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We want you to be happy with your buying experience. If you don't receive an item you paid for, or you receive an item that's not as described in the listing, we're here to help with guidelines and tools for resolution, as well as PayPal Buyer Protection.
You can open a case in the PayPal Resolution Center up to 45 days after your PayPal payment.
You can also get to your PayPal case for your eBay purchase from the eBay Resolution Center.
You can only open a case through the specific eBay country site where you’ve purchased the item.
If you bought the item as a guest, you'll need to register to open a case.
You can open a case in the Resolution Center 10-45 days after the sale for payment outside of PayPal
The seller has up to 10 days to respond to your case.
You need to close your case up to 90 days after the end of the transaction.
If your case isn't resolved, your trading partner is reported to the Trust and Safety team.
If you don't close the case within 90 days, it's closed automatically, and your trading partner isn't reported to the Trust and Safety team.
Once your case is closed by you or eBay, you can't reopen it.
Go to My eBay.
Click the Won view.
Find your listing and select "Resolve a problem" from the pull-down menu.
The Resolution Center – Resolve a problem form appears
Select your problem and click the Continue button.
Sign in to your account. The Report an item not received or not as described form appears.
If you get to the Resolution Center from your listing, your item number is already filled in.
If you get there another way, enter your item number.
Click the Continue button.
Under Tell us how you paid for this item, select the payment method you used.
If you select PayPal, you'll be redirected to the PayPal Resolution Center. You'll still be able to view your PayPal case from the eBay Resolution Center.
If you select another method, describe the method and click the Continue button.
Under Please review the case details, review your case and click Open Case.
The Your case is now open page appears and tells you that your trading partner has been notified and has 10 days to respond.
You can track or end the case at the Resolution Center.
Issue
Possible seller responses
Item not received
I’d like to communicate with the buyer to resolve this case.
The seller can then post a message to you. For your case to be fully tracked, you need to keep all communication within the Resolution Center.
I haven’t received the payment or the payment has not yet cleared.
You can provide information to the seller about your payment method.
I already shipped the item.
If the item has already shipped, the seller should provide shipping details in their response.
I’d like to offer the buyer a full refund.
The seller can offer to return your payment.
The seller may not respond at all.
If the seller doesn't respond, you can close the case and report the seller to the eBay Trust and Safety team. See 6. Close the case for more about this.
Item significantly not as described
The seller can then post a message to you.
If you close the case, or the 90 days expires and we automatically close it, you can’t reopen it and you can’t open another case for this purchase.
When a case is closed automatically, the seller isn't automatically reported to eBay Trust and Safety team.
You can report the seller to the Trust and Safety team if the seller doesn’t respond within 10 days, or any time after the seller responds (for example, if they respond inappropriately).
Go to the Resolution Center and log in to your case.
Select one of the following options to close the case.
Option
What happens next
My concerns have been resolved – I want to close the case
The problem is resolved if you've received the item and it's as described, or you've received a refund.
My concerns haven’t been resolved – I want to report this seller to the eBay Trust and Safety team.
The Trust and Safety team is alerted. Possible actions against the seller may include: restriction or suspension of the seller's account, listing cancellation, forfeit of fees, selling fee schedule adjustments, loss of PowerSeller status, or referral to law enforcement.
Question
Answer
When can I open a case?
You can open your case 10-45 days from the purchase date. During the waiting period, we encourage you to try to resolve the problem directly with the seller.
What if the item was purchased using PayPal?
PayPal transactions are covered differently than other eBay transactions. You'll open your case at PayPal's Resolution Center. If you paid for the item using PayPal, you have up to 45 days from the purchase date to open a case.
How long does the seller have to respond to a case?
The seller must respond within 10 days from the time we notify him or her of the case.
What if I indicate that the problem isn’t resolved or the seller doesn’t respond to the case within 10 days?
If the seller doesn't respond, you can close the case. Your unresolved case is referred to the eBay Trust and Safety team, who may take action against the seller's account.
Can I get my money back?
Purchases made with PayPal are protected by PayPal’s Buyer Protection Program. If you paid by credit card, ask your credit card company about their buyer protection program.
How long can a case remain open?
Cases remain open 90 days from the date of purchase. If you don’t close the case within 90 days, it's closed automatically.
If you're looking for more help or have a question to ask, please contact us.
Have a question? We can help.
Get help from other eBay members. Visit the Answer Center to post a question.
eBay's role when you need to resolve a problem
Resolving transaction problems in our Resolution Center
About our buyer protection programs
Seller performance standards policy