Return message...

[widgetc]

A buyer asked to make a return because they purchased by error. I accepted the return with buyer paying for the return. So far no item received. Now I received tis:

"

We've asked the buyer to send the item

Hi robert,

racor38 indicated that they posted their return. The item should now be delivered. Once you've received it, please issue the buyer a refund by Nov 16, 2021.

When the refund is complete, you'll automatically receive a credit for the final value fee and other applicable fees.

If the item hasn't arrived yet, the buyer may not be returning it. If you like, you can contact the buyer. If you can't reach a resolution, you can ask us to step in and help." So far no item, no tracking number. Why must I ask eBay to step in? Should not it be up to the buyer to ask and provide tracking if they have tracking? I do realize that if they mailed without tracking it could arrive eventually and I'll happily refund.

[recped]

You don't need to do anything other than wait and see if the return ever shows up. There is nothing in the message you received from eBay that says anything different than that.

[pjcdn2005]

That's just a standard message that eBay sends out xx days after a return has been started whether or not the item has even been sent.  You don't have to do anything until you receive the item back. 

[femmefan1946]

For your own peace of mind, you could ask the buyer for the tracking number.

But if he forgot about returning the item, and is considering keeping it, you might prompt him into shipping.

Up to you if that is good or bad.

[ricarmic]

Well I don't know.

I'm assuming its a stamp person which means they're more likely to understandably not to bother sending tracked given the high expense of tracking.

I very very much distrust anything that has a due date attached to it, given I've been surprsingly burned by them before, although not for a return (in my experience Nov 16 means 12:01 AM on Nov 16 too). I have had this situation myself. In mine the person never did send it back. I called it in, and got the return zapped, most likely before the mentioned due date, but sadly I cannot remember if I let the due date go by or not. Probably my thinking was that if it did eventually arrive, I would just send them money via PAYPAL which was much easier to do in the olden days and I got it zapped before the warning date.

I would like to know if anyone has let one of these go past the "due date" and if anything automagically happened or not....

[recped]

Nothing happens until the buyer provides a tracking number to eBay AND the tracking shows the return has been received by the seller. Once that happens the seller has x days to issue the refund or eBay does it for you and gives the seller a nice defect for failing to refund within the required time period.

[pjcdn2005]

Yes, I've let them go by a couple of times without a problem.  They send these even if there is no indication the item was ever mailed...I really don't understand why they word them as they do.

[widgetc]

"I very very much distrust anything that has a due date attached to it,"

Me too! It is a stamp item sold for about $60 US and sent there with no tracking.

[reallynicestamps]

@widgetc 

@ricarmic 

It is one of the pleasures of a "handshake" hobby that expensive tracking is rarely needed.

It is one of the drawbacks of a "handshake" hobby that muggles don't understand about "handshakes".

[byto253]

I would just leave it, as at some point it will time out and your funds will be secure.  Then if it does show up after the time frame, you can still send them a refund.