eBay Refund/Return Policy
Summary: misojo shared a challenging experience with Etsy, where a buyer received a ring and complained about scratches and gold content, leading to a non-authentic dispute. Despite offering a refund and return shipping, the buyer refused to return the item, and Etsy sided with the buyer, resulting in a $400 loss for misojo. Seeking advice on eBay's refund policies, misojo learned from sapphyres-designer-jewellery and transtraders about eBay's return-before-refund policy and shared frustrations over Etsy's protection limitations. Legal options were discussed, with considerations on the complexities of enforcing judgments across provinces in Canada.
I haven't sold on eBay for several years, but am considering selling on eBay again because of what happened to me on Etsy.
On Etsy, I sold an item (solid 18K gold ring), it was exactly as I described, it was stamped 18K and I tested it (I'm a gemologist and jewelry appraiser).
Buyer received the ring and complained about it having some scratches and not being solid gold (I suggested having the gold content tested by a third party to confirm it was solid gold, but he refused to do it)
I also offered him a full refund and would pay for return shipping if he returned the ring to me; he refused.
He then opened NAD case against me based on the above complaints.
Etsy decided the case in his favor (virtually automatic as I now understand), and issued him a full refund, using funds from my account. Etsy told him he didn't have to return the ring to me.
I'm out over $400. and he has my ring.
I spoke to an eBay spokesperson who said their policy is the buyer must first return the purchased item to the seller (for seller inspection to confirm right item was returned) before they will issue a refund to the buyer.
Can anyone confirm eBay's return before refund policy, and had experience in dealing with any similar cases?
clemowbooks
·1 month agoI agree with sapphyre that a determined scammer is gonna scam.
But more likely than the "buy a phone/return a rock" scenario is going to the buyer's credit card chargeback policy, after the venue's return period has passed.
misojo
OP1 month agoYes there will always be scammers trying to find ways to exploit sellers, and vice versa.
As I'm in Canada, and so is the buyer (although in another province) I can sue him, either for return of the item or the purchase price. I've already threatened him with legal action, but he still refuses to return the ring.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·1 month ago#1 - Suing someone and winning, doesn't mean you get paid. A corporation that keeps claiming no assets has owed me $28,000 in a lawsuit I won since 2018. I've never seen a dime, and every attempt I made to collect has failed.
#2 - You have to sue him in his municipality. So if you're in Ontario and he's in Alberta, that's not going to work out for you.
misojo
OPSep 14, 2026 at 5:39 PMHe’s an individual, not a corporation.
He is in another province, but I can sue him him in my province, get a judgment, and register that judgment in a court in his province. It then becomes a legally enforceable judgment against him in his province.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·Sep 14, 2026 at 10:21 PMI'll trust you researched your options. I've only ever been in law suits with corporations, and they generally have no assets which is why I never got paid what I was owed. It's a lot more difficult for an individual to get out of paying a judgment because they can't just hide all their assets and do a transfer of assets to another company.
misojo
OPSep 14, 2026 at 11:16 PMI can, under Etsy’s arbitration policy, have the issue decided by a third party. The cost is about the same as a small claims action, but I don’t know whether I would win there either.
transtraders
·1 month agoDid the Etsy buyer use their buyer protection program? It covers up to $250 that comes out of Esty's pockets not the sellers.
I sold a camera on Etsy awhile back, buyer claimed it didn't work so I told the buyer about the protection program and they could open a case through Etsy and get refunded. They did that and Etsy refunded them, and I kept the sale.
misojo
OP1 month agoThe buyer did use the buyer protection program, but Etsy refunded the buyer using funds from my account. I tried to get reimbursed under Etsy's seller's protection program, but they refused, giving me no specific reasons why I didn't qualify.
transtraders
·1 month agoThat's weird to me, what was the dollar amount if you don't mind me asking.
misojo
OP1 month ago$400 Canadian
transtraders
·1 month agoWell, that could be why, it exceeds $250, so depending on how you interpret the wording of the program's eligibility requirements they do not cover amounts over $250.
I thought that meant they would cover $250 but then you would be responsible for the amount above that. I guess that is not the case.
misojo
OP1 month agoI think Etsy will provide coverage up to $250.US under the seller's protection program if they feel the seller qualifies. In my case, I was disqualified because the buyer convinced them (wrongly) that the item I sold him was NAD. Completely unfair; despite evidence supporting my position the buyer got exactly what he ordered, Etsy's would not change their position.
sapphyres-designer-jewellery
·1 month agoIf you accept the return, you get your item back before issuing a refund. However a buyer can still scam you by returning a few pebbles and saying to eBay that it was your item.
If you get into a situation of a buyer wanting to do a return, come here and tell us what's going on. We can advise you step by step as you go through the process to help reduce the chances of you being scammed, however no online site is fool proof against scammers.