eBay Changes Seller Policies in Surprise Summer Update

by: Rexford

CypressC,

I would not think that you would have to do that, but if you are using a 3rd party site for templates I would ask them.

by: Ming the Merciless

So Pit Viper Burke claims 60 day returns are the industry "norm."

Mall management doesn't set return policies for stores in the mall.

Flea market venues don't set return policies for businesses who rent space from them.

No third party sets return policies for standalone brick and mortars.

Buyers do not establish return policies.

SELLERS determine return their policies, and amafia and ebafia MUST STOP micromanaging every aspect of sellers' businesses to the point unprofitability. And venues have no business allowing buyer to damage to seller's reputation by leaving untrue negative feedback and/or filing false SNAD claims because a seller won't accept returns.

But that's exactly what ebafia is doing. They want to get rid of small sellers, and this is just another hammer they're using to make selling on ebafia as difficult and as unprofitable as possible.

Brian Burke is the head honcho of Seller Experience, and he has a long track record of making the seller experience as hellish as possible.

Where is our spineless Seller Advocate?

Silent as usual.

These ads ebafia says they're going run -- financed by punishing ebafia's best selling performers -- won't be benefitting many if any of us.

Instead, they're going to be advertisements for and engraved invitations to commit even more buyer crimes than are being committed today aided and abetted by ebafia's management criminals.

Devil has either approved these indefensible changes and/or allowed P. V. Burke to go waaay too far.

THere's going to be a lot of blowback here if I read about sandboxes one more time.

by: Ming the Merciless

Returns make money ebafia so they have every reason to encourage them.  

THEY lose nothing (WE take all the losses), make money on return shipping labels regardless of who pays for them, don't have to deduct them from their GMV in order to conceal the truth from Wall Street, and their co conspirator in theft PayPal gets to keep $.30 on each return.

This is why ebafia plasters "Return This Item" all over Purchases pages.

Further, one of their secret algorithms counts returns against sellers and lowers them in search for a set period of time.

No matter that many if not the majority of returns are caused from BUYERS failing to read product descriptions and most of them are too lazy to even item specifics.

I refuse to underwrite ebafia's insatiable greed, inhumane treatment of sellers, and nasty illiterate buyers!

by: askalice59

Relisting my fixed price items at eBay's whim? How will screwing with every sellers inventory make anyone more prosperous or happy? What ARE they thinking? I don't ever have returns so 30 or 60, moot point. Why aren't more of you complaining about this RELIST surprize? Think about how much trouble that could give you.  

by: Lightning

Regarding the automatic relist unless cancelled, I think this is actually a case of poor wording.
Ebay was sued a while back by a user who claimed he was confused about listings being renewed constantly under Good Till Cancelled (which sounds pretty self-explanatory to me).  He wanted his fees returned for previous months, saying ebay relisted without his express permission, that he didn't realize the listings would persist, and ebay should have made that clearer.  Might have been a class action suit (otherwise known as lawyer stealing money). I'm not sure what the outcome was, but this is probably a knee-jerk reaction to that situation - saying that they DO have the right to relist if you don't tell them not to on the Good Till Cancelled.  The problem is, they never specified Good Till Cancelled in the User Agreement.  Expect to see that corrected.  

by: Gemz

As someone said first on here (Rexford?) Ebay is doing us a massive favor by steering these losers looking to screw the small business by buying and returning up to 60 days later! Even 30 days is insane! Think about this...What have you EVER bought in your life that you figured a MONTH later that you want to return and for what reason exactly?? If you're like me...NOTHING! However... If your precious princess daughter is getting married and can't afford jewelry to wear or a nice big ring....LOOK ON EBAY TO RENT IT FOR FREE! Sure, step right up! $2500, $3500, $5000!?!? How about a $12,000 Hermes Birkin bag!?!? She would look great with that on the way to getting picking up her dress on for the big day the following week! Time constraint!? Nah..With Ebays 60 DAY return you can not only buy every last thing the wedding party will need like dresses, shoes, jewelry, cameras, and much much more but when you are done, you can return it ALL AND MAKE THE SELLER PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING AS WELL AS THE ORIGINAL SHIPPING TOO!

Sounds like it's made up right? Well guess again! It's not and I know people this kind of thing has happened to and it's beyond sick. The ONLY thing worse than ebay for doing this sort of thing is the customer that actually gets up in the morning with the intention of doing exactly that! Ebay is the enabler and the customer is the criminal costing all of us time and money. Even sicker, these criminals think its perfectly ok to do this!

I'm not even getting into the scumbags that take the merchandise out and replace it with boards, and other stupid crap and ebay makes you eat it! Ebays exact words '' There's nothing we can do but you can think of it as a cost of doing business''. I said to that...NO...I can think of it as a cost of doing business on EBAY and only EBAY!

Someone needs to stop this madness!

by: tanzi

I am SO glad I dont sell there any longer. I really can see the day in the not too distant future when it will be mandatory to do 30 & 60 day returns. Watch.  

by: macsbaby

why are you selling on ebay? really? No alternatives?

The only way ebay will ever change is when enough sellers leave, which happen to also be their best customers.  

by: handmedownheaven

So, let our members rent your item for 30 to 60 days, then give them a full refund or your items will not be seen.  So glad I closed my store and am just waiting for items to run out of time

by: Paul W

"Returns make money ebafia so they have every reason to encourage them.  
THEY lose nothing"

Not true.  eBay refunds FVF to seller which is larger than any benefit eBay might receive.

by: strife

To Michael, who posted the lengthy diatribe in response to my post.

Try reading the seller update again. Ebay states quite clearly that they will be charging us taxes on fees starting at the commencement date. They are not currently charging us taxes on those fees. So anyway you slice it we are going to be paying more in fees.

There wasn't any need to add the bit about being a tax auditor, it was quite obvious that you either were or are a CRA jerk-off!

by: Jono

Why doesn't someone create a Facebook page to name & shame repeat returns offenders? Only allow business sellers to contribute. 3 strikes & you go on the list.

by: Rexford

Ming says "Where is our spineless Seller Advocate?"

Wasn't he hanging out in the bushes with Shouty Spicer?

by: lisapar

Who shops for the best return policy? That's an after-thought for buyers. What remains as the #1 factor for all buyers is the lowest price. Period.

Just wonder how much Ebay is paying these marketing-monkeys to make up this stuff?

by: JWsax

Eventually they will just send out thugs to beat up their best small sellers, or so it seems...

by: blueribbon1844

seriously to many updates to keep track of... TBH I rarely shop on eBay anymore, unless its for a collectible and that is few an far between these days... Amazon is so easy, I don't wanna be bothered with Ebays garbage policies. #firewenig

by: toolguy

Once again eBay is weeding out the weak sellers!

You either change and adapt or get left behind.

We've all been thru this many times before.

Chin up and stand up straight, eBay wants your money!

by: fifilapew

PLEASE,

'Renters' pay a fee

'Borrowers' do not

by: hawkhunter

The active content is a huge issue with me.  I sell cars and showing a walk around video with the car running is a huge plus for buyers. Why doesn't ebay offer their own option to add videos instead of eliminating it!

by: thebobman

>Not true.  eBay refunds FVF to seller which is larger than any benefit eBay might receive.

Um, no. Lets say you sell a $1,000 item. You get hit with a $100 FVF fee. Buyer returns it because they changed their mind. You withhold $50 to cover the shipping cost.

Ebay refunds $0 from the FVF fee. You don't get *any* of the FVF unless you refund 100% of the transaction.