BUYER INITATED ORDER CANCELLATIONS= Hidden eBay Listings Penalty? REALLY?? ABSOLUTELY!!

[allkindagoods]

This month has been tremendous for us.

We are experiencing record sales, and have no complaints about that.  

EXCEPT......

There has been a rash of buyer-initiated cancellations after the item(s) in question have been paid for.

We have had four buyers cancel after purchase in the last nine days, which is unprecedented in our 20 years here.

Sure, there may be legitimate reasons for a buyer to "back out" of a business commitment, and there has been no problems issuing immediate refunds (also, we always choose the correct "Buyer Asked To Cancel" as the reason for refund).

HERE'S THE ISSUE:

Each of those four days, we have has ZERO SALES for the remainder of the day after the cancellations were completed, and the buyers were promptly refunded. And they are the ONLY four slow business days we have had this month. IS THIS A COINCIDENCE?? Probably not.

The problem here is that our business is being penalized for something out of our control. REALLY?? Yes!!

In the past, we also had an inordinate number of buyer cancellations, and was sent a message from eBay that "You Need To Describe Your Items Better" (or words to that effect). Our items are, and always have been, described very well, and any potential issues are noted.

We don't write one-sentence item descriptions or only include one or two photos like many sellers here, and every effort is taken to accomplish a successful sale. Problem is that buyers are not taking a moment to read and understand what they are laying down their hard-earned cash for BEFORE making a final purchase decision.

Sure, refunds and cancellations are a (reluctantly) accepted part of doing business here, but WHY DOES eBay HAVE TO BLOCK AND HIDE ITEMS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF ONE INDECISIVE BUYER (and ZERO fault of the seller)?? This is counter-productive to everyone involved.

Anyone else experience this severe drop in business because of something which is out of our control???

[arcadian_collectible_hideaway]

I've been selling on eBay since 2000.

That's the nature of eBay, eBay always takes the buyer's side.

[evelyb30]

You mean besides the catastrophic destruction of the Search, thus hiding most Vintage and antique items from anyone looking for them???  Casual "ooh that's cool" buyers and collectors alike?   Especially one of the biggest gift areas right before Christmas, i.e. jewelry? Hate to say it dude, but welcome to my world whether you like it or not. (no guess which needed)  I'm a small fry, but my busiest sale days are usually the weekends.  I've had one in the last two days right before Christmas and that includes the "diversify your offerings" items.

[allkindagoods]

The issue here is not whether the buyer benefits or not.

Problem is that our listings have been cancelled for the remainder of the day after a buyer fails to follow through with their purchase commitment. And by no fault of our own.

[jda10121]

Have never, ever heard of your premise.....

[evelyb30]

Pretty much what everyone else on the board has said for years:  the sellers take it in the shorts no matter what the buyers do.  The buyers may do absolutely nothing wrong and the sellers will still get hurt.  Buyer decides to do the unethical thing?  Seller gets it then too.   

[shado-x]

And they are the ONLY four slow business days we have had this month. IS THIS A COINCIDENCE?? Probably not.

I think it may be a coincidence, in your case----sellers are the front line of a deteriorating economy, and equally so to an increasing economy.  Re-read your listings, check your Seller Dashboard, and edit sentences that appear ambiguous or hard to understand, like for one listing I read, "the arms were put on backwards by the manufacturer, and we could not get the screws out when we tried to loosen them" (not verbatim).  Obviously, it would be better to say "the figure's arms are installed backwards due to the previous owner".

[allkindagoods]

The items which were cancelled after purchase were accurately described in both the title and description.

Yes, there may be different points of view in which a description is worded, but the end goal is for buyers to read and understand item descriptions (per eBay rules) BEFORE making a purchase decision. Or ask a question if there are any doubts.

The problem of buyers not reading and understanding what is placed in front of them will always be present. It is a top concern for any eCommerce seller, will never go away, and is just a part of the business of selling online.

Our issue is why eBay is apparently punishing sellers due to no fault of their own. When consistent sales are suddenly halted because of buyer cancellations, this is not a coincidence here.

[halsm_60]

 i found your hat

[wrong66]

And you have proof of this? Please share how you KNOW this to be the case.

[dogchow747]

I  do not think this is tinfoil hat material.

@allkindagoodssaid:

"Each of those four days, we have has ZERO SALES for the remainder of the day after the cancellations were completed, and the buyers were promptly refunded. And they are the ONLY four slow business days we have had this month. IS THIS A COINCIDENCE?? Probably not."

The eBay algorithm rewards sellers with exceptional customer experiences with prominence in search results.

Can they take that away?

Bet they can, and do.

This case may be a random event, but you never know.

[biggymoe]

Can't comment on your theory, one way or the other.

What I have experienced is that buyers look at the price, and the pic, and buy without ever reading the description.  Can't prove that either, but I'm convinced.

[allkindagoods]

Each of the four days (in which BUYERS cancelled purchases), we have has ZERO SALES for the remainder of the day after the cancellation requests were processed, and the buyers were promptly refunded. And they are the ONLY four slow business days we have had this entire month.

This CANNOT be a coincidence.

[allkindagoods]

Furthermore, have you experienced little to no sales after any type of return??

This issue is commented on quite frequently in any eCommerce chatroom.

[babclassics]

If you are correct and their is a penalty then the next step, if it was me, is to find out why they cancelled if possible?  Since there is nothing we can do to change the eBay search rankings (other than pay for more ads) that seems to be the only way to minimize the problem.

One thing not mentioned yet is that buyers are shown the same item AFTER the purchase for a lower price.  Is  that what is happening?  If you could gather a few reasons on why they cancelled (it can't hurt to ask, right 🙂 then go from there to see if any enhancements can be made.