Buyer has not returned item

[shaneiamthecat]

I sold an item on 11th July and the buyer wasn't fully satisfied with the purchase. Eventually, a case was opened on 5th August and the buyer requested a refund. On 14th August, the buyer received their refund and was asked by eBay to return the item, with the delivery cost coming out of my pocket. I am still yet to receive the item back, the buyer is no longer responding to my messages, and I'm surprised if anyone can make any sense of eBay's help and support page.

What can I do? I'm out of pocket for the cost of the original delivery, the return delivery cost, AND I don't have the original item!

[missjen831]

If the buyer was refunded on 8/14 then they weren’t asked by eBay to return the item. Once the refund is issued, the buyer is no longer required to return the item. Are you sure they were actually refunded or are the funds simply on hold?

[johnsbikerchic1-us]

EBaY SHOULD RETURN THE EIGHT AMOUNT TO YOU ESPECIALLY BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE THE ITEM BACK EITHER...

[johnsbikerchic1-us]

I had a similar thing happen to me...EBay did not refund the money to the buyer until I received the item back that's the way it's supposed to work..

[shaneiamthecat]

Yes. Very sure.

[creoleorchid]

According to your screenshot, the buyer did return the item. If it’s sitting at post office, stolen off your porch, misdelivered to a neighbor etc., then that’s a shame. But it looks like the buyer did his job. What does the tracking number say?

[shaneiamthecat]

I wasn't given a tracking number. I asked the buyer through message for one, but like I said in my post, he is refusing to reply. eBay have also not replied to me when I asked them for the tracking information they were given. It seems like both the buyer and eBay have decided for themselves that everything is sorted.

[missjen831]

Did you check to make sure you have the correct return address on file? If you are sending messages to ebay.....nobody is reading them. You have to call customer service. The tracking number should be somewhere on the return details I would think.

[robot-hands]

You let your case time out and got an unresolved ding.

Another of those and you won't be able to sell on ebay anymore.

[creoleorchid]

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@shaneiamthecat wrote:

I wasn't given a tracking number. I asked the buyer through message for one, but like I said in my post, he is refusing to reply. eBay have also not replied to me when I asked them for the tracking information they were given. It seems like both the buyer and eBay have decided for themselves that everything is sorted.

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Look at the screeshot you posted. The very top (Aug 14) notation says the buyer provided a tracking number. You need to get on a computer or browser and access the case file in the resolution center. That's where you will find the tracking number.

Also, you are posting on the U.S. site and it appears your account is on the U.K. site. The process may be different where you are registered but it pretty much works out the same in the end. Buyer opens a return, sends it back with tracking entered in the case, you refund.

[theoldpro2003]

I sold a CD (which was play-tested as good) to a buyer at an offer price.  After receiving the CD, the buyer sent me a message that he "did not like" the CD and asked for a refund.  I messaged him to just return the item and I would issue a full refund (including postage) as soon as the item was received.  I waited a full month and no CD came back to me, so I assumed he had changed his mind and decided to keep it.  The next thing I know there is a negative feedback on my account from this buyer.  I immediately called his hand by message about not returning the CD for a refund.  His response was "Sorry, but I forgot to return it."  I petitioned eBay to review this feedback since it knocked me down from 100% to 99.7%.  1st negative I've had in over 5 years!  As yet, I have had no response from eBay and my feedback remains 99.7 and will likely stay at that number for at least a year.  My sales have dropped over 25% in the past couple of months since I got that negative....I can't know how much, if any, the negative affected my sales, but it for sure didn't help.  This was an unfair feedback from a buyer who could care less!