Why I now accept every return - even the unreasonable ones
Refusing a buyer-remorse return can turn a policy win into a bank chargeback where the seller loses the money, the item, and a fee.
What happened
This is not “the customer is always right.” It is risk control.
A buyer bought a PlayStation Portal from me and then messaged that they had bought the wrong item and wanted to return it. My listing was no-return, and this was buyer’s remorse, not a real item-not-as-described problem. Under eBay rules, I did not have to accept that return, so I declined it.
The buyer went around eBay and filed a bank chargeback as item not as described. I challenged it, but the bank still sided with the buyer. eBay also charged me a chargeback fee.
After calling and complaining to a human rep, I got back only the seller fee and the chargeback fee. I was busy and ended up eating the rest of the loss.
That taught me the difference between being right under the rules and winning the outcome. Once a determined buyer wants to return something, refusing does not always protect the sale. It can push the dispute into the bank system, where I can end up with no money, no item, and a fee.
Now, when a buyer wants to return, I accept the return and get the item back first. Then I decide whether the refund should be full, partial, or nothing based on what comes back and how the buyer handled it.
The red flags
The signals below are the ones that mattered in this case.
- No-return listing
- Buyer-remorse return request
- Buyer is insistent after the return is declined
- Bank chargeback filed as item not as described
- Chargeback fee added on top of the lost sale
What to do
I always accept the return first so I can get the goods back in my hands.
No return does not mean I can refuse a determined buyer and walk away clean. It means that after the buyer is compensated, I may not be required to get the item back. If I refuse, the buyer can go to their bank and file an INAD chargeback, where eBay's no-return policy no longer protects me and banks favor the cardholder.
After the item comes back, I decide the refund amount based on the condition, completeness, and whether the buyer acted in good faith: full refund, partial refund, or none. I do not try to win the policy argument so hard that I lose the money, the item, and a fee.
Save this for the next time a buyer feels off.
Sources
- The site owner's own experience