eBay finds a new way to hide your listings - the FREE RETURNS filter!

[theheadphonecompany]

eBay:

"We are going to create a filter that allows buyers to look at only those products that have free returns, and only those products that have returns.

"We think that's a great way of delivering on a new kind of buyer expectation. ...

"Our sellers then have an opportunity to get highlighted by offering that kind of advanced and enhanced return policy."

So new today from eBayclosed is the revelation that the  in charge have found a NEW WAY to hide/demote your listings if you REFUSE to play ball with them on their new hairbrained idea on FREE SHIPPING.

Of course it condradicts the "with out you theres no us" line that they repeat ad nauseum, and of course the constant crowing about how "we are you PARTNER".

No one of course calls them on it, but the very fact that people like TWICE (who just ran a top 100 ecommerce sellers list) and IGNORED eBay yet again speaks VOLUMES.

MAYBE (but I doubt it) some attending the steamy Vegas meeting will ask the head  about a NEW SELLER EXPERIENCE - one that doesnt revolve around stealing from your sellers, abusing them or hidding their listings .... but I doubt it.

We ALL know its the emporers new clothes ... sad day that this is the BEST eBay can think of in 2017!

[drinkwine1204]

Thank you for reminding me of one of the new "enhancements" to the buyer's experience. I had totally forgotten about it in the maze of new rollouts this summer. I guess this is why as of this afternoon I am down 83.5% from last year at this time. Yes, there were vacations, back to school, chinese low priced sellers back then, and yes, I still sold the same products. But wait, I have cut prices on every item I have for sale while the post office has raised prices and ebay has cut my TRS discount in half. Looks like even IF I do make a sale (IF capitalized), making a sale and making some profit are not the same thing.

I know many retailers are also struggling but this new search feature puts me lower on the food chain, something that may be contributing to my low sales/views.

Thank you for giving me yet another reason to feel hopeless. I already offer 30 day returns & free shipping, just cant pay both ways, especially when most of my returns, which are not very many, are because of poor fit. Every one of my listings includes several measurements and photos.

I refuse to continue to bend over for yet another money grab from gr^%d bay

[theheadphonecompany]

There was NO intention to make you or anyone else feel "hopeless".

It was a simple reminder/warning of information that was/is in todays presentation from eBayclosed.

It seems that eBay has found yet ANOTHER way to hide your listings. "Dont do what we want? ok we will make a way for buyers to not see you". That is NOT a partner - its the mafia.

I dont do returns - and what ever happens happens.

If eBay actually had my back, actually stood up for me when an issue arose - I WOULD offer returns - in fact I used to - but then I became Hertz or Avis.

People would take the items they bought from me and take them (not me LOL) on vacation, come back and say SNAD its broken. eBay said "be like walmart and offer 900000000 days free returns and then put thier kids through college too (since theres a buyer expectation for that)."

My traffic elsewhere is 10 to 1, there to here - and Id LOVE for that to change - but eBay doesnt want sucessful sellers, they want sucessful SALES - and since I wont play their game - Im not a beloved (though one of the guys on the front page with 5000 negatives a year (5000 say it slowly, let it roll off your tounge and think about it) IS an eBay beloved!  go figure!)

[pantlandia]

---

@theheadphonecompany wrote:

eBay:

"We are going to create a filter that allows buyers to look at only those products that have free returns, and only those products that have returns.

"We think that's a great way of delivering on a new kind of buyer expectation. ...

"Our sellers then have an opportunity to get highlighted by offering that kind of advanced and enhanced return policy."

So new today from eBayclosed is the revelation that the in charge have found a NEW WAY to hide/demote your listings if you REFUSE to play ball with them on their new hairbrained idea on FREE SHIPPING.

Of course it condradicts the "with out you theres no us" line that they repeat ad nauseum, and of course the constant crowing about how "we are you PARTNER".

No one of course calls them on it, but the very fact that people like TWICE (who just ran a top 100 ecommerce sellers list) and IGNORED eBay yet again speaks VOLUMES.

