Returned item, no refund, can't ask eBay to step in, option not available

[panah100]

Hi guys,

So I recently had to return an item that was damaged during shipping or not as described. I contacted the seller, he refused to accept return. So I contacted eBay. They sided with me. They gave me a shipping label and I used it to mail the package back on the same day.

The item was received and acknowledged as received by eBay on Jan 15. eBay told me to wait till Jan 21 to get a refund but the seller has refused to issue it and seems he has no intention to. The option to ask eBay to step in is not available. Only "return details" and "cancel return." 

Any suggestions what I should do? So I am out $200, a seller that refuses to even respond to me no matter how polite I am and eBay does not give me a way to escalate this case. 

[daw365]

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@panah100 wrote:

I contacted the seller, he refused to accept return. So I contacted eBay. They sided with me. They gave me a shipping label and I used it to mail the package back on the same day.

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That's when you asked eBay to step in with you.

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@panah100 wrote:

The item was received and acknowledged as received by eBay on Jan 15. eBay told me to wait till Jan 21 to get a refund but the seller has refused to issue it and seems he has no intention to. The option to ask eBay to step in is not available.

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But you've already asked eBay to step in. Do you expect to ask eBay to step out with you this time? That doesn't sound very proper.

[panah100]

OK, to clarify. I asked eBay for a return. They gave me a label, and they told me if I did not receive the refund in 2 business days, ask them to step in. The item was received on Jan 15. No refund yet. Maybe I am confused. I guess what I am asking is ... I returned the item the same day, I used eBay's label, I contacted the seller throughout the process, was polite, and explained the issues, but still no refund. What should I do? What did I do wrong? What is the next step.  

[candd205 · Accepted solution]

It's just barely Jan 21. Wait until Jan 22. I bet the ask eBay to step in option will be there then. So my advice is wait a couple of days, but don't lose track of it. If the option for ask eBay to step in doesn't appear, then try calling eBay to get a call back from them.

[lightlily_arts]

Well it's now Jan 21 st so I would assume that eBay will be checking.  If they don't you just have to get eBay on the phone.  Clearly this seller has no intention of refunding your money until you force the issue especially since they already refused the return and eBay had to step in.   You can always do a charge back if you used a credit card too.

[rebell45]

You have to understand eBay's clock. When they say the 21st, that means the same exact hour, minute, second that the timer started.  Except when it doesn't, but that's eBay's other clock.

[panah100]

Thank you so much. I am just a bit shocked as it seems the seller has no intention of refunding after receiving the package. Doesn't respond to messages. I have never had this issue. Not that I return a lot. But usually all the sellers I have dealt with were kind enough to issue a refund within a day or two. 

[candd205]

There are all kinds of people in the world, some aren't very nice. I wouldn't message with them anymore, and just work through your eBay claim. Also, just so you know, if the seller is in managed payments, and if he contests the refund, you will still get your refund, but then eBay will charge him $20 for having to step in a give you the refund.

[panah100]

 I think a lot of sellers assume that they can reject returns even if they misrepresented an item. When you sell something but deliberately don't show the item from an angle that shows some damage, that is already a red flag. I knew right then this was going to be a problem when I got the item. If you look at the photos the seller shared, it is very clear they are all from angles that don't show the damage. The item didn't work anyway. I would have kept it if it was damaged but worked. 

Like I said, I don't return items a lot. It is just too much trouble for me. But this was expensive.  Thanks everyone for letting me know how this works. I wasn't aware of eBay's clock. We will see by the end of the day I suppose. 

[panah100]

I used PayPal. And a Discover card on that. So there are technically 2 more steps to go. I think by tomorrow things become clear. If eBay is indeed on a clock of their own, at some point today they should update the page. 

[panah100]

Just to update, I had eBay call me through a link on the site. They went through the case and immediately offered a refund. They said the seller would get some sort of bad mark on their reputation for refusing to refund after receiving the package. Thanks everyone for your suggestions here! 

[candd205]

Thanks for letting us know how this turned out. It's always nice to know when things end well.

[littlemama2036]

You can file for help through pay pal. Show them proof you returned the item and proof ebay sided with you.