Advice on asking ebay to step in and aid an item not as described returns request

[rachelle011273]

hi, I have read alot on the boards re : ebay automatically refunding in full the buyer without return of item when asked by the seller to intervene ... can anyone confirm on this for me or offer me advice as to whether I should enable their help

I sold on the same day the same dress to 2 different buyers

one buyer as previous buyers before her were happy with product and left positive feedback to attest

the other buyer has opened an item not as described or as image return request

I have emailed the buyer three times to ask for detail of her issues concerning this item and have had no reply

I do not think the issue is with the description in the listing as it is pretty much straight forward and as for the image it is the same item with fabric swatches also provided, images and colours can sometime be misconstrued due to monitor settings and so it could be that the colours are not as bright ... not sure as I have no information from the buyer to go on ... maybe I should have also included an amatuer photo of the item but then most times it does not look the same on screen either ...

I am wanting to ask ebay intervene to resolve however I am not sure that they even look into cases and just refund the buyer with no questions asked ... they are sure quick to defect though

any advice would be greatly appreciated ... I do wish buyers would contact me directly to resolve rather than opening these so called streamlined return requests

thanks

[curraone]

the only info I have found useful has been elsewhere on these boards,

"don’t click on “Accept return”. Just click “Send response” and resolve the issues through open communication"

asking ebay to intervene is fatal apparently, you get a defect and the buyer gets their money back and keeps the item.

Haven't tried it myself, so don't know how accurate the advice is.

[rachelle011273]

yes, I am very wary of asking for their intervention, I have already received the defect

it appears regardless of previous buyers being happy with the item and with this buyer not responding to my queries for further detail I am faced with a no win situation and shall also be left out of pocket, refund of both the item, post and return postage as I can see no way to resolve the issue if the buyer wont respond

I am seriously thinking of winding up my business on ebay, sales are none to speak and yes I know it is apparently the quiet period but I have found since last September my sales have been on the decline

thank you for your repy

[lane-ends]

If it runs it's course without info from buyer hopefully it wont be refunded.

Defects can be lifted depends on who you contact I guess and how simple and clear cut you can make it sound.

TBH I think some buyers will try intitiating a not as described refund, just to see what happens, then do nothing to follow up.

[cherry*135]

This is from eBay au site. Any sales to overseas buyers, their country's eBay policies apply

Transaction defect rate

Here's how requests and cases affect your seller performance under eBay Money Back Guarantee:

• An open request is counted as a defect (remember you can only receive one defect per transaction).

• If the buyer closes the request (or it closes automatically), the defect will remain.

• If eBay is asked to step in and help, and the case is decided in your favour, the defect and any related Feedback will be removed.

• If eBay finds the seller responsible, the defect will remain and the case will also be counted as 'closed without seller resolution'.

Cases closed without seller resolution

A case closed without seller resolution means the buyer reported they didn't receive an item, asked to return an item or opened a PayPal Buyer Protection case, you weren't able to resolve it, the buyer asked us to step in and help (or escalated the case to PayPal for review), and eBay or PayPal found you responsible.

The number of cases closed without resolution is an important indicator of how well a seller may be meeting buyer expectations on eBay, and is a measure of overall seller performance.

To meet our minimum standards, you can only have 2 transactions (or 0.3% of transactions) resulting in cases closed without seller resolution over the most recent evaluation period. The percentage requirement applies after the account has exceeded the maximum number of occurrences.

What happens if you don't meet the minimum performance standards?

If you don't meet these minimum performance standards, we may put limits on your selling activity until your performance improves:

• Your items may be placed lower in search results.

• We may limit the number of items you can sell, or restrict you from selling outside Australia.

• You may be restricted from buying or selling with other accounts, or registering a new account.

• PayPal funds from your sales may be pending in PayPal for up to 21 days.

• We may downgrade your Store to the Basic level if you've been Below Standard for more than 60 days.