Am I responsible for my buyer's mistake?

So a while ago, I sold a camera on ebay for like $89. The buyer then contacted me after receiving the item saying she wanted a refund because the camera is "too complex" for her.

So, I just said sure, send it back and i'll give you a refund. So she opens a case blah blah blah, and ships me the item. Once I recieve the item, I send her a PM on eBay telling her I received the item and will be refunding her when I get home from work/class.

So I get home and check eBay, and it says she canceled/closed the case without receiving her funds. And she PMs me asking where her refund is. Now for some reason, I cannot refund her since the case is closed and you can't re-open cases you've already "resolved."

So am I responsible for her not receiving the refund? Please tell me your opinions.

 

Simple answer, if she closed the case you're obviously not at fault. You had no control over her actions, however i do believe they hold you responsible for making a claim of refunding her without doing so. I recommend gathering contact information from her and refunding her by a different means.

 

No She defaulted by closing the case. Ebay is very strict on how things work. Since she didn't follow the correct procedure she is now void of her money. So legally you are 100% justified in keeping the money and the camera. Just depends on how you feel morally.

 

no they don't go read there rules and regulations. You can not send or obtain money outside of ebay doing so is against the ebay t.o.s any outside method of payment is not support by ebay. Please don't state things without knowing anything about ebay lol. No outside payments is 101 of ebay

 

As a college student, yet a small business owner, i think i have a bit more experience than you do.

eBay is not outside the law, although it is used as a means to barter, the law still applies. If the merchant agrees to a refund he is responsible for returning the money back to the consumer (as long as the consumer returns the product minus damages).

Don't forget, eBay is not going to be at your defense come court.

Thee stupidest, most incorrect statement I've ever read.

 

That is correct, if the person selling the good agrees to a refund, while the consumer sends the product back regardless of accidentally closing the case or not, as long as the product is not damaged it is your responsibility to find a way to process the money.

 

My first thought on this is why she bought a camera without doing her research first. IT is not your fault in that regard. But as far as the current situation, I would do what I could to get the money back to her. Even if you have to manually process the funds back to her.

 

That is a horrible idea, I wouldn't do anything outside of ebay. Technically you weren't even responsible to refund her for the camera in the first place, you're doing all you can to help her out as it is.


If you really feel the need to refund her the money I suggest contacting ebay customer support or something and telling them the situation and that you'd like the case reopened/have her do the same. The last thing you want is to refund her outside of ebay and have the case reopened somehow etc.

 

If he agreed to refund her, she sends the product back, he's responsible.

 

I was referring to in the first place, he could have just told her too bad you already bought it. Now my advice to him is to work it out through e-bay and not take it off site.

 

What funny is you are wrong. By closing the case she is forfeit. Iv been selling and buying on ebay for a long time and have a great record. Being a small business owner doesn't mean you know anything about ebay lol. Iv had similar things happen to me. There is no backing to be taken to court since she closed the case her self knowing she had no refund and no camera. Meaning she is forfeit of both. Please i beg you to go read ebay's rules before spewing fiction. He can't be taken to court.

 

Also from someone who suggested an outside payment The stupidest advice you could ever give on ebay. Just by you saying that it shows you know nothing about ebay lol. Everything you say is void because of that statement. Gf kid

 

Just send her the camera back, there's nothing you can do about a cash refund now. She will eventually do research and learn how to use the camera, if she really needs it.

 

copy and pasted straight from ebay. If they find in favor of the buyer and you haven't had a chance to refund they will do it and just add it to your monthly bill. If They don't find in favor of the buyer then you are free and clear to keep both. So you have nothing to fear just keep both and wait for ebay to sort it out.

If eBay finds in favor of a buyer on a case, and the seller hasn't already refunded the buyer, eBay will reimburse the buyer and recover the amount of the reimbursement from the seller's PayPal account or through another reimbursement payment method provided by the seller to eBay.

 

You can't do this ether. Then she can claim against him and get the camera and the money. Damn people you need to learn more about ebay before you post advice.

 

Transactions outside of eBay aren't eligible for our features and services, including our buyer protection programs, Feedback, requests for another member's contact information, and the ability to appeal unpaid items.

We don't allow members to solicit buying or selling items outside of eBay. See our policy on offers to buy or sell outside of eBay for more information.

 

I have to agree with paypalwiz(plus what I already said). The best solution is to resolve it THROUGH ebay, anything else could end unfavorably.