What actually happens when you open a return
The process from the seller's side, so you know what to expect, what to photograph, and where it usually goes wrong.
Buyers often avoid opening a case because they imagine an argument. In practice it is mostly a form, and
knowing how it looks from the other side makes it go faster.
THE TWO KINDS OF RETURN, WHICH ARE NOT THE SAME THING
"Not as described" means the item is different from the listing — broken, missing something, wrong model,
undisclosed damage. The seller pays the return postage, and eBay's Money Back Guarantee covers you even
on a listing that says no returns.
"Changed my mind" means you simply do not want it. Whether that is accepted depends on the seller's own
returns policy, and you usually pay the postage back. Both are legitimate. Choosing the right one matters
because picking the wrong one is what makes a straightforward return turn into a dispute.
WHAT TO DO IN THE FIRST HOUR
Photograph the parcel before you open it fully, then the item, then the specific fault, then the packaging
it came in. Four sets of pictures, taken before you handle it much. Almost every return that goes badly
goes badly because the evidence was gathered after the argument started.
MESSAGE THE SELLER FIRST, BRIEFLY
One short message — what you received, what the problem is, one photo — resolves most of these within a
day. Most small sellers would far rather sort it privately than have a case opened, and many will offer a
partial refund on the spot if you would rather keep the item.
Keep it on eBay. Not out of loyalty to eBay: a conversation in eBay's messages is evidence if you need
it later, and one that moved to email or WhatsApp is not.
IF IT DOES NOT GET SORTED
Open the case through eBay rather than through your card provider first. A chargeback goes over eBay's
head, takes longer, and removes the protection you already had.
WHAT A GOOD SELLER LOOKS LIKE HERE
They answer within a day, they do not argue about the photographs, and they do not ask you to accept a
partial refund for something that is simply broken. A seller who does all three is worth going back to —
and worth saying so about, which is the whole point of following the ones you buy from.