eBay accepted my return, but never sent my refund. Where can I get help?

Christopher Elliott
By Christopher Elliott Chief Advocacy Officer

When Gloria Lenoir received approval from eBay to return a recent purchase, she expected a prompt refund. Instead, the company sent her notification that it had closed her case. How does she get eBay to reopen it?

Question

I recently bought two tubes of Voltaren, a pain medication, through eBay. I paid $29 for the product but decided I could not use it and I asked eBay for return approval after the seller did not respond.

eBay provided a USPS shipping label so I could send back this product. I returned the item to the eBay seller about a month ago but I did not get my refund.

When I tried to enter the USPS tracking number, the eBay website would not accept it. eBay has now closed the case and refused to send my refund. Can you help me? — Gloria Lenoir, Austin, Texas

Read More

What's Your Problem?

Elliott Advocacy is a nonprofit organization that offers free advice and advocacy for consumers. If you need help with any problem, please contact us through this form. We’re always here to help. And don’t forget to sign up for the Elliott Advocacy newsletter!

Get Help

Cruise Fiascos

Latest

Answers

Airline Problems

Popular

If a stranger suddenly sends you money by surprise, should you keep it?

By Michelle Couch-Friedman

If a stranger sends you money by accident, do you have any obligation to give it back? If so, how do you do it without exposing yourself to a scam? And if you transfer money to the wrong person, is there any possible way to fix your mistake?

These are not uncommon dilemmas faced by users of cash apps like Zelle and Venmo in 2021. Along with the increasing popularity and convenience of instant money transfer services came a dramatic rise in pricey user errors. Unfortunately, our attempts to investigate and resolve many of these cases have exposed some disturbing flaws in the programs.

Minh Tran is just one of the many desperate Zelle users who’ve recently asked our team for help. In his case, a stranger’s mistake set off a frustrating and confusing chain of events that almost cost him $360.

Here’s his story.

Travel Troubles

Problem Solved