Who pays the return postage on goods received faulty?

[kylies*swap*cards*]

Having problems with a large clock I bought.  It was supposed to be from Australia.  It came in Aust Post packaging so I am guessing it did - but I have to return it and the seller wants it returned to China?  Who pays for this return postage?  I have opened a return via ebay and they said seller accepted your return, contact them for a label.  I have done this (twice) but seller just sent me a dodgy link to a Chinese ebay site with a sign in screen?  So this label I am supposed to get, does it mean it is postage paid by them, or is it just a label with the address to post to on it?  Time is running out, I have a feeling they are stretching it out so the 4th December deadline for me given by ebay to send it back expires so I can;t return it.  Any advice?

[2011.narelle]

It's meant to be that the seller sends you a paid return post label at their expense.They had an Austpost satchel so it's probably a dropship seller in Aus but trying to mess you around.Buyer is only responsible to post back to the location ie country that it was supposed to be sent from.Other than that eBay refunds the buyer & they don't have to return the item.

You may have to escalate the case.

[treasuress.4207]

Since business policies were introduced, it depends on the individual seller's policy.  In my returns policy, I pay for return shipping on faulty or not as described items, because I figure it's my fault if something is not as i described it, or if I haven't adequately packaged it.

However, with that said, most sellers have 'buyer to pay return postage' on their listings as part of their policy.

[kylies*swap*cards*]

Thanks for that, but how do I escalate when I can't even send it back?  I am getting reminders from ebay saying I must send it back by 4th December or no refund.  The seller via email sent me a document that was supposed to be a label, but when I click it, this is what I get

so via email it looks like they have sent me a label, but when you click it, it's not a document it's a link that takes me to the above page.  I can't see anywhere in the return process to get ebay involved, just says send it and give tracking number 😞

[2011.narelle]

OMG they sent you a lnk to a Chinese sign in ! Sneaky.How long ago did you buy,as in sale date? After Nov 1 i hope.

May have to look around how to get it solved 'cos if not posted back by the date nominated,I'm pretty sure the case closes in seller's favour.

[treasuress.4207]

I would ring ebay.  Sometimes you have to do it a couple of times before you get someone who will actually listen to/understand what it is you're trying to tell them, but they are very PRO buyers at the moment, so I think you'll have a good shot.  If they don't seem to be understanding what you're trying to get across, don't be afraid to ask to speak to their Australian Supervisor - I do it all the time.

[black*poppy · Accepted solution]

When you phone ebay, if you haven't already done so, I found this in their policy that you can quote back to them if needed:

When an item is returned to the seller

• The buyer must return the item in the same condition in which it was received.

• The seller is required to accept the return at the same location specified in the listing.

• The cost of return postage is the seller's responsibility. For return of items with a total cost of $750 or more, we require signature confirmation.

• The seller pays for any customs charges on the returned item.

  So if it was from Australia, it should be returned to an Australian address.

  The link is:

  http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/money-back-guarantee.html

  Hope that helps, and best of luck

[audistarelectronics]

Sorry to put the spanner in on yhis one, but we recently had a faulty item and won a dispute, but we were requested to send the item to China, even though it was listed as located in Aust. Paypal require that the item be returned to the registered details that they have for the seller. It was $140 down the drain for us, and the item was binned because the refund would have been eaten up by the postage. So, most of the above replies on this one could be a little misleading, unless the rules have just been changed.

[kylies*swap*cards*]

thank you for that 🙂 interesting reading!

I have contacted ebay and waiting for them to reply.  The seller has now sent me another "label" although it is not a postage label it is just a return merchandise slip for their stock records - just saying the barcode/sku number and model no. etc but it does have an address in Sydney NSW to post it back to.  I've emailed them back and said I am not paying return postage costs because item is faulty and to send me a postage label like the ebay email said to request.  Still waiting, will update with outcome, thank you all for the help 🙂

[black*poppy]

I cut&pasted from the ebay policy, so it would be relevant for the ebay managed returns.

Certainly, paypal buyer protection system does work differently.  I haven't looked up the policy recently.