Am I obligated to refund a tracked item not received, if the buyer contacts me outside of the MBG?

[dontlookback_11]

Hi all,

A buyer contacted me this week to say the item they purchased back in early April has not arrived. I was surprised the buyer waited so long to get in touch, but didn't think much about this, as the item was fairly inexpensive to buy.

I sent the item with tracking, which hasn't been updated since I posted it, so I can only assume postage is facing severe delays, or the item has been lost in the post.

I tried to issue a refund for the buyer, but kept receiving error messages, so contacted eBay. I didn't hear back, so, after browsing discussion boards, advised the buyer to open an "item not received" case, as there didn't seem to be any other option for them.

After this, I heard back from eBay, who advised me that the case would instead be closed in my favour because the buyer didn't get in touch with me (or open the case) within the time-limit of the eBay Money-Back Guarantee.

I can't see any options to refund the buyer now, and am wondering whether I still need to pursue this refund?

Thanks in advance

[tobiasd4 · Accepted solution]

Buyer had 30 days to open ebay case, so too late.

However, they can still open paypal case & you would have to refund through there.

Only refund when buyer has opened case.

[1902elder · Accepted solution]

If you refund through Paypal you will still pay your selling fees and Paypal will not refund theirs. Sit tight and hope the buyer does not know they can open a Paypal case.

[dontlookback_11 · Accepted solution]

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies! I see the logic, but decided to venture onto PayPal and explore offering a refund there instead.

I know the buyer waited too long, but if I was in their position, I'd be miffed my item got lost - even if I could've reported it to the seller sooner.

The lighter heart is worth the postage and refund loss!

[red_magpie]

wondering whether I still need to pursue this refund?

You're still lable to refund the buyer if the item hasn't arrived.

However, it's really up to the buyer to read eBay's or PayPal's procedures to claim a refund. In this case, they apparently didn't comply with eBay's time limit, which means that even if you now refund you won't receive any credit for your selling fee.

They can still file a dispute through PayPal, up to 180 days from the date they paid.