whats the best way to handle returns for internal hard drives
I'm selling a few hard drives they're like new slightly used. On my listing I usually say no returns accepted even though I know they have 30 days standard. Now I’m not sure the best way to go about the return window. I want to do my own 14-30 days to entice buyers but what does that cover?
I kinda only want the return to apply if it shows up DOA or the drive fails within the 14-30 day return window I’ll issue them a free return label and have them send it back. For buyers remorse or if there’s nothing wrong with the drives can I have them pay for the return label and a restocking fee of some sort? I see other sellers do this but not sure the best way to go about it. You can only pick one option under returns so unsure which to pick.
Also say I do my own 14 day return policy is that added onto the 30 day standard for a 44 day window or after the 14 days it changes back to ebays standard policy?
If the item does need to be sent back can i say in the desciption it needs to be packed how it was orginally due to the sensitvity of the item?
Also know I’ve been posting a lot just trying to learn, Thanks
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
One important consideration that only @kensgiftshop has mentioned so far is the ability to deduct from returns, since you were worried about receiving back damaged hard drives. Since it doesn't look like you're currently a Top Rated Seller, you'd need to offer 30 Day Free Returns to qualify. Here's the policy: https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-protections?id=4345
An item is returned after it was used or damaged by the buyer
Sellers who are not Below Standard are eligible for this protection for listings that offer free returns.
If you accepted a buyer's return request but the item is returned in a different condition than it was originally sent:
- If the buyer had requested the return because the item didn't match the listing, we won't count the return in your "Item not as described" rate in service metrics
See our guidelines on how much you can deduct.css2001
·5 months agoYou want to offer 30 day returns, period. A two week return window isn't necessary since your drives are fairly new and shouldn't fail that soon. Starting in 2022 I've sold over 200 various drives on eBay - HDDs, SSHDs, 2.5" SATA SSDs, and now M.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs. And I've had less than 10 returns. Returns, remorse or otherwise, are part of selling, whether here or any other platform. Be sure to have the buyer return the drive as it may be fine and you can relist it. Also, some buyers may be honest and admit it was their mistake and they will pay the return shipping. On all my computer drive listings my policy is "30 days returns. Buyer pays for return shipping" (although sometimes that may not be the case).
You stated your drives have approximately 2 weeks of power on time. You need to list them as used. I recently sold a Samsung PM9A1 SSD with just under 40 hours of use. I listed it as used even though there were 1000+ days remaining. Prior to that I sold a WD SN740 that I described as a new pull with only 2 hours of use. I listed that drive as Open Box without retail packaging. (On all my drives I upload the snapshot of the hard disk report). So any drive with more than a few hours is unfortunately considered to be used.
Lastly, I read that you also have some Samsung and WD SSDs. If these are smaller storage drives I would start with them first. Once they sell and you get feedback as a seller either from the buyer or eBay's automated feedback it will make you look more established. No seller feedback and selling expensive drives may be risky.
Others posting here gave you sound advice so no need for me to repeat what they already told you.
Good Luck!
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoThe only thing that worries me about the 30 day return is the buyer return shipping. What are my options if they return it for buyers remorse and it's working before they ship it back to me and arrives damaged. Am I S.O.L or would eBay reimburse me? Yes I have them all listed as used with the running hours in the title and health info in the description and photo lising.
Oh and lastly worried about them just swapping out parts for repairs and sending me back junk. I mean I only have 6 drives so maybe nothing will go wrong but what if it does.
gator08041971
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
What are my options if they return it for buyers remorse and it's working before they ship it back to me and arrives damaged. Am I S.O.L or would eBay reimburse me?
Oh and lastly worried about them just swapping out parts for repairs and sending me back junk. I mean I only have 6 drives so maybe nothing will go wrong but what if it does.
This is all part of the risk of selling here. eBay will not reimburse you for anything, even if the buyer damaged, damaged in shipping or buyer swapped the item. Even if you have a paper trail of the SN number, it won't matter much.
I actually send a message on every sale with photos of the order being packaged and its final labeled appearance to every buyer I sell to. But even that doesn't mean eBay will back me if something goes wrong. But it does put at ease most buyers when they see how its packaged and that they are getting the item they bought and can see the label is addressed to them. It can also discourage attempts at fraud, but it won't prevent it.
