Will I be covered if I return Ebay item using Return Label?
I bought an item that I consider pretty expensive and it was not as described, so I opened a return request and I contacted Ebay saying I needed to find the seller's address to copy and paste because I needed to send it back myself so I can buy insurance on it. However the Ebay representative said that if I print the return label on Ebay and if it gets lost or damaged in transit I will be covered. I told them I heard on a message board that this was not correct, however she assured me it will be covered and said something like I was speaking directly to Ebay and the call was being recorded and monitored. Can someone completely verify this because I want to make sure the item I send back is covered before I print the return label?
49 comments
robbie31415
·8 months agoOk we got trolled.
roccotacodad54
·8 months agoYea with some pretty good bait as well. I spit out the hook and came back for more........LOL.............
christworks
·8 months agoI think we have someone who is pulling our chain and who is deliberately being ornery. The OP is a long-time seller. Surely they have dealt with returns as a seller given they have over 110k sales. I cannot believe they truly do not grasp what they need to do.
@mozartbach1971 Why don't you just keep it and put it in your store. You have nearly 3k followers, I'm sure someone will pay well for whatever the item is.
bashort
·8 months agothe buyer is 100% protected, as long as the return gets a scan you are good. If it gets lost or damaged on the return that is the sellers problem with ebay being the backup to the seller.
The seller is who needs the insurance
reallynicestamps
·8 months agoWhat do you think insurance will do?
Your best insurance is careful packaging.
There is no need for insurance in this case, because the shipping is being paid by eBay/the seller not by you.
If there is damage in transit, the insurance goes to the one who pays for shipping.
That would be eBay/Seller.
Paying for insurance does not give you any benefit.
christworks
·8 months agoTo add even more confusion to this conversation, the following is from the USPS website.
According to USPS, GA return labels include $100 of insurance for all customers. There is a separate section for business clients, which is where eBay falls, but no indication that business clients who use GA won't have the standard insurance that is included for everyone else.
I'm going to tag @kyle@ebay and @wastingtime101 here since both responded to that old thread.
Can either of you clarify whether Ground Advantage Return labels provided by eBay include the standard $100 insurance from the USPS?
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoCan either of you clarify whether Ground Advantage Return labels provided by eBay include the standard $100 insurance from the USPS?
This does not have much relevance to my situation, the item I am returning is over $600 in value, this is why I need to insure it. I don't think I've gotten a clear answer on how to do this in a way that would be acceptable to the Ebay return process.
lakefor94
·8 months ago@mozartbach1971
I have ~heard~ on here in the past that the social media folks can be contacted and manually enter the tracking to the return case.
No guarantees this is the case, today.
Let's ask @wastingtime101 and see what he says.
If it were me, I would be using the eBay provided label.
robbie31415
·8 months agoYou are asking the wrong question.
Ebay return labels don't have insurance.
Your question is, will eBay eat the loss if you use an eBay return label.
Buyers get the protection if the seller is responsible for the eBay generated label.
Im curious what happens if buyer is responsible for the eBay generated label.
This is another reason why buyers select INAD. No need to worry about anything other than getting an acceptance scan. Then buyer will get refunded no matter what.
roccotacodad54
·8 months agoOne more time...You do not need to insure it if you use the label provided by eBay. All you need to do is affix that label and mail it off. At that point you have fulfilled your obligation to get a refund........................
kyle@ebay
Hey @christworks thanks for the tag. I can confirm that the info from the old thread is still correct; shipping insurance isn't available on eBay return shipping labels.
Here is the help page that discusses this further.
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoHello Kyle, If insurance does not apply to the Ebay return label could you please tell me how I can return the item with insurance on it in a way that is accepted by Ebay?
robbie31415
·8 months agoYou really seem to refuse to understand.
Insurance does not matter if seller is responsible for the label and its generated by eBay.
It is the sellers responsibility to purchase insurance (which means they buy the label off eBay and select the option via their return response ).
Buying a label off eBay for insurance and using your own label you actually give the seller more protection as they can deny your refund.
Then you would need to battle it out with the shipping insurance to get refunded.
Im really not understanding your confusion here.
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoYou really seem to refuse to understand.
Insurance does not matter if seller is responsible for the label and its generated by eBay.
It is the sellers responsibility to purchase insurance (which means they buy the label off eBay and select the option via their return response ).
Buying a label off eBay for insurance and using your own label you actually give the seller more protection as they can deny your refund.
Then you would need to battle it out with the shipping insurance to get refunded.
Im really not understanding your confusion here.
What I'm confused about is Kyle just said insurance does not apply. Here is my situation I opened the return request and automatically Ebay accepted the return, without consulting with the seller. It is asking me to print the label. The reason states the following: Item didn't match description
So do I just print the label and ship it and it will be insured? Does this contradict what Kyle just said?
roccotacodad54
·8 months agoKyle just pointed out that the return isn't insured not that it's your problem or responsibility.
I don't know why you seem to think you have to insure it. You don't. If you buy your own label and insure it then the responsibility for it getting back to the seller shifts to you. The responsibility falls on the one that purchased the label.
As has been pointed out to the umteenth time...it's not your problem or responsibility!
Why you seem to be insistant on making the return getting there without problems your problem, one can only guess. Maybe you just like the drama?...............................................
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoKyle just pointed out that the return isn't insured not that it's your problem or responsibility.
I don't know why you seem to think you have to insure it.
