eBay buyer wants to return goods, said no, what happens now?

A question about : eBay buyer wants to return goods, said no, what happens now?

Hubby and I have been using eBay for about ten years and no problems at all until now. We both have 100% positive feedback.

Hubby sold an item and the buyer received late last week. They sent a message at the weekend saying it was more worn than described and they wanted to return. Hubby had sold them as no returns and said no, as (1) they were described accurately and (2) there were loads of photos showing every part where you could clearly see the wear.

Buyer said they'd open a dispute on eBay.

Hubby hasn't had any further messages from the buyer or eBay, but his Paypal account is now frozen so I assume the buyer initiated a case. He'd already withdrawn the funds from Paypal to our bank account, where they've arrived, so his Paypal account is empty. But apparently it's frozen and he now can't buy anything using Paypal without putting money in it first.

Will hubby hear from eBay and be asked to state his case? We've never encountered this before so have no idea of the process or what's happening.

EDIT: Hubby has just been into his eBay account and has no disputes listed so doesn't look like buyer has done anything through eBay. He's dropping Paypal an email to ask why his account has been frozen. Could the buyer have tried to claim a refund through Paypal?

Best answers:

• Yu need to find the open case as a matter of urgency and deal with it. Buyer will need to return clubs and then PayPal will refund them using the retained funds.
  If you ignore the case it will time out in favour of the buyer and they will get their refund from you without returning the clubs.
  A case can be open in either PayPal or eBay so check both.
  No returns is meaningless term, even for a private seller.
• Thanks. I've found the links to eBay and Paypal's resolution centres so he can try and find the case. I'm surprised they didn't email him when it was opened.
  Really worried as it's a Ј200 item! There's no money in his Paypal account. Can Paypal still refund the buyer with no agreement from us? Can they take the money from our bank account?
  If the buyer gets a refund and doesn't return the clubs, do we have any rights at all?
• get them to return the clubs by a recorded method, when you are in receipt of them then refund. State that in your reply email to the buyer and to your reply in the resolution centre
• We were hoping not to take them back. If we do, we're out eBay selling fees, original postage cost and return postage cost, totalling in the region of Ј50!
  We're not traders, it was just a second-hand item. It was accurately described and sold as no returns.
  Hubby has found the case - it's in eBay. He's calling them to find out what's happening as there's no option there for him to respond or do anything.
• What's the difference if we voluntarily refund now vs waiting to see how ebay rule?
  If we voluntarily refund do we get FVF back and does buyer have to pay return postage?
  If we wait and ebay go with buyer, would we then lose FVF and have to pay return postage ourselves?
• Hubby spoke to eBay by phone. Buyer opened the case a few days ago. We're in the 8 day window where hubby responds, then eBay step in on the 15th.
  Hubby has replied to the buyer saying the same thing he's said before - that the item was fairly described and there were ample and detailed photographs which also showed the wear to the item. On that basis, he doesn't agree that the item wasn't as described (the reason for the dispute).
  eBay money back guarantee pages say that if the buyer does return it, we as sellers are responsible for the return postage.
  We've got well over 1,000 positive feedback between us (neither of us has ever had a negative) and we always describe things fairly. If anything, we err on the side of caution with our listings. Will be miffed if eBay side with the buyer!
  I'm really worried about the possibility of eBay giving them a refund and charging us for it, and us never seeing the item again. But eBay's process page seems to suggest they'd have to return it.
• eBay WILL side with the buyer. You'd be better to just accept the return, then you might possibly avoid negative feedback as well, although you will already have the defect from the case being opened, so a neg wouldn't be the end of the world.
  Buyer will be asked to return item, tracked and at your expense, but you will get your final value fees credited once the item has been returned and the refund has been made to the buyer.
  It's always galling, as a seller, when you feel you've described the item fairly, to have to accept the return, but that's the downside of selling on eBay. To be honest, you're fairly lucky if you've been a regular seller over a period of 10 years that this is your first problem.
• Big problem with ebay and paypal they make their own rules and laws up.
  They can and probably will refund the buyer and put your OH's account into the red. If he doesnt pay they pass it onto debt collectors.
  But.. Then it gets unfair to you.. If they can link your account to his in some way, Same address, Computer, IP etc etc etc... Then your account could also be at risk.
  A little while back someone on here got their account suspended because they linked it to a US one somehow. So different country, name, banks etc etc yet they still managed to link them.
  From reading threads on here and other forums, Putting no returns tends to attract the buyers that know they can and will get a refund of the seller refuses.
  It can attract the undesirable buyers.
  The buyer can say there is damage that doesnt show up on the photo's.
• A buyer recently forced a refund on me for goods she had broken claiming. I had to pay for return postage, lost the case and lost my FVF, oh and got a defect on my account too.
  Initially when I phoned Ebay the CS I spoke to advised me that I would probably not win the case but like you I felt strongly about it and tried to fight the buyer.
  Eventually I got my FVF back as a goodwill gesture when I phoned again to complain.
• Thanks all for the advice and experience. Hubby is pondering whether to offer the buyer the choice of a partial refund or a return at the buyer's cost (while admitting no liability - stating that the listing was fair but sorry he's unhappy). Hoping that that would at least be looked on favourably by eBay if the buyer doesn't accept either offer and escalates it.
  It's just infuriating. He sold one club from the same set separately (for golf reasons I don't understand!) and the buyer of that left feedback saying "better than described"!!
• Make sure you get the same clubs back,and not a worn version of the same make / style.
  Ebay has become too much like a catalogue now,ordered it don't like it,just dream up a problem and return.
• Yeah, we won't be selling on eBay again!
  Hubby sold an old iPad in the Autumn and had three non-paying bidders before he finally sold it successfully.
  Maybe we've just got lucky but we've never had any problems at all with it until the last few months.
  I know his account has a defect now. Not that fussed - we don't sell stuff often and could just use mine for his items instead. We're only casual sellers, occasionally selling things we don't need any more. More of our eBay use is buying.
  Thanks all - I've been reading the eBay help pages too and have learned more than I ever wanted to know about dispute resolution today!