ebay store "ShipCycle" is just selling your international returns, good or bad items...
Summary: A participant shared concerns about 'ShipCycle' on eBay, claiming it to be a scam due to alleged reselling of broken or damaged returned items by using AI. They experienced being ignored after payment and noted a lack of response and support from eBay. stephenmorgan inquired about the timing of the transaction, while gurlcat asked if the purchase details were reflected on the Purchases page.
I've seen ebay launched their own store called ShipCycle, And pretty much all the store does is resell all of the international returns that come back when ebay "handles" your International shipping program returns. They refund the buyer themselves and the seller doesn't receive the item back it must go to a warehouse where eBay goes through the items and list them back up on eBay for resale through this ShipCycle account. I sell used car parts and i will give you an example of some issues i am having with ebay doing this. I sold a used engine computer to a customer that was international , Shipped it with the eBay International Shipping Program , The buyer messaged me saying it was defective which we verified it was through some messages back and forth . So they put in for a return which eBay handled by refunding them and taking their item back themselves . A month later I see the same engine computer listed on the shipcycle account, and they are using all of my pictures from my original listing for their listing! So now they are going to sell it too an unknowing buyer who is going to purchase it And it's going to be defective (because we already deemed it defective). And information is on listing pictures? mine. Ebay is selling items returned as defective, as good items (for the same price i had it listed it). and since my info is all over the listing pictures im afraid buyers can complain and it can somehow come back and negatively effect my business.... am i overthinking it?Anyways sorry for the long rant does anyone else agree that they should change they way they do things? Or have you like me seen one of your returned listings on the ShipCycle store knowing it is broken or defective? : Rant over:
myrockster
·3 weeks agoI am sorry! Shipcycle appears to be a scam because EBay is using AI to resell returned items, regardless if they are broken, damaged or not working. They accepted my offer and ghosted me after I made payment. I have been trying to reach out but they never respond and EBay won’t help. I just wanted to ask the status because there is no tracking or activity since I made the payment.
stephenmorgan
·3 weeks agoHow long has it been since you made your offer and paid?
gurlcat
·3 weeks agoYou seriously have to wonder about somebody making a claim like this^ without mentioning anything about the passage of time. I mean that's THE thing that makes someone antsy right? So imagine trying to convince other people that a seller sucks in this way, without saying a thing about how long you've been waiting.
gurlcat
·3 weeks agoDoes the item appear on your Purchases page?
krazzykats
·2 months agoHarmonized System (HS) Code Lookup
Get Required Codes for International Packages
Harmonized System (HS) Code Lookup for USPS
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drmmer420
·2 months agoIt cannot affect you. Nobody can leave you feedback who hasn't purchased from you and if someone bought an item, saw your store name in the photos, but saw a different seller name on the order details page, I think they would first assume this seller stole your photos rather than thinking you somehow were involved. The seller protections on the International program are awesome, because there's a lot of scammy buyers out there but you keep your money no matter what, once the item makes it to eBays shipping hub. I had one of my items re-listed recently and the buyer (who seemed suspicious when they first messaged me about the item being defective) clearly did the classic "switch and return" scam, so I would never personally buy from ShipCycle. They used my original photos, but also added one they took. It was clear in their photo that it was a different item than what I sent to the buyer, and different from the rest of the photos. I wonder how much money eBay loses on these sorts of scam returns.
reallynicestamps
·4 months ago@gurlcat
Harmonized System codes - which are international.
I include the explanation my country gives since Canada seems to think we should be able to understand what they are doing.
https://international.canada.ca/en/services/business/trade/tariffs-regulations/harmonized-system-codes
"International trade in goods is classified using the World Customs Organization’s (WCO’s) Harmonized Description and Coding System (HS). The HS classifies all products using 6-digit codes that are organized by chapter (2 digits), heading (4 digits) and subheading (6 digits). HS codes are harmonized internationally up to the 6-digit level.
WCO members use the HS as the basis for their tariff schedules and export codes, typically adding digits to the HS 6-digit subheading for additional precision in their national classification. By finding the HS code that applies to the good, you can find the applicable tariff rate."
You can use the Canadian link to find the correct code for your goods because it is an international code used by almost every nation.
