eBay 'not as described' damage claims: how to protect yourself

A buyer opens a return: “Arrived damaged,” with one blurry photo. You’re fairly sure it left your hands intact. This guide covers how the process works on eBay.com and eBay.co.uk, what you can ask for, and which protections exist. Policy details are as of the time of writing (October 2026).

How eBay “not as described” and damaged-item returns work

Damaged items fall under the eBay Money Back Guarantee. If the item arrives “broken, damaged, or faulty” and wasn’t described that way, the buyer can return it for a refund, even if your listing says no returns. eBay tells buyers whose parcel arrives damaged in transit to accept delivery and report it as not matching the listing.

The key timeframes, which are the same on eBay.com and eBay.co.uk:

Buyer: up to 30 calendar days after delivery to open a request, or your own returns window if that’s longer.
You: 3 business days to respond with a solution.
eBay stepping in: either side can ask from 3 business days after the request, up to 21 business days if you never responded.
Refund: within 2 business days of getting the item back.

Two details matter. First, eBay’s seller guide says that if you don’t respond, eBay “may issue a refund to the buyer and seek reimbursement from you without requiring the buyer to return the item.” Silence is the worst option. Second, eBay may automatically accept the return for you if an eBay label is available.

Your options in the first 3 business days

From the return request you can see the buyer’s reason, comments and any photos. For a damaged or not-as-described claim, your options are:

Accept the return. Full refund including original shipping once the item comes back.
Full refund, buyer keeps it. Often sensible for cheap items.
Partial refund, buyer keeps it. You can offer this only once.
Replacement or exchange.
Send the buyer a message. Use this to ask questions before you decide.

You can’t decline a damaged or not-as-described return the way you can a change-of-mind one.

Who pays return shipping on eBay?

You do. Both the US and UK guarantee pages list “Items that don’t match the listing” as the seller’s cost, and the buyer gets a full refund including original shipping. That’s why a full refund without a return is often cheaper on low-value items. On higher-value items, getting the item back is your best evidence: you can inspect it yourself.

What happens when eBay steps in

If you can’t agree within 3 business days, either of you can ask eBay to step in. eBay says it normally answers within 48 hours, and it may ask the buyer to return the item if “we can’t determine that the item received by the buyer matches the listing description.” If eBay decides you owe the refund, it refunds the buyer, recovers the money from you, and the case counts as “closed without seller resolution,” which can affect your seller level.

The eBay help pages we read don’t list what seller evidence is reviewed when eBay steps in. What it does say is that you can appeal within 30 calendar days of a case closing with “new, additional information,” such as tracking details or “documents showing the item matches the listing description.” So keep your dispatch photos, listing, and messages ready from day one.

Handling a suspicious damage photo

Photos can be old, borrowed from another listing, or edited. Our guide on how to spot fake damage photos covers the warning signs. On eBay, the practical move is to ask for better photos inside eBay messages, which accept up to 5 images at a time according to eBay’s Messages help page.

Reasonable requests:

The whole item, the close-up of the damage, and the outer box with the shipping label visible.
A slip of paper in shot with the order number and today’s date handwritten on it.
The inner packing (bubble wrap, void fill) if the item was boxed.

Keep the tone neutral. Carrier and insurance claims really do need these photos, so that’s an honest reason to give.

Don’t let your 3 business days run out waiting. If the photos never come or still look wrong, accept the return and inspect what arrives. For a deeper walkthrough on suspected AI-generated images, see what to do about an AI damage photo (US) or the UK version.

eBay seller protections against buyer abuse

eBay’s abusive buyer policy explicitly bans “falsely claiming an item was not as described,” “returning an item other than the original item received,” and requesting a partial refund without returning the item. The seller protections page says that when eBay finds a buyer abusive, it removes related negative or neutral feedback and defects, may limit their ability to request returns, and may suspend them in serious cases. You report a buyer from Seller Hub or with Report buyer inside the return request, “clearly describing what they are doing.”

