Nope!
Receive your item first before issuing a refund... Period.
just like going to a store: first you hand over the cash then your item is handed to you, if you decide to return it then first you'll hand'em the item back they check it to make sure... Then you're handed your refund.
simple as that and no other way.
when you shipped it to him it was his or his agents responsibility to check for damages due to shipping and to inform him or you of the damages incurred so the shipping company you sent it through could inspect the item and verify if the damage happened through shipping. You are usually allowed a very short time period to inform your shipping company of this for good reason.
if there were no damages to the item due to shipping and it was just Doa, then he can send it back to you to inspect and then issue a refund. (Many companies require the same packaging as was used when shipped and not repackaging by the buyer to make sure it wasn't damaged in shipping)
remember though a transaction should always be based on good faith, meaning that if the item was really doa or whatever guarantees you provided him (if any was offered by you) then he should be refunded his money once you get the item back in the same shape you sent it to him.
also hope both your electricities are the same, in other words he didn't connect a 120v item to 220v plug etc. ...
just my two cents
good luck.
