negative feedback from buyer, I offered refund

[deckaxles]

I offered the buyer a refund after they opened a return request. A few weeks later I received and email from ebay that said, "We've closed your buyer's return because we have no record that they shipped the item back to you."

Why was the buyer allowed by ebay to give me negative feedback for not giving  the buyer the refund when the buyer didn't go through with the return?

thanks

[frodobagginskennedy]

you can call e bay and see if they have a record of your offering th erefund....did you send the return label to the buyer?

If I were in your shoes I would open another seller account and just not use this one....or use for buying only.

[southern*sweet*tea]

Sounds like the case closed with no action on either side. Had you called Ebay a few days after the return was started they would have closed it in your favor since the buyer didn't take action. When a seller wins a case, any negative feedback is removed.

Since you didn't "win" this case, the feedback is allowed. You can try calling Ebay, bringing attention to the fact that a return was offered and the buyer didn't use it. They "should" remove the feedback.

[monster-deals]

If that is indeed the chain of events they should remove the feedback.

If you had called in 5 business days after the case was opened you could have had it closed in your favor and feedback would have been "blocked"

[fern*wood]

---

@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

Sounds like the case closed with no action on either side. Had you called Ebay a few days after the return was started they would have closed it in your favor since the buyer didn't take action. When a seller wins a case, any negative feedback is removed.

Since you didn't "win" this case, the feedback is allowed. You can try calling Ebay, bringing attention to the fact that a return was offered and the buyer didn't use it. They "should" remove the feedback.

---

If that is how it works, then I wonder how the Spring Update will affect closed cases like this since they do not want us calling.   Does allowing ebay to close returns always result in no protection?

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, sorry you encountered this. Thought your follow up remark was great—professional (without the dramatics your buyer used in his feedback). I see you offer 30 day returns, so what did your buyer mean by “run-around”? Or was he embellishing the circumstance? Was there some hesitancy on your end? 

[wesk_36]

Does this have anything to do with the story?

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Member-To-Member-Support/I-would-like-to-refund-customer/qaq-p/3066890...

[inhawaii]

Grrrrrrrrr makes me so mad to see this kind of feedback. 

Is it so hard to understand that you have to return the item BEFORE you get a refund?

[southern*sweet*tea]

---

@fern*wood wrote:

---

@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

Sounds like the case closed with no action on either side. Had you called Ebay a few days after the return was started they would have closed it in your favor since the buyer didn't take action. When a seller wins a case, any negative feedback is removed.

Since you didn't "win" this case, the feedback is allowed. You can try calling Ebay, bringing attention to the fact that a return was offered and the buyer didn't use it. They "should" remove the feedback.

---

If that is how it works, then I wonder how the Spring Update will affect closed cases like this since they do not want us calling.   Does allowing ebay to close returns always result in no protection?

---

I would think so, because if Ebay closes the return, that means the seller didn't follow up.  I could be wrong, though. 

If Ebay doesn't want sellers calling, you would think there would be a way to, after the five days had elapsed, for the seller to safely close out the return on their end if they so desired. As it stands, sellers have to call. I guess returns can still be closed out for buyer inaction, I really don't know.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

Sounds like the case closed with no action on either side. Had you called Ebay a few days after the return was started they would have closed it in your favor since the buyer didn't take action. When a seller wins a case, any negative feedback is removed.

---

I don't know if I am just having a mind block but I don't recall ever hearing that when a seller gets a request case closed because the buyer didn't send the item back was considered as the seller 'winning' the case so that the buyer could not leave negative feedback.

On the contrary, seller are often telling other sellers that offering a refund or actually refunding doesn't make a transaction a good one so negative feedback is allowed in those situation. I've never considered closing a return request because the buyer didn't return the item as the seller 'winning'.  Is this something new or am I confused or...?  🙂

[deckaxles]

Hello. I'm the thread starter. Sorry that I didn't reply sooner but the forum wouldn't load earlier.

I did contact ebay immediately after I found the buyer was wanting a refund. The buyer was really mad in their contacts to me so I was doing everything I could to provide a refund. I had almost got a money order and mailed it to them but after I talked to ebay they told me that I shouldn't process the refund  until I receive the item back and that I should make the refund through ebay so they can see that it had processed.

The buyer had initiated a return but they never mailed it so I waited and waited for the item. Then a few days ago I received an email from ebay: We've closed your buyer's return because we have no record that they shipped the item back to you.

I assumed that I shouldn't process the refund. 

I'm mostly embarrassed that I can't even sell one item without getting negative feedback. I don't think ebay selling is for me.