If you were listing the item with free or paid shipping and free returns, you would have an option to deduct up to 50% of the refund if there was an issue with the return. But you then need to bake the costs of shipping into your drive prices. (I can't recall off the top of my head, but you also might need to be a Top Rated Seller to use that 50% deduction)
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoThanks I’ll look into that. I was also reading about setting buyer requirements been reading you can block out buyers that refund often or cancel do you think that’s worth it or not really?
gator08041971
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
I was also reading about setting buyer requirements been reading you can block out buyers that refund often or cancel do you think that’s worth it or not really?
I do use some of these options, but you run the risk of blocking some potential buyers that aren't bad too. Not sure about the refund option thing, unless that was added more recently. Mine is set to block those that have low feedback, or have a history of non-payment for winning an auction, that sort of thing.
css2001
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus wrote:
Oh and lastly worried about them just swapping out parts for repairs and sending me back junk.
Others have mentioned the 50% deduction. Sounds good, but in your case you're still taking a $200 loss.
I feel you're overthinking it. Earlier this year I sold 4 beautiful Dell Latitude laptops, each one with new SSDs. In fact, three of them had two internal SSDs. One of these had 2 brand new Samsung SSDs valued at over $150 in today's upswing in prices. Of course I didn't pay that much, my cost was around $56 for both, but replacement costs would be much higher now.
Of the few returns that I've had I never received a different item, a stripped item, or a box of rocks. I hate to admit it, but I do look at the buyer's feedback for peace of mind before I ship. I wouldn't worry if I was selling $5 or $10 items, but mine are $70 to several hundred dollars. It seems that most of my buyers have very little feedback or they haven't made any purchases in the recent month(s). But no red flags.
Gator said it best: This is all part of the risk of selling here.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoYea I tend to overthink everything. Most of the time it helps get me out of situations other times it causes them. It's sorta differnt for you though I don't have 6k+ sales. I've sold 11 items as of now have 2 feedback waiting on more once the packages land. I don't have many items to sell either so I won't be listed as a top seller I have about 35 more items including the camera, lens and hard drives that make up a good chunk of the money. After the feedback clears for my current packages. I guess I'm just gonna say screw it and post everything if something happens guess I'll just deal with it then. At this point just wanna get rid of everthing and move on.
css2001
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus wrote:
I guess I'm just gonna say screw it and post everything if something happens guess I'll just deal with it then. At this point just wanna get rid of everything and move on.
Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'm pretty sure that you'll find that most buyers are honest and there are just a few bad apples.
I had an SSD get delivered yesterday. That was my last item, I currently don't have any remaining inventory or active listings. Most of my SSDs were purchased last year before the cost of storage devices doubled. I used to be able to buy a Samsung 512GB for under $30, now the same drive is around $75 or more. So I may also "move on" unless I find a few deals. And I'm OK with that. But these higher prices are good news for you; mainly caused by the recent development of AI and their increased need for high-capacity storage. So this is actually the right time to unload those 20TB SSDs.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today — Franklin D. Roosevelt
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoThanks would having this in my listing description be too much?
30 Day return policy, at buyers expense unless otherwise stated by seller under certain circumstances. Items are expected to be returned in the condition listed and were sent in. The item(s) are expected to be returned in the same packaging along with the same protection material used.
If the original item(s) aren’t returned or there’s any parts missing or swapped an eBay dispute will be opened along with notifying both parties local authorities for fraud along with the postal inspector or other carrier used.
css2001
·5 months agoWell, to be honest, I don't like the second paragraph.
In 2011 to 2016 I used to add a Payment, Shipping & Returns policy at the bottom of all my listings. Back then I sold a ton of Windows 7 and 10 computer software. These were in brand new sealed retail packages. I searched my PC and found this template that I created using an html table. Below is a copy of the Returns portion (which I no longer use):
Please contact us prior to returning an item. You have 30 days to return any defective product, with exchange for same item, or full refund if no longer in stock. All items must be returned in the original manufacturer’s packaging. Please be sure to read the system requirements or contact us before placing an order. Buyer is responsible for shipping costs on non-defective returned items.
Also note that on the right side of an item's main photo there is a return notice. It states:
30 days returns. Buyer pays for return shipping. If you use an eBay shipping label, it will be deducted from your refund amount. See details
If you click on the See details link it takes you to this eBay page detailing the condition of returned items policy, which is:
If a buyer returns an item, it should be returned in the same condition in which it was received, and it should include all items that were in the original package.