Extra protections depend on your status:

Return-postage credit on a false claim: US Top Rated Sellers may get up to $6.00 per return. On eBay.co.uk it’s up to £3.50, for UK business sellers rated Above Standard or Top Rated. Either way you must complete the return and refund first.
Deducting for a used or damaged return: up to 50% of the refund, if you qualify. In the US that’s Top Rated Sellers with 30-day or longer returns, or any seller who isn’t Below Standard on a free-returns listing. In the UK it’s business sellers rated Above Standard or Top Rated, or any seller who isn’t Below Standard on a free-returns listing. You must refund within 2 business days of receipt, you lose fee credits, and the option disappears once eBay steps in. eBay’s deduction guidelines say “Poor condition” items warrant 35%–50%.

Don’t overuse these: eBay can withdraw protection from sellers who report buyers over inaccurate listings or over-deduct.

Photograph and pack before dispatch

Your best evidence exists before the parcel leaves:

Photograph the item from every angle under good light, including serial numbers and any existing marks, and match the listing photos.
Photograph it in the packing, then the sealed box with the label attached. Keep the original files, which carry their capture time.
Pack to survive the carrier, and keep the packing photo: carriers and insurers can ask how it was packed.

Tracking and insurance

Always ship with tracking. For insurance, eBay.com labels offer ShipCover through Parcel Insurance Plan, at the time of writing from $1.70 per $100 of domestic cover. Damage claims go through Shipping labels > Create claim, at least 7 days after the transaction ends, and the buyer’s return request helps verify them. Coins, bullion and some other items are excluded.

In the UK, check your carrier’s own compensation level. If you use eBay’s Simple Delivery labels, eBay.co.uk protects your performance metrics from late deliveries.

eBay’s rules on links and contact info in messages

This is where many sellers trip up. eBay’s member-to-member contact policy (same wording on eBay.co.uk) does not allow members to “offer, reference, or request email addresses, phone numbers or other contact information, physical addresses, web addresses, or links within eBay messaging systems.” “Messages that include links or web addresses” are listed as not allowed, and eBay says it may monitor messages.

Contact details may be shared with the other party after a successful transaction, but the policy warns that “if you contact members through channels other than eBay, we can’t help if problems arise.” So keep the whole dispute inside eBay: ask for photos in eBay messages, not by email, and don’t send links to forms or upload pages.

Checklist: eBay damage claim

Worked example

Say you sell a vintage camera lens for $180 with free returns, and you’re not Below Standard. Two days after delivery the buyer opens a return: “Arrived with a cracked front element.” The photo is dark and cropped tight.

On day one you reply through the return request: “Sorry about this. I photographed the lens before shipping and it was intact, so I’d like to file with the carrier. Could you send photos of the whole lens, the crack, and the box with the label, with a note showing the order number and today’s date?”

The new photos show an undamaged box, and the crack doesn’t match your dispatch shots. You don’t argue. You accept the return and wait for the lens.

When it arrives, the element is intact, but there’s a deep scratch on the rear mount that wasn’t there before. You refund within 2 business days with a deduction in line with eBay’s guidelines, explain why in the comment, and report the buyer from the return request, clearly describing the mismatch between their photos and the returned item. Your dispatch photos stay on file in case you need to appeal.

How ClaimCam handles this

ClaimCam creates a claim link that opens a live camera in the customer’s browser, with no upload button, and asks for three guided photos with a one-time code handwritten in shot. You get a private evidence page with server timestamps, fingerprints and an AI check of the code and the photos. But eBay’s rules don’t allow links in eBay messages, so don’t use a ClaimCam link for eBay orders. Use it where you sell on your own site or other channels, and on eBay use the manual version above: photos sent through eBay messages with a handwritten order number and date. Either way it’s deterrence and evidence, not proof. A buyer who really damaged the item can still photograph real damage.