Has anyone figured out an effective method for making buyers read listings?
I swear it's because the app is hot garbage, but like... people aren't even looking past the first picture, not that that's anything new. Our return rate hovers around 5% - not terrible for used car parts. However, of that 5%, about 10% are doesn't fit, 10% are shipping damage, 10% are mistakes on our part, 10% are blatant fraud (empty box returns) and then the remainder are where people are too ignorant to look at what they're buying.
We've added example pictures showing where to read descriptions and asking to swipe on the photos. We've added condition descriptions in addition to text in the listing. We've added text to images. We've added chalk marker highlighting damages on the parts. Nothing makes a dent. We pay thousands of dollars a year in return shipping, tens of thousands a year in return shipping damage because people throw things in a box with no packaging, and we consistently toe the line of "very high" seller fault returns, not that we know what that means since eBay won't tell us.
Just today we took a return back on a $1200 part. Buyer returns for a scratch that was shown in 7 different close up photos, described in bold red font in three different places, and with a call to action photo as the second picture of the listing asking to view all photos and read the description. Buyer returned it with no packaging and the USPS destroyed it, as they are wont to do.
It's not even about the money, it's about the time and the headache. We place bets in my warehouse about what's getting returned for **bleep** reasons, we've gotten pretty good at it. So not that there's an answer, but has anyone found one?
jasperautoparts
·2 years agoYour return rates are right in line with mine and the industry standards. I also have the same experiences. "wrong part" was the only thing a buyer would say on a return of a temp control. I had 19 photos of it, all the buttons, the connectors, the part number, everything. When asked "what is wrong about it?" they replied "wrong part, already sent back" I get the "there is a scratch on it" (well DUH it's a tail light from a 31 year old car) and that scratch was in the photos too. I refuse to sell anything that goes truck freight. it would be a nightmare to deal with a return of an engine. I have thought about listing them local pickup only and then making sure it's what the customer need and their expectation and changing the listing so they can buy with freight but honestly, engines/transmissions sell well enough locally I haven't bothered.
Ebay says we can ask for more information about the buyers car if it's not provided but we have to ship on time and they are not required to reply. So you ship it, it's what they ordered, but not what they needed and you eat the shipping and take the ding. 85% of my returns are these, buyers who refuse to give any info about their car, me having to ship the item (can't cancel without a ding, and you can only cancel so many for customer request/bad address before ebay takes notice and says stop that) I kid you not I had an alternator returned for a 3.0 Ford Taurus because it didn't fit a 3.0 saturn Vue.. customer states "well they are both 3.0s it should have fit" and, another ding..
it's gotten so bad that ebay has chosen to reward me with an additional 5% fee on top of their insane fees because I have.. wait for it.. TO MANY RETURNS!
pennysdream
·3 years agoFew months ago, I put a coupon code at the very bottom of my listings. One person saw it.
kabilab
·3 years agoMaxine's reply was concise, candid and accurate. Any comment I would add would be superfluous.
mam98031
·3 years agoWe can't "make" buyers do anything. The best we can do is cross our fingers.
chapeau-noir
·3 years agoI think more than anything it's crap design. The 'quick view' is lousy for OOAK sellers and used items - eBay copied it from mass-market online cataloging and it's a poor application. But, since 80+ percent of items sold here are new, I guess it doesn't matter.
The mobile app is really clunky - it's almost as bad as Mercari.
ETA: For Mercari, you have to download a separate app just to read and respond to messages on mobile.
mybigsale
·3 years agoThis is a question for eBay who isn't here to listen and doesn't have an effective method of taking seller suggestions.
In some cases, eBay discourages users from reviewing the details before adding the item to their cart. Sometimes when I click items (shopping on computer) eBay shows a popup with the option to add it to the cart. Description and details are not displayed. User can "Add to cart" OR "View all details".
eBay's design indicates eBay prefers a quick sale to a knowledgeable sale where the user may not purchase an item if they actually checked all the details and discovered the item doesn't meet their needs.
If eBay lets buyers purchase items without even having the item details displayed somewhere on the page, eBay should assume the responsibility for not as described cases based on the details never being displayed to the buyer.
inhawaii
·3 years agoI've found that BOLD RED TEXT helps.
caldreamer
·3 years agoSeems like you are doing everything right...some people just don't bother reading. As far as "damaged returns"...when customer opens return you should warn customer "that item must be returned in perfect condition and to package securely".
I had a problem with customers removing "hangtags on clothing". I put a note "inside package" telling them NOT to remove hangtags. Problem solved...never had another customer remove hangtags.
You can only be proactive and hope for the best...
redline_auto_llc
OP3 years agoYeah, we give all the usual warnings. For high value stuff that doesn't ring true we also do the whole "I know this won't be a problem because I can tell you're an honest buyer but we just have to say that empty box returns or returns with different serial numbers will be reported to the authorities" shtick, and a surprising number of people magically realize they don't need to return it after that, but at the end of the day it's all a bluff. Not much we can do but eat the 50% and move on.
I've been around here long enough that I remember the days where a phone call to CS got you a native English speaker who could look at the return details and close it out or change the reason. I fondly remember restocking fees, which despite what people want to say are a real thing. Our average shipment costs $9.18 in packaging alone, not to mention labor. Heck, I remember the days where a check in the mail was a semi-viable method of payment.
I've said it before and I'll say it again; I can't wait to be off this sinking ship.
jasperautoparts
·2 years agoI remember so far back a check or money order in the mail was basically the only way to pay.
ya.. I have been around since day 1.
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoI feel your pain, well actually I can sympathize because with what I sell returns basically NEVER happen.
Take some consolation you are not in the woman's fashion business!
Oh yeah, no there is no way to make people both literate and attentive to details. It sometimes seems that the world is completely in the swipe, swipe, click mode and they think they know what they are doing because they heard about on "fill in the blank".
maxine*j
·3 years agoNo. And it gets worse all the time. I think it's partly because of people using mobile devices / apps, with the limitations thereof. I think it's partly because people are increasingly impatient, inattentive, and distracted. I think it's partly because of the increased low literacy and functional illiteracy in the U.S.
Yeah, I know, no Miss Cheerful award for me again this year.
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