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Alibaba "apply for refund" and shady supplier
 

im having an issue with a supplier and an order where they prepared the wrong items for shipment. it turns out they dont have what I want, and so ive asked them to cancel the order. after some back and forth, they seem reluctant but have (supposedly) agreed to refund the order. bit of a communication barrier which has not been a major impediment until now

however, they have not outright issued a refund for the order. instead, they are telling me to 'apply for a refund' on the order details page. this strikes me as odd, because as an ebay seller whenever I am asked for a refund and I think its fair, I just refund them outright. I dont ask them to 'apply for a refund' and create a case.

can someone chime in here? is 'applying for a refund' the only way to have the seller return my money? is the seller being shady and just trying to open an alibaba dispute where they have the upper hand as a domestic entity or something? help!