so i have to refuned someone who ordered my item by mistake and put that as the reason

[linjuliaa]

further to my question here couple days ago, i now have the returned item, the refund however is for the 29.90 paid plus the £4 i put on for post cost, (me driving to post office and i sent it 1st class) .... so do i have to foot my post cost when i sent it  when it was not my fault she mistakenly ordered it. ??     and how the heck can i change the amount and knock the £4 off  ??

[john1297576 · Accepted solution]

You only get the selling fee refunded for a full refund, so if you were allowed to deduct £4, you would still pay £3.39 in fees, so why fuss over 61p Paypal fees are not refundable.

If she ordered by mistake then why ever did she pay? She should have asked you to cancel.

I am afraid that far too many buyers have no idea that sellers have to pay fees for their stupid mistakes.

[linjuliaa · Accepted solution]

not fair then, i shouldnt be anything out of pocket cos of someones mistake. i paid 3.70 first class post and used my petrol to drive to the post office. 😞

[ash_graphikz · Accepted solution]

It is worse when a buyer buys an item by mistake but claims it doesn't match the description to get a free return at no cost to them!

eBay seriously need to rethink this policy as it is way too easy for a buyer to scam a seller into covering the cost of their mistake. You do get eBay fees refunded but YOU are forced to pay the return postage at an extortionate rate.

I had a least 4 instances last month where a buyer claimed the item “Doesn’t match item description” when in actual fact they had bought the wrong size by mistake. I was then powerless to stop them sending it back at MY cost. The item itself was only around £2 including postage, after I had paid £0.65 posting the item to them then paying the £3.78 (Parcel Force 48) return postage! And refunding them in FULL I was left nearly £5 out of pocket! It would have been cheaper to let them keep them item and just refund it.

Another instance a buyer bought 9 items by mistake instead of one, then claimed the item didn’t match the description so he could return them for free, BUT only returned 8 items and told eBay he had returned all 9 so I had no option to send a reduced refund to cover the missing item. He ended up with a free item and I was left £5 out of pocket + a missing item. I tried to dispute the return or at least get eBay to let me send a reduced amount but had absolutely NO response from eBay at all!!!

I have now removed all returns from all of my listings but it will not stop eBay automatically accepting a return for an item that doesn’t match the description! They should be at least made to show evidence first. All I can do is block these people so it doesn’t happen again (nothing stopping them using a new account though), I can’t even leave negative feedback to warn others, as once again the seller is discriminated against by eBay!!!

[0169busybee · Accepted solution]

i want to no why i have had to pay for my item 22-05575-41258 whitch i agreed on a refund when he send my item back which he has not returned .and ebay said i got to pay him now as itwent in his favour .but i am not paying him till my item isreturned what can i do

[0169busybee · Accepted solution]

i want my item returned before i refund him which i agreed on item 22-05575-41258

[kariedward_8 · Accepted solution]

@busybee: You don't owe the buyer a refund until you receive the returned item. That said, do you have proof it was or was not returned? Did you use a tracked method (better yet with signature) for postage? If you did not, eBay may rule in the buyer's favour. Always use tracking, even if it's just QR codes scanned at the Post Office!

@OP (linjuliaa😞 I don't think you do need to refund postage, unless the reason for return is a *Seller* error, e.g. not matched description/condtion/etc or bad packing/damage. Did you sell it as "free post"? With "free post", eBay does include a postage rate as *addtional* to the item price when it comes to refunds, but again, only for seller errors. Did you contact eBay to see if the charge was an eBay error?

Also, remember, even if you say "No Returns", all consumers have a legally-mandated 14-day cooling off period, during which they can change their mind! There are bad or foolish buyers out there, simply report the buyer and hope it catches up wth them. Something to consider, however, is that the buyer may have ust lost their job--especially in these times--so is forced to return the item. I would just politely accep the return and refund what you must, It's the risk of retail sales, I'm afraid.🤷‍♀️

[keeshyakat · Accepted solution]

And on the issue of returns, nobody has mentioned the buyers that request a return (usually using "item does not match the description" = sellers fault so sellers costs). But when received it has clearly been worn over the (usually) weekend that they had it AND yet again there is absolutely nothing that the sellers can do other than pay up and chuck the item away.
This is a very common problem in shops (easy to hide the label when you wear it) so these buyers have just taken their what is basically theft over to the internet. This is a scam I have encountered a few times on here now - buyers getting their weekend wear for free & no support from ebay

[linjuliaa · Accepted solution]

it didnt say 'freepost' post cost i put was £4. (which of course i have lost out having to post to her in the first place), i didnt pay the return post cost but couldnt see how i could deduct the £4 so refunded the amount ebay said, still not fair cos im £4 down thanks to her mistake, which was the reason she chose for return 'ordered by mistake' so her fault and not mine.

