshots, that would be extra helpful to see.  

By the way, it is highly possible you'll receive the package tomorrow (Monday).  Packages shipped on Saturdays move FAST.  I hope you come to this thread before issuing the refund!  

[gurlcat]

Oh!  I forgot, the part about the buyer allegedly being suspended!  -That adds a whole extra weird wrench in this.  I don't even know how someone with a suspended account can receive a refund.  So again, I hope you make a pit stop here before doing anything. 

[mynewfindstore]

I got paranoid after reading this thread and I kept checking the tracking in the return details every day when the return just did not close.  On Saturday I saw that it was tracking, accepted at the post office that day....  I wonder what would happen if I called eBay again regarding this, would I get yet a THIRD piece of different advice from them??  I might just do that tomorrow!

[gurlcat]

Okay so you did see the tracking ON eBay's page.   And are there any update lines on the Return page?  

I just so happen to have a return myself, so you can compare. 
-3 screenshots here. 
1. The first is the main item return page (does yours still say Awaiting Shipment at the top like mine does?)
2. The second is the popup window that comes up when I click Details.  (does yours show a new line at the top of the progress lines, above Return Started, like saying 'Return Shipped' or something like that?)
3. Something interesting I just noticed: the return tracking number is displayed on my Return page, but it's not a link I can click, to see progress.  To do that, I have to go to the regular Order page of this item, and click on Track Package next to the buyer's address.  The popup shows both the original tracking and the return tracking.  

[mam98031]

Suspended does not always equal NARU'd.  I believe we discussed this earlier in the thread.

[mynewfindstore]

I will try to take two screenshots....mine doesn't look like yours.

 

 

[mam98031]

This is just all kinds of odd.  The first pic shows it was delivered to you and the second clearly shows it is still in transit.

What date did the buyer actually open the Buyer Remorse Return?  

It appears it was purchased on May 19th, I could be wrong.  Did they pay the same day?

[gurlcat]

I'm not suggesting you try this now, but at any point did you click that 'Report Problem' thing in the bottom right corner of the primary Return page? 

[spreadlovelikefire]

This is exactly what I was talking about.  This is what it shows for me also when the buyer ships the item back, it gets a scan, but it isn't delivered fast enough.  Ebay automatically sends that out and says you have to refund.  If you notice in the first picture, the item still shows in transit also, eBay just says it is delivered.  This is a new development and I've had it happen to me 3 times in the last couple of months.  It has nothing to do with the date the buyer ships it back by.  It has to do with eBay projection of when it should be delivered after the first return scan.  If it isn't delivered within that time frame (7 days) then you are forced to refund within 3 days of that even if you have not received the item back.  It is becoming a problem because sellers are unable to inspect the item prior to refunding.  The buyer can call in during that time and have eBay close the return and the seller gets a defect.  The seller can call eBay have them place it on hold but then you lose the ability to refund anything but the original price as the only option would be to do a full refund at that point.  It's a lot of extra work for no apparent reason.  

[mynewfindstore]

They opened the return on May 25.  It was supposed to be too late to send back on June 18.  Then it send "return should have been delivered" and to refund by June 24.  It has remained open.  At one point there was an open to ask eBay to step in so I clicked that and put in the message that the buyer did not send it back (at the time, it had not even been accepted by USPS).  It has remained open since and the buyer sent it back on June 29.  I do not have the item yet.