eBay BBL Policy Ends Up Costing Seller Dearly

by: Snapped

“ We provided a return label and blocked the buyer - not knowing that if you do, the buyer can't communicate with you anymore. “

To be fair, it is not eBay’s fault you were unaware of all the results that occur when you act to block a buyer, especially if a transaction is not yet fully resolved.  Apparently this one can be filed under a ‘little’ knowledge being dangerous.  

If it’s any consolation though, your sharing this outcome may prevent another from a similar fate, so there’s that.  

by: AddyUp

This often reported "bug" has been plaguing sellers for a very long time. With little sign of the problem being resolved.

Apparently it goes to the bottom of the pile of things needing fixing as it's seen as "working as designed".

by: RL15

@AddyUp....its not a "bug". It the OP not taking the time to completely know how the bbl works.

by: Bill

Maybe the seller will figure out not to sell on eBay.
It is a loose, loose game.

by: AddyUp

@RL15

When the tick boxes don't work as they are supposed to do, as they did before they were changed, it's a bug. A designed by ebay bug.

by: UB

A person on BBL can still message the seller. They just cant purchase anything.

by: AddyUp

That's how it used to work. The block now blocks everything.

by: cojacq

snapped.. You missed the point ebay created the block communication in 2023 without notification (that I received) and if you look at the policy the communication part is not there it is only found at the top where ebay added the block communication as part of the existing sentence. If a seller does not know this he will error.  The ''BUYER DOES NOT KNOW THEY CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH THE SELLER'' You can't prevent a bad buyer from buying from you at least with the one account unless you block the buyer but then they can't communicate with you so its either or versus a choice, the buyer got mad because I didn't respond and escalated the case.  And to be fair why should the seller be charged for a 30% higher cost label which confuses the buyer as to which one to use.  I had already uploaded a return USPS label and its as if ebay is banking on the seller blocking so they can send the expensive return label.  There was absolutely no need to send another label when the buyer already had a label ebay could have sent an email or told the buyer to use the label the seller has already provided.  Please read the entire letter before you state to be fair, because the seller never created the problem which was created by ebay by blocking communication.

by: airbrake

I also have run into this problem with return labels and Ebay. When you get the notice in your Ebay Messages folder, the Email from Ebay states the label has been sent to the Buyer you don't have to do anything else except inspect when you receive and refund. When you get the Email from Ebay concerning the return label in your personal Email, it instructs you to send the Buyer a label. This has been going on for about 5 years now. Every time I get these two conflicting notices I call non CS at Ebay and they tell me they did send a label and there is nothing more to do, just ignore the message in the Email I received. Apparently, Ebay's system does not always send out the return labels. I verified this with several return cases over the years.

The ENTIRE Ebay system is fraught with all sorts of programming errors and this is just another one of them. I am surprised the system even remotely works considering the state it is in.