[kariedward_8 · Accepted solution]

@linjuliaa: For simplicity, let's say the item was sold for £20 & the postage was £4 (not free post or postage included)--although your listings don't state it, I'm assuming that includes Signed For, as actual 2nd Class postage is just £2.90 online/£3.00 from the Post Office. No?🤷‍♀️ That £4 is not *your money*. The Buyer has paid *you* £24, so you're not out of pocket on the original postage.

Admittedly, there are "overhead costs" associated with driving to the Post Office etc. You need to be sure to include those in either your item price or "postage handling fees" as some sellers do. Do beware that either may make your item (appear) less competitive with other sellers. Steep pp rates may even make you look like a "Postage Cheat",😒 to be avoided, so beware.

If the Buyer changed her mind, she is only entitled to the £20 item price & is responsible for all postage costs, including the cost of return, which you admit she paid. Btw, that's the best lesson to bad-faith Buyers, which it doesn't sound like this one is. Maybe she had to actually receive the item--you sell a lot of perfumes--to know she didn't like or want it.

DO NOT refund anything until you receive the item back and can examine that it is in RE-SALEABLE CONDITION❗ Anything less, and the Buyer may not be entitled to a refund of any amount!

Frankly, as a former IT professional, eBay is a set of stitched together computer programming that is constantly being repaired, updated, & patched🙄. Just because "eBay says", don't automatically accept it if it feels wrong. You have the right to contact eBay--request a callback at their expense😉--to look into it. Don't just pay an amount & complain (here)! Call eBay, be polite, firm, & escalate if necessary. If we don't contact eBay, how do they know what to fix?🤷‍♀️

From what you described, the Buyer is only entitled to £20 if the item is returned in *saleable condition*--she changed her mind & said so. Buyer cooling off period returns are Buyer-errors, so she paid the £4x2 postage to purchase & return it. IF she requires a postage label, & you agree to pre-pay it, then deduct that £4 cost from her refund--remember, she's already paid £24. Confirm that's OK with the Buyer (& eBay), then refund the partial amount of £16 via PayPal. REMAIN CIVIL & POLITE at all times! You don't know the Buyer's situation. Yeah, it's all effort, but a lot less stressful than complaining here, although that has provided an opportunity for others to learn.😉

NB: PayPal's app is confusing, "Issue refund" produces a field in which you can type a specific amount; it's not restricted to the full amount.

Now as one of the first posters indicated, you will still be out the 5% of pp for any *postage paid, but that is negligible. I think you'll get the 10% from eBay back, but I've not had to do it firsthand. In my experience, PayPal does refund its fees on any refunds issued through PayPal.

Again, if it's down to Seller error--*actually* not as described, bad packing, or lost in post--the Seller is responsible for *all* postage costs.

🤔Given how frequently Hermes "permanently loses" items, it's astonishing how few eBay Sellers don't buy sufficient *compensation coverage" for the items they're sending! The default on Royal Mail is just £20; Hermes is £25. You are responsible for any amounts over that even if the carrier loses it!😲 Any doubts about postage costs, BUY POSTAGE online via eBay. It's same as or cheapest online cost, offers options, copies the Buyer's address directly--so you're not liable if you mislabel the package--then uploads a tracking number, allowing even Newbie Sellers to receive their PayPal funds immediately.

It sounds as if eBay instructed you to pay £20 and the Buyer has paid a total of £8 for postage that actually cost no more than £6. No? So you're not only *not* out-of-pocket, you were compensated £2 for your inconvenience, correct❔


@keeshyakat: You have no duty to refund any moneys until you receive the item & can examine it, ensuring it's in re-saleable condition. Unfortunately, few Sellers take or keep photos📷--even in this digital age--of the condition of items before they send them out or after packing them. In such circumstances, eBay will find for the Buyer. So protect yourselves by keeping evidence! Even if the reason *alleged* is "item does not match the description", 🤔report the Buyer, open a case, & stand your ground--with evidence! After hearing both sides, you may find you win, and better still, another Bad Buyer is outed, protecting all Sellers. No proof however...🤷‍♀️


🤔Btw, bad Buyers often make bad Sellers, and vice versa. It's a little thing called lack of morals or values!😒 Let's all be good eBayers at all times, honest, fair, & respectful at all times!😊 We're all contending with really serious problems out there these days!🌈😷🧼

[linjuliaa · Accepted solution]

i sent the item First Class Royal Mail.and soi paid £3.70 to post it, adding 30p tothat cost i dont think is much, not like some post costs charged on here and my nearest post office is a drive away, not walking distance. i received the item back in the same condition as was sent so refunded as ebay wanted, but i'm £3.70 post cost down. i was very nice tothe lady and she appreciated that she made the mistake and was very thankful, dont give me my post cost
back though does it.. i think if someone so obviously wrongly orders any item the seller should not be any money out of pocket.

[tobiasd4]

You have to refund in full, if you don't buyer can escalate to ebay & they will force you.

[linjuliaa]

why the hell should i be out of pocket through someone elses silly mistake, that aint fair 😞

[tobiasd4]

May not be fair, but we all agreed to it when signing up to ebay.
If buyer said it was their error, you could have refused return.