No PayPal, no eBay money back guarantee

[johnpbee]

This is completely new to me - I have just been informed that eBay is unable to uphold their seller label responsability if a buyer does not have a PayPal account.

With that said, I stopped using PayPal a few years ago and therefore cannot open a new account with them - and so, I have been making credit card purchases on eBay since then without issue.

However, and as I have recently been informed, if a seller cannot issue a shipping label for INAD, then the buyer 'must have a PayPal account' in order to qualify for a full refund - otherwise, the buyer  will be responsible for the shipping label and the seller may or may not cover the cost.

Having said this, these 'new terms' are nowhere noted on eBay's buyer protection policy page, thus outlining unwritten changes to their policies as a result.

PS. this information was made known to me this morning, as I attempted to negotiate label payment methods with the seller, and where he refused to do anything but 'PayPal' stating this was eBay's policy.

[pjcdn2005]

There is no official policy that the seller has to use PayPal to provide you with payment for return shipping when they can't issue a label. The policy is that they are supposed to work with you to provide return shipping although the usual solution is to send money to the buyers PayPal.

Is the seller unable to provide shipping because you are in different countries?  Have you tried suggesting another way to send the money?    If the seller is in the US, they should be able to purchase a label for Canada Post by using the Shippo shipping platform.  Or they may be able to purchase some sort of international return label through ups or FedEx.

If the seller refuses to cooperate, contact eBay customer service through ebsy Facebook or Twitter.  They are often more knowledgeable than cs on the phone.

[femmefan1946]

There actually are such things as International Reply Coupons available through both USPS and Canada Post (and any other postal service that belongs to the Universal Postal Union).

They are physical coupons which must be sent out and then redeemed for postage at the recipients post office.

Not simple or fast and frankly most postal clerks would never have seen one, or even have heard of them. But they do exist.

The policy is that they are supposed to work with you to provide return shipping although the usual solution is to send money to the buyers PayPal.

The simplest way would be to send the buyer an e-transfer. The drawback being, unlike Paypal which has a strong Buyer Protection program, that if the seller used the money for something else, the buyer has no way of correcting him.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

There is no official policy that the seller has to use PayPal to provide you with payment for return shipping when they can't issue a label. The policy is that they are supposed to work with you to provide return shipping although the usual solution is to send money to the buyers PayPal.

Is the seller unable to provide shipping because you are in different countries?  Have you tried suggesting another way to send the money?    If the seller is in the US, they should be able to purchase a label for Canada Post by using the Shippo shipping platform.  Or they may be able to purchase some sort of international return label through ups or FedEx.

If the seller refuses to cooperate, contact eBay customer service through ebsy Facebook or Twitter.  They are often more knowledgeable than cs on the phone.

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Wonder how it is going work with eBay Labels If Canadian sellers are unable to purchase return postage(USA/Intl) and are in the predicament that they(the seller) doesn't have a Shippo account, (Not everyone does)? The only alternative would be the dreaded forwarding funds to the buyer if the seller really want their product back. Then have to pay through the nose for undiscounted with most likely inaccurate postage estimates. And even more messy as the OP stated, if the buyer doesn't have a PayPal account. Another alternative would be RTS and take your chances??? That happens with bad addresses leaving the sellers on the hook for the charges.

-Lotz

[johnpbee]

The seller is this case is located in Japan, I am in Canada

With that said, the seller refused to work with all forms of money transfers other than PayPal

In addition to this, the eBay dispute team sent a strange message stating that I request to appeal the case, to which I'd add, I have done no such thing at any point, along with the following message(cut and paste);

"...for us to be able to get your full refund, We have to, because it's an international transaction. However, if you really don't want to make a PayPal account, you have the option to buy your own return shipping label for you to return the item but that doesn't guarantee that the seller will refund you the return shipping label"

In continuing, I have never experienced so much confusion from eBay customer support as I have on this transaction - as support continue to refer to my case as 'a casual return' rather than 'item not as described', as they reads through the intended script - I then have to persuade them to look at the inintial case details until finally admiting this is an 'item not as described' case.

Whatever the case(no pun intended), it would appear that though eBay is no longer directly affiliated with PayPal, that they are in fact, directly dependant on PayPal in order to conduct business, as it is not possible to effecgtively receive buyer protection without it.

[femmefan1946]

"...for us to be able to get your full refund, We have to, because it's an international transaction.

If that cs rep speaks English as a first language, his Grade Five teacher needs refresher courses in teaching grammar and composition.

What is needed is for eBay to step up their game and be willing to front return postage from non-US locations. They are capable of taking the cost of postage from the seller's Managed Payments funds before transferring them or even (I understand) from the affiliated chequing account.

With that said, I stopped using PayPal a few years ago and therefore cannot open a new account with them -

Ummm.

All you need is a different credit card than you used for your older, closed account.

You can still use the same bank account.
I'm assuming that you closed the PP account and not PP.

And if you are just reluctant, that is your choice, of course.

[johnpbee]

I have since linked my sons PayPal account to my eBay account and provided the seller the address.

Hopefully, this will resolve the issue and I can finally return the item for a refund...

Though based on the sellers latest messages, it would appear that he wants me to ship the lens without paying - tough to tell, there is definiately a language barrier in effect between us.

[femmefan1946]

I'm lost.

You bought a lens from Japan.

You received it, but it is not satisfactory and you want the seller to pay for the return?

With Paypal he should be able to send you funds to do this. If you don't he can then open a Dispute with PP over that. Complicated.

The seller would like you to ship on your own dime.

Does he also promise to repay the cost of return shipping Air Mail and Tracked?

Have you sent him information about what that will cost?

This may be helpful.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1