eBay refunded buyer from my balance – now refusing to review it
Summary: moscollection shared a frustrating experience with eBay regarding a transaction dispute. After using Simple Delivery, the buyer claimed not to receive the item, and eBay refunded the buyer, deducting the amount from moscollection's account, despite previous assurances that no action was needed. The account suspension complicates matters, as eBay refuses to review the case. sml192 and technthread suggest the problem might stem from eBay's handling of tracking due to changes involving parcel scanners, and papso22 explains that suspended accounts often lack seller protection. marco@ebay confirms this policy, leaving moscollection seeking advice on how to handle it moving forward.
Hi everyone,
I’m having a really frustrating issue with eBay and wanted to see if anyone has had something similar.
I sold an item using Simple Delivery and the buyer later said they didn’t receive it. I contacted eBay about it and was told that I didn’t need to do anything because eBay was dealing with the case.
The buyer was then refunded and the money was taken from my balance.
I contacted eBay to question this and was first told that it was because I hadn’t responded to the buyer. The problem is that I had already been told by eBay that I didn’t need to take any action.
I’ve been chasing this for weeks and now I’m being told that they can’t do anything because my account is suspended.
I’m not trying to argue about the suspension itself. They may have their own reason for that. I’m only asking them to review this particular transaction and the refund taken from my balance. I’ve also provided the purchase receipt and other evidence.
It just doesn’t seem right that they can refuse to even review the refund simply because the account is suspended.
Has anyone been in a similar situation with eBay, especially with Simple Delivery? Any advice would be appreciated.
papso22
·3 weeks agoWas your account suspended before the claim from the buyer?
moscollection
OP3 weeks agoYes, I don’t think even if my account is suspended they have the right to scam me by deducting money from my account and breaching the terms of simple delivery.
sml192
·3 weeks agoWhat does the tracking show for that item? How far did it get before it was lost?
moscollection
OP3 weeks agoIt showed the item was dropped by myself. I spoke to Evri and they said the item is lost and Ebay should be able to handle your case under the Simple delivery method. Now EBay refuses to accept his own term!
sml192
·3 weeks agoIf the tracking only showed as dropped off at the ParcelShop with no further updates then that may be the reason. There have been several other posts where Sellers have been made to refund in this situation, although they have often been able to get the decision reversed on appeal.
It appears that eBay doesn't, for some reason, automatically recognise items being dropped off at the ParcelShop as being accepted into the carrier network, which seems very unfair.
Interestingly there is now a new clause in the Simple Delivery terms (dated September 2026 - so appears to have been published prematurely and, therefore, not actually applicable yet) regarding a second scan being required for certain items:
'The item will be in transit from the point it has been scanned into the carrier’s network until it has been marked as delivered by the carrier and/or the carrier has collected signature. Certain items will be protected for loss or damage in transit provided the item has received a second scan during transit by the carrier. '
moscollection
OP3 weeks agoI honestly haven't found much fair about dealing with eBay so far. First it was my account being restricted by their beloved AI, despite me providing proof of purchase and receipts, and being accused of selling counterfeit items. Now they're refunding buyers without what seems like any proper justification.
I've also had some pretty bad experiences with their customer service, including agents hanging up on me.
Anyway, thanks mate!
boundarycoins
·3 weeks agoThe suspension was always likely as you weren’t on an eBay business account. I’m not saying that to have a dig but looking at it impartially that would be justified. The receipts / proof of purchase will have sealed it as they would have been looking at the nature of the selling as well as authenticity of the goods.
The issue you have had with refunds is very unfair on you. The comments about the second scan on the tracking is probably largely due to the emergence of lockers. It must have caused some issues for eBay with scammers getting scans and then not actually posting a parcel. It seems as if you may have been tarred with the same brush because of the suspension which unfortunately coincided with a missing parcel.
Are they now refunding buyers across the board or is this just limited to a case or 2?
papso22
·3 weeks agoI believe there may be something somewhere that says seller protection is not available to suspended accounts. That could be why you ended up refunding.
marco@ebay
Hi there, @papso22 above is correct.
If your account is suspended, and claims are filed, you wouldn't be protected in most cases, and the refund would come from your account.
Thank you,
Marco
podlingsmum
·3 weeks agoThat seems unfair as the seller cannot claim from Evri for the lost item, which they would be able to if they had been allowed to use custom postage.