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 months agoI see many items listed on this store which are likely to be buyer's remorse returns, even if as described and will continue to be buyer's remorse returns if they sell at the current asking price.
I see items marked as defective which provide no details on the defect.
I see items which are not worth reselling.
On the whole, it looks much like way too many Ebay sellers.
reallynicestamps
·4 months agoMy habit of writing the HS number on the shipment's envelope might be useful then.
I bought 12 pens from Staples last month. Wonderful invention and much cheaper than a printer.
ltldpr
·4 months agoWhat is "the HS number"?
gurlcat
·4 months ago@reallynicestamps What is the HS number? Is this something we're supposed to put on EIS packages??
fullers_uk
·4 months agoIf it was an ordinary ebayer they would have restrictions with Positive Feedback (last 12 months): 96.9% shows the difference between small business ad corporates.
jonathanbrightlight
·4 months agoFeedback is not used to evaluate seller accounts.
roccotacodad54
·4 months ago96.8% positive feedback is all it took for me to hit the back button.........................
christworks
·4 months ago@bcautoworksllc You choose to put branding in your photos. Why heavn only knows. It clutters them and distracts from what you are selling. Whatever. When you signed up to sell on eBay you agreed that your images could be used by other sellers. Looks like this one is on you. I wouldn't worry about it, unless of course that defective engine computer blows up and causes an injury. Your company is shown in the photos. I could see a money-hungry trial attorney serving your LLC. I'm kind of kidding. Anything can happen. I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I would ditch the marketing in the photos. That's just me.
I'm sure ShipCycle has a lot of leeway with eBay. eBay has to recoup their money from refunding eIS buyers on our behalf. They flip that stuff to ShipCycle, who in turn gets whatever they can for it with little time spent on any particular item and a very strict buying policy. Those buyers who do not read or understand are the poor saps who end up on the hook, but I view it as their fault because ShipCycle makes it clear items may not be as described and that their items are mostly returns. It is like if I buy an Amazon pallet I'd be stupid to think I'm getting brand new pristine stuff. Of course I'm not. At least 60% of it is junk going in the garbage. Maybe a third of what is in at best like new condition.
Even with all the negative feedback ShipCycle has, the vast majority of buyers seem to like them. I may have to do some sourcing from them.
itsjustasprain
·4 months agoNothing is 'on' him. That reseller grabbed HIS photos for the item THEY were selling. There is no provenance to show that the item was ever his example shown in the photos or to show that its condition was not altered after it left his ownership. (He sold it to a buyer who then for whatever reason sent it back or never received it. That buyer purchase then went to the reseller. The reseller put it up for sale again where it would be sold to yet another person.)
Defective ECMs do not 'blow up'. If they are defective the engine most likely will not run.
You need to be 100% kidding here because that whole line of thinking is just silly. Lets just drop it.
As for the reseller and their No Returns policy I think we are all well aware that a Not As Described dispute will trump a No Returns policy anytime. The resellers mentioned in this thread are pretty much just playing the percentages and hoping to get more in profits than they have to give out in refunds.
christworks
·4 months agoOy. Do you not know a tongue-in-cheek post when you read one?
Where you are wrong is when you say it isn't on the OP. Of course it is. When we agree to be sellers, we turn over to eBay the rights to everything we post. This includes images and item descriptions. eBay, as the new rights owner, then allows other sellers to use that data in their listings.
The company in question (which I'm not going to mention again because that may violate the TOS of this board), is not doing anything wrong. They have a right to use the OP's images and description. Whether they should or not can be up to debate. Their photos should accurately reflect what the buyer is purchaing. That's a business decision on their part to not do that. I'm sure since eBay has a deal with them to take all those returns, eBay gives them a lot of runway to run their business however they see fit. If the OP does not want someone using pictures that has their marketing materials in them because they are afraid a defective item they sold long ago might come back to bite them later on, then they are the ones who need to stop using marking materials in their photos. In fact, it is possibly a policy violation to include such marketing materials in their listing photos.
itsjustasprain
·4 months agoOf course it is NOT. Endlessly repeating otherwise does not make it so. The OP has no obligations regarding any images of theirs that someone else decides to use for their own purposes. The item being sold in later sales may or may not be the one originally sold by the OP and (as Ebay is well aware) there is no way to prove that the item originally sold is the same item re-sold later on.
gurlcat
·4 months ago@itsjustasprain @christworks The two of you are arguing a mix of good and moot points. The OP only expressed a vague concern that it could "negatively affect my business." I don't think they meant they could be held liable, just have their reputation harmed. But honestly if that were to happen it would be only with the buyer, and even they probably wouldn't remember the name of the business shown in the photo; they'd remember the name of the SELLER they bought from, ShipCycle.
reallynicestamps
·4 months agothey probably wouldn't remember the name of the business shown in the photo; they'd remember the name of the SELLER they bought from, ShipCycle.
