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Final value fees are refundable under certain circumstances which are outlined below. Listing Fees are non-refundable, even when the item receives no bids or when the reserve is not met. Feature fees for listing options such as Featured, Category Featured, or Bold are non-refundable.
Credit Type
Reason for Credit
Full Credit
High bidder did not respond after you attempted to contact them (please allow at least seven days for them to respond).
High bidder "backed out" and didn't buy the item.
High bidder's cheque bounced or they placed a stop payment on it.
High bidder returned the item and you issued a refund.
High bidder could not buy the item due to family or financial emergency.
High bidder claimed the terms were unacceptable.
Partial Credit
Sale price was actually lower than the highest bid.
High bidder backed out. You sold the item to a lower bidder at a lower price.
One or more of your Multiple Item Auction bidders backed out of the sale.
Here's how to request a Final Value Fee credit:
Wait at least seven (7) business days for a bidder to respond to your attempts to contact him or her.
Complete the Unpaid Items within 45 days of the end of your auction. eBay is unable to process credit requests received more than 45 days after the end of an auction.
Try to work with the high bidder for at least 10 days to resolve the issue.
Once the 10 days have passed, fill out the Final Value Fee Credit Request Form (this must be done within 45 days of the end of your auction).
eBay will generally apply credits to your account within 7-10 business days.
If we have any questions about your Final Value Fee credit request we will contact you.
Please be sure your credit claim is accurate and valid. Sellers who file false claims will be suspended.
Information provided in your credit request will be used to identify Non-Paying Bidders, that is, bidders who win auctions but don't follow through with the sale. For more details, review eBay's Unpaid Items Process.
If you relist the item, you may qualify for a refund on the relisted item's Insertion Fee. Learn more.
If you have an additional question about this subject, email us at Customer Support. If you would like to ask a question on another subject, please use the Contact Us page.