Refund Postage tickbox - new?

I had a buyer who opened a case saying she bought the wrong item and requested a return to which I approved. The item was purchased at $34.99 + $8.99 postage. I received the item back and went to the case to refund her. First option was something about work out with your buyer regarding return postage costs, which looked suspicious as I had already done that and she had already paid for the return postage.

 

So I picked Option 2, which said refund your buyer and buyer keeps the item (I just wanted to refund, the buyer already returned the item, so I didn't care what it said). I was then brought to a screen where it asked for confirmation - Refund your buyer in full $34.99, and under it there is a tickbox saying Refund Postage $8.99. It was unticked as a default.

 

Is this tickbox a new thing? I have never seen it before. Previously if you want to refund buyers minus the postage you'd have to do it through PayPal. If this is a new functionality, then Bravo, ebay! May this be the start of your long journey to wind back all those Rip-The-Seller-Off-Royally policies!

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Re: Refund Postage tickbox - new?


@melbourneclearancewrote:

 

 

Is this tickbox a new thing?


No - as far as I'm aware, it's always been there when the buyer wants to return an item for a change of mind. eBay actually divides it among the number of items in an order as well - or at least, they do when I have a buyer return something as a COM, since they only pay one lot of postage for any number of items. (eg say postage is $5 for any number of items and the buyer bought 5, as far as eBay is concerned that is $1 P&H per item so if they return one as COM, then the optional postage refund will be $1. Same goes with INAD if only one item in an order is disputed. The order details and my postage discounts are set up for all subsequent items after the first to be $0, but in a request situation, postage is allocated to each item). 

 

It only becomes non-optional when they open a INAD instead, as then you have to issue a full refund (unless the buyer agrees to a partial). 

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Re: Refund Postage tickbox - new?

Oh, thanks, dg. In that case I take back the ebay bravo bit, still same old same old.

 

This demonstrates once more that there is no point offering Free Postage. I take it this tickbox does not appear when the item is free postage?

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Re: Refund Postage tickbox - new?

I don't think so, as technically only item price is charged and a full refund is due on that if it's returned (with eBay now doing away with the option to charge a restocking fee, there might be a few sellers who switch back to charging postage separately).

 

I was always a little bemused by the option to refund postage costs appearing in COM returns or being forced to refund an apportioned amount for it on INAD requests in multiple item orders, since my offer is pay postage for one item and the rest are free post. I generally would have considered $0 postage due back on an item that was technically free post. Smiley Frustrated Thankfully, most of the time I've had to do it, it's added a relatively small amount to the refund ($1.50 or less)

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