Any experience with partial return/refund on "that" site

[valdas]

OK, some time ago I posted my experience with M4 Summicron DR purchase on ebay. The lens was not as described to put it politely, but I liked the camera. This M4 is really nice... So, I opened the return request, but asked the seller if he can take only the lens and pay me back the agreed amount and I would keep the camera. We agreed on the amount.

Now comes the tricky (maybe) part - it's easy with the partial refund when nothing is sent back, or when the full refund is issued when everything is sent back - the seller accepts the return request and I post the item. In my case the return is technically not accepted, because we agreed I only send back the lens. Of course, all correspondence is under the opened return case, so ebay can see it. Nevertheless - is it safe to send back the item (surely - with the tracking and insurance)? Let's say, the seller receives the lens and does not refund me - is this correspondence under the open case is sufficient for ebay/paypal to step in and refund me (considering "accept return" button was not pushed by the seller)?

And it's needless to say - I tried to check it directly with ebay, but their support system is based on artificial (un)intelligence, so I basically can't reach them.
Any similar experience?
P.S. It is UK version of ebay.

 

[davidswiss]

It depends what presence the seller has on ebay. If he is a regular then his feedback is very important to him and he wont want disputes involving ebay itself. As he seems to have behaved reasonably so far I would be inclined to return the lens and expect the refund. If he has none of the above I might be inclined to request a meet half way and make the exchange in person.

 

[valdas]

It depends what presence the seller has on ebay. If he is a regular then his feedback is very important to him and he wont want disputes involving ebay itself. As he seems to have behaved reasonably so far I would be inclined to return the lens and expect the refund. If he has none of the above I might be inclined to request a meet half way and make the exchange in person.

He’s not very active - less than 30 sales/feedbacks, but all legit and some expensive items among it. He sounds honest, but I am exloring the worst case scenario just in case. Meeting half way is not an option - he is in the different part of Europe.

 

[joe bosak]

I would get ebay's advice. I'm not sure why you say it's based on AI, seems very clearly real people when I've contacted them [though you probably have to get through their chatbot level first].

 

[punkzter]

My hunch is that Paypal will have you covered even if ebay doesn't.

 

[valdas]

I would get ebay's advice. I'm not sure why you say it's based on AI, seems very clearly real people when I've contacted them [though you probably have to get through their chatbot level first].

Chatbot, I give my case, then it says sorry can’t help with ebay UK and then directs to FAQs or community...

 

[dinis77]

The phone number is quite hard to find, but there is a way to phone eBay and talk to a live person. I was able to talk to someone to resolve an issue. Best of luck!

 

[Godfrey]

Personally, I find it best to presume honesty and good will first, but with the aim of covering your butt in case the transaction goes sour. Document what your exchange discussion is, document the item you're returning, it's packaging, and get a receipt from the carrier that you're shipping through. Track it through the return process, and document when it is delivered. Hold all of the aside until you get your money, and, in all likelihood, you will just shred/delete it all when the business is completed.

Why worry without cause? If the seller has communicated well, agreed to the partial refund after return of the lens, just do it and hope for the best. Get angry and fix it if it doesn't work.

G

 

[splitimageview]

Post your own ebay listing for the lens, which he buys. You're both protected as sellers and buyers. You both agree to cancel the lens transaction after he receives it and is satisfied. This negates the seller fees on the lens.

 

[joe bosak]

The phone number is quite hard to find, but there is a way to phone eBay and talk to a live person. I was able to talk to someone to resolve an issue. Best of luck!

exactly, either phone like that or via chat messaging you can get a real person - done it a few times this year already when weird things happened like an empty box arriving from one seller [who insisted I return it.... bizarre...].

 

[Forest_rain]

What I would do, is create a return request and get a label from ebay for your return. Not only is that cheaper because you get label discounts on ebay, it's easier and seems more "legit" than paying for postage and sending via an "unofficial" way.


The worst thing that could happen is the seller could give you a partial refund and complain item "not in original condition" since you sent part of the item back, but you documented everything in the return request, so it seems like it shouldn't be a problem.


Problems might arise if you use your own label and don't go through the official ebay channels.


I'd call ebay and ask them. Usually they are pretty much scripted and refer you to FAQ written stuff on their site, probably the call center is outsourced, but it's always good to check.

 

[valdas]

What I would do, is create a return request and get a label from ebay for your return. Not only is that cheaper because you get label discounts on ebay, it's easier and seems more "legit" than paying for postage and sending via an "unofficial" way.


The worst thing that could happen is the seller could give you a partial refund and complain item "not in original condition" since you sent part of the item back, but you documented everything in the return request, so it seems like it shouldn't be a problem.


Problems might arise if you use your own label and don't go through the official ebay channels.


I'd call ebay and ask them. Usually they are pretty much scripted and refer you to FAQ written stuff on their site, probably the call center is outsourced, but it's always good to check.

Ebay labels do not exist for the countries in question.
I have already posted the lens. I assume the person is honest and in the worst case it’s all documented. We will see. The pain is that those days what used to take one week now takes one month, so - long waiting time...