Buyer wants a return/refund on an item, claiming that it's not as described

[benjra-1227]

A buyer won the auction on a mobile phone that I had for sale recently. The buyer had previously message me & asked about the condition of the phone which I replied that it was in good conditon; no scratches, dents, etc. (as per the listing). 

The buyer recieved the phone & left me positive feedbaack stating that it was "perfect" on the same day that it was delivered. The following day I recieved a return request & the buyer is claiming that their son hadn't examined the phone properly & that the screen is covered in scratches. They sent me photos/screenshots of the front of a phone as well as screenshots of the conversation I had with them & a similar conversation that they had with another seller for a similar phone. This is making me think that either their son has damaged the phone or that they have sent me photos of a different phone. I have looked on their account & they sell a lot of phones. When I asked for photos of all angles of the phone they replied saying  that it certainly is my phone & when I recieve it the IMEI number will match the phone shown in my listing.

I have asked ebay to step in & they are reviewing the report that I made for the buyer. 

Has anyone got any advice? Do I have any chance of ebay siding with me or will I have to refund the buyer & get a phone back that isn't in the condition that I sent it in?

[benjra-1227]

Another question- The money that I received off the buyer for the phone have been on hold in my paypal account since they paid for it. When I received the return request, the money disappeared completely. Is this normal, will I be able to use that money to issue a refund & if I win the case will the money be put back into my paypal account?

[m25jet]

If you win the case the hold on the money will be relinquished and the funds will be made available to you again. If you lose the case the buyer will be issued with a total refund. It's completely normal for the funds to be frozen when a case is opened in relation to a sold item - this is to prevent the seller from spending the money in case the matter is decided in the buyer's favour and the money needs to be refunded to the buyer.

[tsmgmd]

Honest answer is there will only be one winner and it won't be you.

No matter what eBay may have told you they always come down on the side of the buyer..If the buyer says it's not as described then UK law is all that matters to eBay..