NO.
They will remember they bought it from eBay.
gurlcat
·4 months ago@reallynicestamps Ha, TRUE.
christworks
·4 months agoIn my hypothetical, it would be the ambulance chaser attorney who would get the records from eBay. Those records would include the photos. Said attorney would likely notice the company name shown in the photo is different than who the hypothetical hurt buyer came from. The attorney would see the item origniaed with an LLC, which means there is insurance.
Of course, I did not mean any of what I said. I would not expect any of that to happen. The OP asked if they were overreacting. My post was a slight jab at their overreaction. That is all.
The OP came across like it was wrong that the new seller of the item was using their photos because it has their branding in the photos. eBay policy says you are not supposed to put your marketing in your listing photos, and eBay policy also gives permission to other sellers to use the photos that were uploaded to the platform by other sellers. I've had sellers use my photos. What do I care? I understand eBay has the rights to them and thus permission to let whomever use them they see fit. That's one reason why I would not put my website in the photos, either on the image or written on a piece of paper that I slide in front of the item before I photograph it.
Anyway, I do think if it upsets the OP so much, whether because they are concerned about liability or, as you said, their reputation, then they should follow eBay policy and leave out their branding from the photos. It they choose not to do that, then whatever happens is on them.
albertabrightalberta
·4 months agoI just found 2 fake Coach bags that were apparently returned as being counterfeit. They have them listed.
marnotom!
·4 months agoFor what it’s worth, my understanding is that ShipCycle is a privately-held company independent of eBay and Sincro (the EasyShip company operating eIS).
gurlcat
·4 months agoYes but the also have a special arrangement with eBay to get all the original listing data (photos, IS's, descriptions). Another one is these guys 8ten1944 in Michigan. I first realized what they were up to when I saw one of my mixed jewelry lots for sale. It had not been returned by the buyer, but couldn't be forwarded to their country due to customs.
LOL I've bought from these guys a few times too, that's where the real hilarity comes in. -All the original sellers' packing materials, thank-you cards, etc. and the shipping label just slapped over the original one. I have to assume they open some of the packages, but they clearly hadn't with any I bought.
stephenmorgan
·4 months agoAt least that one offers a 30 return.
We offer a no-questions asked 30-day return policy on everything we sell if the item is in the same condition it was sold in.
gurlcat
·4 months ago@stephenmorgan Yep and I did have to return an item to them once (original seller had claimed it was an all sterling silver lot, but most of the pieces were fake). The return was as straightforward as can be.
While I was looking at them to get that screenshot, I spied a SWEET deal on a high-end designer lot, had to snap it up immediately LOL. They ship immediately too, must have employees. The only sucky thing is they use FedUp.
toomuchstuffagain35
·4 months agoI don't have an issue with them reselling the returned goods only to USA if they can't be shipped internationally, but it seems a little stupid of them to resell defective returns without noting they're defective.
suzysemporium
·4 months agoI agree with you 100%. I know in the agreement to use Ebay international it does say the items will not be returned to you. You will be able to keep your money, and the buyer will get a refund. That is how I understand it. It is better than having all those items go to a landfill or get destroyed. I just hope they are not reselling the defective items, or checking to see if they actually are defective in the first place. That they are checking items are not broken. Also to make sure the item wasn't switched out for something else.
Editing to add their rating is down to 96.8%. Not looking good there. I don't think they are checking anything.
stephenmorgan
·4 months agoTheir Return Policy
“No Returns. This item is sold for parts or not working. It may be defective, damaged, or incomplete, and has not been tested for functionality.Please note that photos are for reference only ? the item you receive may vary in appearance or condition.Sold strictly as-is, with no returns or refunds accepted. By purchasing, you agree to these terms.”
