I've had a long running dispute with a seller over them not refunding me for a returned item.

[vintagereeds2]

I have been requesting a refund from a commercial seller for a pair of slippers which I returned.  I wrote the seller numerous emails and even sent an official letter to their place of trade. All I ever received back were automated replies.  Ebay has closed the case now and found in my favour, saying I will receive my refund which may take 3 - 5 days.  However that was dated the 6th December and the refund has still not appeared in my paypal account.  I cannot find a way to message eBay direct about this, so I hope someone on this forum can offer me advice please.

[tsmgmd]

The first thing you should have done was to open a eBay Money Back Guarantee claim.

Bombarding a seller with emails and letters is a total waste of time as you have found out.

Your seller most probably just sent them all to the trash bin..

[red_magpie]

There's no point in blaming the seller.

When you buy through eBay, you have to accept that all payments and refunds are made through eBay.

It can be a slow process, with actual timescales often being a lot longer than eBay's estimates. Neither you nor the seller have any control over this.

Buying on eBay isn't like the shops.

[rusticrye]

If Ebay have informed you that you've been refunded, you've been refunded. You can see the transaction status for yourself at the very foot of your Purchase History page.

Refunds go back to source, and are not instant. If you paid with a debit card, it will take up to 7 days to clear into your bank account. If by credit card, it may take up to 30 days to appear on your cc statement (timescale depends on your billing cycle). These are the banking industry norms, and have nothing to do with Ebay or with the seller.

There is no need at all to get into disputes with sellers.  The entire system is automated.  You simply use the tools that Ebay has supplied, and follow the clear instructions, ie. you escalate the opened case or return request to Ebay on the stated date.  Your refund would have immediately followed if Ebay's supplied tracking number proved delivery or attempted delivery back to the seller.

It could not be any simpler, so I'm not sure why you sent 'numerous emails and even an official letter to their place of trade'. It was completely unnecessary.

@vintagereeds2 

[sharmis66]

Check with PayPal. Usually if you have any transaction Id. Call Ebay rep they usually resolve this,as it's ok.

[papso22]

I think you need to wait a bit longer,  then you contact ebay through the help and contact button at the top of the page.