You cannot issue a refund at this time because a dispute is open for this order

[deltilogical]

I accepted this dispute on Jan 31 because I had the choice to accept it or accept it and pay $25.  I thought we were done and the order was refunded.  The "process" is quite oblique and untransparent. 

How long does it take to clear these "disputes"?   (usually there are 2 sides to a "dispute", but not in the specialized language of  Corporatespeak.)

 

You can't refund the buyer for this order

You cannot issue a refund at this time because a dispute is open for this order.You cannot issue a refund at this time because a dispute is open for this order.

[kensgiftshop]

If it was through the buyers payment source, it could take a a few weeks to couple months for them to decide, then the refund will be issued.

[luckythewinner]

---

@deltilogical wrote:

I accepted this dispute on Jan 31 because I had the choice to accept it or accept it and pay $25.  I thought we were done and the order was refunded.  The "process" is quite oblique and untransparent. 

How long does it take to clear these "disputes"?   (usually there are 2 sides to a "dispute", but not in the specialized language of  Corporatespeak.)

 

You can't refund the buyer for this order

You cannot issue a refund at this time because a dispute is open for this order.You cannot issue a refund at this time because a dispute is open for this order.

---

If this is a payment dispute, then ...

"The final outcome will be decided by the buyer’s payment institution"

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/handling-payment-disputes?id=4799

... and the timetable for that is beyond eBay's control. 

[deltilogical]

Really, a couple months!    Thanks for the info...I wonder what the actual float amount is for chargebacks. 

[12345jamesstamps]

Chargebacks are rather quick...I have had a few.

Just a thought...buyer might have done a large number of disputes from their bank together or over a period of time and even though you wish to refund...wonder if the buyer's bank will OK the dispute for the buyer or not.

[kensgiftshop]

---

@deltilogical wrote:

Really, a couple months!    Thanks for the info...I wonder what the actual float amount is for chargebacks. 

---

I've heard of them taking a few months.

Since you're not fighting it, it might go quicker but don't know how much quicker.

[jonathanbrightlight]

I've got one on our business account right now that's been open about 2 months.  We can't fight it or accept it, it's covered by seller protections so we didn't even have an option to respond in any way, but it's just still sitting there open.  Doesn't bother me because I know we won't be out anything no matter the decision, but it's a little weird that the bank hasn't made a decision yet.

[mam98031]

---

@kensgiftshop wrote:

If it was through the buyers payment source, it could take a a few weeks to couple months for them to decide, then the refund will be issued.

---

If that were the case, the seller would not be seeing anything about that they can't refund them.  All the seller would see is that the refund was issued and is processing.  The seller does not get notified when the funds reach the buyer's funding source.

[mam98031]

@deltilogical 

Just so it is clear, was this a case opened in Ebay for a Return?  Or was this a Chargeback?  

It makes a difference as they are handled differently.  What was the reason the buyer opened the claim?

I'm guessing this was a Chargeback.  If so, what did the email say that Ebay sent you when they notified you that you have a Chargeback?

"I accepted this dispute on Jan 31 because I had the choice to accept it or accept it and pay $25. "  This sounds odd to me if it is a Chargeback, but I could me taking it in a way not intended.  Was the buyer's order for $25, or was that for something else?

[deltilogical]

mam98031, it was a chargeback - the Ebayer "did not recognize the charge".    The $25 refers to the fact that if I were to dispute the chargeback and lost, they charge me $25. 

There is no way for me to dispute the chargeback.  i can either accept it or pay $25. 

There is the chance the bank is taking its time waiting to see if there is any indication of malfeasance by the cardholder.

[mam98031]

---

@deltilogical wrote:

mam98031, it was a chargeback - the Ebayer "did not recognize the charge".    The $25 refers to the fact that if I were to dispute the chargeback and lost, they charge me $25. 

There is no way for me to dispute the chargeback.  i can either accept it or pay $25. 

There is the chance the bank is taking its time waiting to see if there is any indication of malfeasance by the cardholder.

---

In the email, Ebay usually tells the seller with a Chargeback for this reason that the Seller doesn't need to do anything, they will take care of it.  What does the rest of the email say?

Since you are saying there is "no way" for you to dispute the Chargeback, that tells me that Ebay told you they will take care of it and there is nothing for you to do.  Your money is safe.

The dispute fee is $20 not $25 per policy.