MAYBE (but I doubt it) some attending the steamy Vegas meeting will ask the head  about a NEW SELLER EXPERIENCE - one that doesnt revolve around stealing from your sellers, abusing them or hidding their listings .... but I doubt it.

We ALL know its the emporers new clothes ... sad day that this is the BEST eBay can think of in 2017!

---

When buyers use that filter and see that their selection is few to nil, they will uncheck it to actually see stuff they want to buy. Personally, I'm not going to sweat it.

[tunicaslot]

I'm not worried about it - Free Shipping was suppose to increase your sales - or are one of the things that count towards increased visibility - I ditched that and now charge shipping and have better sales than I did with offering free shipping.

Some buyers may prefer it - but many more will not and will continue to by from repurtable sellers knowing that they probably won't have to use that return option.

[lemarcheaupuces]

I agree.

i am a buyer and if I searched by using a "filter", I'd be shooting myself in the foot.

of course at times I do when I want an item "new with tag" or when looking for my size.

but when looking at a lot of jewelry, I am just interested in the product offered.

when shopping for shipping supplies, I shop by the total price.

i look at both: free and not free (and yes I know shipping is never free).

the total price is what matters.

i can only assume other buyers shop the way I do.

[fern*wood]

To use a filter to show only listings that offer free returns makes little sense for me.  I would rather find what I want as cheaply as possible instead of planning on returning the item. 

Just as adding in the "free shipping" amount, a seller would likely add more to the asking price for the "free return".

[*eponymous*]

Doesn't everyone shop by total price?

[papermoneyforme]

Just maybe it has nothing to do with if the buyer uses the filters but that Ebay uses whatever filters they want to pick the items the buyer is looking for.

Ebay will show the buyer what Ebay wants to, artificial intelligence - a no brainer, based on certain criteria that they pick.

[18704d]

Two to four years ago, on this board, during all those "Free" shipping debates..

I predicted free Return shipping would be upcoming.

True, it's not yet mandated, but wouldn't it first start like this?

Less search visibility if you don't offer it.. then...

make it mandatory a couple years down the road, once we're all accustomed to it.

jmtcw,

Lynn

[luckythewinner]

Everything that filters a list will hide listings. That is pretty much the definition of a filter.

Buyers can already filter by:

• title
• category
• listing format
• condition
• price
• distance
• item location
• category special attributes
• accepts paypal
• listed as a lot
• accepts best offer
• items on sale
• items for charity
• returns accepted

And if there are enough matches, any search will filter out any items past the first 10,000.

So I'm not going to get my panties in a bunch over a couple more filters.

[mr_lincoln]

@theheadphonecompany  If you caught any of the eBay Open early live streaming videos Hal did a walk through the show hall and the 2nd Seller he interviewed and introduced was a guy who plugged the Free Returns ... made some sort of statement that his business improved when he did that and he wished he would have done it sooner ... obviously a prearranged interview and plug for Free returns ...

[nowthatsjustducky]

This may be a good thing for those of us who choose not to do "free" returns or any returns at all.

Shoppers who specifically buy only from those who offer free returns for any reason are really not the type of shoppers those of us who do not offer such.  Seems like any shopper specifically looking for "free" returns sellers would be high maintenance customers who would then go and pull whatever shenanigans they can to try for a lower price or lie to avoid paying return shipping.

We already pay return shipping when a buyer lies and claims SNAD anyway (fortunately for me, that has been super infrequent ever since I switched everything to No Returns.  I am not going to finance renters and those who think they can try anything here on approval all at the seller's expense.

[nowthatsjustducky]

No matter what asinine policy or feature they plug, they are always going to find at least one shill to serve as their poster child about how useful whatever it is actually is.  Statements like that guy need to be taken with a grain of salt, if not an entire salt lick.  I am guessing he provided zero actual verifiable evidence to back up his statement?

[pinupsplus]

One carrot I won't be chasing.