Seller issued refund before I sent item back.

The item is damaged and the seller was cool and accepted the return and gave sent me a return label to print out but also issued the refund even before I sent it back. Because they were cool I sent it back but it got me thinking: What recourse would a seller(usually me) have if I issued a refund and then the buyer never sent the item back?

They certainly would curse you.

The AKK said:

The item is damaged and the seller was cool and accepted the return and gave sent me a return label to print out but also issued the refund even before I sent it back. Because they were cool I sent it back but it got me thinking: What recourse would a seller(usually me) have if I issued a refund and then the buyer never sent the item back?

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It probably depends on the price. How much did it cost?

In this case $60

There's still hope for humanity.

What could they have done? Are they near you, same country? If so, they can sue you. In some legislations they could file a formal complaint, either with a bank or even police. If they're across the globe, probably nothing.

I just thought if there was recourse through Ebay then I would start doing this because it would encourage positive feedback. But don't want to be left holding the bag...

big ebay sellers do this with CHEAP items because your feedback is more valuable than the item
you say it was $30 but they likely paid much less for it

Only do this if you sell cheap stuff that you dont mind losing and need positive feedback

I have actually spoke directly to eBay regarding this matter.

A physical item I shipped to a buyer didn't work as they needed it to and it was down to my description and my responsibility.

I asked the eBay rep if I can send the refund before I receive the item back to save me time and keep it sweet.
eBay told me not to do this and I should wait for them to send the item back and wait for it to arrive, they said that it is on me and they would not be able to do anything much if I refund before receiving the item. and it never arrives

So basically there is very little the seller could do, this is partly because the customer might not have obtained proof of postage because well they normally buy stuff not post stuff so maybe doesn't know to do this. Then they could say I have sent it and its just your word against there's so they have to go with the customer and refund is required regardless if the item was actually returned or not.

eBay made it very clear that as a seller I should always wait for the customer to send the item back and wait for it to arrive before I issue the refund.
Some sellers will refund sooner because the customer can get annoyed already at having to repost return something then wait for a refund, and the seller might just not want to neg feedback.

So yeah short answer is:
If the seller refunds before receiving the return item, then there's not much at all the seller can do if they dont get the item.

Thx @Ftr that clears things up. So I guess anything 5 or less I could just eat the rare time someone didn't send it back and just avoid neg feedback and hopefully get positive feedback.

When I use to sell cheap items. If I got a complaint I would always issue a refund and tell them to dispose of the item because of the cost of postage sometimes it was not worth me paying it.

We usually do this on amazon store. To avoid any negative review or feedback. Sometimes buyers are dumb and would give us a 1 star if we do not refund within 1-2 days of there return request. 1 negative review can lower sales of your best selling product by 80% . So its better to lose 60$ than lose a product making you 600$ a day

yeah u should only refund when you receive the item regardless if its a cheap item or not. if you dont, itll just cause the buyer to do more of this to sellers hoping for freebies

The AKK said:

The item is damaged and the seller was cool and accepted the return and gave sent me a return label to print out but also issued the refund even before I sent it back. Because they were cool I sent it back but it got me thinking: What recourse would a seller(usually me) have if I issued a refund and then the buyer never sent the item back?

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wont work.

ebay will be on your arse for life .

you will be asked eventually by ebay for the post office stamp or drop off recept .

give it back ,you return already been paid via ebay.

you was givin the refund in good faith, if the item didnt have to be returned a ticket wouldn't of been issued from ebay.

are you really that low.

are you admitting your a thift?

or are you going to be a good guy so we can all know trust you agin.!

your move ......

like what i have said above .......

your cool if you really sent it back.

you can get a bad name for your self if your conning others.

redarrow said:

wont work.

ebay will be on your arse for life .

you will be asked eventually by ebay for the post office stamp or drop off recept .

give it back ,you return already been paid via ebay.

you was givin the refund in good faith, if the item didnt have to be returned a ticket wouldn't of been issued from ebay.

are you really that low.

are you admitting your a thift?

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He already said he sent it back in the original post.

The AKK said:

The item is damaged and the seller was cool and accepted the return and gave sent me a return label to print out but also issued the refund even before I sent it back. Because they were cool I sent it back but it got me thinking: What recourse would a seller(usually me) have if I issued a refund and then the buyer never sent the item back?

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Depends on product type, price, experience of seller and the sales volume he's making daily. This is a common practice among big chunk of dropshippers, and also among those who're already playing big since they care more for feedback than a few bucks.

the mistake was the seller was to trust worvy and not business minded .