eBay Issues New Mandate for Accepting Returns

by: Davina T

And the nightmare continues. I buy only nowadays, but there is no way that I would ever screw  a seller just because I could maybe end up with free items, and my money back. SNADS happen even if an item is exactly as described down to the atom. I have a lot of inventory surrounding me, and I think I will peddle my wares and barter at local antique stores. An even trade ? No shipping woes, no ebay dragon$ waiting for a $cooby treat.

by: LasVagueness

Dreadful eBayese: "align the seller experience across the eBay platform."

Not sure why that frightens me...

by: Go tell the Spartans

Just sent them a certified letter declining our participation in these new changes, including eBay withdrawing funds from our checking account. When it comes to monetized transactions, they cannot simply make a policy change that alters the original agreement under which you entered Managed Payments. I hope they violate it.

by: spooky

taking away our ability to offer partial refunds is ridiculous. Plus to clarify SNAD returns - 99.9% of the returns I have had over 23 years on eBay are SNAD - some I honestly missed something and some are from buyers who are insane. But eBay acts like returns because a buyer changed their mind and a realistic thing - they are not

by: NoMoreEbay

The abuse for being in MP begins. And this is indeed just the beginning. Automatic forced refunds. Seller ID's removed from search results. It's not 'what's next' it's 'when is what's coming next.' Higher fees. Almost certainly. Slow payouts in the name of a glitch. Absolutely. The list never ends.

ebay is toxic. So glad I stopped selling on this cess pool two years ago.

by: NoMoreEbay

Wasn't it the latest revolving door hack who promised sellers just last year that refund abuse was being addressed and to expect positive changes. Another empty promise. Another lie.  

by: Ophelia1

@Go tell the Spartans

I would like to send eBay a certified letter also, did you send it to their address in San Jose, CA?

by: JayInPA

NOTE THAT EBAY SHIPPING LABELS DO NOT PROVIDE ANY INSURANCE!! When an item is returned poorly packaged or damaged eBay will issue a refund ONLY 2 days after tracking shows it delivered.  NEED TO MONITOR RETURNS CLOSELY and open a case, if needed, with eBay immediately.  

by: Marie

Maybe someone here can help with this question.  If find this thing about automated returns kind of a head scratcher.  I'm really unsure how different this really is from main stream Ebay.

I say this because back in 2018 Ebay changes to automated returns, they are just like what Ebay is describing for MP sellers now.  

I'm puzzled by this because I have had some return request automatically accepted by Ebay since 2018 but not all my return requests.  I've never been sure why there was a difference.  I've asked a few times in the past couple of years but never really got an answer.

Back when Ebay started this is 2018 I recommended that under Return Preferences that sellers make sure their RMA number requirement is turned on.  That forces Ebay to contact the seller BEFORE they can issue a label because they need that RMA number first.  That gives the seller a little time to look at the issue and see if they think they can contact the buyer to work things out easily, directly with the buyer.  Or to issue a return label of their own and give it to the buyer.

So how does this new thing fit into all this??  What makes this different?

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/
2018-summer/simplified-returns.html

by: NICKOLAS

Perhaps ebay should consider removing 'Return Item' as the first option visible to a buyer in the drop down menu and replacing it with 'Contact Seller'. Surely if there is a problem then communication with a seller should be a first step. Isn't that PayPal's and Ebay's general advice.
Given that a certain proportion of SNAD's will result in sellers incurring a FVF penalty it strongly appears that ebay's placement of the 'return Item' option could be seen as a vested interest.

by: aris

Yeah, this is AWFUL news and I'm trying to figure out WHY I have to find out about it HERE and NOT from Ebay - I haven't received any type of notice about this from them.
Agreeing with many of the above responses - I've always been able to 'work things out' with my buyers and if indeed something needs to be returned, I (that's ME) send them a return label through Stamps.com (the service I use) and I use MEDIA MAIL because that's the method I originally sent them with. Once I see movement on the tracking number, I refund them immediately (usually the next day after they drop it in a mailbox). Everyone's happy.
I started to do this because Ebay automatically uses PRIORITY and that just sucks an additional $6 out of my account, when IT'S NOT NECESSARY. I don't NEED the item to come back FAST....just CHEAP.

