New partial refund option on auto-accepted returns

From late March, sellers using managed payments will have more flexibility to resolve return requests by making it possible to offer a partial-refund even when eBay auto-accepted the return. This can help you save money on postage costs if you don’t want items returned.

In most cases today, when buyers open a return request in line with sellers’ return policies we automatically accept the return. 

With this update, sellers using managed payments will be able to offer partial refunds to buyers even if eBay automatically accepted a buyer’s return request. You can make the offer as long as the buyer hasn’t posted the item. Once the buyer posts the item, you won’t be able to offer a partial refund using the new Refund Options button.

From late March, when you receive a return request you’ll see a new button in the Return flows titled Refund Options. This links to a screen where you have the option to offer a partial  or full refund to the buyer. Once your buyer accepts the offer, the return request will then close. Please note, you should not expect the item back once your buyer has accepted a partial refund offer.

There is no action required from you for these changes.

Can the buyer ship the item to me before I get the chance to offer a partial refund?

Yes. After automatically accepting a return, we immediately provide a return label for the buyer and they can post it back to you. You can offer a partial refund using the new Refund Options button up until the point we see that the buyer has posted the item.

Can I still issue a partial refund if a buyer returns the item to me in a different condition? 

Yes. This update will not affect the ability of eligible sellers to issue a partial refund if an item is returned to the seller in a different condition than the original. For more information on this, click here.