Some guy that I sold a item to wants refund on ebay?

Question

Should I wait till I get the item then issue the refund or should I refund the money immediately? what are the rules? anybody knows?

Answer 1

That depends on why he wants a refund and what your refund policy is. There aren't any hard and fast rules on eBay where refunds are concerned, except both eBay and Paypal will tell you that you should get the item back BEFORE you consider issuing a refund, if you care to issue one.

If the item was damaged in shipping and you offered insurance, but he didn't take it, then you may insist he keep the item even though it's broken, since you afforded him the opportunity for insurance and he declined.

If he bought the item and decided once he received it that "hey, I just don't want this any more", you can also refuse to refund his money because his bid constituted a legally binding contract in which he agreed to buy the item and pay for it.

Remember, even if you end up accepting the item in return and refunding his money, you have to PAY for the auction you ran on eBay.

If the item was different than described, or you didn't explain that it was damaged and/or defective in some way, you may have no choice in providing a refund, since he could file with Paypal (if he paid that way) or with his bank if he paid through a personal check or credit card, claiming it was a fraudulent transaction, and try to reverse it.

Under those circumstances, whoever is mediating the case would most likely require he return the item and furnish them with proof the item made it back to you. After that, they would automatically issue him a refund from your account.

It also matters what sort of refund he's wanting. Is he just asking for the purchase price back, or is he asking for purchase price, plus what he paid to have the item shipped to him, or is he also demanding you pay for return shipping as well?

If he wants all or part of his shipping expenses in addition to the purchase price, then you could be out a lot of money. In fact, you could easily be out more money than the item is actually worth if it's a fairly low dollar item (say, under twenty-five dollars), once you add up shipping two ways plus your eBay fees on the auction.

You have to consider that in addition to considering his reasons for returning the item. If he got the item, decided "nah, I don't want it any more" and is having buyer's remorse, it isn't fair of him to demand any of his shipping be returned, even if you are inclined to provide a refund. After all, you completed your part of the transaction in good faith. He's the one trying to stiff you.

Also, something you might consider, if he purchased a media item (a CD, a video game, a DVD or video tape, or even a book) from you, this may be a scam he pulls to get things for free, since it's easy to copy all those things. He could have purchased the item with no intention whatsoever of keeping it, copied it once you sent it to him, and now that he's copied the data over, is trying to get you to refund his money so he can essentially enjoy your item for free, and stick you with the bill.

If it was a media item and it was in good condition when it arrived, especially if it's now open, I would personally refuse to refund the money-- maybe not on a video game which was used to begin with, since those are a bit harder to copy, but if it was a regular DVD, video tape, or CD, you betcha-- especially if time has gone by between the item being delivered and a refund being requested.

So, there are a lot of things to consider. eBay and Paypal's rules are generally taken on a case by case basis. If it looks like you defrauded the customer in some way by selling him a counterfeit or defective item, then you'd have to refund his money.

If you completed the transaction and he received what he paid for, then you're not obligated to give his money back to him. He got what he paid for, and you upheld your end of the bargain, so he's on his own on that one.

Just bear in mind that he can retaliate by leaving negative feedback for you if you don't refund his money, so you have to decide if you can live with explaining your side of the story on your feedback profile and hoping other people believe you.

Oh, and remember the all important thing. DO NOT refund his money under any circumstances whatsoever before you have the item back in hand and can inspect it. Once you give the guy his money back, he has no incentive to return your item to you in good shape, or even at all.

If he tries to convince you Paypal and/or eBay do it that way and will side with him, he's flat out lying to you.

If you need help from eBay, you can always write to them, or even chat with them live. Go to www.ebay.com (their home page) and look in the upper right hand corner for a tiny little box that looks like a comic book speech bubble with a question mark in it, and click on the underlined text that says "live help" right by it. It will open a chat window so you can talk to an eBay rep, explain the situation, and get advice right then. The first thing they'll tell you is "contact your buyer and try to work it out with them" because that's what they ALWAYS say right off. You have to press on and say "yes, but I want to understand what my rights are if that doesn't work out" and get them to explain things to you further than that.

Anyway, good luck with it!

Answer 2

Buyers can only request a refund under limited circumstances, such as you misrepresented the item. Even if you say "no refunds" on the listing, you can't take money for a fraudulent transaction, regardless of what earlier answerers have implied.

The rules for selling are pretty clearly spelled out on eBay, and if you have questions about them, ask on the Community pages at
eBay where you're more likely to find people who know how to help you do the right thing.

Answer 3

Never, ever send out a refund to someone without either a) receiving back the merchandise (at the buyer's expense...you can choose whether or not to pay that back) or b) receiving a picture of the item if it arrived broken/damaged. Sending out a refund prior to receiving the item or proof that it was damaged/broken only means that the buyer gets his money AND the item since most buyers won't return items once they have the refund.

Just as a side note, when you request that the buyer send it back, make sure they send it back with delivery confirmation - return receipt requested...that way they know WHEN you receive the item back and cannot bug you to return their money while you are waiting for the item to show up.

Answer 4

Depends on what the item is, how much it cost/how much he bought it for & how big it is/how much shipping is. If this is a $5.00 item then it's worth it to you to refund the money ''upfront" to keep him from giving you a negative comment. If it's a high-dollar item, then you have additional considerations. Why is the buyer wanting to return it? Did it arrive damaged? If so and if it was insured, then contact the shipping agency to find out what it required to get it covered under the shipping insurance. Sometimes you have to have the item to show to prove it was damaged in shipping. ... There's a lot that your question doesn't address here that will figure into your decision. In the end it depends on how much you care if you get a bad 'review' on your ebay rating and whether or not you want to 'risk' him going to ebay to arbitrate the thing.

Answer 5

You do not have to give him a refund unless you state in your auction you give refunds.
If you want to give him a refund. Tell him you will refund the money once the item is returned, do not send it before that.
Also you should not refund the shipping cost, just the item cost. Let him know that before he ships it back. That you just refund for the item price not the shipping cause UPS or USPS is not gonna give you that money back.

Answer 6

Absolutely wait until you receive the item back! Lots of people who buy on ebay will really hold you hostage (I'll leave you bad feedback!!". When I sell on ebay I always put disclaimers in my listings stating no refunds so please email any questions before bidding.

Answer 7

get the items back FIRST!

then refund him thru Paypal so that you have proof of the transaction!

there are a lot of scam artists on ebay.

Answer 8

EBAY WILL REFUND THE BUYER NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY AS A SELLER AND TAKE IT OUT OF YOUR ACOUNT WEATHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT....... BUYER'S WILL SAY ANYTHING TO GET MONEY BACK WITHOUT SENDING ITEM BACK.

STATE: ITEM RETURNS ACEPTED BUYER PAYS RETURNS (MOST LIKLY THEY WILL NOT SEND IT BACK IF IT IS NOT REALLY WHAT THEY SAY.). SEND ITEM WITH TRACKING# INS. SIG REQ. ALWAYS INCLUDE IN YOUR SHIPPING PRICE

Answer 9

Visit this website. It explains it all.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/refunding-buyers.html

Answer 10

If he wants a refund thats too bad, all sales are final.