eBay

vintagenorth · ‎02-05-2017

Mailed to the US by light packet so no tracking. Should have been received before Christmas so buyer has been very patient. Still hasn't shown up, I believe must be lost. Buyer has requested refund, she will repay if it shows up. I did suggest she file an INR but she seems to think that is bad for me so just wants me to refund her. So how do I refund her without me getting a defect?

i.am.vivian · ‎02-05-2017

@vintagenorth wrote:
Mailed to the US by light packet so no tracking. Should have been received before Christmas so buyer has been very patient. Still hasn't shown up, I believe must be lost. Buyer has requested refund, she will repay if it shows up. I did suggest she file an INR but she seems to think that is bad for me so just wants me to refund her. So how do I refund her without me getting a defect?

The reason I suggest you have the buyer open a claim for INR is because this is how eBay keeps track of people opening too many false claims.

The way you will get a defect is if a buyer opens a case and you do NOT respond. You have a few days to respond but if you do not and the buyer has eBay step in, that is what's known as an "unresolved case" and this is what leads to a defect.

Once a buyer opens a case, always respond right away. On a INR where there is no tracking (proof of delivery) you refund right away. Then the buyer has that INR claim in their tally.

It used to be that any case counted against a seller but that is not true any more. This all changed a while ago.

If you insist the buyer open a case on eBay first and that you will refund through eBay right away, that will only ever be bad for the buyer.

It would be different if an item was obviously damaged and you saw pics of the damage and a crushed box. But when they say it never arrived on a no-tracking item, no matter how sweet the buyer, I just don't buy it.

Make them open a claim.

vintagenorth · ‎02-05-2017

Thanks for you advice, but is there any defect for me if I just refund her through eBay without her opening a case?

reallynicestamps · ‎02-05-2017

I believe you choose a reason for the refund.

The reason should be 'buyer request' to avoid a Defect.

pjcdn2005 · ‎02-05-2017

I've never received a defect doing it that way but you will have to do it through PayPal and you won't receive a fvf credit. You can't do the cancellation through eBay more than 30 days after the purchase unless the buyer opens a claim.

vintagenorth · ‎02-05-2017

Yes, I just tried to cancel and can't do that, it's loo late to cancel according to eBay. I guess I'll have to send a refund through PayPal. I don't mind not getting the fvf refunded to me, my buyer has been more than patient waiting for this item and she deserves her refund now. I think it's been lost in the mail and wouldn't you know, it was my last one, so I can't replace.

maggiebvintage2010 · ‎02-05-2017

In any case, if it should have been received before Xmas, the buyer's 30 days after latest expected delivery have run out, and the buyer cannot open a case. So, it's too late for you to cancel, too late for the buyer to open an INR case, and too late to get your FVFs back, and it seems best to just "send money" through PayPal. And INRs have not counted as defects since Feb 20 2016.

For sellers who are aware that a patient buyer has not received an item, the best outcome is to keep track of elapsed time and ask the buyer to open an INR case within the claim period, explaining that not only will this not hurt you as a seller, but it will help you to reclaim your FVF.

From the Fall 2015 Seller Update:

As of February 20, 2016, the following will no longer impact your defect rate

Buyer feedback
Detailed seller ratings (DSRs)
Return requests that are successfully resolved with your buyer
Item not received requests that are successfully resolved with your buyer

The new seller standards will focus on what matters most to buyers

New seller standards will focus on what buyers care about the most—getting the item they ordered on time, and effective customer service to resolve any requests for help. A new, simplified defect rate will include just two measures: Seller-cancelled transactions for items that are out of stock or cannot be fulfilled for any other reason, and cases that are closed without seller resolution. A new on-time shipping metric will measure shipping performance, based on what you can control—shipping your item on time.

vintagenorth · ‎02-05-2017

Thanks maggieb, I tried to find that page but couldn't, probably because I'm not on my laptop just now. I did actually want to refund sooner, but my buyer had other really slow to arrive items over Christmas so wished to wait awhile. I'll know not to let it go this long another time.