eBay automatically refunded buyer although I have generated return label and is awaiting item

[clickycatdeals]

Hi,

On Nov 27th this buyer bought a brand new iMac 2024 from me. The item was delivered to him and a few days later, he opened a case saying that the item was defective. (No idea how a brand-new iMac can be faulty). Then I accepted the return and provided him with the label. Today, eBay stepped in and issued a full refund to the buyer without me confirming that I received an item first. Here is the screenshot of the case. What did I do wrong here? How can I claim this is a false return?

[robbie31415]

It'll never go back... I expect.

However, eBay did call it 'Temporary', which was untrue. 

eBay did revert how much time the seller had to refund due to covid though. 🙂 

Temporary changes to timelines for Returns and Cla... - The eBay Community

[gurlcat]

Okay did you accidentally make a reply to a different post here ... or was it on purpose?   I notice that the topic is the exact circumstances we are talking about here, except you were giving advice to a buyer on that side of the return.   Also I notice you made this reply ONLY here, not on that OP's thread. 

@robbie31415  You mentioned before that you weren't sure how buyers (scamming or not) could get eBay to recognize their own label's tracking number instead of the seller-issued one.  It looks like this member is demonstrating that exact thing .... albeit in a sneaky (?) way.  I admit I'm more than a little baffled, also I can't tell from the screenshot what kind of interface that is -live chat?  Pfff, now since email is threaded like chat, it could be that. 

[robbie31415]

I know exactly how to do the scam. And that image is exactly how you do it. Buyer will get the refund before the seller even knows what happened..

And refunds aren't reversible. 

However, the only thing I don't know is.... If the seller can get that tracking number from eBay so they can investigate and try and file an actual appeal with evidence.

eBay logs that information internally only. They do not update the return request/case with it, it will never be visible to the seller. It's logged internally only.

And that's the problem, because it's hard to get evidence to combat this scam without the tracking number.

Maybe @wastingtime101  knows if eBay will give the seller the tracking # from the internal information.

[SO SOME PEOPLE DON'T GET CONFUSED, WE ARE SPECULATING ON WHAT HAPPENED, WE HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE OP AFTER CONTACTING CS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHY THE CASE WAS 'RESOLVED' IN BUYER FAVOR. BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE NEED THIS TO BE CLARIFIED, I HAVE ADDED THIS TO MY POST]

[wastingtime101]

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@gurlcat wrote:

Okay did you accidentally make a reply to a different post here ... or was it on purpose?   I notice that the topic is the exact circumstances we are talking about here, except you were giving advice to a buyer on that side of the return.   Also I notice you made this reply ONLY here, not on that OP's thread. 

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The post by @yo0339 was intentionally posted here to make a point and demonstrate how it works. That poster (with their umpteen different IDs) knows more about return processes, nuances and loopholes than anybody else here.

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@robbie31415  wrote:
Maybe @wastingtime101  knows if eBay will give the seller the tracking # from the internal information.

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I've seen it go both ways. I never paid enough attention to tell if the difference was overseas vs domestic CS or not, but if I were to go back and find those semi-recent posts (which I'm not), that's the first thing I'd look at.

[gurlcat]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

General info on Case vs Return Request:

- Buyer initially files a return.

- When eBay is asked to step in, that return is escalated to case status.

- When escalated, it has the same reference number

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Is reference number something different from ID number?  I ask because I don't see the word 'Reference' anywhere on the OP's screenshot.  What I do see is ID numbers, and there are two DIFFERENT ones for the return versus the case (right-hand side of that screen).   So can you clarify what you mean about having the same reference number?



Also I want so bad to click on that Return ID and see if its' details are any different (maybe clearer?).  I asked the OP to click it but they're probably overwhelmed by the number of replies, several of which were me just freaking out in disbelief that a scam THIS messed up actually works here.  And I thought the face mask scam was bad, but at least with that you have access to the tracking, and 48 hours after delivery to figure out what to do.   

[sin-n-dex]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

Buyers are not required to use the tracking label a seller provides.

A buyer can go buy their own label and ship it then contact CS letting them know it was delivered.

The CS agent will check for basically 2 things. 1) status is 'delivered' and 2) the zip code matches.

If both do then the CS agent will refund the buyer by escalating to a case and instantly resolving it in buyer favor.

The seller never gets access to the tracking # since it was provided directly to the eBay CS, so the return will just continue to show it was never shipped.

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This is a loophole in the returns process that needs to be closed.

If a buyer uses their own tracking, the seller should have access to that tracking information to see when it's delivered so they can voluntarily refund. To have it escalated as a case in secret like this is unacceptable.

