who pays for shipping when item does not work as described?

[gm.chess]

Who pays for shipping if item is not working? If the seller pays how do I ship? Does he/she pay with credit card? Or does he give me a credit for shipping up front.

[scifan57]

eBay rules state that the buyer pays for the return shipping for a defective item, however, there are sellers who will pay the cost of return shipping in the case of a defective item. The way it works is that the buyer pays for the return shipping up front and the seller refunds the buyer for the amount of the shipping after he receives it. Tis refund is sepateat from the main refund as the main refund only covers the item price, plis the cost of original shipping.

[heidilynn0_3]

Most items are paid through PayPal and if seller agreed to pay the cost of return , would send funds to your PP acct.

If a claim becomes necessary , PP would require return at your expense. If returning at other than PayPal's instruction , must be with delivery confirmation (signature required if over $250. payment) or PayPal Buyer Protection is lost.

[dmil8030]

Hello 'gm.chess',

I'll assume you contacted the seller about the problem?  That is usually the first thing to do, and it helps you decide how to continue.  If you return an item, generally you need to send it back Delivery Confirmed or the seller can say he never received it.  If you cannot prove he got the item back, you will get nothing.

Have a look at the following link, see Section 4 about items that are 'not as described':

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/item-not-received.html

If you pay with a credit card, - with or without a paypal account, - when you get a refund the money goes back onto your card.  If you used an echeque or a paypal balance, the money goes back into your paypal account.  A seller never knows how you paid or what is the source of the revenue. 

If you do not have a paypal account, if you wish to open a claim you will need to get a paypal account in order to do it.  You can send it back Delivery Confirmed and the seller may refund your credit card, - but if he does not do so of his own volition, you might wish to open a claim.

If you choose to go the credit-card-only route, your card offers the option of a chargeback (with or without a paypal account) when you can prove the item has been delivered.  The chargeback is a last resort if there is absolutely not other way.

You only have 45 days from when you paid to take action, so contact the seller and decide what you are going to do from there. 

You have 60 days in which to leave feedback.

Best of luck. 🙂