When a buyer opens a dispute with their payment institution (for example, their credit card provider or PayPal), the payment institution will inform eBay of the dispute and initiate a process to resolve the dispute with the buyer. eBay will collect information about the transaction and help the seller build evidence to defend the dispute.
The final outcome of the dispute is decided by the payment institution. However, the seller may be eligible for payment dispute seller protections by eBay. For details on how these protections work – which transactions are eligible or excluded, and what sellers need to do – please read our full policy below.
They didn’t receive the item
They don’t recognize the transaction or have an issue with the transaction
The item they received doesn’t match the listing
The transaction must meet the requirements specified in this policy
The seller must respond to the payment dispute and take action within the required time frames
If challenging the payment dispute, the seller must provide the required evidence
The seller may not be in violation of the User Agreement
eBay may automatically apply seller protections to a dispute without requiring the seller to respond or take action on the dispute. If we apply the protections automatically, we won’t charge a dispute fee or seek reimbursement from the seller if the dispute is resolved in favor of the buyer.
Accept the dispute
Within 5 calendar days after the dispute notification is received
Challenge the dispute and provide supporting evidence
Within 5 calendar days after the dispute notification is received
Tracking information from a shipping carrier that shows all of the following:
A delivery status of “delivered” (or equivalent in the country to which the item was delivered)
The date of delivery
The recipient’s address that matches the one found on the Order details page, including the city/county or zip code (or international equivalent); And
Proof of signature confirmation uploaded as an image while challenging the payment dispute, for orders with a total cost of $750 or more. Learn more about our signature confirmation requirements
Order ID number
Item number
Item title
Amount paid
Date of collection
Buyer’s signature confirming collection
Address of pickup store or location
A copy of the eBay order details, signed by the buyer at the time of collection, or
The seller used the eBay app to scan the buyer’s QR code or manually entered the buyer’s 6-digit pickup code at the time of collection
When a buyer opens a payment dispute because the item they received doesn’t match the listing, sellers will be asked to provide evidence to challenge the payment dispute, such as photographs showing the item’s condition prior to shipment.
When a buyer files a payment dispute, the seller will be charged a dispute fee if they challenge or don’t respond to the dispute, and they are found responsible for the disputed amount. If the dispute is eligible for payment dispute seller protections, the seller won’t be charged a dispute fee.
At the time the buyer files a payment dispute, the seller’s funds may be held by eBay as outlined in the Payments Terms of Use. The hold may be in place for up to 30 calendar days.
As described in this policy, eBay may determine that the seller is not eligible for payment dispute seller protections. If the seller is not eligible and the buyer’s payment institution decides that the buyer is owed a refund, eBay will seek reimbursement from the seller in accordance with our User Agreement and Payments Terms of Use.
We will seek reimbursement by:
If reimbursement is unsuccessful, eBay reserves the right to seek reimbursement through other means.
If eBay determines that a seller is not eligible for payment dispute seller protections, the seller can submit an appeal by contacting eBay within 30 calendar days from the date the payment dispute outcome was communicated. As part of reviewing an appeal, we may ask the seller to provide additional documentation.
eBay reserves the right to make final decisions.
Buyers can’t use more than one resolution method to get a refund. If a buyer opens a payment dispute with their payment institution, the seller must respond to the payment dispute. eBay will close any open order cancellations, reports that an item hasn’t arrived, return requests, or eBay Money Back Guarantee cases for the same transaction.