The reason why I think I have to insure it is because if it gets lost I don't get the refund and I lose the item. Is this unreasonable?
jazzysfabfinds
·8 months agoYes eBay does that so don’t worry!
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoCan you tell me what you are replying to? Are you replying to my question about giving Ebay the tracking number if the seller does not issue the refund?
roccotacodad54
·8 months agoAs far as I know whoever bought the label (the seller on a return done through eBay) is the one responsible for delivery in one piece. If you use the label provided by eBay (paid for by the seller) you are not responsible for anything except to mail it off within the time alloted.
You are not required to insure it to protect yourself. I would pack it well as it's the decent and responsible thing to do.
If you send it back yourself (label bought by you) that puts the responsibility on you...............................
lakefor94
·8 months agoWhen returning an item to a seller, all you need is a delivered scan. In some cases, just an acceptance scan.....
The seller would be responsible for insurance and to do that, the seller would need to provide a shipping label bought elsewhere.
I would use the eBay label. Pack the item appropriately to avoid damage as a favor to the seller.
lakefor94
·8 months ago@mozartbach1971
Addendum to my last reply:
IF the item got damaged in the return process and the seller had Free Returns or/and I think still, is TRS and just accepts 30 day returns,
The seller can deduct 50% of the refund.
When you get your refund notice, there is a link in the communication that allows you to appeal the 50% refund. Just say you sent it back the exact same way it came. Nothing more, nothing less.
Ebay will make you whole out of their own purse and the seller gets to keep his 50% and the damaged item.
christworks
·8 months ago@mamacassidy My initial thought was that the language referred to the ability to purchase additional insurance.
After some digging around, I found an old post where @kyle@ebay confirmed eBay return shipping labels do not include insurance. Just like the OP in this thread, someone posted in the old thread that reps had told them insurance was included. Here is the link to the old thread.
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoFrom what I've read it looks like the Ebay return label will not cover a loss. The problem I'm having is when I clicked on the return link there is no address for me to ship it to and there is no place to put the tracking number for the label I will be printing out. Can anyone show me where to find the sellers address to ship it to? I want to copy and paste it into my shipping software so I get the exact address. And I also need to know where to put in the tracking number.
a_c_green
·8 months agoAre you not able to see the Return label that was sent to you? It should be addressed to the seller (as addressee), with the buyer's return address (your original Ship-To: address).
As eBay generated the Return label, they already know its tracking number and there is no need for you to upload it anywhere. They will see its movement on-line as soon as it is scanned.
I think this involves a different area of shipping rules - the return label provided is not just a standard Ground Advantage (or Priority Mail) label but one actually labeled as a Return shipment:
As such, I would not assume that the default $100 coverage of a standard Ground Advantage shipment would necessarily apply here. Possibly the Return label purchaser (eBay, funded by the seller) has some option for adding insurance, but according to prior posts from @kyle@ebay, if I'm understanding them correctly, that does not happen.
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoAre you not able to see the Return label that was sent to you? It should be addressed to the seller (as addressee), with the buyer's return address (your original Ship-To: address).
Yes when I hit print label it will print out a return label with the seller's address, however then I will have to hand type in the address when I create my label with insurance. I prefer to copy and paste the address into the shipping software, however if I need to hand type it in I'll go ahead and do that. If I do this then what happens when I send it out and the seller does not pay do I contact Ebay and give them the tracking number and tell them the seller didn't pay?
1786davycrockett
·8 months ago@mozartbach1971
Just use the return label which is supplied to you by eBay -- do NOT print a separate label, since it will not be recognized by eBay, and you will leave yourself open to your seller NOT refunding you, since you will be working outside the eBay system.
mozartbach1971
OP8 months agoJust use the return label which is supplied to you by eBay -- do NOT print a separate label, since it will not be recognized by eBay, and you will leave yourself open to your seller NOT refunding you, since you will be working outside the eBay system.
If I do that and the item gets lost I won't get refunded. Is that true?
1786davycrockett
·8 months ago@mozartbach1971
"If I do that and the item gets lost I won't get refunded. Is that true?"
The return label is generated to you by eBay -- so eBay is ultimately responsible.
If you use your OWN label, it is NOT a part of the eBay "record of return", and you cannot override the original tracking number on the eBay return label -- meaning that your seller can claim that the return was never delivered to him.
And eBay will side with the seller -- not you.
Just use the return label which has been provided to you by eBay.
If you take it to the post office yourself, perhaps you will be permitted to purchase extra insurance at the counter.
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoWith an Ebay label, don't know about damage, but if it gets lost, you're covered.
If you buy your own shipping label and it gets lost, that's on you.
mamacassidy
·8 months agoWhen you want to return an item using alternative shipping arrangements, and the seller is responsible for the return shipping charges, you'll need to work with the seller to agree on the shipping service and cost before returning the item.
Per ebay Return Shipping for Buyers page
Edited to add: I would always just ask Google or these boards before asking a phone rep.
bashort
·8 months agoabsolutely correct, much better info here than from a ebay CSR in most cases
Even the normal $100 included with GA is not included on a ebay provided label which is just as well its near worthless
adamcartwright
·8 months agoAre you saying that when I provide my buyer with a Ground Advantage return label, that package will not be insured up to $100, which USPS represents is automatic on any GA label purchase?
bashort
·8 months agoyes
itsjustasprain
·8 months agoEbay is the shipper because they are the ones who purchased the return label and provided it to you. If they choose to not buy insurance then that is on them.