How eBay Penalizes Sellers Unfairly with New Returns Metric

by: buffalochick

ALL returns are being counted towards this metric. The sooner ebay can get a seller below standard, the quicker their fee increase takes hold. You will be paying 40% higher fees because of this.  ALL returns count--return requests opened for remorse that are denied BECAUSE A SELLER CLEARLY STATES THAT THEY DO NOT TAKE RETURNS BASED ON REMORSE, and ebay plays the good cop and lets the buyer have false hopes that the seller may actually take the return, or that they are stupid enough to just click accept (based on fear); returns opened for SNAD that are ultimately closed in the seller's favor, fraudulent returns, damage returns, ANY return request will now count against you, AND it is to be calculated retroactively.  Remember defectgate?  NEVER encourage a buyer to open a return against you, for ANY reason. Deal with the return OFF ebay.  If you go to paypal, and you click on refund, THERE IS YOUR BUYER'S EMAIL ADDRESS.  Use it to your advantage while you can.  Ebay cheerleaders refused to believe this when posted, but they are now seeing that we were right in saying this for the past few months. The writing is on the wall, ebay needs money and this is a guaranteed 40% fee hike for any seller they can get.  For ANY return request opened.  Wake up people...

by: mcposty

Its always retroactive so they can do cash grabs. Its ignorant and sleazy of them but not unexpected grom a criminal organization

by: Deacon Blues

The recent layoffs.
Canceling of eBay Radio.
The constant manipulation of traffic to keep those anchor store fees coming in.
These ridiculous, punitive, and unfair fee grabs.
Glitches that go undressed for days and sometimes weeks on end.

All are signs of a company is serious trouble

Yes indeed, the writing is on the wall. Ebay is on the road to becoming irrelevant - perhaps sooner than we may think. When does another venue rise up to eat eBay's lunch? When current sellers finally reach that tipping point where it is no longer cost effective? Keep inching up those fees eBay, and we will see.

by: Marie

Chris
I don't think any seasoned seller is "overlooking" what matrix Ebay will be using for the purpose of evaluating us on our return rate.  In fact the threads are full of sellers with concerns.  I know I have great concerns.  I do not trust Ebay to do this in any accurate way and I see all this as a ploy to ding sellers for higher fees.

This isn't like other requirements on the dashboard.  It is a stand alone type calculation.  Everything else can be perfect on your dashboard, but if Ebay deems your return rate is too high, they will drop you to below standard and impose the 40% FVF penalty.

@buffalochick

You will be happy to know that they are not going to include Buyer Remorse returns.  I know that currently on our Dashboards they are not separated out, but before September, I've been told, that will be updated.

This new requirement for sellers is only suppose to be on SNADs and INRs opened for ANY reason.  It also doesn't matter what the outcome of the SNAD or INR is.  The mere fact they were opened is what counts.

I know that many sellers out there when contacted by a buyer with a problem with an item received would tell them to just go ahead and open a Return Request and they would take care of them.  I ALWAYS say OH NO DON'T do that, just take care of it through messages back and forth.  

I have not read on any thread that some "cheerleaders" are refusing to believe this.  Not that I've read every thread, but I think that maybe while a couple don't want to believe it most do believe it as they have read the Summer Seller Update.

But you can relax at least a little bit and not worry about  BRs.  

by: Marie

Oh and what gets me about this subject too is the FACT that Ebay told us when they changed the return system to have this Return Request stage that as long as the seller worked things out with their buyer while in this stage and it never got escalated to Ebay, they would NOT HOLD IT AGAINST US.  Fast forward to now, whoops we mis-spoke or changed our minds.  We ARE going to hold these against you, no matter the outcome of the Request or Claim.

Of course you can ask them as many times as you want why they are going back on their word and all you will hear is crickets!!!

by: Rexford

Encouraging returns for an 40% FVF penalty.  They practically beg the buyers to return items.

Every time you think that they can't go any lower, they always do.

I would love to know who the individual is that dreamed up this scheme.

by: Marie

I don't like this Free Returns program, I've made no secret of that.  But I also don't believe that most buyers come to Ebay to purchase something just so they can return it.

But with a Free Returns program there would be nothing preventing a buyer from purchasing several things from any given seller.  Receiving the items, deciding which item or items suit their needs and then returning the rest.  This to me is what has me the most concerned and is why I'm not participating in this program.

by: Carol Is Here

I believe the goal was always to raise final value fees, but Ebay knew there would be an uproar if they did it honestly. With media stories and interviews with sellers lol.

