Thanks!! Your's has been the most helpful reply. My wife and I have been buying and selling here for over a decade (using this, and a second profile). We made international sales, but not such a high-value item.
I get the feeling you were under the impression a real person at ebay was overseeing your case. Just about everything on ebay is automated & when you are given a date, that pretty much means you have to have taken some action by then.
Yes, that was my impression. Automated or not, if the eBay return case process does not actually review of evidence behind the buyer claim, eBay are misrepresenting the 'review' service they provide. (eBay message on Oct 18: "Case #5325049703: We’re reviewing the buyer’s return").
Yes, if an item does not match description, a refund must be made. But the buyer claim must be at least reviewed. Instead, in communication today, eBay confirmed that my case "review" was not to review the buyer's claim. Instead, it was purely my "chance to provide the buyer a return label". So there was no real review done. Neither was it communciated that the ostensible review was just a "chance to provide the buyer a return label"
"The buyer reached out to us after this timeframe and we gave you 5 more days, considering this as a chance to provide your buyer a return label. However, the buyer still didn’t hear from you. Because of this, the case closed and a refund was issued to your buyer."
Instead, eBay advised me the return case review was going "on hold" pending documentation from the buyer. Going "on hold" implies the return process and any associated deadlines are on hold too. Keeping those deadlines ticking along while no review was carried out, nor communication that the "review" period was only to provide return postage was misrepresentation.
eBay advised me repeatedly that buying a return label was an option (in fact, they said so today in the appeal: "Since the shipping label was not provided to the buyer, we decided to keep our decision."). This too is misrepresentation because return labels are NOT available to international sellers. Repeatedly stating labels are available sets up the seller for failure against an impossible obligation -- completing an international payment (after estimating postage, duty, customs etc) outside of eBay in the same timeframe of a US seller. What was I supposed to do -- use Western Union?
eBay charged a commission of $130.88 on the refunded item. When askedto explain, eBay communicated this to me on 25 Oct:
"2. Your item is sold technically. We have given you a chance to take action on the case. Since eBay resolves the case for you the final value fee cannot be credited back."
Apart from the misrepresentations above, how can eBay claim "the item [was] sold technically" when it is refunded? A refund is the opposite of a sale.
My return review case was specifically put "on hold" until after the return deadline expired. This is curious. The fact the webpage to file a case appeal was disabled (tested by multiple people) until I complained on Twitter is stretching coincidence. That raises the possibility of a dark pattern being exploited by bad actors within eBay unbeknownst to eBay. Anyway, that's just a possiblity.
Between item value, eBay fees and postage spent, I'm already out $1000. I've reached out to the buyer requesting a return and offering postage. I've also asked eBay whether they told the buyer, explicity or by implication, the buyer can keep my goods without returning them. eBay did say "In case they agree to return the item, you can provide them with a shipping label or shipping charge. Most buyers easily agree to these options since they already got their refund." But I have asked eBay to make its position clear in writing about who holds current title to the goods. That's the least they can do as an intermediatory.
