@amcfad2727 wrote:
I have been deemed high risk in 2 categories for a return Rate that's too high. If I turn on free returns, or buyer pays shipping returns for that matter, will return requests labeled as "item not as described" still count towards this metric?
I am otherwise a top rated seller and due to the nature of some of the items I would prefer to just issue a refund and buyer keeps the item but this 5% plus the new minimum promoted listing plus the shipping increases its just chipping away at my profits.
Any suggestions?
I feel for ya’ Historically I don’t feel bad for sellers that run afoul of policies and restrictions but Service Metrics is totally insanely unfair. 3/4 of my returns are abuse. I offer 30 day returns and people still don’t read and lie. I get it that they must give a buyer them benefit of the doubt. Many times there is no doubt. Its just clear abuse no reasonable person could conclude its not abuse. The claim being objectively and demonstrably false. They not only force you to pay for the abuse is one thing. Turning around and charging you more if you get screw to much is just grotesque!! None of the abuse can or will be removed. I have had CS tell me “yes I agree it’s clearly abuse and it’s impossible for me to remove it. There is no way for me to remove it”
If you get ricked to much ebay is going to come around and give you a double ricking.
I have not been charged the fee. I have been warned but I have not been charged.
On the preventive side of things. 1. Watch It! Ebay won’t tell you but once before they come in for the double ricking. So if you see your getting close stop listing in that category. If there is no other category for it just save it for 3 months.
2. Find something you can get a lot of and sell for little or no profit to pad the numbers. If you have a specifically problematic category find something for that category that you can pretty much give away.
They do it based on transaction count rather than revenue which is stupid. No business makes the same types of decisions on that data point. Its so dumb. So a $5 item counts to the good just as much as a $500 item. So sell 100 of something in that category for $5 and it will help immensely. Easier said than done.
Where a lot of people get in trouble is being on the edge of the lookback standard. If you sell over 400 items in a given time period (I forgot how long) they only count transactions for last 3 months. If you fall under 400 transactions its 12 months lookback.
So one day everything is just ducky and even your Service Metrics page is looking good. The next day you fall down to 399 transactions and it changes from 3 months to 12 and everything changes. I have a feeling this happened to a lot of people when they turned the site off for two weeks a weeks ago.
This Service Metrics policy is so incredibly gross and unfair but you cannot explain it to anyone because its so convoluted. Other sellers that haven’t run afoul of it yet don’t even understand it or know their being victimized are being counted towards victimizing them more, until it happens.
If I got hit tomorrow with that 5% I would start by immediately removing all the items from the category. I wouldn’t pay the 5%. I would then relist what I could that had an appropriate second different category. I would put everything else on another platform or save it for later. If you sell clothing or something else that has only one appropriate category you’re stuck.
Think about this when you list. I sell alot in Home & Garden. H&G is so big it could be five separate categories. This category is where I have the most abusive returns and I know this is where trouble will be if I have it. Anything H&G I have that has an alternate category in B&I, sporting goods, or consumer electronics, I use that category instead. Do your best not to use the problematic category.
Free Returns won’t solve your problem it will make it work. People don’t know the difference. They don’t read. Yes if you offer free returns it doesn’t cost the buyer so they could select a non fault reason and it wouldn’t cost them anything more. They don’t know that or care. Buyer paid vs free returns will have zero bearing on what a buyer selects. Most of them think the same policy applies to everything. Free returns is inviting people to use things and then send them back or have you pay all the shipping just so they can look at something or do zero research because they can just have you pay to send it back and forth to try out. They will lie to return a free return just like any other because they are to dim to even begin to think different sellers may have different policies. They think it Amazon with a different name. Free returns is entitled and disgusting. Its for Chinese garbage and throw away clothing. Don’t play that game, no it absolutely won’t help.
For everything that happens conditions exist such that nothing else could have happened.
