Several days after an auction ended, I got this message from the buyer: "my children purchased this without my knowledge. Would you please arrange a refund. I am disabled and am not near you so am unable to collect". Normally I would sent a sympathetic response, but I get these type of emails regularly. The item is a small inexpensive plant - collect only - and I very much doubt that someone's children bid on such a child-unfriendly item. What bugs me is that the buyer hasn't actually paid for the item, yet is asking for a refund. I always cancel transactions when requested (what's the point of prolonging the irritation?) but ebay then send a ridiculous message asking the buyer to confirm the cancellation, saying they will refund the buyer (when they haven't actually paid - surely ebay can recognise when payment by paypal has been made)and then a 10-day wait for the buyer to respond and cancel their end (they rarely do, so ebay deducts commission in the meantime). To top it all, ebay will send the bidder a sympathetic message saying that 'unfortunately the buyer has cancelled' Apart from just cancelling this and marking it 'the buyer requested' is there any other option?
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