Who pays the refund when the supplier sent the item?

You do. The buyer bought from you, so eBay takes the refund from you. Recovering the money from the supplier is a separate claim you make afterwards.

Can I ask the buyer to wait for the supplier to respond?

You can ask, but eBay’s deadline keeps running. If it passes without a resolution eBay can step in, refund the buyer from your funds and record a case closed without seller resolution.

Does the buyer have to send the item back to China?

Only if you require it and provide a way to do so. For low-value items it is usually cheaper to refund and let the buyer keep the item.

How long do I have to open an AliExpress dispute?

Each order shows its own buyer protection period, counted from when it shipped or was delivered. Open the dispute before that date; afterwards the order is closed and the claim is lost.

Guides 7 min readUpdated 10 October 2026

Returns and “item not received” cases when a supplier ships for you

In short

The buyer’s claim is against you, and you have to settle it under eBay’s rules whatever your supplier does. Answer within the deadline, refund or accept the return, and then open a separate dispute with the supplier. A case eBay has to close because you did not respond counts against your account far more than the refund costs.

There are two transactions: the buyer’s with you, and yours with the supplier. They have different rules, different deadlines, and nobody will join them up for you.

This is how to handle each, in the order the clock runs.

Two separate claims

	Buyer and you	You and the supplier
Rules	eBay Money Back Guarantee and your returns policy	AliExpress buyer protection, or Amazon’s returns policy
Who decides	You, then eBay if you do not	The supplier, then the marketplace
Clock starts	When the buyer opens the request	When the order is delivered or the protection period ends
Refund goes	From you to the buyer	From the supplier to you, if you win

Item not received

A buyer can open a request once the latest estimated delivery date has passed. You then have a few days to respond with tracking that shows delivery, a replacement, or a refund.

If your tracking shows the parcel delivered to the buyer’s address, upload it and eBay will usually decide for you. If it shows nothing, or you cannot show delivery, refund. Waiting for the supplier does not stop eBay’s clock.

This is why the delivery estimate on your listing matters. Too short an estimate lets the request open while the parcel is still on its way.

Returns: not as described, or changed their mind

When an item is faulty, damaged or not as described, the buyer returns it at your expense whatever your policy says. When they have changed their mind, your returns policy decides whether you accept it and who pays the postage.

For a low-value item sent from abroad, the return postage to the supplier often exceeds the item’s value. Many sellers refund without asking for it back, which eBay lets you do from the return request.

Recovering from the supplier

AliExpress: open a dispute on the order before its buyer protection period ends, with the buyer’s photos as evidence
Amazon: start a return from your orders within its window, and send the item back once you have it
Keep the eBay case reference and the buyer’s messages: suppliers ask for them
Do not promise the buyer anything that depends on the supplier agreeing

What protects the account

Respond to every request inside eBay’s deadline, even if only to refund
Never let eBay close a case for you: that is the metric that hurts most
Price products with a share of refunds built in
Stop selling a product whose supplier produces repeated cases

Questions

Who pays the refund when the supplier sent the item?: You do. The buyer bought from you, so eBay takes the refund from you. Recovering the money from the supplier is a separate claim you make afterwards.
Can I ask the buyer to wait for the supplier to respond?: You can ask, but eBay’s deadline keeps running. If it passes without a resolution eBay can step in, refund the buyer from your funds and record a case closed without seller resolution.
Does the buyer have to send the item back to China?: Only if you require it and provide a way to do so. For low-value items it is usually cheaper to refund and let the buyer keep the item.
How long do I have to open an AliExpress dispute?: Each order shows its own buyer protection period, counted from when it shipped or was delivered. Open the dispute before that date; afterwards the order is closed and the claim is lost.