Accidentally refunded buyer

[ellimundo]

So I accidentally refunded a buyer to the tune of £250. The buyer had disputed the condition of the item and requested a refund. This is the first time I had done this. eBay were telling me to send a postage label, but the process when doing it for the first time was cumbersome. This result in my accidentally sending a refund - without any secondary checks on the app to make sure I was sure what I was doing. The case then striaway showed as closed. The buyer is not communicating and eBay have flip-flopped, but in a nutshell nothing they can do. Help 

[**peaseblossom**]

Oh dear.   I'm sorry but refunds cannot be retracted,  and if issued before the item has been returned ebay don't supply the buyer with a postage label.   They assume the seller doesn't want the item back so there's nothing you can do via ebay.

If the buyer was co-operatiing you could have bought postage online and sent them the QR code for it.   But without their co-operation there's little you can do.    

You might consider using money claim online (previously small claims court):
https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome
You could tell the buyer that's what you intend doing.   It might prompt them to send the item back.   Best of luck.

[ellimundo]

Thank you for your reply. The small claims would have been an option except
for I do not know the buyer's address having used one of eBay's postage
labels which was scanned at the post office. eBay day that due to gdpr they
cannot supply the buyer's address. Looks like an expensive lesson for me.


*Mark Ellis. *
*BA (Hons) PGDip*

[john1297576]

Do you not have full details of the sale which would normally have buyers name and address?

Surely all information does not disappear once a label is printed?

[ellimundo]

The information of the buyer's address disappeared when the label was
printed. So no I don't have it.


*Mark Ellis. *
*BA (Hons) PGDip*

[jckl1957]

Try 'orders' and choose 'get another label' from the dropdown menu next to the sold item.

I have just looked at a sale from 10th August and it tells me I can only get one label and that the label and QR code expired on 18th August, but I can still see the buyer's name and address.

This was a Simple Delivery sale.

[*vyolla*]

@ellimundo 

I've just been messing about with this and have found a way to call up the address details again, I think you'll need to use desktop, not the app.

Call up the order, click on the More Actions button (see below) and select Get another label - that calls up the address.

[red_magpie]

Before considering the small claims court, ask yourself what contract the buyer has broken? When did they agree or were required to return the item?

eBay's money back guarantee enables a buyer to request a refund for an item that it not as described. You and the buyer both agreed in the user agreement to accept eBay's decision whether the item has to be returned.

eBay's  default is that if the seller sends the buyer a prepaid return label they will require the item to be returned before a refund is issued. However, if the seller accepts the case without sending the buyer a return label, eBay will issue the refund and close the case without requiring the buyer to return the item. As you did - albeit by mistake.

All transactions here are governed by eBay's user agreement, so don't rush to court without taking legal advice. I'm afraid we see many situations where, for one reason or another, buyers end up keeping both their item and the refund.