What to do when you don't receive your item or it's not as described

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What to do when you don't receive your item or it's not as described

In this article
	Talk to the seller Work it out in our Resolution Center We contact the seller The seller responds Keep communicating Close the case Leave Feedback Questions?

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.

1.

Talk to the seller

If you haven't received your item yet, first check the tracking information if it's been provided. You may receive this when your seller ships the item. You can also check the seller's questions and answers. To do this, click the Seller info link in the item listing. If you don't see your answer, click the Contact seller button to send a message.

Most problems can be solved by direct communication between buyers and sellers. Communicate with your seller directly to try to resolve the problem. If you try to contact the seller by email but don’t receive a response, you can request the seller’s contact information and call or email them directly.

If you can’t resolve the problem, use the steps described here.

2.

Work it out in our Resolution Center

If you can't work things out directly with the seller, you can open a case at eBay's Resolution Center. If you paid with PayPal, you can open a case at the PayPal Resolution Center.

PayPal Resolution Center

If you paid for your item using PayPal, go to the PayPal Resolution Center to open your case. This is the first step in filing a claim for coverage under PayPal's Buyer Protection program.

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.

Important: The resolution process for PayPal claims is different than the process for non-PayPal cases, which is described in the rest of this article. To open a PayPal case, go to the PayPal Resolution Center. To learn more about PayPal claims, read about the PayPal resolution process.

eBay Resolution Center

eBay Resolution Center creates a dialogue between you and the seller, and tracks your case for you.

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.

Timing is important

Be aware of the timing for opening and closing cases. (If you paid by credit card, be aware of your card company's policies too.)

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.

Opening a case

Timeline: 10 to 45 days from when you paid for your item.

Here’s a link to the Resolution Center. You can also access the Resolution Center by clicking the Resolution Center link at the bottom of most eBay pages. Another option is to access the Resolution Center from your listing in My eBay. If you use this method, your item number will be filled in on the form for you:

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.

3.

We contact the seller

Timeline: Right after you open a case at the Resolution Center.

After you’ve opened your case at the Resolution Center, we contact the seller, let them know you've opened a case with them about your purchase, and encourage them to communicate with you within the next 10 days. We also display an alert for 14 days whenever the seller signs on, reminding them to contact you if they haven't yet. Most of the time, this resolves the case before you have to take further steps.

4.

The seller responds

Timeline: The seller has 10 days to respond.

When the seller responds to your case, you’ll be notified by email. Here’s how the seller can respond:

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	I’d like to communicate with the buyer to resolve this case. The seller can then post a message to you. 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.

5.

Keep communicating

Timeline: Until the problem is resolved or 90 days, whichever comes first.

After the seller responds, you can talk with him or her through the Resolution Center until you reach an agreement and can close the case or find you can't resolve the issue and need to close the case.

6.

Close the case

Timeline: Up to 90 days from the date of purchase.

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).

To close the case:

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.

7.

Leave Feedback

Being involved in a case through our Resolution Center doesn't automatically affect Feedback scores for the buyer or seller.

After you close a case, we encourage you to leave Feedback about the transaction. Please be fair and factual. This makes others members aware of your experience and helps keep eBay a safe place to buy and sell.

Questions?

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.

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