C.

[robbie31415]

Yes, I said in one of my posts...

It's fine if a buyer uses their own tracking...

What should happen is....

CS should update the return request with the new tracking number. It will show 'Delivered'.

This then sends alert to the seller, that they have 2 days to issue refund, the seller can also reference the tracking number. So the seller can take steps if there is a problem.

Right now... all the buyer needs to do is wait until it's delivered then contact CS with the tracking number and get refunded instantly.

eBay's procedure on this needs to change, it's extremely unfair and too exploitable.

[wastingtime101]

Sorry, my fault @gurlcat . I was looking at INRs earlier - those retain the same "case ID" throughout (as far as I can see). My latest INR closed out a couple days ago so I don't have an open one to check and all my closed ones just have a single "case ID."

For returns there is a "return ID" and after the return is closed / case opened during the escalation process, a new "case ID" is created. I'll update my earlier post.

When you click the "return ID" it takes you to a page that has a link to view the case details.

They are both linked, but @robbie31415 was more technically correct than I was earlier when he said something like "a new case is opened."

[gurlcat]

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@robbie31415 wrote:

You’re free to interpret my words as 'insulting' if you choose.

However, your post does little more than create unnecessary confusion where none existed.

It’s clear that until they contact customer service and get a specific reason, everything else is just speculation. This has already been made obvious by the numerous posts advising them to reach out to CS.

They even provided a screenshot of their history, which makes your claims of 'confusion' somewhat baffling to me.

As someone labeled an eBay 'mentor,' I would have expected more clarity and precision from you.

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I can't believe I'm doing this, but in this one particular instance I find it pretty hard to fault her for being confused and adding confusion, considering how clear as mud those Detail notations are.  This whole thing is the most outrageous scam enabling loophole I have ever learned about on eBay, and the vagueness of the so-called details just makes it even more infuriating.  The fact that it doesn't even state the manner of escalation, let alone why it was resolved in the buyer's favor .... this is just utterly unacceptable.  And again, most sellers don't participate here in the Community, so just imagine how many are out there having this done to them, without the vaguest way to even know WHAT happened to them? 

Like I said before, I want to see this OP get made whole, but the bigger picture is what can we do to fix this glaring problem permanently? 

[robbie31415]

The confusion she mentioned was that she was confused on her wording and by saying 2nd case'. 

Which was an obvious mistake referring to a return request and a return case interchangeably, when it's pretty clear based on the screenshot what happened.

If there was no screenshot then I would understand the confusion, but a nice history was provided. 🙂

Something I'd expect a Mentor not to be confused about.

[mam98031]

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@kensgiftshop wrote:

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@gurlcat wrote:

OH!  One more thing -Even if the buyer used a fake tracking number and its' delivery scan occurred long enough ago to force the refund (48 hours prior, right?) .... then wouldn't the OP have received a message the day it was supposedly delivered, prompting them to issue the refund?  -I always do. 

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I had a return a few years ago, went to the mail box and within the couple minutes it took me to get back inside, got an email from Ebay saying they see the return was delivered and the refund was issued.

I did receive an email later letting me know the return had been delivered.

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Many things have likely changed since then.  Sellers have 2 days to review and inspect a returned item before they are required to refund.

Most sellers refund as soon as they get the item back. If the item has been returned to the seller and they haven't given you a refund after 2 business days, you can ask eBay to step in and help.

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-refunds/returning-item?id=4041#section3

[gurlcat]

@clickycatdealsHave you gotten a response from a social media rep yet?

[dbfolks166mt]

@wastingtime101 wrote:

Best guess:

Buyer contacted eBay to say they used their own return label and gave eBay a tracking number. And it was a scammer with a fake tracking number.

@wastingtime101 

So there is yet another hole in eBay's highly sophisticated software through which scammers can drive an 18-wheeler.

One would think -- given the well-established electronic connections between eBay and USPS -- that it would take literally a few seconds for eBay to be able to validate whether a tracking number was authentic.

I mean, we can see on our seller hub whether packages have been delivered, right?

My wish for 2025 is that this wretched website catch up to the rest of the online selling industry.

     There is also the potential for a new business enterprise in this current mess. Something along the lines of scammer recovery services that sellers could reach out to in the event of a scam and pay for a recovery service. Sellers obviously have the address of where they sent the item which they could provide to a recovery service. The recovery service could make the scammer an offer they couldn't refuse for the return of the item. 

[wastingtime101]

What's the status @clickycatdeals - what info were you able to get from CS?

[gurlcat]

OMG if we never hear back from this OP I'm going to pull my hair out.