Why oh why can't Ebay let us run our businesses (I am now in my 21st year on their site - and yes, I got my $25 coupon earlier today) the way WE KNOW HOW?

by: Bill

This is another reason why I will not sign up for MP when they tell me to and I will just close my store, which I just downgrade from basic to starter, since I sell a lot more on other sites for less cost.

by: Marie

@ Bill

Automated Returns are not specific to MP.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2018-su
mmer/simplified-returns.html

by: Rexford

So eBay is giving a buyer over a month to return an item, but once returned, they give a seller only two days to process the return.   As usual, the scales are always tipped against the seller.  Just hope that your vacations do not coincide with a return being delivered.

I predict that it will not be too long before a seller will not even be able to communicate with a buyer. I have resolved many potential returns by simply being able to communicate with buyers, particularly those who do not read the full item descriptions.

eBay needs to take a hard look at Poshmark's return policy which is the best I've seen.    The buyer has 3 days to accept or try to return. Once they ask for a return they have 7 days to return.   After many years there I have had only one return.

I have always felt that eBay encourages returns.  I am not sure why they would do this.  I know that they likely make a lot of money on shipping labels, but what good is that when they have to return the fees of a sale?  

Returns are off the rails on eBay.   I am sure that what you sell has a lot to do with how many returns you receive, but sellers in certain categories like clothing get hosed, most often for fit issues.

by: Mark4

The only good thing with all this Mangled Payments nonsense is our competition has been drying up fast which has allowed to raise our prices by quite a bit. Keep killing off my competition sellers ebay please!!!!  LOL  

by: pace306

Returns ARE encouraged on eBay - because eBay THINKS (well theres an oxymoron for you-as eBay cant think) its Amazon and tries to copy ITS returns policy.

Problem is eBay ISNT Amazon - its individual sellers and not 1 monolithic corporation.

But since eBay CAN force sellers to do so - why not? eBay makes money on the shipping (fvf on the sale and a vig on the shipping part) both ways, they can take credit for the sale (to Wall st as if ITS the seller) but then dump on the seller when theres an issue.

Its win/win/win for eBay and loose/loose/loose for the seller. Since sellers are enemy #1 - so why not? And if you returns get to high .... just slap on that %5 vig for "being a bad seller" and its WIN again.

Of course Rex is right - sellers have to ship right away and refund right away (covid-19 be damned), but buyers get a month to do returns ..... how nice and fair, not!

eBay is a criminal scum syndicate - its just that simple, and now that eBay has control over your listings and your money ..... there's nothing you can do about it.

First they came with fake VERO issues - but I didn't have any of those so I said "its eBays rules they can do as they please"

Then they came to force me to change payment methods (MP) - but Im generally a brown noser and I didnt care what they did - the coercion didnt bother me - so I said "its eBays rules they can do as they please"

NOW eBay comes to me with the insane forced returns - and for some reason THIS bothers me. Now I dont get many returns and I think the whole returns issue is a problem but, I said "its eBays rules they can do as they please"

Hard to get sympathy from some folks here ........ :

by: kemac82

What bothers me is that this removes so much of my autonomy in how I run my business. I really don't like not knowing what the shipping charge is going to be. I ship large items and USPS return shipping fees are not going to work. And as others have said, there are instances where I don't want the item back. Hopefully they get enough constructive feedback that they'll make some changes to this policy.

by: Bill

In the 21 plus years of selling on eBay and after a few hundred thousand sales I have never had a return.
With all of this new fangled crap that is going on like I said, my days are numbered especially since I make more sales on other sites at a cheaper cost.
eBay is doomed to destruction from the idiots that are running it who have no clue at all on how to make money.
When Meg was running it in the early days she said that a monkey could run this business. Then Donuthole took over and it has been going down the drain ever since. I just use eBay to get customers and I direct them to my other sites.
eBay is a write off for me. It is a form of cheap advertising and has been for the last ten years.

by: Lightning

@Bill  "When Meg was running it in the early days she said that a monkey could run this business. Then Donuthole took over...."

and proved her point!

by: mindelec

@Marie

thanks for the RMA tip.  most of my real returns can be solved through communication.

is ebay auto accepting just your snad returns?  that seems to be what has been happening with me.  just had my first fake snad, knew it from the beginning when he said the scale on the model was different from the description...  the box was picture which said it, and i had the same in the listing.  ebay forced me to pay his return shipping even though i have "buyer pays return shipping", fortunately i didn't have to refund his shipping since i disputed the snad claim.