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Returns and Disputes

Use the order-linked record and the controls actually available to your account. The current Orders page is a tracking workbench; it does not provide the older Returns or Disputes tabs described in superseded guides.

When a buyer raises a return​

  1. Locate the order, line item, messages, delivery evidence, and the buyer's stated reason.
  2. Use the return control supplied for your account or the in-portal support path. Do not change an order status or promise a refund through an unrelated message.
  3. Distinguish a change-of-mind request from a possible product fault or other Australian Consumer Law issue.
  4. Record a clear response and preserve relevant photos, tracking, product description, and communication.
  5. After receipt, record the assessed condition and use the authorised refund path. Reconcile the provider refund separately from the return decision.

The return service records a 48-hour seller-response target and permits buyer escalation after a recorded rejection, partial-refund state, or response-target breach. Missing that target does not itself prove automatic approval or apply a particular seller-performance penalty. It also does not itself cause a payment adjustment.

Consumer guarantees and change of mind​

A store policy cannot remove rights that apply under the Australian Consumer Law. A buyer may be entitled to a remedy when goods are faulty, unsafe, do not match their description, or otherwise fail a consumer guarantee. The correct remedy depends on the problem and circumstances.

A voluntary change-of-mind policy is different. Apply the policy and dates shown for the order, but do not use a change-of-mind window to reject a valid consumer- guarantee claim.

Authoritative starting point: ACCC consumer guarantees.

Evidence​

Keep evidence tied to the specific order:

  • the listing and customer promise at purchase time;
  • carrier acceptance, tracking, and delivery events;
  • pre-dispatch and returned-item photos where available;
  • order-linked messages;
  • return reason and requested remedy; and
  • refund, adjustment, and provider references.

Tracking marked “delivered” is useful evidence, not automatic proof that every non-receipt claim is invalid. Likewise, an aggregate rating or listing-readiness score is not dispute evidence.

Chargebacks​

A bank or payment-provider chargeback is separate from the marketplace return workflow. Follow the deadline and evidence request shown on the actual dispute record; provider and issuer timeframes vary. Do not rely on a fixed response or resolution period copied into this handbook.

Reconcile:

  1. the disputed customer payment;
  2. any provider fee or hold;
  3. the marketplace fee/refund treatment;
  4. the seller financial adjustment; and
  5. the final provider outcome.

Current workflow boundary​

If no return or dispute control is visible, use Messages and the support path from the order, agreement, or onboarding record. Do not infer a workflow from an old screenshot.

Related: