Buyer left positive feedback then opened return stating not functional

[n_gandhi]

Sold a fully functional GPU on ebay just before Christmas, securely packaged and sent to buyer. Buyer then leaves positive feedback and I think nothing of it. Fast forward almost a month later the buyer opens a return case saying that the item does not function, what do I do?

[*guinevere*]

Feedback has no bearing on whether buyers can open cases, as it could have been left for the wrong seller.

If they are in time to use the ebay MBG (Up to 30 days from delivery) you must accept the return and generate a prepaid return label refunding on return. Once you've refunded you receive FVF credits and avoid an account defect for dealing with the case.

See what you get back. and if you receive anything different to what you sent, or if you think your buyer may have otherwise tampered with it contact ebay on Customer services.

[n_gandhi]

Thank you for the response. That is unfortunate, ebay can really be unfair to the seller sometimes, I can only hope they send it back in the condition they received it and that it works. The nature of PC components means they can be damaged if not handled properly.

[tressygirl]

It's a difficult one to prove,   and most say don't bother,  however,  I would still give it a shot to appeal the refund decision if indeed you do receive the item back in a different condition to that sent out, as that breaches the rules of eBay's 30 day MBG,  Money Back Guarantee policy.

This describes how to appeal:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/manging-retunrns-refunds/appeal-eBays-decision-return-missing-it...

@n_gandhi 

[rjwilmsi · Accepted solution]

As others have said, if case was opened within 30 days then you have to accept it and issue return label.

If the item is returned OK and in your view is still working fine then you can report the buyer within the case and eBay might give you a credit for the return postage label.

If the GPU is a high-end one (£500+) then these can be a bit of a scam magnet.

If you receive a different item back, or one with obvious physical damage you can post back here for further advice.

However, it may be simpler than that and the buyer may not be at fault or trying to defraud. I don't know how much you know about GPUs. I've bought and sold quite a few over the years. What I can tell you is that they are not the most reliable component in a PC - high power draw, liable to overheating, use complicated drivers and can have subtle issues with specific games or specific driver versions. A buyer with a poor PSU, poor ventilation, old drivers, new game, unusual game with graphical bugs etc. can have GPU issues and come to the conclusion that the GPU is faulty when it's something else. A GPU that runs fine with some games can crash/artifact with others. A GPU can be OK for some gaming sessions but overheat and crash/artifact in others. So it's entirely possible that the buyer is genuine in that they are having an issue, and there may or may not be a partial/specific issue with the GPU.