Dispute for an item shipped in UK

[boutiquestepup]

 Is this part of another change on ebay in regards to dispute. I had a buyer opening a dispute for whatever reason because I was never told why or i never had the buyer contacting me  and it is ebay who deal with the buyer and the dispute for the whole case. Now as a seller we are not even included in he dispute is this how it works now?

Read bellow the emailed i received from ebay.

 GS=CU0676 Message from eBay Buyer Protection SR# 1-38868827119

Hello Christine, I am getting in touch with you from eBay Customer Service regarding the dress (item # 381001304622) you sold to “h157ph". Please be advised that the buyer have escalated the case he filed on this item, so I’m pleased to give you an update on what will happen next on the case. I acknowledge the fact that you’re putting in your honest efforts in order to comply with eBay policies and to maintain a good reputation for your account. I also acknowledge how you feel about this case and I appreciate your willingness to work with us. I reviewed the case Christine, I have checked that the buyer already posted the item back to you. We are now kindly asking you to inform us if you have already received the item back within 9 days or until the 28th of November 2014 as it will greatly help with the investigation of the case. Please feel free to respond back to us if you already received the item and please keep an eye on your Resolution Centre for any update on the case.Please be informed that once we don’t hear anything from you within the given timeframe, we will assume that you already receive the item. To avoid this situation in the future, I recommend you take the following steps when listing an item: 1. Ensure the item is accurately described; taking into account any marks, measurements, etc. that a buyer would need to know2. Take clear photos and add as many as necessary3. Be available to answer questions via email or phone for potential buyers At this point Christine, I appreciate your patience and cooperation for this matter. I trust this information is helpful and I wish you all the best in eBay in the future.

[73rhc · Accepted solution]

I would get on the phone to get a proper explanation.

[pjcdn2005]

It sounds really odd to me. Can you see anything about it in the resolution center?

[boutiquestepup]

I talked to ebay and when a buyer want to return an item they do a request for return and we have now have a link in our menu in our selling manager for Returns and this buyer requested for a returned on November 1 and I should have received an email letting me know that a buyer had a request a return. However I never received this message and ebay looked into my inbox and there was no message in my inbox.

So that's when the buyer escalated the request to return to a dispute and now the buyer as to return the items with tracking from the UK and I will have to refund the buyer and the return cost. Of course ebay cannot do anything as far as making sure I don't get penalized for this until the item is returned and the case closed.

So from now on I will keep a closer eye on the Returns in my selling manager, and to tell you the truth I was not even aware that we now had this feature.

[reallynicestamps]

A lot of words to say:

The buyer and seller are communicating.

The buyer has shipped the item back.

The seller should notify eBay/Paypal when the item is received. (Note, the buyer may also do this.)

The seller should refund when the item is received.

If the seller does not refund when the item is received, PP will refund and come after the seller.

Nothing unusual in the email to my eyes.

Note however that PP does not require the seller to refund the return cost. Only the original payment.

If the problem was caused by the seller (eg selling a red sweater and shipping a blue one) it is a Best Practice for the seller to take responsibilty for her error and refund the return postage.

[reallynicestamps]

Please be informed that once we don’t hear anything from you within the given timeframe, we will assume that you already receive the item.

Hmm- on rereading the bad grammar and the 'assumption' make me believe this is a spoof email.

Send it to spoof@paypalcom and to spoof @ebay.com  for verification.

[boutiquestepup]

This message was sent  with the ebay message system and I never received a noticed from paypal.

[boutiquestepup]

No details in my  resolution center, and when I click on the link they sent me in my ebay message center it takes me to ebay in UK. and even there there is no details on anything.

[boutiquestepup]

Can they send spoof message via ebay message system?

[rose-dee]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

Please be informed that once we don’t hear anything from you within the given timeframe, we will assume that you already receive the item.

Hmm- on rereading the bad grammar and the 'assumption' make me believe this is a spoof email.

@Send it to spoof@paypalcom and to spoof @ebay.com  for verification.

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That was exactly my first thought on reading the message the OP copied into her post!  For one thing, when eBay communicates with a seller, they generally don't use the first person singular.  

Aside from the bad grammar, there is some odd syntax and awkward composition in that message that would get my alarm bells ringing.  It just doesn't sound like a normal eBay message, which usually reads very fluently and professionally in a modern but not too familiar style.  (I'm a linguist, so I think I'm more sensitive to these things ). 

If I had to give the OP my best advice, it would be to absolutely not click on or follow any links in that message, and phone eBay CS to confirm whether the message came from eBay -- I expect they'll say it is a spoof. 

To the OP: yes, judging by all the holes in the dam that eBay has experienced on its site, I would by all means assume hackers and fraudsters can get through via eBay Messages.  

[pjcdn2005]

So that's when the buyer escalated the request to return to a dispute and now the buyer as to return the items with tracking from the UK and I will have to refund the buyer and the return cost. Of course ebay cannot do anything as far as making sure I don't get penalized for this until the item is returned and the case closed.

You may have received a defect when the original request was done.

If the buyer requests a return because they've changed their mind or the item doesn't fit..wrong..color etc there is no defect.

But if they want to return it because the item was not as described, you do get a defect unless the case is escalated and you win the case.

As far as refunding the return cost... the last time I heard, there was nothing set up to provide international buyers with costs for a return but if the buyer filed the claim on the UK site, perhaps they have something set up there.  There is a chance that you may not be 'forced' to pay return costs however if it was your mistake that caused the return, it would be the right thing to do.

[pjcdn2005]

On your selling manager page or on my ebay under selling, there is a return link. Perhaps something showing up there.

[pjcdn2005]

Note however that PP does not require the seller to refund the return cost. Only the original payment.

Correct, but the ebay MBG does require the seller to refund the return shipping cost for a snad and ebay UK has the MBG.  It is supposed to be for all purchases made on sites with the MBG but as I mentioned, I don't know if it is set up for international purchases yet.

[reallynicestamps]

As I remember it, the reason PP didn't refund return shipping was that they never touched that money. It went straight from the buyer to the post office.

With the original payment, the buyer sent price +shipping to the seller and then the seller used it to buy postage so it passed through PP.

That became Standard Practice.

Sellers who agreed that the error was theirs could as a Best Practice, refund the buyer's return postage, but there was no coercion beyond conscience.

How would the unhappy buyer prove the cost of return shipping? What prevents the unhappy buyer from shipping GoldPlatedSuperExpressOvernightSignatureConfirmed, when all that was necessary was ExpressPost?

I've refunded return postage in my time, or told a buyer to keep/destroy/donate the unwanted item, but how can PP decide how much is a reasonable amount for the return?

If PP wants happy buyers, they should roll out the Seller-paid Returns in China first.

[boutiquestepup]

HI Pjcdn: There is nothing showing in the Return section, however when I contacted ebay they told me that it would have shown before the buyer escalated the return to a dispute. The person at ebay said that the buyer said that the dress was not fitting right and something wrong with a shoulder straps.

I don't accept  returns because of the nature of skating dresses, it is expensive and only needed for 2 minutes and to much abuse in the past. I had buyers returning  dresses with trace of make up, deodorant smear, and smelling of perfume. So perhaps the client figure that they had to find or make defect in order to return the item.

Any buyer that contact  me and that sound sincere and want to make a return because the item don't fit I will always accept return.