Refund query.

[jellybirddesigns]

Overseas buyer bought and paid for an item a few hours ago but has since asked to cancel as it was bought by "accident".

Anyway, happy to cancel but I notice that when I go to cancel the order and put in "buyer changed mind", it immediately says it will automatically refund her once I hit the continue button and that I don't have to log in to PP.

I thought the buyer had to first approve the cancellation before the refund could be issued.

I don't mind cutting out the extra step, but wanted to check that I will get my FVF back.

[pennyforum14]

I think if it is within a certain timeframe after purchase it is a much quicker process.  The buyer has a cancellation window in which they can request a cancellation, and if they use that option it cuts out the confirmation stage.

[jensmanchester-australia]

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@moonandstarsshop wrote:

Overseas buyer bought and paid for an item a few hours ago but has since asked to cancel as it was bought by "accident".

Anyway, happy to cancel but I notice that when I go to cancel the order and put in "buyer changed mind", it immediately says it will automatically refund her once I hit the continue button and that I don't have to log in to PP.

I thought the buyer had to first approve the cancellation before the refund could be issued.

I don't mind cutting out the extra step, but wanted to check that I will get my FVF back.

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Yes you will get the FVF back.

[lyndal1838]

The buyer can cancel within an hour of buying and there are no repercussions.

[digital*ghost]

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@moonandstarsshop wrote:

Overseas buyer bought and paid for an item a few hours ago but has since asked to cancel as it was bought by "accident".

Anyway, happy to cancel but I notice that when I go to cancel the order and put in "buyer changed mind", it immediately says it will automatically refund her once I hit the continue button and that I don't have to log in to PP.

I thought the buyer had to first approve the cancellation before the refund could be issued.

I don't mind cutting out the extra step, but wanted to check that I will get my FVF back.

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If you use the "cancel transaction" option via eBay, technically there is no approval step, it just triggers a refund automatically (if the buyer paid), but the buyer will be asked to confirm either they didn't pay, or that they received a refund. Bascially, eBay authorise PayPal to issue a full refund, you're credited your FVF (but not the 30c PayPal flagfall, they keep that no matter what), and the buyer will only be asked to confirm that they received a refund (this is going by how the process seems to work each time I've done it). 

I don't know what happens if the buyer says they didn't receive a refund, but if they don't respond at all, the cancellation just times out after 10 days and the FVF are credited. 

PS Buyers can only request cancellation, they can't cancel transactions themselves - sellers can deny the request if they want to. 

[lyndal1838]

Digi, from a buyer's point of view I was under the impression that if a buyer asked for a cancellation within an hour of the sale the seller could not refuse.

Admittedly this was when the MBG first started and I have never had occasion to actually use it but has it changed or did I read it wrongly?

[digital*ghost]

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@lyndal1838 wrote:

Digi, from a buyer's point of view I was under the impression that if a buyer asked for a cancellation within an hour of the sale the seller could not refuse.

Admittedly this was when the MBG first started and I have never had occasion to actually use it but has it changed or did I read it wrongly?

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The short answer is: the seller always has the option to refuse a cancellation request (though the implications of doing so aren't particularly favourable for them. Basically, the request obliges a seller, but doesn't officially leave them without a choice). 

The option for a buyer to request a cancellation was introduced on the US site towards the end of last year, and as far as I know it has not expanded to other eBay sites as yet (it may well have, I just haven't seen or read anything that indicated it was available outside the US, and the option may appear if you've bought from a US seller). 

I do know that the eBay AU help pages tell buyers to contact sellers directly and ask, but warn they may have to cop a UPI strike if the seller refuses, and the following quote is from the annoucement when the buyer-initiated cancellation request was introduced in the US:

"Previously, buyers had to contact the seller directly in order to request an order cancellation. With the new after-sale experience, buyers can request their own cancellation, as long as it’s within an hour of purchase and the seller hasn’t marked the item as shipped. While a buyer can initiate the cancellation, the seller still has to approve it. If a buyer wishes to cancel an order more than an hour after purchase and the item hasn’t already been marked as shipped, they can still contact the seller directly, in which case the seller has the choice to cancel the order or not. Sellers will also have the option to cancel transactions directly from My eBay instead of the Resolution Center, and if the buyer paid with PayPal, sellers will no longer need to wait for a response from the buyer."

[black*poppy]

I think the system has changed depending on whether the buyer has paid or not through paypal

If the buyer has paid through paypal, then the seller can cancel through ebay without logging into paypal etc... the cancellation is immediate along with fvf credit etc, because ebay KNOWS the refund has occured.  The buyer doesn't have to get a chance confirm anything.

However, if the buyer hasn't paid, ebay can't know if the buyer has paid by other methods, bank transfer etc, so requires confirmation from the buyer that they have been refunded.

**Edited for clarity

[chameleon54]

I had the same thing happen yesterday. I selected "buyer has changed mind or there is a problem with buyers address" option and clicked cancel transaction icon. Recieved an automated message this morning ( some hours later ) saying their paypal payment had been refunded and I would recieve a credit for FVF. It also advised this may take up to 24 hours. It does not look like the buyer had to confirm the cancellation as there was not the usual message saying buyer had agreed to cancel that I normaly get.

[digital*ghost]

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@black*poppy wrote:

I think the system has changed depending on whether the buyer has paid or not through paypal

If the buyer has paid through paypal, then the seller can cancel through ebay without logging into paypal etc... the cancellation is immediate along with fvf credit etc, because ebay KNOWS the refund has occured.  The buyer doesn't have to get a chance confirm anything.

However, if the buyer hasn't paid, ebay can't know if the buyer has paid by other methods, bank transfer etc, so requires confirmation from the buyer that they have been refunded.

**Edited for clarity

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The last couple of cancellations I've done via eBay required (or perhaps simply requested) confirmation from the buyer. The items were paid for via PayPal, the cancellations were initiated via eBay (I've been doing that way for a while now, just because it's easier  ), and selected the "buyer changed mind" option.

Each time I advise the buyer that eBay may ask them to confirm they received a refund, and each time - even though I immediately get notice from eBay about the cancelled order - I always get a second notice a little while later when the buyer has confirmed the refund.

The most recent one I did was this Tuesday just gone.