I've heard horror stories about buyers who game eBay's system and force a seller to issue a refund while keeping their purchase. Example: buyer sends an box containing a piece of junk to a random address in the seller's zip code. The tracking information makes it appear that the buyer returned the item, and the seller is compelled to refund.
I'm here to report that for me, it didn't work out that way.
A couple of weeks after I shipped, the buyer messaged me that the item didn't work and he wanted a refund. I authorized a return. At that point I had no suspicion that the buyer was not honest; I just wanted to examine the item and figure out how it slipped past my quality control.
Another several days went by. I got an email from eBay saying that the buyer was preparing to ship. Then last Sunday I got an email saying that the buyer said he had shipped the item and I should have received it, which I had not. I was instructed to issue the refund by this coming Friday. I messaged the buyer to ask for a tracking number, but got no reply.
This morning (Wednesday) I asked eBay to "step in." I described the situation and said that I need a reasonable amount of time after receiving the item to inspect it and issue the refund.
Exactly 16 minutes later, eBay closed the case and sent me an email: "We reviewed this case and have closed it without any refund to the buyer.... The buyer did not return the item to you within the required timeframe."
I don't doubt that the horror stories are real, and I don't know whether I avoided my own through care or luck; but avoid it I did.
