Buyer has been refunded but not sent item back, is this right?

[Catsu]

I sold some kids dungarees. They are a fancy brand and are 'designer distressed' denim. Clearly shown in more than one photo.
Buyer complained when he received them about the 'worn' denim and asked for a refund.
I explained that I don't normally offer refunds and the distressed look was part of the design of the garment but as a goodwill gesture I would refund full amount minus postage costs if he sent it back.
He said no and opened a case with eBay telling them that I had tried to disguise the worn denim by sewing a patch on!? There are several badges sewn on the dungarees as part of the design, again clearly shown in the photos!

eBay have closed the case and refunded the buyer the full amount including postage (that I paid!) and he still has the dungarees! Is this right?
How will I get them back? I'm sure the buyer (who does not seem the most reasonable of people and has already threatened negative feedback) will not pay to send them back! Have I lost the money, the item and prob got neg feedback all at once through no fault of my own??

[coffeewhitenosugar]

Hi, I don't understand this - I once bought a dress on ebay and when it arrived it had bits missing and was filthy so I contacted the seller and eventually a case was raised as they hadnt responded, then I had to return the item at my own expense - recorded delivery and only when they had received the item and registered it as received did i get a refund, and i had a deadline to return it by! So it seems completely different to what happened to you. i did sell some curtains once and the buyer claimed they never received them so i had to refund them even though i had proof of posting etc, doesn't seem very fair in any of these cases really. Hope you manage to sort yours out though and get the dungarees back.

[fergoose]

Was it a no fault refund where eBay refunded from their own money, or has the buyer actually had your money refunded?

I would talk to Live Help if I were you.

[80sbabe]

Did you respond to the case ?
Usually Ebay will ask the buyer to return the item and for you as the seller to refund upon return of the item.
I cannot imagine a scenario where they refund the buyer without either that agreement in place or no contact from the seller.

I had a similar situation once where a buyer didn't like an item - I asked for it to be returned tracked (and would refund the extra postage) but it never arrived back.
The buyer was new to ebay and they refunded as a goodwill gesture without it affecting me - they could see from correspondence that the item had not been sent back.

I do feel for you though as it seems at times you can describe the item perfectly and it is as stated but the buyer has mis-understood or it isn't what they expected and it all gets frustrating.

I would speak to ebay and find out what the situation is. If they have not deducted it from your paypal account then don't worry. If they have then they should not have done so without the item being returned.

[Catsu]

Thanks for the advice! I've been looking into the details a bit more and it does seem as though ebay has refunded them out of their own money!
I've never heard of this before and dont understand why they do it! but will leave it at that seeing as I'm not out of pocket!

[fergoose]

It's called a no fault refund. The buyer doesn't lose out and the seller doesn't get a black mark against their name. Keeps everyone happy.