Is this feedback buyer extortion?

[azn-archangel]

So I sold a pair of headphones in a recent auction. I have a no return policy on my auctions for non-defective returns. Seller got it and was fine with it initially. He later claims that the NFC on the headphones is defective and sends it back to me without actually going through any exhaustive steps to determine if it really is defective with me first. I would have given him a return shipping label if we had determined these to be defective, but before we did any exhaustive debug steps, he just sent it back to me anyways and gave me a tracking number. I get the item back and tested it on three different phones and the NFC works properly and provide him video showing him it is the case. He tells me that since he had to return the item in a snow storm and so had to take a taxi, it would be "hard to leave positive feedback", if I "didn't help him out with the costs". He wanted an extra $10 for the taxi and to cover the return shipping fees. I would have covered the return shipping if it was defective, but since it wasn't defective I refused to cover it. There would have been no way I would have covered the taxi costs in any situation. 

I now have negative feedback left for me. Does this count as feedback extortion? Is there grounds here to get try to get the negative feedback removed since they are requesting extra money here? I called Ebay and got some lady (who couldn't speak very fluent English and did not understand the difference between an implied and explicit threat) that said she couldn't do anything about the feedback and "defective is subjective". I had to leave for a dinner before I could argue with her further. First no business allows an return without RMA and if I requested bestbuy come and pick me up in a taxi to return something I bought from them they would just laugh at me. Second, this seems like a violation of Ebay's feedback extortion policy. Do I have a case here? Can negative feedback left that's violates Ebay's feedback extortion policy be reversed? The lady on the phone told me there was nothing they could do about the feedback but I was hoping to call back and get someone who at least had a better grasp of the English language for a second opinion. 

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

He later claims that the NFC on the headphones is defective and sends it back to me without actually going through any exhaustive steps to determine if it really is defective with me first.

He doesn't want it.

He wants his money back.

You have your item back in saleable condition?

Your time is worth 18cents a minute at the ON minimum wage.

Refund him his original payment. No return shipping and no taxi charge.

Stop communicating.

He can't get any more money by going to eBay or Paypal .

You can leave a Response.

'Wants me to pay for his taxi to the post office." would make him look foolish, especially since he pouts about that in his fb.

The most effective Feedback is calm and factual. So are the most effective Responses.

You can best repair your feedback quickly to get it above 97% (poor for a seller and a problem for occasional sellers like yourself) by doing some buying of inexpensive stuff from sellers who leave feedback on shipping.

Oh and, call eBay during the week, 9to 5 when you will get the Utah clerks. Most of them speak English as a first language although s Americans they sometimes have trouble with concepts like 'Canada".

[azn-archangel]

Thanks for the reply, I gave him his money back and finally got through to a representative that wasn't from India

The new rep who understood the problem agreed it was feedback extortion from the communications history and cleared up my feedback. Though once you report the buyer on the issue you can't leave feedback for them anymore. Fine by me in this case.