When to close the return?

[hallaghan_ex]

Hello,

Two weeks ago I have bought a car spoiler from a seller on eBay. The spoiler came in damaged, so I requested to return it and discussed it with the seller, who agreed to send me a replacement.

He asked me to close the return request as soon as he sent me the tracking number for the replacement postage, but I'm not sure that's the correct procedure.

Can anyone enlighten me about this, please? When is it right to close the return request, in the interest of both parties?

Thank you all for your answers.

[ed8108]

Do not close, once closed you can't reopen.

[hallaghan_ex]

Thank you for the warning!

I hope the seller isn't trying to fool me then, I thought it weird that he'd ask to close it right after sending the replacement's tracking number.

[ed8108]

You close when you have in fact achieved a satisfactory outcome

[myboardid]

If you return the spoiler to the seller, the open requrn request process will force the seller to refund your money immediately.  It doesn't allow for the seller to send you a replacement instead.  If that is what you want, continue on as you are. 

If you want a replacement and the seller is going to send you the new one before you return the damaged one,  then you also continue on as you are.

But if you are going to return the damaged one first, and you want the seller to send you the replacement afterwards, you will need to close the return so that he can send you the new one without any more money changing hands. 

So it depends on what you work out with the seller. 

I have asked some buyers to close the return so I can send out the replacement item and it has worked out just fine.  But I am an honest seller and have not tried to take advantage of my buyers.  You would alsways have the option of opening a case with Paypal, but you would be responsible for the cost of return shipping through them. 

[kattinsanity · Accepted solution]

If a seller is sending a replacement, shouldn't the buyer leave the case open until he receives the replacement in the correct condition?  If the replacement item arrives damaged like the 1st item the buyer can't open a second case.  What if the buyer closes the case and receives nothing or something totally different?  Then his only option would be to go to paypal and he would have to pay for the return shipping.  I don't think I would close the case until the transaction was completed to my satisfaction.

[myboardid]

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@kattinsanity wrote:

If a seller is sending a replacement, shouldn't the buyer leave the case open until he receives the replacement in the correct condition?  If the replacement item arrives damaged like the 1st item the buyer can't open a second case.  What if the buyer closes the case and receives nothing or something totally different?  Then his only option would be to go to paypal and he would have to pay for the return shipping.  I don't think I would close the case until the transaction was completed to my satisfaction.

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I agree that there is an element of risk on both parties.  But if the buyer returns the item first, ebay will automatically force the refund and there will be no way to facilitate the exchange. 

If the buyer closes the return, he is trusting the seller to complete his end of the deal by sending the replacement.  If the seller sends the replacement first, he is trusting the buyer to send the damaged item back.  There is no middle ground. 

[kattinsanity]

I don't know how much the spoiler was that the OP purchased but I would think it would have some sort of insurance on it~~making it unwise for the seller to ask for immediate return.  It would be advisable to wait until the insurance claim was settled. Reshipping back to the seller would void any insurance claim.  If the seller collected insurance he may not want to invest in having the spoiler shipped back.  The buyer might be further ahead to ask for a refund, close the case and buy somewhere else.  Otherwise it could be a long drawn out affair.

[kattinsanity]

The OP is in Portugal~~I have to learn to look where they are from before posting.  Since I don't know ebay policies for Portugal I'll ask that my previous posts be ignored.

[mistyj27]

Thanks for posting this question!  I am literally in the same position.   The seller is asking me to close the case BEFORE they will even send me a new tracking #.

I purchased an item from China (to the U.S.) and it came damaged.   They are willing to send a new item (at my request---not a refund),  but they want me to close the case first.

This is what they wrote:

"Hi friend, Thanks for letting me know the situation and your opinion,I will apply to our company a resend for you first,could you please help me close the return so that I can arrange the resend item for you as soon as possible?just because the return will block the resend for you,hope you can understand that,my friend,please do not worry,I will arrange it for you in a fast way and send a message of tracking number after resend. Waiting for your good news., Best wishes. "

Help!  What should I do?   🙂

[hallaghan_ex]

Just as in my case, I wouldn't close the return. Inform the seller that it's common practice on eBay to wait until the new item is received to close the return.

[kattinsanity]

That's a common tactic by China sellers and you never see the replacement item.  Once you close the ebay case you can't open another.  If you file through paypal you have to return the item to China at your own expense~~that isn't cheap and the expense outweighs the value of the item.  DO NOT close the case.  Take the refund and don't accept a replacement you will never see.

[mistyj27]

Thank you!  

[mistyj27]

Thank you!

[myboardid]

I agree when it comes to seller in China - never agree to wait for the replacement.