I suspect since they are backed by eBay their Return Policy will be fully enforced and will be their reply to any Charge Backs.
I saw two Hot Wheels they have listed for $5.00 marked down to $3.35 with Free Shipping. The shipping is going to cost more that $3.35. They would be better off financially to just throw them away. It looked to me like they just using the same exact information as the original listing. On that listing it just pictures the back of the package, so who knows what you would be getting.
marnotom!
·4 months agoI don’t get much sense that ShipCycle is “backed by eBay.” Their deal is with Sincro, not eBay, and as has been pointed out, there’s another player doing this on the site with TOS more in line with eBay policies and procedures.
grann-4629
·4 months agoWith a return policy like that, their prices would have to be rock bottom before I would even think of buying something. If the item may vary in appearance, who knows what you will get ... maybe that brick that someone returned to a scammed seller?
gurlcat
·4 months agoI don't understand all the replies about the seller's return "policy." I promise they have no special privileges to have tighter return restrictions than any other seller on eBay. You know, the ole "I do not accept returns so make sure to study the photos and ask questions" etc. -but in reality anybody could file an INAD and get a free return label lickedy-split.
The same would be true with those guys, and they probably DO get lots of INAD's, at least from buyers who understand eBay well enough to call their bluff.
reallynicestamps
·4 months agoEditing to add their rating is down to 96.8%. Not looking good there. I don't think they are checking anything.
Yeah.
AZ sells pallets of returned merchandise and watching those YT videos of resellers who have purchased them, seems to show about a 50 % unsaleable rate.
If these liquidators do even less inspection than AZ no wonder they have such low ratings.
And remember FB is left by unhappy buyers who don't know how to open a Claim and get a refund.
The actual failed transaction rate is very likely much higher.
martin2001
·4 months agoI wonder how many of those items don't go thru the customs because ebay hasn't provided a correct HS number
ltldpr
·4 months agoI have a problem with ebay ALLOWING THE SALE OF A PROHIBITED ITEM to ANY COUTNRY WHERE IT'S PROHIBITED - only so they can confiscate the item and then resell it.
It smells like a giant scam. They get "lost" in those hubs too. How convenient!
People complain about having prohibited items being taken down or even being prevented from being listed; yet, for some reason, eBay allows certain items to be sold to people in countries where the items are prohibited.
gurlcat
·4 months ago@ltldpr EBAY DOES NOT RESELL THE ITEMS ON THE PLATFORM. They liquidate them (almost certainly at a LOSS, after refunding the buyers). This 'ShipCycle' company is one of the liquidation buyers who does the reselling. Totally UN-affiliated with eBay.
Are you seriously not aware that you can buy whole pallets of returned or non-forwardable packages from Amazon, Walmart, etc??? It's the same with such items at the EIS hub. No "scam" whatsoever.
ltldpr
·4 months agoWhoosh!
I list widget.
Widget sells to buyer in Spain.
I ship widget to the hub.
eBay confiscates widget because Spain will not allow it to enter the country.
eBay KNOWS what's prohibited in what country (it prevents listing of prohibited items & also removes them because they're prohibited). Its software knows this!
eBay is allowing the entire transaction when it should not be allowing the sale of any item that is prohibited in the buyer's country.
THAT'S MY POINT.
It doesn't matter who is reselling them.
And of course I've heard about pallets of goods. What ONLY eBay is guilty of, as far as I know, is allowing the sale of a country-specific prohibited item, knowing that their own hub is going to confiscate it, sell it at a loss, and take a well-planned tax write off (fraud/scam).
marnotom!
·4 months agoBut how does eBay “know” the item is problematic?
A lot of what sells on eBay are unique, OOAK items that aren’t in any sort of catalog or database. The only thing the spiders/bots/AI/whatever you want to call what’s inspecting the listing/ has to go on is the item’s category and what’s been entered into the Item Specifics. It doesn’t always know what the item is, exactly. It might take a human being to make a judgment call.
gurlcat
·4 months agoExactly.
Also there are sellers who PURPOSELY put items in the wrong categories and use false IS's to avoid detection.
