eBay refund not received despite packing video and return | Members help members

jfb-40 · 2026-04-02T19:01:44.468000Z

Hi everyone,I urgently need help/experiences, because as a private seller I’m currently losing 600€ and, from my point of view, eBay is not seriously looking at the evidence. Initial situation:Private sale of a DDR5 RAM kit (600€) (item ID: 389461119821). The listing had several detailed photos.Additional info: The buyer is from Croatia. I had actually only offered shipping within Germany, but he used a German delivery address/forwarding service (the parcel was delivered to a shipping/forwarding company in Germany). Buyer complaint:Soon after receiving it, the buyer reports:one stick „missing a capacitor“the other stick „burn marks“both would not be recognizedHe sends photos with red markings. I compare this with my listing/original photos: In my photos, the relevant SMD components are visibly present/intact. My evidence (very important):I have a video of packing and closing/sealing the shipping box. It clearly shows the RAM sticks intact before packing. eBay decision / refund:Despite the note about additional photos + packing video, the case was closed and eBay initiated a full refund (600€) to the buyer on 13.02.2026 and billed it to me. Return supposedly delivered – but not to me:According to eBay/tracking, the return shipment was supposedly delivered, but I have not received any parcel.And I even have an objective technical clue for this: I can’t start a DHL POD/inquiry request for the shipment because DHL asks for the recipient postal code, and my correct postal code is being rejected. The DHL form basically says:„The postal code does not match that of the recipient.“This means: This tracking number does not match my recipient postal code/return address. So it may have been „delivered“ – but to a different postal code/address. Experience with eBay support (main problem):I have contacted eBay multiple times and over a longer period sent several emails with different pieces of evidence for the condition of the sticks and for not having received the item (text + photos + note about the packing video).However, the replies were basically only boilerplate text every time, along the lines of:„Tracking shows delivered, so it is delivered.“No one addressed the specific evidence (comparison photos / packing video / delivery issue), but instead it was always just „delivered = delivered“.But that is exactly the key point: Yes, delivered – but not to me. It is also contradictory that eBay writes to me in several support replies that the buyer used an eBay return label (which was also charged to me). On the case page, however, this eBay label is shown as unused or has no tracking/status history. At the same time, there is the tracking number eBay support gave me (CU…HR), which, according to DHL, does not match my recipient postal code. So it is unclear to me which label was actually used and where the return was really addressed. DHL reply to the inquiry:I initiated an inquiry on 14.02. DHL later wrote:„Any claim for compensation can generally only be asserted by our contractual partner (holder of the customer number) – unless we have a declaration of assignment. Please therefore contact the liability partner (contractual partner) directly.“Meaning: As the recipient, I can’t get any further because DHL only works with the contractual partner (presumably the buyer or eBay, depending on who generated the return label). Problem summarized:The item was intact before shipping (photos + packing video).eBay still refunds.The return is supposedly „delivered“, but not to me.DHL shows a postal code mismatch; I can’t pull a POD because the recipient postal code is not mine.eBay support ignores this and only repeats „tracking says delivered“.Questions for you:How do you force eBay to do a manual review (not boilerplate), so they request the POD/recipient address internally from the carrier?Have any of you had cases where a return was „delivered“, but to the wrong postal code/address – and how did you resolve it?Thanks everyone. I’m really annoyed. Shipped properly, evidence available, and in the end I’m down 600€ + no item back, and eBay doesn’t care what happened.

Discussions

eBay refund not received despite packing video and return | Members help members | eBay Germany