Dispute fee

If you are found responsible for a disputed amount as per eBay policies (e.g., chargeback), we charge a $20.00 dispute fee, excluding sales tax, for each dispute.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822#section7

The reason for the Chargeback dispute should qualify you to Seller Protection.

Protections, eligibility requirements and exclusions

Payment dispute seller protections may apply when the buyer opens a payment dispute for one of the following reasons:

• They didn't receive the item
• They don't recognize the transaction or have an issue with the transaction
• The item they received doesn't match the listing

For a seller to be eligible for payment dispute seller protections:

• The transaction must meet the requirements specified in this policy
• The seller must respond to the payment dispute and take action within the required time frames
• If challenging the payment dispute, the seller must provide the required evidence
• The seller may not be in violation of the User Agreement

eBay may automatically apply seller protections to a dispute without requiring the seller to respond or take action on the dispute. If we apply the protections automatically, we won't charge a dispute fee or seek reimbursement from the seller if the dispute is resolved with a full refund to the buyer.

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/payment-dispute-seller-protections?id=5293

[wastingtime101]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@kensgiftshop wrote:

If it was through the buyers payment source, it could take a a few weeks to couple months for them to decide, then the refund will be issued.

---

If that were the case, the seller would not be seeing anything about that they can't refund them.  All the seller would see is that the refund was issued and is processing.  The seller does not get notified when the funds reach the buyer's funding source.

---

I disagree. Having dealt with several payment disputes, I can say kensgiftshop is correct that it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months before they're resolved and closed. I think my longest always capped out at 2 mos, but I know a seller that said they've had disputes open for 3 mos before they were closed.

Seller accepting the dispute does not automatically trigger a refund, nor does it mean the seller will have to refund. I've accepted disputes I didn't think I could win and the bank still found in my favor 2 mos later, so there was no refund to process. The dispute just hangs open that whole time the bank is reviewing. If a refund is due, the fund transfer doesn't begin processing until the after bank makes their decision.

The reason the OP is seeing the error message is because they attempted to use "send refund" while the dispute was open. The original poster did not say they attempted to refund, but that has to be what happened. That's the only thing that would trigger the message in the subject line.

[mam98031]

The OP's Chargeback/dispute is one that Ebay would handle and the seller is not responsible or can even enter anything into the Chargeback.  It was a more recent post that this came to light.  I agree that these Chargebacks can tend to stay unresolved for extended periods of times.  Likely Ebay is continuing to disagree with the financial institute on one point or another.  But the seller is protected and is not involved in Chargebacks filed for not recognizing the charge.

Sellers can't accept or try to battle this type of Chargeback.  Which is likely why the OP was not able to send a refund.  The email that Ebay sent them notifying them of the Chargeback likely told them as they do other sellers that get a Chargeback for this specific reason, that the seller does not need to do anything, Ebay will handle it and that they are covered under seller protection as I previously posted.

I can agree that Chargebacks for other reasons have some different outcomes and processes.  But specific to this one for the OP, they are fine.  They don't need to refund or do anything, Ebay has them covered.

[wastingtime101]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

The OP's Chargeback/dispute is one that Ebay would handle and the seller is not responsible or can even enter anything into the Chargeback.

---

Not necessarily. The OP said, "There is no way for me to dispute the chargeback.  i can either accept it or pay $25."

I'm having difficulty gauging what exactly the seller is seeing - a screenshot with buyer ID redacted would help - but if the seller does not see a message saying they are automatically protected on a "doesn't recognize transaction" dispute, then something about the transaction means the seller does not qualify for seller protections.

Can you post a screenshot @deltilogical to avoid this merry-go-round of assumptions and confusion and instead offer you direct, relevant advice to your specific situation?

[mam98031]

OK, we can debate this more if you like.  First unless the policy pages have not been updated, the fee for losing a challenge to a Chargeback is $20.

I too have asked the OP to post the message they received a time or two.  Hopefully they will see your request and do that.

In post #10 the OP wrote "it was a chargeback - the Ebayer "did not recognize the charge".    The $25 refers to the fact that if I were to dispute the chargeback and lost, they charge me $25. 

There is no way for me to dispute the chargeback.  i can either accept it or pay $25. 

There is the chance the bank is taking its time waiting to see if there is any indication of malfeasance by the cardholder."

I responded in post #11 with a excerpt from the policy.  I think that post states what I've been trying to explain.  The reason this buyer selected is one that Ebay would battle and there would NOT be any way for the seller to enter anything into the Chargeback.  The seller would be protected.