Buyer in India wants to cancel order after item is shipped ....

[kiralicious]

Hi,

I have a buyer in India who purchased a cheaper item (8.99).  He purchased and paid immediately...then sent a message asking about how long it would take to arrive..to which I responded Immediately and never heard back for a couple days.  I shipped the item and of course the day later he messages me requesting to cancel the order.  I'm aware that a buyer can't request a cancellation once the item is shipped...but he can sent the item back for a refund once it arrives...but the tone this buyer had makes me feel like it's going to be a nightmare of "item not received" ect..if he doesn't get a refund sooner then later..  At this point i'm not overly concerned about the lost $20 shipping and Item cost (item was shipped small packet airmail) ..I just don't want to be dinged with bad feedback or item not received case.  What is the best way to protect myself ....and give the buyer a refund...I'm always so confused about if the buyer can leave feedback even if they receive their money back via refund from me.   Thanks

[pjcdn2005]

They can leave feedback even if you refund. If you do refund through ebay and cancel the transaction using the 'buyer requested' reason, you shouldn't get a defect. However, I doubt that I would refund now. I would explain that the item has already been mailed and that they should receive it in approximately xx number of days but that it is a busy time of the year for the postal service so it may take slightly longer than that.

If they do file an inr down the road, any defect that you receive will drop in February with the new system so unless that one defect is going to cause you significant problems, I would just wait and see how things go.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

When I get question like that I usually hold off shipping until the buyer responds.