Seller blocked me.

[brona909]

I purchased two items from this seller, keeping one item and returning the other, as the seller accepts 30 days returns.

I returned the one item immediately following correct procedures, and received a refund with the seller leaving good reviews.

I recently bid on an item from the seller only to see, Problem with bid notice as the seller has blocked me.

I have tried to contact the seller with no response.

has this happened to anyone else?

[brona909]

This is not true.Sellers can state returns not accepted, and refunds given only within a certain time frame and under certain circumstances.You are still missing my point!

[brona909]

Some sellers, do not have the luxury of picking and choosing their customers.

That is my point, do not state returns accepted, why make a problem, affecting your business and restricting your customers.

There are certain consumer rights that apply under certain circumstances.

[rainbowtrax]

Any return is damaging to all businesses in terms of cost as there's no way to avoid that. If the return is due to something that the seller has done wrong, such as misdescribing an item, then it could be said that they get their just desserts.

If the return is due to a "change of mind" reason then the seller doesn't lose as much as for a not as described return (unless they choose to offer free change of mind returns) as the buyer pays their own return postage. But the seller still has to refund the outward postage along with the item price, with no way to recoup that, so they end up down a certain amount of money (not to mention time) as well as losing the sale that they thought they'd made.

They will also have spent time researching, photographing, listing, packaging and posting the item only to have to start the selling process again once they receive the item back. What would be a violation of consumer rights would be for the seller to refuse to accept returns. All business sellers are legally required to acccept returns, even for a change of mind reason, so there is no option for them to state no returns. That would be illegal.

The only action a seller can take to try to protect themselves from potential repeats of time and money losing returns is to block anyone (if they wish) from buying in the future. If a seller feels that the chances of a buyer repeatedly returning items is high then they are free to decide not to sell to them again. Any seller is free to choose whether to sell to any buyer for any reason.

In your case, the item was an auction which you bid up to over £110. I don't know the reason for your return but, if it was a change of mind reason, then the seller is probably fed up at having to start the whole auction process again, having potentially lost the interest of buyers who bid on it last time who will probably be suspicious if they see it relisted. The fact that you didn't return the £13 item is little consolation. In this situation, a lot of sellers will block the buyer just to avoid any risk of a repeat of the hassle.

Even if it was a seller at fault return reason, the seller may disagree with whatever issue you had, so may not see it as a problem of their own making, and may still feel equally hard done by even if they were really at fault.

Ebay, in general, is very weighted in the favour of buyers rather than sellers. In some respects, it needs to be that way to maintain buyer confidence in using the platform, especially for expensive items. So buyer protections are extremely good. But sellers are free to block any buyer for any reason - or even for no reason at all if they want to. If the seller doesn't want to sell to you again then you'll just have to accept that. In terms of apportioning blame and taking sides, we don't know any of the details so that's impossible even if we wanted to.

[jckl1957 · Accepted solution]

You say, 'Sellers can state returns not accepted, and refunds given only within a certain time frame and under certain circumstances.'

None of this is correct.

The seller you bought from is a business seller.  The Consumer Rights Act means that their buyers can return items within 14 days for any reason.  This is not the seller's choice and Ebay enforces the law by making business sellers accept returns. 

Business sellers HAVE to accept returns for a minimum of 14 days.  This is the law and is enforced by Ebay.

Business sellers HAVE to accept returns within 14 days FOR ANY REASON.

The seller you bought from has to accept returns.  This is not their choice but the law and is enforced by Ebay.  I am certain they would prefer not to have items returned ever and, if buyers return item, they do not have to sell to them again.

You have turned a minor issue, being blocked from buying by one seller, into a major, personal issue.

[brona909]

Thank you for your detailed reply.I have now closed this chat, as I feel it’s designed for the seller rather than the buyer, and quite frankly I’m scared of some of the replies received.My intention was to try and work out what I had done wrong, and not to repeat it buy asking others, as the seller would not reply to my messages.I understand it is the seller’s prerogative to block a buyer, if they dislike the trouble, lost time and revenue a return can cause a small business, my point is why?Why cause such distress to buyers, with a back handed “returns accepted” but now you are now blocked policy.This is not the case with any other customer service, why are eBay allowing such unpleasant, unprofessional behaviour.This is not an attack on the seller, it’s a discussion about the return policy advertised by any seller on eBay.Most Mentors on this platform have defended the seller’s right, to block anyone at anytime for no apparent reason quite admirably, which I understand considering the limited rights the seller has, others have been aggressive and repetitive, just agreeing with other mentors.My point is, this is completely unnecessary for all parties involved, if clarity on returns was available for the buyer on the first instance, neither party would suffer lost time, distress or future custom.I highlight my experience only to improve it for buyers and sellers alike, but after several conversations on this platform, it’s clear my opinion and sharing my experience has been deemed abusive, which is not my intention at all.I fear for people with learning difficulties or people that struggle with depression, as treating people this way can have serious implications.As I’ve mentioned the seller has been defended on this subject, as the seller has the right to block anyone at anytime for no reason and if you disagree with this treatment you are deemed abusive, but who defends the buyer, when they feel mislead,mistreated and abused?Nobody on this platform that's for sure, with that said, I now leave the devils lore for good.You have the most professional, useful feedback of all,Thank you again.