Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

I bought an amplifier, and it was faulty on arrival.  When I contacted the seller, they tried to get me to pay to ship it back, even though shipping to China from Canada is quite expensive.  when I explained the expense, they quit responding to me.  I sent them another message saying that if they wouldn't communicate with me, I would have to file a complaint with Ebay.  Still nothing.  I finally opened a complaint with Ebay, and they emailed me back the very next day.

 

They again asked me to ship he item.  I responded that I should not be responsible for paying shipping on a faulty item, and that if they refund my money, and provide me with prepaid shipping, I will happily return the item.  They still have not refunded me, and have told me that they will refund my shipping.  With how they have behaved, I don't believe them, and I assume that Ebay can not enforce a promised refund of shipping.

 

Are there any recommendations on how to handle this?  I'm thinking that I should insist on getting a refund, and prepaid return shipping before I send anything back, and if they won't do it, wait until I can ask Ebay to step in?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give!

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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

The seller has a dilemma.

He is required by eBay to pay return postage.

But he is not in the same country as you.

So he can't send a Return Shipping Label.

This comes down to trust.

You can pay to return the unwanted item, and trust that he repays the return shipping.

Or.

He can use Paypal's Send Money service to send the return shipping cost

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

and trust that you will actually use  as agreed.

 

Since you are annoyed and he is suspicious, that's not going to happen, is it?

 

And if you let the eBay Dispute lapse, while you can still go through Paypal, PP demands that the buyer pay for return shipping. No exceptions.

 

If you are still involved with an eBay Dispute, escalate to a Claim, explaining that the Seller refuses to pay return shipping.

You will probably be refunded, without the need for the return.

 

Then find out when garbage day is and dispose of the gizmo.

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Message 4 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

The seller has to pay for the return, but the refund is when the tracked item arrives back to the seller.

 

eBay has time limits for any action, don't wait too long.

 

Item not as described:

http://resolutioncentre.ebay.ca/

Message 2 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

I have already opened a dispute with PayPal.  I assume I am correct to insist that the seller prepay the return shipping?  He has told me to pay for the shipping, and says he will refund the shipping, but I do not trust him to do so.  I'm also concerned about him pulling a "there was nothing in the box" move on me when he receives it.  I'm quite willing to send the item back, but don't want burned.

Message 3 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

The seller has a dilemma.

He is required by eBay to pay return postage.

But he is not in the same country as you.

So he can't send a Return Shipping Label.

This comes down to trust.

You can pay to return the unwanted item, and trust that he repays the return shipping.

Or.

He can use Paypal's Send Money service to send the return shipping cost

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

and trust that you will actually use  as agreed.

 

Since you are annoyed and he is suspicious, that's not going to happen, is it?

 

And if you let the eBay Dispute lapse, while you can still go through Paypal, PP demands that the buyer pay for return shipping. No exceptions.

 

If you are still involved with an eBay Dispute, escalate to a Claim, explaining that the Seller refuses to pay return shipping.

You will probably be refunded, without the need for the return.

 

Then find out when garbage day is and dispose of the gizmo.

Message 4 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

Thank you, that was exactly what I need to know!  The dispute has only been open for about 48 hours, so I will give him that option.  If he doesn't take it, I will escalate it as you advised.  Thanks a lot for the help!

Message 5 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

If your Dispute is on eBay-- the seller pays return shipping or loses the Dispute.

 

 

If your Dispute is on Paypal-- the buyer pays return shipping or loses the Dispute.

 

 

(Offsetting this, PP transactions are open for Dispute for 180 days from payment. EBay for 30 days after delivery.)

Message 6 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

Anonymous
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Not true that the sellers have to pay for the return.  I bought an expensive item from Germany and it arrived bend in half due to poor packaging by the seller and I contacted the seller.  He expected me to return the expensive item by regular mail as he refused to pay for the mail service with tracking number which is about $47.50.  So I opened the dispute with PayPal and guess what PayPal expected me to pay the return shipping regardless of what. I called PayPal but not luck.  I still have to pay the return shipping and I did and paid the hefty tracking number and guess what the seller refused to pay the custom fees!!  Not sure it the item will returned to me or what.  However PayPal did refund me.

