Return Policy is Crazy.
Summary: bbrradd expressed frustration with eBay's return policy after a buyer filed a return claim on an item claimed to be counterfeit, which bbrradd insists is genuine. Despite providing evidence, they are concerned about eBay holding funds and allowing extended return periods, causing anxiety. mam98031 advised not contacting the buyer and explained return policies, emphasizing that a claim can be closed if the item isn't returned in 15 business days. Other participants shared similar experiences, providing reassurance that some returns are never completed. gurlcat suggested offering free returns for better protection and noted that excessive return timeframes rarely result in actual scams. The discussion also touched on eBay鈥檚 broader policies, with participants acknowledging challenges but understanding the rules of the marketplace.
A buyer filed a fraudulent returned citing the item as being counterfiet. Now I had 20+ pics and a videos wjere the buyer could see everything he later claimed was counterfiet. I sent him a label per ebay request and its been 10days with nothing shipped. I have to wait over a week still to see if he ships. I don't understand how ebay can freeze all of your money(over $300) and then give the person nearly a month to ship it back. I have no idea what the sellers doing to my item on what looks like a 1 month free rental. The return time is insane. Buy says its fake/not as described, you had 3 or 5 days. 20+ days feels like robbery.
thorntons.pawn1
路2 weeks agoUnfortunately that is how ebay's policy is. I understand what you're saying but as some stated, some people who take that long to ship it back usually don't. I've had that happen before but most of the time they ship back within the first week. We have a no return policy but 9/10 i still accept returns if someone reaches out or has an issue. Regardless some of ebays policys allow buyers around the no returns but i have had a few buyers try to force a return for what i take as buyer remorse but it was very obvious they were using the inaccurate listing policy to force it. One was so bad their customer service rep told me to report the buyer and block him. I also had someone haggle me to sell a item at a lower cost for them to resell, i refused and they bought the item and tried to open a case with ebay claiming damage but refused to show the damage or return but demanded a partial refund (assuming he was trying to get back what he originally wanted me to sell it for). He then spam messaged insulting slurs and Ebay ended up agreeing with me once they read the messages between the buyer and myself and even recommended blocking the buyer and reported him for me. I've even had someone open a case with their bank disputing the charge. Which once i provided the documentation Ebay & the bank did agree with me and unfroze the money. Many times though, I've accepted cancellations and returns to appease buyers as i would like them to eventually come back and have a good experience with my store. My advice to you as a new seller is to watch out for the ones who do try to abuse the system and don't hesitate to reach out to ebays customer service if you feel like they are abusing the system. I have had good experience with them trying to fix the issue for myself and the buyer but they have always stated to me that if someone is trying to wrongfully take advantage of their policy's, they do like to know to also protect their sellers. If you start selling a lot of items more than likely this issue will be just part of it. Some people fall on hard times and just need some compassion and others.. well that's what a block list is for. :)
luckythewinner
路3 weeks ago 路 EditedIt's easy to understand how. eBay built the site, and eBay sets the rules.
And yet you and millions of other sellers have freely chosen to list billions items here, and will continue to do so. So if you believe the return policy is insane, you can choose not to.
dhbookds
路3 weeks agoAs @inhawaii commented, there have been studies that conclude the longer the time period for returns.......the less number of returns. Of course, that's a generalization. But that, in addition to peer pressure from Amazon/retailers/credit card companies, is probably part of the reason for the length of time Ebay allows for returns.
bbrradd
OP3 weeks agoThat's a good point. Hell, maybe ebay even counts on people forgetting to return it lol. Its just a bit frustrating having a moderately expensive vintage item being held hostage. The lengthy return tim just seemed a little silly to me
reallynicestamps
路2 weeks agoIs the return time counted until the item is reshipped or until it is delivered.?
gurlcat
路3 weeks ago 路 EditedWas this the Dupont lighter? I don't think they're "renting" it. Typically that would be something like a power tool, vacation-related 'stuff,' or fashion for an event, but a collectible -no.
They probably just regretted buying it when they were drunk or their spouse had a fit about it, something like that. Then they used the 'inauthentic' claim to force a free return because the listing had 'No returns.' And now ... either they're the kind of person who procrastinates every little task until the last minute, OR they changed their mind again, and decided to keep the lighter.
