Returning Items Purchased On eBay

By Amy E. Feldman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - What's your legal right to return a holiday gift bought on eBay?

Say you bought your beloved that nose and ear hair trimmer you just knew he'd been pining for, and you chose to buy it - or any number of millions of products - on eBay, which had an astonishing eight pages of listings of nose hair clippers, including my personal favorite, the one that advertised a "new nose and ear hair trimmer" with a helpful picture of a guy with the clipper up his nose.

But, if it turns out your beloved hated it - and now hates you, by the way, for buying it - what does the law say about refunds for online purchases?

Actually, there is no federal law that requires online retailers to take returns.

On eBay, each seller has the right to set his or her own return policy, which you must accept when you make the purchase. So be sure to buy from a seller with a policy that you can live with.

If the reason you want the return isn't because you got a clue, but rather because the item was defective or not as advertised, then log onto your eBay account and email the seller by clicking the ask a question tab and then contact seller tab. If, because of the defect or false advertising you can't reach an agreement with the seller, you can involve eBay through its customer service to help you resolve the matter of the defective product.

There is, sadly, nothing it can do to help you with your poor gift giving instincts.