If the returned item is used, damaged, or missing any parts, or is damaged during return shipping because it wasn't packaged correctly, the seller might deduct from the refund to cover the loss in the item's value.
This is eBay's policy, you don't have to state it in your listings, but you can apply it.
inhawaii
·5 months agoI would handle returns for internal hard drives the exact same way I would handle returns for: underwear, carburetors, jewelry and candy.
onefootflipper
·5 months agoI would sell them with a no return policy. If one actually dies the customer will force a return anyway.
Selling internal computer parts with returns available is a great way to sell them to people who are trying things out or not sure if they can actually put a computer together.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoAppreciate it, if I may ask while I have drive health recorded serial numbers etc. Should I take videos of the drives working maybe running speed tests and what not? Never tried the video feature but may give it a go but don’t know if it’s worth the time hooking up all the drives again then taking videos.
gator08041971
·5 months agoI don't think that's needed. You could always have screen shots of the test results I suppose.
But if there is an issue, its still going to be their word against yours, and eBay tends to side with the buyer.
Its best to have a return option in place and just do your best to package them well. I use anti static bags, wrapped in bubble wrap, then in a small box, then in a bubble mailer. For a single drive that's okay, but these are heavier. You may want to use more packaging material. Not to mention these drives are more fragile than most. You want the drive to be cushioned from drops and rough handling. It has to be well wrapped, snug, not loose in the package. I even invested in a roll of handle with care stickers for these shipments. It won't matter who you use to ship, they all will run the risk of tossing or throwing your package.
Most hard drive failures stem simply from handling the drive. Even slightly knocking them against each other stacking them on a shelf can damage them. Hard shocks are the worst, hence the stress of lots of packaging.
If you ship multiple drives in an order, you need to either wrap each one tightly in bubble wrap, or group a few together with a layer of cardboard between each then shrink wrap tight together, then bubble wrap. You don't want the drives to bang into each other at all.
I avoid sellers that have photos of large stacks of bare drives in piles, as I know they probably aren't aware or very careful about handling the drive. Once they tested it, they think its good and and can handle whatever. I have gotten drives shipped to me that were badly packaged before and resulted in some failures, so it happens.
Not trying to scare you of course. Just saying that no matter how careful or tested the drive is, it can still fail before it gets to the buyer.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoThanks again, yes have tons of shipping supplies on the way. Anti static bags bubble wrap and packing peanuts. While I hate packing peanuts found a lot for a good price so just pulled the plug on those. I may end up doing a 14 day return window. I would do 7 but there’s no option 30 days will just prolong my return anxiety lol.
kensgiftshop
·5 months agoDon't forget a buyer can do a charge back for 6 months or more.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoWhat does that mean exactly not really familiar with that term? I mean I’m familiar just didn’t know there was a 6 month time frame. I’ve charged back online items from the AppStore etc but didn’t know I had 6 months.
gator08041971
·5 months agoThey are talking about buyers (rare occurrences) where they can do a charge back on the method of payment if they can't get recourse through eBay directly. Many sources of funding can allow that for up to 6 months. I have yet to ever experience this personally, but it does happen once in awhile on here.
Hence while you are taking the steps to package and prepare these expensive drives properly, it would behoove you to best offer returns for up to 30 days with as little fuss as you can and be done with it. It will make you look more professional too.
kensgiftshop
·5 months agoWhen a buyer does a charge back through their payment source, Ebay has no say in the outcome.
They'll get to keep the item and you would have to refund.
Depending on the card, they might have more then 6 months to do a charge back.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoOk so if I don’t do the return policy and it fails in those 30 days. Would the buyer be able to reach out to me for a refund and ship it back that goes through eBay Or since I picked no returns they’d have to file not as described or something like that and take a hit on my account?
albertabrightalberta
·5 months agoReturn policy or not, if it fails within 30 days of delivery, the buyer can and will probably open a NAD (not as described) claim and either keep the item plus refund or will return it for a full refund, depending on how you choose to handling it.
With a "no return" policy, the buyer isn't necessarily going to open a NAD claim. Sometimes buyers will contact the seller and request to return it, even if a remorse return.
Personally, I appreciate buyers who are honest enough to admit remorse and even with a no return policy, I'd accept that request having them pay return shipping.
