Can seller request ebay to close return request?

[liquidationhouseffi]

The buyer sent me a return request, saying I sent the wrong color. (She said ordered a hot pink one but received a green one.) I checked her order, the order record shows she did order a green one. I politely sent her a message to ask her to check her purchase history. She has not replied yet (1 day only). But obviousely, I did nothing wrong this time, can I request ebay to close the request immediately? Thanks for your opinions.

[kopenhagen5]

Never ask eBay to step in as a seller.

The case will automatically close in favour of the buyer with you having to refund and buyer keeps item.

Wait until buyer responds or forgets it and the case times out.

I would be saying you are happy to swap but the buyer needs to pay the postage costs as it is buyer error.

But for now leave it until they respond, they may have checked and seen they ordered a green and will hopefully move on.

They may even have you mixed up for being another seller.

[digital*ghost · Accepted solution]

In these kinds of cases you need to contact eBay directly, outside of the dispute - i.e. go to the help and contact page and get them to call you back. The rep you speak to will be able to view all of the relevant details, the order that was made, and the reason the buyer has requested a return, and should be able to help. In some cases, they will actually close an erroneous request, but as kopes said, never leave it to the automated system. 

[liquidationhouseffi]

Thanks. I just emailed ebay service to ask what to do (they only gave email contact for this situation), hopefully will get reply soon.

[liquidationhouseffi]

I want to close this request cause it asks me to accept the return before 6th September, and I am resposible for the return post, but obviously I am not.

I don't mind the buyer request a return, but need to close this one first, and open a new request by choosing the right reason, either 'change of mind' or 'made a mistake', but not 'there's something wrong with the item'. 

But until now I still haven't recevied the reply, maybe the buyer is too busy on weekend.

[*tippy*toes*]

The buyer can't close the request and reopen to change the reason. Once it's closed, it's closed. You need to RING eBay. Don't email them or you will get computer generated responses. As already mentioned, get them to check the details of the sale and the reason the buyer opened the request. Hopefully they will close the dispute. 

If you only had the option to email, you were probably looking out of business hours. If it was during hours, click on anything until you get the number. It doesn't have to have anything to do with your reason for ringing, the number is the same for everything. 

You could also just hope that if you ignore it so does the buyer.

[liquidationhouseffi]

The following is the main reply from ebay.

"After checking on the details, I confirmed that the buyer did order a green one which means you're not at fault. In this kind of situation, the buyer will pay for postage in case the buyer wants the item returned for a refund. You also have the option not to accept the return since its the buyer's fault in the first place."

[*tippy*toes*]

Awesome! If you don't want to accept the return, don't. I would still not get your hopes up too much because eBay are a loose cannon. They are just as likely to reneg on what they said to you. If you got that message in an email, don't delete it whatever you do. And DO NOT request eBay to step in and help if the option appears. It is guaranteed that they will close in favour of the buyer, who will get a full refund and get to keep the item. Once that happens, there is nothing you can do.

[liquidationhouseffi]

Thanks for your reply.

Here is the second message I received from ebay, cause I asked them what exactly I should do next.

"Technically,  you would need to accept the return as stated in your return policy. Upon review, you stated in your listing that  items must be returned within 14 days after the buyer receives the item. Since the buyer's reason for your return falls under buyer remorse, they have to pay for the postage.

With the current situation, the best thing to do is to keep an open an communication with your buyer. If the buyer would not want to cover the return costs, then we'll have to wait for the buyer to escalate this return request to a case. As soon as the buyer escalates the request, we'll have them return the item at their own expense."

Well, I tried to follow what it said, but under the option of "accept the return", it says "Provide a return postage label to the buyer via email. You're responsible for the postage cost. Wait to get the item back before you refund the buyer." So I have to send message again to ebay. It seems no end, will keep update.

[liquidationhouseffi]

Seems you are right, this is the third reply from ebay. It really make me feel hopeless. I don't want to take the risk to pay for the return postage for choosing "accept the return", and I don't think the buyer will reply my message or close the request. So...I decide to refund to the buyer without taking the item back, really don't want to spend more time on this case for total $15 (include $8 postage).

Thanks for getting back to us. That's a good question.

We appreciate that you're genuinely making an effort to make things right with the buyer.

Yes, if you'll click the option that says "Accept Return" it means that you're responsible to create a return postage label that has your return address and send it to the buyers' end so they can use it. You also have to pay for it.

With regards to the buyer not communicating with you, we suggest to further notify them that you want to accept the return and help them return the item.

If in case they will still not respond, we suggest that you do an "Advanced Search". In this way, you can get the personal contact information of the buyer.

Advanced search helps you refine your searches on eBay. You can search for a keyword or item number, find other members, and choose ways to narrow your search. For example, you can:

- include or exclude words (for example, you could search for ‘Nike sneakers’ and exclude the word ‘white’ )

- search for items from particular sellers or in a particular location

- look for specific listing formats (like Buy It Now items)

Here's how to use advanced search:

1. Click the ‘Advanced search’ link at the top of the eBay home page (next to the ‘Search’ button).

2. Choose what you want to search for by clicking the links on the left side of the page.

3. Enter your main search term.

4. Enter additional words to include or exclude from your search.

5. Choose from the other options to narrow your search further.

To find out more about using advanced search, go to:

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/search/advanced-search.html