Buyer never received item, was returned to sender 7 months later

[velvet_vintage89]

I'm wondering if anyone on here has ever encountered something similar to this and what they did....seven months ago I sold an item to someone in Israel. It never arrived and after allowing a very generous amount of time they opened a case against me. eBay ended up siding with me and did not refund the buyer. I felt bad, however the buyer was a new account with no feedback and I had no way of knowing if they were genuine or a scammer. Well, SEVEN months later I was amazed to see the package had been returned to me and the buyer was being honest after all. There is no indication on the package as to why it was undeliverable. Since I can resell the item now, I'd be happy to refund the buyer the cost of the item less the shipping costs. I don't see how that is possible though after so much time and I know I don't have any obligation to do so other than a moral obligation. I just feel bad someone paid a lot for this and never received it. Does anyone have any advice?

[pjcdn2005]

If you go to Sellers Hub/ All orders and set the search to orders from the last year you should see that particular one. eBay doesn't keep much of the buyer information for very long but if you click on the order number, it will show you the buyers ebay ID and feedback.  If you click on their feedback you can leave them a message. IF they are still on ebay they may see your message.

[fine-eclectic]

Curious as to how/why eBay sided with you if the item was not delivered.

[marnotom!]

The buyer waited too long to file the case.

[reallynicestamps]

And/or the item was Undeliverable.

EBay does not require the seller to refund anything on Undeliverable items. This includes refused/return to sender, and shipments not picked up at customs.

https://www.ebay.ca/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy?...

[femmefan1946]

I won't ship to Israel because of poor delivery experiences.

You should be able to find the buyer's contact information in your All Orders part of your Selling page.

EBay says it has extended the time they keep that information available to over a year, from only 90 days.

Since you have been in a transaction with him, you should be able to request his Paypal address and refund that way.

Let us know how it goes?