If you stand your ground and deny the return, the buyer who is insistent in wanting to return the item, you put them in the position of lying about the reason for the return and they may open NAD or a chargeback.
For a buyer who lies about the reason for the return earns a spot on my BBL (blocked buyer list) but gets the shipping label to return the item and a full refund upon receipt of the return.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoOk so if i do 30 day retuns can I add something like this to my listing descriptions or is it too much?
Shipping and more
Only ship U.S to U.S no international
A signature will be required upon delivery
Don’t communicate outside of eBay
30 Day return policy, at buyers expense unless otherwise stated by seller under certain circumstances. Items are expected to be returned in the condition listed and were sent in. The item(s) are expected to be returned in the same packaging along with the same protection material used.
If the original item(s) aren’t returned or there’s any parts missing or swapped an eBay dispute will be opened along with notifying both parties local authorities for fraud along with the postal inspector.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact me directly
I understand "my policy" isn't a binding contract but for some reason makes me feel better lol what do you guys think?
gator08041971
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
Only ship U.S to U.S no international
Not sure if anyone pointed this out, but make sure you exclude any destinations for your ship-to when you setup a shipping method. Very important. Also make sure you are not opted in for any international shipping options:
https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf
albertabrightalberta
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
I know nothing about what you're selling but IMO, I don't think you should mention warranties at all. After the 30-day MBG expires, let buyers do their own research. I think it'll avoid having to deal with buyers who (mistakenly or not) accuse you of broken promises.
YMMV.
tobaccocardyahoo
·5 months agoYou are effectively in the situation where your returns policy will be like mine - NO RETURNS.
The Ebay 30 day MBG overrides the seller return policy so you will be accepting and paying for any returns requested for INAD within 30 days of delivery.
The prices I have seen lots of 10 20tb drives selling for from sellers I know to be reputable, are running so low that you have already expended more effort to this listing than should have been necessary.
Drives this size are what some of us use as replacement for floppy disks.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoyeah been looking at prices recently since I plan to list them soon. Started at 550 then 480 now starting at 450 because it doesn't have a warranty and I don't now if I'll do returns outside of ebays policy yet.
They're ST20000NM007D Seagate Exos X20 20TB 3.5 Enterprise NAS SATA drives so they're still really good drives bought them new for 699 i think which sucks now never really got much use out of them should've sold them years ago. Still they don't have much use maybe 300-350hrs so still they are slightly used compared to other drives i've seen with 20000+hours which are heavily used .
soh.maryl
·5 months ago". . . and I don't know if I'll do returns outside of eBay's policies yet."
What does that mean, exactly?
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agonot adding the returns option is what i mean
gator08041971
·5 months ago@tobaccocardyahoo
The prices I have seen lots of 10 20tb drives selling for from sellers I know to be reputable, are running so low that you have already expended more effort to this listing than should have been necessary.
Drives this size are what some of us use as replacement for floppy disks.
I have to ask. What do you think a 20TB drive is worth to make that statement?? Do you think we are talking about 20GB drives? If so, your statement then makes a LOT more sense.
I mean... I'm selling 500GB laptop drives in perfect working order for 10-15 bucks. 20TB drives new are between 400-600, depending on where you shop and what kind of interface they have. So... Even used they have a lot more value than the ones I sell. lol
Granted, I'm always looking for better deals. Usually you will find SAS drives for less than SATA, as the SATA drives won't require a SAS controller which most desktop/home systems won't natively have. (cheaper drive, but you need to get required controller/cables to use them)
Anyway. Most of the listings that I look at either are selling bulk SAS drives, or drives that don't have a stated condition. I have even been seeing 20TB drives with 48% health for over 200... Sorry, but if a HDD has health issues, I wouldn't trust it anyway, let alone pay for one.
So these things matter. And yes, people can try to take advantage. And its worse if you don't normally sell items like this, or are a new seller. On top of that, eBay may hold funds for the first 30 days, before they pay out, to ensure there are no issues with the transactions. Another thing to keep in mind.
kensgiftshop
·5 months agoYou can put that in your description, but won't really do much good.
They can just throw it in a box and it can beat to heck and you'll still have to refund.
If you offered 30 day Free Returns, you could deduct some from the refund if it's not in the same condition as when you shipped it.
luckythewinner
·5 months agoI'm selling a few hard drives they're like new slightly used
So in other words, they are "used".