Sorry you're facing this. The return shipping window is absurd for sure. But at least this doesn't happen very often.
bbrradd
OP3 weeks agoIt is lol, and I think you are correct. My terminology wasn't the best as there's not really much you can do with a lighter, just sucks having no idea what exactly is happening with it right now. I'm a mew seller on ebay so I'm still trying to get caught up and learn all of this stuff and it can be a bit frustrating. I'm not one to procrastinate so the wait is killing me lol. I also agree with your comment that he probably chose to keep it, i just get anxiety thinking the lighters getting destroyed or something
gurlcat
路3 weeks agoThis is the place to get the best, most accurate and most empathetic help when you need it. Just make sure to come and ask at the first sign of trouble, not after already making decisions that could be the wrong ones. We see that all the time, people just coming to rant-post about a disaster when it's already too late for us to offer any advice.
Not saying you did that in this case, by the way -accepting the return was the correct choice. You're off to a god start! What's really amazing (and a bit surprising) is your very first sale, that big lot, OMG! With no trouble! One of the most common issues we see is a scammer taking advantage of a brand new seller offering a high-value item. So you were very lucky if you just had a good buyer with no ill intent.
bbrradd
OP2 weeks agoActually that 1st sale did have some issues. He said 3 of the 41 pops had some minor damage so I had to issue a partial refund on it lol. It feels like ever sale has some issue or another.
The lighter guy just shipped the lighter back today and the deadline was the 25th. I'm going to record opening up the package to make sure everything's good and the lighter hasn't been altered. I appreciate the help/advice
gurlcat
路2 weeks ago 路 EditedI don't know what you mean about the "pops" -you never mentioned that sale before.
As for the lighter, sorry to tell you but it would be a waste of effort to record the unboxing, because even if the guy shipped back a dog turd, you would still be required to issue a full refund. There is no pathway to submit video evidence to eBay for any reason.
But they DO offer seller protection for cases where an item is returned in any 'lesser' condition than originally sent. The way to get that is to have 30-day Free Returns on the listing. Not 'No returns' or 'Buyer pays for returns.' FREE. And why not have that, since buyers can just lie about something to claim Item Not As Described and get a free return label anyway? There are even buyers who don't know they can lie, so they purposely DAMAGE an item to claim it arrived that way, get their free return label, ship it back, then the seller has an item worth less or nothing.
But when you offer Free for any reason, they have no incentive to lie at all, and if the item is in lesser condition, you can withhold up to 50% of the refund, AND the INAD will not be counted as a defect in your Service Metrics. Oh, AND if the buyer honestly cites a remorse reason for the return, you don't have to refund the original shipping. It's a win-win-win all around to have Free returns. @bbrradd
bbrradd
OP2 weeks agoOh sorry, you referenced my first sale i thought. It was a lot of 41 funko pops, that's why I mentioned pops.
Surely if the seller sends back nothing or the lighter is damaged I have some recourse don't I? Rather than just losing all of the money and the lighter. I just want to make sure I have some sort of protection if the guy sends back absolutely nothing. I heard the deduct 50% is only available for top sellers. I may be getting ahead of myself since I don't have the package yet, just worried about receiving nothing or a damaged lighter
gurlcat
路2 weeks agoAhhh thank you; I did forget about the Funko lot sale.
Top Rated Sellers get the 'enhanced' version of protection where we only have to have SOME kind of 30-day returns allowed, either Free or Buyer Pays. But ALL sellers who are Above Standard level (which I assume includes you) get the protection from having 30-day Free returns. -Mind you, the protection is also on a per-listing basis, because you can have different return policies on different listings.
Just FYI, I'm TRS but I still do Free returns because it has so many other perks, and it doesn't increase returns, contrary to what your instincts might say.
If the lighter guy sends you back nothing, you would have no recourse whatsoever. But it's an extremely rare occurrence, like more people have seen Bigfoot than had a bogus return. And I know this guy isn't doing it to you, you know why? Because he would have shipped the empty package back immediately. Scammers don't procrastinate, LOL.
broto_64
路3 weeks agoShhh...
Be vewy vewy quiet.
Do not rock the boat.
Don't message this buyer either.
And just wait it out.
I've had several who ultimately forgot to ship it back on time.
roccotacodad54
路3 weeks ago"Be vewy vewy quiet."
