Clarification of the money-back guarantee please?

[3islanders]

Could someone kindly clarify who's responsible for return shipping if an item is not as described or doesn't work?

On the general info page about the money-back guarantee, it says return shipping is the buyer's responsibility.  On the more detailed page, it says it's the seller's, and "Either we generate a return shipping label or the seller can provide a label. We add the cost of an eBay-generated label to the seller's monthly eBay invoice. "  How do you get them to do that, if the seller just says "return it"?

Just asking because I need a laptop adapter; the last one I bought a few years ago didn't work despite all the right part numbers, and although that seller sent me a replacement that did work, I don't want to get into a racket with another seller if their "genuine Dell" adapter, isn't.  (And no, I can't just get it from Dell -- it's an old model that they don't sell anymore.)  Would like to know what to expect in the likely event this one doesn't work either.  Return shipping would cost way more than the cost of the item (thanks, Canada Post).

[femmefan1946]

The Money Back Guarantee is part of the Resolution process.

If you have just been chatting informally with the seller, the MBG is not (yet) in force.

Most sellers go along with the terms of the MBG even without an open Dispute, because we tend to be protective of our selling accounts and any Dispute is bad to have on record.

As a Seller Protection, the seller is allowed to demand that the item be returned before making a refund.

BUT

If the problem is Buyer Remorse (the buyer thought she was buying a cherry red sweater and got a scarlet one or she ordered a Size 12 which has not fit her since Grade Eight), then the problem is with the buyer and the buyer pays for the return.*

BUT

If the problem is Item Not As Described (red sweater ordered, blue sweater delivered) then the problem is with the seller and the seller pays for the return.

As you note, that could be a Return Shipping Label. Which works fine if both buyer and seller are in the same country, but is impossible if one is in Italy and the other in Australia.

OR

The seller could send money to cover postage* using Paypal's Send Money.

OR

The buyer could make the return* and the seller could add the cost of postage to the refund.

The latter two require a lot of trust.

Which is where the MBG falls apart.

it says return shipping is the buyer's responsibility.

Yes. The buyer must return for refund.

it says it's the seller's, and "Either we generate a return shipping label or

Yes in most cases, the seller pays for the return.

What it's saying (badly) is that the seller is not going to come to your house to pick it up. As some point, the buyer has to wrap, address and return the item.

The MBG covers payment. And in most cases, the seller is responsible for paying for the return.

Would like to know what to expect in the likely event this one doesn't work either. 

You basically have to either find a seller in Canada (not just shipping to Canada but actually on Canadian soil and shipping from Canada.).

So ask any potential seller if he ships from Canada.

Because no other seller can easily send you postage.

If your chosen seller is not in Canada, you have to decide if the price is good enough to toss the doohickey and try again. A US seller is not too bad but if your seller is in China it will cost $40 or more to return.

*That's return with Confirmation of Delivery. Very important. And more expensive.

[momcqueen]

If the item is broken or not as described, the seller is responsible of the cost of Return postage. Whether that is money to buy an international label or straight-up sending a Return domestic label is dependent on whether the buyer and seller are located in the same country.

If the buyer decides they simply don't LIKE the item, the cost of sending it back is funded by the buyer, not the seller.

Either way, the buyer gets no refund until the item is shown as received by the seller. Tracking is important there.

If it's a Significantly Not as Described case, the buyer gets their full purchase price back.

If it's a remorse return, the seller is not obligated to refund the original postage paid. Unless the item sold with 'free' shipping which means the buyer gets back the entire amount. 

There are also extenuating circumstances around incomplete an buyer address that causes the item to be sent back to the seller but that's not what you're asking about so I won't go there. 

[3islanders]

>>You basically have to either find a seller in Canada (not just shipping to Canada but actually on Canadian soil and shipping from Canada.).
So ask any potential seller if he ships from Canada.
Because no other seller can easily send you postage.
If your chosen seller is not in Canada, you have to decide if the price is good enough to toss the doohickey and try again. A US seller is not too bad but if your seller is in China it will cost $40 or more to return.<<

Well this was my point... that the return shipping would be expensive if it doesn't work. Nothing to do with "buyer remorse" -- just that it's hard to find laptop adapters that are compatible despite supposedly matching part numbers.
So what about this part where eBay says "WE will generate a return label"? Obviously the Asian seller can't... I see nothing about how this works. Or does it only apply if the seller's in Canada?
The price isn't bad... I'd still rather not burn $ on a regular basis trying out doohickeys.