eBay Refunds - almost now impossible

AdrianCH

If anyone knows how to get a refund off eBay please let me know - I've been round and round in circles trying to find the option, it keeps asking me to contact seller which is what I've done about 4/5 times now and they're just making excuses and fobbing me off, probably waiting for some timer to kick in so I cant get a refund anymore or something

Either way eBay is making it harder and harder to get a refund, like most big companies these days they fob you off into chatting with the seller (who doesnt listen) or forums for support from anyone who isnt them so its cheap for them but expensive and time consuming for us

Also its been like 28 days now so surely I'm due by now its obviously not coming, Amazon would've given me a refund in 1st or 2nd day - this eBay stuff is archaic so just a whinge and a warning, thankfully its like £6 but I'd be really upset if it was a big amount and an important purchase (present etc) - anyway watch out!

JetpackVelociraptor

If you know how, it's really simple to get your money back from any eBay seller if the item you bought hasn't arrived. But much like me last time I had to do something similar through Amazon, if you don't know how, it's probably pretty tricky!

1. You need to check the estimated delivery date for your order. Look at the email you got from eBay when you paid for it, when does it say the item should have arrived? If it's now past the date when it should have arrived, you can open an "item not received" claim. If it's not been that long yet all you can do is wait until it has passed.

2. Here's a link to eBay's help page that talks you through the process. You should see the item you've purchased that hasn't arrived yet on the screen, then it will lead you through the process step by step: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/returns-refunds/get-help-item-hasnt-arrived

The way it works is pretty straightforward - you report the item as "not received" and this opens an "item not received" case against the seller. The seller will be asked for either proof that the item is delivered or to issue a refund. If the seller doesn't respond within 3 working days you can ask eBay to step in. At that point, you should receive a full refund.

The time limit for being able to claim a refund via an "item not received" case is 30 calendar days from the estimated delivery date. So if the estimated delivery date was today, you'd have until the 22nd/23rd to open the case. If the seller is asking you to wait, and eBay customer services are telling you to contact the seller, it sounds like the item just has a very long dispatch and delivery time.

Next time you buy off eBay, if there is a next time, make sure you check what the "estimated delivery date" is on the listing before you buy. You'll see this on the item page when you click the item title, underneath the buy it now button and next to the word "postage".

AdrianCH

Hi, thanks, unfortunately that link doesnt work for me, and I logged into eBay to be sure, but I do find it hard as keeps pushing me back to seller and they clearly aren't sending, the delivery (I always check that for sneaky overseas sellers that lie about location) was only 3 days, so way past that, and they keep saying they're sending, sending, checking, speaking to dispatch (yeah think he's a loan trader) and promising to send but it never comes they're just messing me about, I have a 'not received' case open but its just sat there waiting for the seller again but I cannot request a refund through it - only button option I have is 'close case' but I cant as its not arrived nor had a refund so cant close - anyway thanks for advice I'm going to persist as they're now just plain hacking me off so I'm in obstinate mode and just thankful it wasn't a big spend

AdrianCH

great username by the way!

JetpackVelociraptor

Thanks! If you already have a case open against the seller then that link won't do anything for you. When you say the delivery was only 3 days, was that the "estimated delivery date" given on the purchase confirmation email? Because if it's the bit that comes up when you click the "postage and payment" tab on the item description it doesn't actually mean anything, that part doesn't take into account the sellers dispatch time and only shows you what service they're using.

I've run into this as a seller, some things I sell take a couple of weeks to organise as they're bulky/delicate and have to be delivered into the inside of the customers' address, but the delivery service after dispatch is only 2 working days. We've had a few customers get confused and expect delivery within 2 days of purchase because of the way eBay shows the information on the "postage and payment" tab.

Just having the case open means you're requesting a refund or the item itself. To the best of my knowledge there is no button to request a refund, it happens automatically if/when the case times out without the seller resolving the problem. If they haven't provided tracking info or a refund within 3 working days of opening the case you should be given the option to escalate it to eBay, I think they literally give a link for you to "ask eBay to step in". How long has the case been open? If you're not sure what is going on, you may get a better response by phoning eBay customer service about it. They should be able to tell you what is happening now and what you should do next. Whatever the seller says, do not click the "close case" button unless and until you actually receive the item you purchased!

eBay customer service chat is a bit hit and miss but the phone support is, usually, better. Especially if you call them during business hours and not at lunch time or evenings. If you find yourself talking to an automated message/robot just keep repeating "I need to talk to an agent" or "I need to talk to a human being" and that usually does the trick.