Sellers: Are you getting more cancellations recently (paid for BIN/IP orders, not auctions) ?
Not Auctions- All BIN/IP. I've received 1 a day for the past 3 days in a row, all 3 overnight, waking up to them Previously, maybe 4 in an entire year for the past 14 years.
Items are NOT available anywhere else so it's not like they 'found' a cheaper price.
All state 'purchased by mistake'
Is ebay just automatically 'purchasing' for buyers that have to have their payment predetermined when they just 'view'??
Or, is this some scam or new trend?
stainlessenginecovers
Posted 2 years ago · Edited 2 years ago·Last reply 2 years ago
9 comments
isaiah53-57
·2 years agoMy personal theory (for which I have been derided) is these are fake accounts that are designed to show higher user activity and higher revenue for better numbers come quarterly reporting time.
With the reports of these instances increasing dramatically on these boards with both auction and "buy it now"/"make an offer" sellers, I can see no other REASONABLE explanation - the idea that these are people that have absolutely nothing better to do with their time other than "sport bid/buy" for the fun of it is NOT in the least reasonable...
stainlessenginecovers
OP2 years agoNot in these cases- they're not fake accounts as none are even close to NO or LITTLE feedback; all are members with activity in the last 30 days and well over 5+ year old accounts.
I do know the 'cancellation' is easier (prior to shipping) but this buyer is still 'out' their money or it's pending payment, then pending credit so there is no upside to the buyers.
Regarding a Publicly Owner Company; the $$ they have to report are AFTER refunds/cancellations- so if a company has $20,000,000 in sales but $500,000 in cancellations/refunds; they have to report $19,500,000 as well as the MOST important number:
Earnings
Because they have to 'give back' the fees collected on a return/cancellation, their Reported EARNINGS would be AFTER these these returns.
Like Apple; if they do a 'buy back' on old units and give back $30,000,000 to 'retailers', their $934,000,000 would have to be reported as $904,000,000
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoNot in these cases- they're not fake accounts as none are even close to NO or LITTLE feedback; all are members with activity inT the last 30 days and well over 5+ year old accounts.
I do know the 'cancellation' is easier (prior to shipping) but this buyer is still 'out' their money or it's pending payment, then pending credit so there is no upside to the buyers.
That only applies if they have paid. I just had a cancellation request where the buyer had never paid.
Regarding a Publicly Owner Company; the $$ they have to report are AFTER refunds/cancellations- so if a company has $20,000,000 in sales but $500,000 in cancellations/refunds; they have to report $19,500,000 as well as the MOST important number:
Correct although a simplified gross/net revenue.
Earnings
Because they have to 'give back' the fees collected on a return/cancellation, their Reported EARNINGS would be AFTER these these returns.
They may or may not refund the fees on a return. Cancellation I would assume so if the buyer in fact paid. Yes initially the fees would be part of the gross revenue and any refunds would be one of the deductions on the way to the net.
Like Apple; if they do a 'buy back' on old units and give back $30,000,000 to 'retailers', their $934,000,000 would have to be reported as $904,000,000
Initially it would be reported as $934K as part of the gross, the $30K becomes a deduction to that on the way to the net.
isaiah53-57
·2 years agoI agree to a degree - where you are wrong is the GMV they report is BEFORE cancellations and returns - You are referring to their reported income or bottom line.
I would say, right now, their most important numbers are likely Active User Data and GMV - They are both typically HIGHLIGHTED as a show of improvement before income.
Given the slide in user numbers over the last several years and their, in my opinion, very unusual maintaining of active users numbers over the last several quarters, any additional slide in active users would be very hurtful - And maintaining or increasing active user numbers without maintaining or increasing GMV/revenue would also be hurtful.
On top of the large number of people reporting fake bidding and offers for quite some time, you now see what appears to be a sudden increase in the number of people talking about paid-for sales cancellations - It really makes you go hmmmmmm...
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoMy personal theory (for which I have been derided) is these are fake accounts that are designed to show higher user activity and higher revenue for better numbers come quarterly reporting time.
With the reports of these instances increasing dramatically on these boards with both auction and "buy it now"/"make an offer" sellers, I can see no other REASONABLE explanation - the idea that these are people that have absolutely nothing better to do with their time other than "sport bid/buy" for the fun of it is NOT in the least reasonable...
That is quite possible but eBay only counts revenue after a buyer has paid so if they pay and then cancel then yes it would increase the GMV since eBay has never adjusted for canceled orders, returns, refunds or scams where the financial aspect of the transaction should be removed from the GMV. So yes the GMV may be over inflated but revenue which is based on fees may not be since that is actually based on the fees eBay receives or charges. Not sure if eBay adjusts revenues for refunds or returns.
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoIt's not a scam unless you're out the item or the money. It's just annoying. I feel like we've had similar cancellation rates, but eBay did make it easier for buyers to cancel (no longer just within an hour after purchase), and there's of course no verification of the reason they choose so most buyers just choose whatever they click on first, I think, or the one that makes the most sense to them. I wouldn't be too concerned yet. Yes, it's frustrating, but you're not really out anything except a little bit of the time for the item to be listed and visible. I'd rather that than returns.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoRe: Sellers: Are you getting more cancellations recently (paid for BIN/IP orders, not auctions) ?
No. Haven't had a single one this year.
eBay did make it easier for buyers to cancel (no longer just within an hour after purchase)
Did they make it easier to cancel, or just easier to request a cancellation?
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoThey made it so the buyer can file a formal cancellation request up until the seller marks it as shipped/inputs the tracking number, or if they never do that, up to 30 days from the order date (unless this article is unclear, which is certainly possible, but I know it's been extended to at least a few days).
The buyer requests to cancel an order
Latest: 30 calendar days after the order, or up to the point the seller indicates the order has shipped or the item has been collected in-person
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/member-behavior-policies/order-cancellation-policy?id=5298
Edit: the important detail of that being that if you decline a cancellation (say you've already shipped it and just hadn't input the tracking number into eBay for whatever reason), you can't then cancel for any other reason. Some sellers are annoyed that they can't decline a non-paying buyer's cancellation request and then give them an unpaid item strike later, but I don't necessary agree with that, plus eBay claims they'll hold buyers accountable if they cancel too often.
Two relevant quotes from that article:
Buying an item or bidding on an auction on eBay is a commitment to complete a purchase. Buyers should pay for items within 4 calendar days or the seller can choose to cancel the order. If buyers have excessive canceled orders for unpaid items or make excessive requests to cancel orders, they may be subject to the consequences outlined in our Unpaid item policy and Abusive buyer policy
A buyer can still leave feedback on a canceled transaction, unless the order was canceled because they didn't pay for the item. Learn more in our Unpaid item policy
stainlessenginecovers
OP2 years agoThese 'cancellations' are automated and although I can 'deny' (all my listings are BIN/IPR so they've ALL paid) they are NOT in my 'ready to ship' and as a seller you pretty much have to 'approve/refund' (although I wouldn't want it any other way)...
I'm just asking because all 3 said 'purchased by mistake' so is it just 'ordering' when they just 'view'??