So the corrupt Wenig and his cronies followed the path they usually follow. THEY LIE AND BLAME THE SELLER, and hit the sellers who make the money for Ebay.

Put the seller in a position that is not their fault and that they can't prevent, then tell the seller they are bad and raise their fees as punishment.

If executive pay cuts of 40 percent went through, and no more stock options and bonuses, think of how much money there would be to fix Ebay.

A high school student could do it.

Wenig and his cronies are plundering this company and lying, and they should be facing charges, because they are stealing from stockholders too.

Because of their greed, people are losing their livelihoods and the company is being ruined.

This is not about growth, or improving stock performance, or building Ebay business. They are crashing Ebay.

They are raising final value fees so they can personally steal the money, either through salary increases, more stock options, more bonuses (a favorite way to hide stealing) etc.

Wenig's house in the Hamptons should be getting sold to distribute to distribute the money to sellers he has defrauded.

It makes you wonder- how corrupt is GM to put Wenig the failure on their board? Why would anymore buy anything made by GM?

by: Carol Is Here

And they are also at the point of forcing sellers to give away things or loan things for free, plus pay for the postage, because Ebay is not doing one thing about buyer fraud.

They don't even hire enough people to handle buyer fraud, just like their tech department is small. And refuses to work. Bad attitudes.

One of those dirty secrets they don't like to reveal.

The attitude now is that fraudulent buyers make executives at Ebay more money.

by: Carol Is Here

Something to be aware of-

If there is a problem with a Global Shipping order such as damage after it leaves Erlanger (which Ebay will cover) -
the buyer needs to file a Not As Described that goes on the seller record. Then the seller works with Ebay to have Pitney Bowes or whatever does this refund the buyer.

But it goes on the seller record as a not as described.

Can you believe it?

by: Snapped

'''.....before September, I've been told, that will be updated.''

''...relax at least a little bit and not worry about  BRs.''

'' Fast forward to now, whoops we mis-spoke or changed our minds.  We ARE going to hold these against you, no matter the outcome of the Request or Claim.''

''Of course you can ask them as many times as you want why they are going back on their word and all you will hear is crickets!!!''
----
So...eBay lied about the latter, but not (yet) about the former?  

Sure.  ''Relax''.  With the ''crickets.''  

by: Marie

@snapped

Look if it is your preference to worry about anything and everything that is up to you.  You have the right to do that.  I don't choose to live that way.  It doesn't mean I'm blind.  My eyes are wide open.

If Ebay does decide to go back on this too, then there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.  Nor can you.  But what I'm not going to do is worry about it between now and then.  If they change their mind, so be it.  I will either deal with it or leave Ebay.  My choice.

Anyone can pick apart the things that Ebay does and doesn't do.  That is an easy job.  

by: ZZ

I wish I could get buyers to read my descriptions but alas, they are hidden away on the smart phone app behing a tiny right arrow. Men think that all shirts come in only 4 sizes: Large, XL, 2XL and 3XL. They are certain anything that has one of these labels should match the shirt they are wearing' size label.
If you are wondering why I didn't include sizes small and medium, it's because of a couple generations of junk food. Those size people are obsolute or else kids.

by: Tiffee Jasso

I don't know how Ebay rates returns, but I do know that when a gentleman purchased a pair of women's shorts by mistake, and needed to return them, my sales went to zilch for almost two weeks. I had no problem with the return as I took returns at that time. However, in the past couple of weeks back. I have removed Returns from my pages as I do not wish to deal with people who buy and item and then take up to 30 days to make up their mind. I have already been the victim of several show dealers carting my items to the annual toy and antique sales and returning them when they do not sell. I had three returns in one day one year when a storm knocked out the big toy sale in New York. I imagine, this getting free stock for shows will be a problem for many Ebay sellers now that the dealers can hold onto the time for 30 days (which mean up to four shows)  and if it does not sell, return it free of charge.  

by: Rexford

ZZ says "Those size people are obsolute or else kids."

LOL..........not so sure about the kids either.  On my last international flight I watched a kid guzzle no less than 10 Cokes, and the entire cans, not a small cup. And not even diet Coke.  He was too young to look like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon.

by: buffalochick

When I called and spoke to "a member of ebay leadership team", I was told specifically, that ALL return requests are to be counted.  Remorse, false SNADS, even cases opened and then closed by a buyer.  ALL RETURN REQUESTS, escalated, not escalated, errors, ALL. They are tallying any after sale contact that is made as any type of request.  Check your Returns, which are only visible on your Selling page, NOT on your dashboard or your Resolution Center.

by: iBuyers

Buffalochick is exactly correct.