Wabbit hunting? LOL.................
christworks
路3 weeks ago 路 Edited@bbrradd They were probably hoping you'd give them a partial refund. I doubt they will send it back. They might, but in my experience the longer it goes, the less likely they are to send it back. Still, that does not help with funds being tied up which is why sellers have to have working capital so they can keep going even if a couple thounsand is tied up. It's how any business worth its salt operates. Go talk to a contractor. At any one time they will have tens of thousands of dollars tied up in various projects, yet they still must pay the bills.
I agree with you that the length of time buyers have to return items is far too long. I think buyers should have five days to get it scanned as shipped. I'm sure you'd like that which is why you should click that question mark on every eBay page where you can submit feedback.
gurlcat
路3 weeks agoAgree 100%. The only asterisk I would pop in is that I doubt most people are oblivious to the idea of having working capital (AKA 'emergency fund' and probably lots of other names), but knowing you should have it and having it are two different things. With the prices of everything on the rise, with (maybe) a recent emergency having already taken those funds ..... this is where sudden unexpected sales revenue hold can be a crisis.
And yeah, it is bunk that eBay allows the buyer to sleep their way through such a long hostage situation.
christworks
路3 weeks agoNo, I get it. It takes time and discipline to build up a fund. I keep my business money seperate from personal. If a personal emergency rises, I don't get to go raid the business money. I keep anywhere from $700-$1000 to work as capital for my business. This generally covers any big bulk buys that come up beyond what I'd normally spend, or if I needed a new thermal printer, for example. Or if eBay holds my funds like they did recently on a camera, I had that to fall back on to make up for what they were holding. If something major happened, I've got a pretty good business credit card to fall back on. That is a last resort though.
When I started back on eBay I was still doing audit work. I never kept anything for myself that I made reselling that first year. It all went back into reselling, so that when I had to start staying in town more, I had a viable business already running.
It's been hard. No lie. It still is hard.
gurlcat
路3 weeks ago 路 EditedLOL, I was talking about the difference between "hard" and "basically impossible in the foreseeable future, unless some miraculous windfall should occur somehow."
Let me put it like this -if someone's current situation is such that a $300 payment hold is a problem, do you think it's because they didn't know it would be a good idea to have some money tucked away for a rainy day like this? I'm saying you're kind of talking to them like they're 18, when for all you know, they could be a Senior trying to avoid forclosure on their home, after a medical crisis ate all their savings.
Imagine being that person and having someone tell you about how if this hold happened to them, they'd be okay because they always have $700-1000 laying around if they need it. Discipline can only do so much. You can decide to prepare your own meals rather than dine out, you can decide to wear those grubby sneakers a bit longer, etc. But there are lots of things you can't decide, or stop, if they come hurdling at you.
christworks
路3 weeks ago 路 Edited@gurlcat Imagine being someone who grew up poor and went without electricity and food at times in their life, yet being told by someone they are a bad person because they dared mention the importance of putting back savings. You talk to me like I've never known hardship. I grew up poor. I know hardship. More than you can know. I've also been relatively speaking on top of the mountain, where I didn't have to worry about where my next meal was coming from. Part of what got me there was being frugal. As the ex liked to put, I'm a tightwad.
I also know that many people do not know how important it is to save, whether they are 18, 28, 58, or 78. We don't know anything about anybody on this forum. When we give advice, I don't think we should withhold information that might be helpful for them just because they may know to do that but cannot because they can't make ends meet. That's just silly. The whole point of helping other sellers is to make sure they have information that will actually help them going forward so they don't find themselves in this situation. Life happens and there are always things beyond our control. Sharing our experiences is important. The fact that I have money put up for an emergency shouldn't make anybody feel bad. It should motivate them to do the same and keep clawing and fighting like I have my whole life. You speak as though I was talking to or about you.
The OP could have easily responded any number of ways to my post. They could have said,
"I never thought about that. I'm going to start putting back $10 a month!" or
"I used to have money put back for things like this, but I had an emergecy two months ago and have not been able to get it built back up." or
"I do have money put back, but I don't want eBay holding my funds for this long."
Or they could have posted any numbe of ways in response. Instead they said, "You make some great points and I agree with you."
