I too am confused at why eBay have made this ruling. Sellers have always been at the mercy of the buyer (viceversa too) but have weighted it against the seller with this as they have no 'clout' to fight back... I and other sellers I know, have had buyers stating that items are damaged when received snd demand refunds postage included, when nothing was wrong in the first place, they just didnt want it after all, bought it for a special occasion only, or it didnt fit even when you request several times inthe listing to 'please measure yourself and compare the actual measurements of the item.' The list is endless. One seller I know, who is a worrier, is now scared to sell items because of negative feedback and her reputation and I know the goods she sells are of a very good quality.
Dont eBay know that some people are downright nasty and can ruin an otherwise perfect sellers reputation, (and I know that a very high % of them are). EBay make a fortune out of us, and I know by keeping records that they make more out of me than I do!! Then there is paypal,, that is another story. It is correct when someone on here said that soon there will be no decent sellers on board, we wont be able to keep the prices low, because with costs etc. and having to refund to the nasties who will take advantage of the feedback rules, the quality of merchandise will undoubtedly drop. Are they digging their own (and our) graves????