Restocking fee

[gosseran_0]

I'm trying to return a keyboard I didn't like, I used it for maybe 30 minutes and quickly realized it wasn't what I was looking for and put it back in the box. I requested a refund and I get a email from the seller saying "Hello,
I’m sorry this keyboard didn’t meet your needs. Please be advised there will be an opened item(s) restocking fee applied. I hope you understand this as we cannot resell this product used. We do not sell used nor Refurbished products.
Regards,
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
Again we do apologize this product doesn’t fit your needs." 

This item had 30 day free refunds, so is this "restocking fee" something they can ask of me, or are they trying to take advantage of me?

[klhmdg]

Since you bought it and then changed your mind - it is a buyers remorse return.

Im not sure on the term "restocking fee" BUT if you return a new item that is now used the seller can deduct up to 50% of the refund.

Might be best to resell the item yourself.

[itscalledapostingid]

Restocking fees are NOT allowed on ebay.

It sounds like they are trying to scare you away from returning so they don't have to honor their own return policy.

You can open a return and if they don't refund in full when it's returned there is a process for appealing if they try to unfairly withhold part of the refund.

[lamber9347]

@gosseran_0 They are attempting to take advantage of you. See the link below on how the money back guarantee works. This seller offered you free returns so they have to accept your return now. Plus re-stocking fees are not allowed on eBay. When you click the link provided, scroll down to When the seller doesn't fulfil their return policy. Don't bother getting into any back and forth with this seller, just follow the procedures for a return and get eBay involved when needed. Best of luck to you....

eBay Money Back Guarantee policy 

[myangelandmyprincess]

Since the seller has 30 day free returns they absolutely can refund minus up to 50% if it is returned in used condition.  They were wrong imo to call it a restocking fee but since you used it even for a short while making it no longer new the seller can deduct a percentage from the refund. 

[shirlssilk]

Does the seller clearly mention a restocking fee in their listing? and is the item you received described correctly in the listing? If its not described correctly, every detail; you can open a dispute (item not as described) and get a full refund with eBay's money back guarantee. If you just don't like it and the seller mentions a restocking fee in the listing for returns; you lose!   Also, 30 day free refunds is tricky;  BE CAREFUL when you read a listing, 30 day FULL refunds is probably what you thought you read.  Good Luck!

[itscalledapostingid]

Restocking fees have been against ebay rules for a few years now.

A seller may be eligible to give a partial refund in some cases but there are specific guidelines that outline how much of a percentage can be withheld. For example: missing original shrink wrap - no more than 5 to 10%.

A buyer can appeal to ebay if they believe the refund is not fair and it appears the seller has tipped his hand and revealed an intent to abuse the process. That will certainly work in the buyer's favor if it came to that point.

[gosseran_0]

I'm seeing a lot of contradicting opinions on this matter... some say they are within the right to ask of this, and others say he's taking advantage of me... 

[justme2345]

It’s a buyer’s remorse return so yes, the seller can deduct up to 50% on their refund. They were using the wrong wording. 

Probably best to sell it yourself. 

[wastingtime101]

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@gosseran_0 wrote:

I'm seeing a lot of contradicting opinions on this matter... some say they are within the right to ask of this, and others say he's taking advantage of me... 

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Posts 2 and 5 are correct @gosseran_0. While "restocking fee" is not a technically correct term, the seller is within their rights to issue a partial refund. This applies to both Top Rated Sellers that accept returns for 30 days and sellers that offer Free 30 day Returns whether Top Rated or not. eBay policy:

From this page:

If the returned item is opened, used, damaged, missing parts, or is damaged during return shipping because it wasn't packaged correctly, some sellers might deduct from your refund to cover the loss in the item's value. Learn more about our Condition of returns policy.

From this page:

An item is returned after it was used or damaged by the buyer
You can deduct up to 50% from the refund to recover the lost value of the item

[itscalledapostingid]

This reply addresses several earlier responses...

As I posted above:

A seller may be eligible to give a partial refund in some cases but there are specific guidelines that outline how much of a percentage can be withheld. For example: missing original shrink wrap - no more than 5 to 10%.

In other words they can't just arbitrarily yank 50% of a refund without cause.

This is all clearly outlined in the ebay policy pages.

[wastingtime101]

I didn't miss what you posted crazystuff. I never said the OP's seller would deduct 50%, nor did the OP say the seller said they would deduct 50%.

Nobody could know the details of this situation. If the item shows signs of wear the seller could deduct up to 30%. If significantly different they could deduct up to 50%. There's a whole chart of different forms of alteration resulting in different amounts being withheld.

The only thing I quoted from policy is that the seller can withhold up to 50% which is true because we don't know in what condition the item will be returned. If the OP packs it poorly which results in damage, that could easily mean 50% is withheld.

I wouldn't presume to tell the buyer it will only be a 5-10% deduction if a larger deduction is justified in the end, then the OP gets angry with us for not giving fair warning at a larger potential financial loss.

I linked to 2 different policy pages so the OP can read the details for themself to determine if they want to proceed with the return or not, and under what conditions they could appeal if they felt the refund wasn't correct.

[downunder-61]

@wastingtime101  I was always under the impression that if the seller did deduct a percentage (that they are allowed to deduct given circumstances) that if the buyer appeals to eBay, then eBay reimburses the buyer, so neither one of the parties is out any money.

Can you confirm?

[itscalledapostingid]

When a seller issues a partial refund on a return the buyer receives a notice from ebay and there is a place to click if the buyer feels the refund is unfair. ebay can then review the details and make a correction if needed.

[wastingtime101]

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@downunder-61 wrote:

@wastingtime101  I was always under the impression that if the seller did deduct a percentage (that they are allowed to deduct given circumstances) that if the buyer appeals to eBay, then eBay reimburses the buyer, so neither one of the parties is out any money.

Can you confirm?

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As crazystuff said, a buyer can contest a partial refund and eBay will review the situation. eBay may:

- Refund the balance to the buyer as a courtesy from eBay's account whether or not the buyer abused the returns policy.

- Refund the balance to the buyer from the seller's account and give them an unresolved case defect if they feel the seller has abused the seller protections policy.

- Not refund the buyer the difference at all if the buyer abused the returns policy and the $ amount is significant.

This isn't all-inclusive. I don't have access to eBay's unpublished policies about when they'll refund the buyer and when they won't. Above is just based on what I've observed/experienced/seen others report @downunder-61.