I agree with them.
gurlcat
路3 weeks agoI didn't say you were a "bad person." You know I don't think that. 鈾ワ笍
christworks
路3 weeks ago@gurlcat Awww, you are going to make me blush. 馃槉
bbrradd
OP3 weeks agoYou make some great points and I agree with you. Early on i had messahed the buyer to explain how the lighter was authentic, but then realized very quickly that he didnt care about the authenticity and since I was a new seller, he was probably hoping I accidently refunded all or panicked and did a partial refund. Given the length of time and the price he got it for, I think he might end up keeping it. I just get anxiety thinking the items getting beat up or something
iamalwaysright
路3 weeks agoWelcome to ebay
jerseyboymusic
路3 weeks agoThe way most people utilize the Ebay MBG with a seller who has a "No Returns" policy is to open a INAD return. It's not really fraudulent. Dishonest, maybe, but it's the way the buyer gets to return for free if not satisfied
gurlcat
路3 weeks agoThat's not what the OP is disparaging at all. It's the stupidly long amount of time the buyer is allowed to drag their butt AFTER starting a return, to send the package back.
jerseyboymusic
路3 weeks agoOh yeah.. I agree with OP on THAT
inhawaii
路3 weeks ago 路 EditedFor what it's worth...
About 50% of approved returns don't get returned, in which case you are not charged fore the return label and you win the case. No refund.
bbrradd
OP3 weeks agoTy! Thats good to know. I'm still new to selling on ebay so I'm not familiar with it. It just seems like everyone claims some kind of issue lol. I've been into sports cards last recently, probably have hundreds of buys with no complains from me. Yet the things I've sold 50% have complaints lol. And its not a me issue. I ship same day and packaged we暮l
mam98031
路3 weeks agoFortunately the majority of transaction go off without any problem. Just make sure you do NOT reach out to your buyer to see what the status is of them shipping it back. Because if they do not ship it back in 15 BUSINESS days, not calendar days, Business days, you can contact Ebay the very next day and get the claim closed in your favor and no refund will be required by you. So stay silent. I know it can be hard, especially with so much money on the line. But remember, it is best for you if they don't ship the item. As to return policies. Read the following info carefully.
The return policies options are as follows.
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1. No Returns
2. 30 day returns w/ buyer pays shipping
3. 60 day returns w/ buyer pays shipping
4. 30 day returns w/ seller pays shipping, AKA Free Returns
5. 60 day returns w/ seller pays shipping. AKA Free Returns
6. 14 Day returns in certain categories
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With option number 1, No Returns the seller can completely deny taking a return for a Buyer's Remorse Return Request, if the buyer properly filed the claim.聽 Or if they want to they can accept the return and have the buyer pay the return shipping.聽 If the seller so chooses they can withhold the original shipping if it was separately stated on the listing [not free shipping] when it is time to refund the buyer.
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On options 2 & 3 the buyer is responsible for the return shipping on a Buyer's Remorse Return.聽 Plus if the seller so chooses they can withhold the original shipping if it was separately stated on the listing [not free shipping] when it is time to refund the buyer. As of October 1st 2019, sellers that are TRS have some additional protections as well as they can issue partial refunds if they options 2 or 3 as their return policy.
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On options 4 & 5 above, they are also known as Free Returns.聽 If a seller that has either of those policies they will pay the return shipping even on a buyer's remorse return.聽 A seller can withhold the original shipping value from the refund if the shipping was separately stated in the listing [not free shipping].聽 Also Seller鈥檚 offering options 4 or 5 have the ability to do partial refunds in certain cases if the item arrives back damaged, missing something or in a condition less than what it was sent to the buyer in, see the policy for more details, the link is below.聽 In the cases where a deduction in the refund is taken due to damage or other authorized reasons for a partial refund, Ebay will protect the seller from negative or neutral feedback.
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ALL OPTIONS [1, 2, 3, 4 and 5] are required to process SNAD claims without exception.聽 Even if they are improperly filed and should have been a Buyer鈥檚 Remorse claim.
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All return policies by sellers must meet or exceed what is stated in the Money Back Guarantee Policy!
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14 day return policies are allowed in certain categories: Camera Drones, Camera lenses, Collectibles & Art, Digital Cameras, Jewelry and Medical & Mobility.
For those with Free Return and/or TRS members with 30 day return policies, there are some added protection benefits, one of which is the ability to do a discounted refund under certain conditions.
stainlessenginecovers
路3 weeks agoYes, it is. Been that way since 2020 (Covid started it).
But, that's the way it is.
Nothing you or anyone can/will do about it.