Also EIS ships to over 200 counties, any of which can change their import policies at a moment's notice, so there is bound to be some 'lag' in prohibition software programing.
reallynicestamps
·4 months ago@ltldpr @marnotom!
The eBay should require all items sold on eBay to have the HS code since even to domestic addresses they may be shipped to a freight forwarder for an unknown overseas destination.
Which would mean coordinating eBay categories with the international HS codes.
Easy in my categories..... how about yours?
ltldpr
·3 months agoI don't know what "the HS code" is. I've seen it elsewhere and asked what it is. If I was answered, it's not showing up on my notification list.
I also don't ship internationally.
ltldpr
·3 months agoThe same way it knows that other domestically prohibited items are prohibited.
I don't know what "OOAK" means, so I can't address that.
evry1nositswindy
·3 months ago@ltldpr OOAK means one of a kind.
I agree with @gurlcat about not allowing the transaction to go through if that item isn't allowed in the country. I recently sold a vintage collectible safety razor (not a straight razor) with NO blades. This was in the title and in the description. The buyer was a collector. It wasn't allowed in his country because it was a razor, period. Then why did the sale go through?
I got to keep the sale $ and the buyer was refunded his $, and now the item gets resold. Good for me, but the buyer was upset that he didn't get the item that he needed for his collection.
gurlcat
·4 months ago@ltldpr
No YOU missed the point even after it was explained to you. You're SKIPPING the part where they have to refund the buyer the $20 they paid for the widget, but sell it to liquidators for only $15 (or whatever). And the original seller loses NOTHING.
The ONLY harm eBay does when its programing misses occasional prohibitions is HARM TO THEIR OWN BOTTOM LINE. 🤣
So what are you so upset about??? That you sold a widget and got paid for it? Woosh indeed.
ltldpr
·3 months agoI certainly hope your reading comprehension of item descriptions is better than your lack of reading comprehension of my replies. I even broke it down with lots of space between the sentences.
eBay gets the FVF and gets paid for the item by the 3rd party. eBay uses the loss as a tax write-off.
People are chastised here for not wanting to pay taxes when it's just the stuff from the back of their closet, but you're here defending creative accounting for a behemoth, multi-million dollar corporation.
Because, by allowing it to happen, when it could definitely be prevented from happening, it's a scam/fraud.
I'd say to go laugh at someone else, but don't - it's rude.
gurlcat
·3 months ago@ltldpr Wait so you think eBay KEEPS the FVF rather than refund that part to the foreign buyer? 🤣 Sorry, you said laughing is rude but I can't help it. EDIT: If you don't want to be laughed at, think twice about saying "Woosh!" to someone who knows more than you do.
But here, allow me to help you let go of your conspiracy theory. Say a buyer in Australia purchases something that the U.S. seller purposely mis-categorized to avoid prohibitions, and the Aussie paid $100. Then when the package reaches the EIS hub in Illinois, they realize it won't pass customs in Australia, so they cancel the order and set the package aside. They refund the Aussie the FULL $100 out of their OWN revenue. That's the $13 FVF, and the $87 seller revenue, but they don't take it from the seller.
Then, to compensate some of their loss, they sell the item to a liquidator for some amount less than $100 (part of a huge pallet that's offered for far less than the total amount of platform sales).
And they have to report THOSE sales of pallets to the IRS as well!
So quit thinking they are puprosely allowing prohibited items to be shown to foregin buyers who can't legally import them, for some tax-evading, profit-getting purpose. THEY LOSE MONEY FROM IT.
gurlcat
·3 months ago@ltldpr Also let go of this idea that a tax write-off is some fraudulent way to make money. Think about this - you know how you can use your past year's returns as a tax write off? Then why isn't there a huge thing where sellers purposely pack wrong items or break them before packing, so they can claim those returns on their taxes? BECAUSE THEY ALREADY LOSE THE MONEY WHEN THEY HAVE TO REFUND THE BUYER.
There is NO GAIN whatsoever from claiming losses as tax write-offs, as long as they were REAL losses when they happened!
The only way to do actual tax evasion with write-offs is to OVER-claim losses or charitable donations. Now if you can prove that eBay or any other entity does that, okay. But claiming losses from refunding foreign buyers for items that can't be forwarded to them - those are REAL losses.