Claiming back return postage cost from eBay

[charliee9818]

A buyer purchased one of my items without reading the item description which clearly stated that the item had some faults. They put in a return request with the reasoning as 'item arrived damaged' (I don't accept returns as a private seller) so I contacted eBay chat who advised I should accept the return as if the buyer is making a false claim (which they were), I would be protected by the eBay Seller Protection. 

The item came back to me at the start of October and since then I have been on about 5 - 6 chats with eBay agents who have told me so many different things and I have still not recieved the refund for the return postage I paid. It wouldn't allow me to take the amount away from the buyers refund despite them being in the wrong. 

I have followed all instructions that the eBay chat agents have advised and the last one said that my refund was going to be actioned manually but I still haven't recieved anything. 

I'm very annoyed and dissapointed to have been so mislead.

Has anyone ever experienced this or managed to get their return postage compensation from eBay? It seems to me that they just aren't interested and don't want to pay out. 

Thanks

Charlie

[charliee9818]

Hello,

Yes this is exactly the same as me. Glad I'm not the only one but still incredibly frustrating as a long term seller who would never and has never lied about the condition of an item.

Thanks for your response! I still have hope that eventually we might here something back but who knows! 

[charliee9818]

Thanks for your input but I know that the refund can't be actioned by the eBay chat agents.

I was simply stating that I had gone to them for guidance on how to handle the request properly so I didn't receive any 'bad' feedback/marks on my seller account.

As mentioned in this thread previously, the reasonings I was told to report the buyer under were:

Buyer made a false claim > Falsely claimed the item wasn't as described

and 

Buyer misused returns > Returned an item after they opened, used or damaged it

[charliee9818 · Accepted solution]

Hello, thanks for your response.

Yes, that's incredibly frustrating and sounds like we are in the same boat.

I've come to realise from this thread that I'm obviously not alone in having to deal with this type of thing so I have no choice but to move on as although I don't think it's right, I don't have the energy to keep chasing eBay for the postage refund.

We live and learn I guess! 

[angsc_8412]

im confused that if i puchased label from my bank account to Evri, then why does ebay refund buyer if I orginally paid? thanks charlotte

[angsc_8412]

When an item is purchased i pay for the Evri label from my bank account, if for some reason the item is not received do I then pay the buyer again for postage?

if the funds are on hold then does eBay just use this money to pay them back or are you the one paying for the postage again in the refund? As what happens to the original postage money you spent to send it? is that supposed to be refunded to me as I paid upfront for it and when the buyer receives a refund for a non delivery how do I get the postage money back I spent? Many thanks Charlotte 

[angsc_8412]

so if i pay upfront from my account for Evri label and the parcel does not get delivered then ebay refund them, postage as well!

what about my loss of postage and the cost of the item. 

I also would like to know if I sent a parcel to the USA and they are saying they havent received it? I have the royal mail receipt and I paid the postage upfront so how do I now get paid ? thanks charlotte

[four_mid_able]

Because the buyer originally paid you so you are just using their payment to pay for posting to them.

If item was listed with p+p at buyers cost or free p+p and item doesn't arrive/gets damaged in transit and buyer opens a "not as described " claim you have to either refund the total amount they paid you without them having to return item or you have to supply a returns label at your cost and refund all of the buyers original payment upon items return.

If the returns request is for a damaged item you may be abe to claim from courier as long as the item is not on their exemptions list.

If an item is lost in transit and their is no proof of delivery you would have to refund the buyer in full (straight away) and claim off the courier.

If at any time a buyer opens a claim against you then you only have 3 working days to deal with it.On day 4 buyer can ask Ebay to step in.

See details about Ebay's MBG at top right on most listings.

[4_bathrooms]

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@angsc_8412 wrote:

what about my loss of postage and the cost of the item. 

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You raise a claim with the carrier you purchased the delivery service from to recover those costs.

Note that you will have needed to have sent the item via the correct service with sufficient insurance and you'll need to check the item isn't on one of the carrier's lists for prohibited or non-compensation items. In most cases you can only claim for actual loss - this is what it cost you to buy the item or what it cost you in materials to make the item. Very few couriers have a policy that compensates market value - i.e. what you sold the item for. Royal Mail's (Non Account) Tracked 24 and Tracked 48 services are a rare exception that do compensate full market value up to a limit of £150 but you'll need all the evidence they ask for.

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@angsc_8412 wrote:

I also would like to know if I sent a parcel to the USA and they are saying they havent received it? I have the royal mail receipt and I paid the postage upfront so how do I now get paid ? 

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How did you send the item? Did you use eBay's Global Shipping Programme or did you send the item directly to the US?

Your funds will not be released by eBay unless the buyer tells eBay they have received the goods or Royal Mail's tracking indicates the item has been delivered to the buyer. Has the buyer "opened a request" via eBay because they haven't received their item?