Seller wants me to close the return request before they refund me, should I?

[eham20uk]

I bought a dress (£15 +postage), it doesn't fit.  I asked to return it, the address is in Dublin (I'm in England).  I looked for an Eircode (Irish postcode).  The address doesn't exist.  I asked the seller for a correct address, they told me they don't want it back, but will give me a lesser amount.  We agreed on £10.  They offered a partial refund of £8.35, saying something about VAT, which was incorrect.  I rejected that.  They agreed they would actually refund £10, but first I need to close the case with ebay.

Ebay advice says don't close the case until resolved as once you close they case they can't follow up with sellers.  The seller says I have to close the case to get some of my money back.  I'm not sure I trust the seller as they have a fake address and tried to fiddle the amounts already.  Should I close the case?  How do I get ebay to help with this?

[redwick1 · Accepted solution]

If you close the case then you will not get your partial and can not open another dispute.

If the seller has returns accepted on their listing then they have to accept it back

You return it at your own expense and once they have it back then they refund

Best to follow the return case and get all your money back

You send to the address given on the case and make sure it is tracked and the tracking on the item

in your returns case

[eham20uk · Accepted solution]

Thanks so much for that speedy and clear reply. I'd be very happy to return
the item, but the address provided doesn't exist and the seller won't
provide another. They say the item would just be destroyed if returned.
They reply promptly but want me to close the case, which seems like a bad
idea.
How do I get ebay to intervene? Do I need to wait 3 days to get the option
to involve them?
Thanks in advance.

[redwick1 · Accepted solution]

You should send to the address given. You can contact ebay top right of the page under seller help then scroll down for contact details It will be call me back or chat with us. They will probably tell you the same or they may just refund without the return. Worth a try.