DH and eBay seller drama, help please

[Boredwithitnonstop]

DH bought a pair branded of trainers on eBay for £60 plus £5 postage.
Upon close look he thinks they are not genuine as some details are well off.
He immediately contacted the seller who agreed to return.
DH opened return case as not described as he wanted all well documented with eBay.
The seller was supposed to pay for the return label but he declined.
DH was very polite as he always is when dealing with people and asked for return label, seller said shoes are real and said he has a receipt from John Lewis.
DH still did not want to keep them and explained this.
EBay decided in DH favour today however seller lost the money and the trainers- ebay told DH either to keep item or send it back but to contact seller to make arrangement.
DH wants to return the trainers but the seller does not want to pay for return label- so does my DH postage which would be £5 as not his fault. Seller now became rude and taking my DH to court.

I don't understand this, if a case is opened as 'not as described' it automatically makes the seller pay for the return, they are not asked for permission, the label is generated automatically and the cost of the label is added onto seller fees.

@ZeroFuchsGiven sadly not.
The seller can decline this. He declined straight away and eBay could not make him to do it.
DH spoke to eBay multiple times in last week about this.
In the end eBay closed the case in DHs favour but DH was still left with the item and the seller refused to pay the postage but he wanted the item. MAD situation.
Anyway I posted it on Monday.

How strange, as an Ebay business seller with over 60k feedback Ive never heard anything like it. Sellers can refuse returns but not for 'not as described' items. Maybe its different for private sellers.

@ZeroFuchsGiven The seller accepted the return but refused to pay the return label. I also thought they would just deduct the labels fee from his account so we could post it back. It would be easier.
I suppose if the seller won’t cooperate then they let the buyer keep the item.

I think the error you made was not using the word 'fake'..

@ZeroFuchsGiven

How strange, as an Ebay business seller with over 60k feedback Ive never heard anything like it. Sellers can refuse returns but not for 'not as described' items. Maybe its different for private sellers.

eBay were happy to let OP keep the item, OP just choose to pay for the return.