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoYea but slighty meaning low run hours it's not at it's end of life.
soh.maryl
·5 months agoIt's possible that I could be wrong because I've not been a seller for quite awhile; however, I don't think a seller can just make up his/her own return policies. Pardon me if that seems to me like what you're doing.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoGotcha was just checking saw some stores doing it so figured I'd just ask.
gator08041971
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
Yeah, whatever return polices you might have on a listing, still have to comply with eBay's policies, which will over-rule yours, if they conflict. Note that I also have policies mentioned in my own listings, but they will not (or shouldn't) conflict with eBay's.
As for warranties. Yeah, regardless of brand, you cannot sell and honor a warranty unless you are an authorized reseller of that item by that company that makes them.
I for example am not, which is why I have no warranty stated, regardless if there is a warranty or not. Even Amazon has this issue. For example, if you buy an item from Amazon, but its an item sold by a company other than Amazon, even if Amazon is the shipper, the warranty may not even be valid. I have found that out the hard way when dealing with items that had a multi-year warranty purchased via Amazon.
So the same thing applies here. Consider any supposed warranty as null and void, as most companies will not let you "transfer" a warranty from one buyer to another.
I also run a computer shop, and while I sell items with warranties, I have to have the new owner register the product under their info along with a receipt from me for it to be valid based on where I bought it from. If I build the computer directly, then I warranty the system myself directly, meaning I'm responsible for repairing/replacing as per my warranty outline.
When it comes to used items, I usually offer 30 days for most "parts" especially online like eBay. Which is more than fair. Buyers even get an option to purchase additional warranty protection when adding an item to cart if they want. Sometimes its worth it, but most times it isn't.
Anyway, just things to keep in mind. As for pricing, I guess I will have to see what your listing contains at that price, and how it compares then.
gator08041971
·5 months agoI might suggest just offering free returns.
I also sell hard drives, but they go through testing. I use a physical eraser device that prints a receipt, and the drives are tested for any problems with some professional software.
The biggest risk you have, is selling drives that have any data on them. You must make absolutely sure they are properly erased.
You are welcome to see how mine are listed if you want as a suggestion for how to list them. I have recently sold out of two brands of laptop drives, and have sold probably 20 or so in the past couple months. Its been busy.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agothanks I'll take a look just selling 6 old 20tb seagate exos like 300hrs. Just erased them quickly not real worried used them with a plex server so no real personal data really besides old movies. I tried testing them best i can do is use drivedx since i have a mac so not much info besides showing 100%health and a little more info like cycle count hours on nothing compared to crystaldiskinfo. Good thing is there's still 2 year warrenty from seagate so hopefully that helps with the sales.
gator08041971
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus
The warranty won't matter unless the buyer has the original receipt. Seagate warranties don't transfer.
However, let me know what you list those for, I might be interested, as I have a project that could use 20TB drives. (Personal server I'm building)
Thanks,
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agooh that sucks guess ill remove all that info from my drafts. I'm away right now while I wait for shipping supplies but I'll have them listed next week sometime. Selling for $480 sorta on the higer end but with 300-360 hours I dont think it's bad but I'll see if it doesn't sell.
Does the warranty also apply to samsung or wd have some ssds i plan to list also and included the info for the warranty but guess i Should remove that also.
krazzykats
·5 months agoFirst establish buyer basic instructions:
Managing returns Seller Center
ᓚᘏᗢ
albertabrightalberta
·5 months agoIf you have a return policy, you MUST accept returns for any reason. You can have "free" returns, meaning the buyer doesn't pay for the return shipping label or you can have returns with the buyer paying return shipping.
But keep in mind that if the buyer opens NAD (not as described), you have to accept the return and pay for the return label. They get a FULL refund, including original shipping.
But if it's a remorse return and you have a "buyer pays return shipping," you supply the label with acceptance of the return but the payment comes out of their refund when the item comes back to you.
If you charge separately for shipping, you don't have to issue a refund for the original shipping. If you have "free" shipping, the refund for a remorse return is their full payment which included the "free" shipping.
Restocking fees are not allowed.
The 14 day policy starts on delivery. If they change their mind on day 16 after delivery, they might either lie and open NAD or they might be honest and admit to remorse and request flexibility from you.