 

So your comment about seller pay the return is not true.  So be careful in what you saying.  Thanks.

Message 7 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

So I opened the dispute with PayPal and guess what PayPal expected me to pay

 

 

Read my response again.

 

EBay usually requires that the seller pay for the return. The exception is cases of Buyer Remorse.

 

You disputed through Paypal.

Paypal always insists that the buyer pay for the return.

As I also mentioned, the offset is a longer dispute period with Paypal.

Message 8 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

I'm running into a new issue.  Today is the day that I'm supposed to be able to escalate this with Ebay, but I'm not seeing how.  At the resolution center, my account shows NO open requests or cases - but if I click on the item that's being disputed, it says that a return request is already open for this item.  If I click on "view request", I see an option to close the request, but I'm not seeing any option to escalate it.  Reading online suggests at I need to go to the resolution center, and look at my open request or cases, but once again, nothing shows up unless I actually click on the item.  What am I missing?  Do I have to wait a certain amount of time after the last response?  Thanks for any help you can offer!

Message 9 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

Try again tomorrow.  You're probably jumping the gun just a little.

Message 10 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

Thanks for the response.  It's still not letting me, but I'll check it out tomorrow, and see if things have changed.  If not, I'll report back here - thanks again!

Message 11 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

And you were right Sylviebee - it took until now for it to open up, but I have asked Ebay to step in.  I tried to explain as reasonably and emotional uncharged as I could what has gone on - but I would assume Ebay has the messages between me and the seller to go through anyway.  Hopefully I get the result I'm after!

Message 12 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

The dispute steps are timed to the second.

So if you are told June 5 it is really June 5 at 1307hrs. and not a second earlier.

Message 13 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

Originally you said the dispute was opened with Paypal. Was it with PP or eBay?

 

Also, if it was with eBay, had the seller agreed to the return request? I'm curious because I've read that a case couldn't be escalated once the seller had agreed and that if that ebay had to be contacted by phone if it was a case of the seller not paying for shipping when they should be.

Message 14 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

My bad, I opened the dispute with Ebay, sorry.  The seller agreed to me sending back the item I purchased, but we never agreed on how the return was to take place.  The seller initially said nothing about covering the shipping until I escalated things.

Message 15 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

Please let us know how it works out.

Message 16 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

I will... I'm just waiting for the clock to run out on this one.  The guy (actually, "company" would be more accurate) has already squandered Wednesday through Friday - I don't expect him to contact me over the weekend.  I am assuming in that case, that where Ebay said they would follow up, if the seller has not fulfilled their obligation, it should be an automatic decision for me, and I don't have to bother shipping back the item?

 

I'm fully convinced that the seller never intended to refund my shipping now.  They wanted me to ship back when I first complained about the DOA item, and mentioned nothing about reimbursing me - and quit responding to me when I balked at that.  They started responding again as soon as I created a return request with Ebay, but only mentioned reimbursing shipping when I said I thought they should pay for the shipping, and prepay it.  When I said I didn't trust them to reimburse me, and they could refund me, or else I would want Ebay to render a decision, they quit responding again.  Now that it's escalated, and Ebay is fully involved and can enforce a refund of shipping, they can't be bothered to communicate.

Message 17 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

And this morning, I woke up to an Ebay message stating that I will get a refund in full.  I'm only out the duty I paid ($15), and I can live with that.  Since the seller never responded and I'm not required to return the amplifier, I'm going to open it up, and see if I can fix it.  Probably not, but if I can, I can end up with a dirt cheap, guilt free amplifier.

 

 

And I think my lesson learned is to always escalate through Ebay, because you never know if a seller is trustworthy, and may try to game you and the system.

 

Thanks for the help guys!

Message 18 of 19
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Seller wants me to pay up front for shipping back a faulty item.

I wasn't sure if Ebay would let me give the guy a negative review after resolving the issue, but when I checked, it did.  This guy, after ignoring me for nearly a week until Ebay forced a refund, and for a couple of days before that until I filed a complaint, took less than an hour to send me a message after I reviewed him Smiley LOL

Message 19 of 19
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