Item found to be defective on collection so left with seller, I've clicked return but can't.

[mathewmorreyuk]

I purchased a set of wiper arms. When I went to collect I found them to be defective. So I took photographs and left with the sellers work mates, telling them I'll be leaving them with them and wanting a refund. I messaged the seller, no response. I've started a return, apparently the seller has accepted that there will be a return. But I have to send the item, which I do not have. Should I print the label and send a empty packet? Or would that only confuse matters and make my claim invalid. Very annoying, any help would be great. 

Thanks, 

Mat

[john1297576]

Why ever start a return. You are now stuck because you have nothing to return! It should have been NOT RECEIVED.

Collection items should be paid for in cash on collection then this sort of situation cannot happen.

You only get one case with Ebay, and Paypal do not touch Collection Items.

[m25jet]

Unfortunately you've gone about this all the wrong way.  As others have said already, you should have agreed with the seller that you would pay cash on collection, as that way you could have said "I've changed my mind - the wipers are defective so I'm not going to be buying them now."  That way you'd still have your money and there would have been no need to open a case in the first place.

Given that you've opened the wrong case you've practically shot yourself in the foot, as with the exception of Item Not Received cases which can subsequently be switched to Item Not As Described in the item later arrives but isn't as advertised, you cannot open a different eBay case in relation to the same transaction.  PayPal won't want to know owing to the fact that it was a Collection In Person Only item, so you're now totally dependent on the seller voluntarily refunding your money.  However, unless the seller decides to try to help you out and refunds you via the case without requiring you to "return" the item you paid for then you're stuck.  If the seller were to issue a PayPal refund then he would end up with a refund-related defect on his selling account, which isn't fair on the seller given that you opened the wrong type of case in the first place.

Whatever you do, do not send something to the seller pretending that it's the item that you paid for.  It really isn't worth committing an act of fraud just to try and get a refund for a defective pair of wiper arms.  After all, it's not as though you've just lost out on hundreds of pounds in relation to this purchase!

Unfortunately if the seller won't help you and refuses to refund the money voluntarily then you will just have to cut your losses and treat this as a lesson learned.  The next time you purchase a Collection In Person Only item contact the seller and arrange to pay him/her with cash when you collect the item.  At least that way you can change your mind without losing your money if the item turns out to be not as described when you get to see it first-hand.

[rusticrye]

Quite why you opened a Return Request when you have nothing to return, is a mystery. And no, you cannot return an empty envelope...!  That would be fraud, which is a serious crime.

And opening a Not As Described case wouldn't have helped you either, as you personally returned the item. To be eligible for a refund, you need a tracking number that proves delivery of the item back to the seller's address, just as you do with a Return Request.

You don't even have the option of taking the legal route, as, again, you have no tracking proving delivery. You didn't even hand them to the seller, but to his work mates. So for all you know, he hasn't received them back and may never receive them back.

In other words, all you can do is ask yourself why you took the strange actions that you did, and  treat this as a learning curve.

In future, don't pay for collection items with PayPal. You should only ever pay in cash or by bank transfer, once you've fully examined the item and are happy with it.

@mathewmorreyuk 

[plpmr]

"Should I print the label and send a empty packet? "

that could be construed as fraud.

You needed to opena not received case and if you get no where regarding eBay you can later open a PayPal not received case.