I sold an electric scooter recently, I received messages & photos from the buyer stating that it wouldn't charge. I sent him some info that I found online for him to try to get it charging, what happened most likely is that it wouldn't charge because the battery had been depleted for a while, it was completely unused and sitting in a box for some years so it makes sense.

After sending him the info of things he can try, I also stated he can request a return through eBay if needed.

Days later I received a dispute stating:

"Your buyer filed a payment dispute for an order placed on 17 Feb, 2026. This means that they disputed a charge directly with their payment institution. They are requesting *removed* back, and the reason for this dispute is that the buyer had an issue with the transaction"

So, what now? He's attempting a full refund and wanting to keep the item as well? How do I know he didn't get it working? And literally nothing is stopping him from buying a cheap replacement battery, getting the thing working, and then getting over £100 for free basically on top of it.

How is this allowed? And what do I do from here? Surely the buyer has to return the item first?