False reason for return: how to give partial refund

[only_od]

I sold a buyer a piece of computer equipment (a eGPU enclosure). After having it for nearly a month they claimed it wasn't working and they wanted to return it. I started the return process, sent them shipping label, and just received it today. While I had packed the original packaging in an outer box with protective packing material, they just slapped the label on the original packaging, which is now, of course, damaged. I unpacked the item, hooked it up, and it works perfectly fine and I have provided them with screenshots to prove it. I want to refund them the cost minus my costs for the return shipping and the extra out of pocket costs I had paid for the item to be professionally packed at a FedEx. However, I am not being presented with the option to issue a partial refund. There is no clear way to reach out to Ebay for help on this. Does anyone have any insight?

[kensgiftshop]

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@only_od 

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Since the buyer filed an INAD, they get a full refund.

[orangehound · Accepted solution]

This is a Money Back Guarantee claim ... unless you listed it with free 30-day or longer returns (or you are a Top Rated Seller offering 30-day or longer returns), then eBay will not present you with an option to do a partial refund.  eBay expects you to do a full refund of the purchase price plus shipping paid.

Now, you could do a partial refund through PayPal, if that's what you want to try.  But, keep in mind that the buyer might object and escalate the Money Back Guarantee to eBay by "asking eBay to step in".  If that happens, eBay will force the balance to be paid so that the buyer is fully refunded ... eBay will also punish you with a seller defect because you did not fully refund the buyer.

Also, the only way to get back eBay's seller fees for this transaction is to fully refund the buyer.  You won't get back fees for a partial refund or if eBay has to intervene to get a full refund for the buyer.

[only_od]

Thanks for the detailed response. So eBay offers no recourse when a buyer lies about their reason for a return?

[kensgiftshop]

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@only_od wrote:

Thanks for the detailed response. So eBay offers no recourse when a buyer lies about their reason for a return?

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Not really.

They want happy buyers, no matter what it does to us sellers.

[only_od]

Copy that. Ugh