Cannot Revise or Edit Buy It Now Listing Error Message "The return policy cannot changed"

[pokeplay44]

Roughly 95%+ of my active listings are Buy It Now with Best Offers accepted. Sometimes I add a lowest offer accepted to eliminate any additional notifications of low ball offers. When an active listing has watchers, I will often times send offers out. Why is it that I cannot change ANYTHING on ANY active listing within 48 hours of ME sending offers to watchers? 
The error message makes absolutely no sense because I never change my return policy (aka business policies), the listings always show that this portion of the listing is unchanged but for some reason, I can't change a thing. For example, if I want to remove the lowest offer accepted or change that value or even something as simple as fixing a spelling error in the listing title....ERROR MESSAGE! 
I would absolutely love to hear a true explanation of this (if there is one).

[shipscript]

@pokeplay44 

Review the Offers section of this page:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/creating-managing-listings/revising-listing?id=4356

A listing can not be changed during the contractual duration of an offer. I don't know why you would see something about the return policy, unless the system itself is trying to force update a return policy to match some newer requirements and is unable to do so because of the contract.

[pokeplay44]

@shipscript  Thanks for your help and prompt response to my issue. My only concern with the article is that it basically says you can change a listing during the contractual duration of an offer. Only caveats listed below (from article):

When an offer is sent or received

Offers can be sent or received for auction style or fixed price listings (but not auction and fixed price listings combined)

When an offer is sent or received

You can:

Add optional listing upgrades to increase your listing's visibility (fees may apply)

Answer buyers' questions through messaging, but you can't update the description with new information to your listing

Change the available quantity of the listing

Add additional shipping options, including local pickup

Add additional photos (on an auction style listing), but not remove existing photos

Add additional, separate description (on an auction style listing)

You can't:

Change the listing duration (on an auction style listing)

Change the starting price (on an auction style listing)

Change the item specifics/aspects of your listings

Change or add to the existing shipping details

Edit the existing listing description

[shipscript]

@pokeplay44 

I have the feeling their list is not all-encompassing. eBay allows additions, but not any changes that could affect or confuse the offer itself. It wouldn't be too difficult to imagine how to treat any elements not on the list. For instance, you should not be able to alter the title, as that could change what the buyer thinks is being purchased. I would not be surprised that you can not change anything related to the offer itself, like the thresholds.

However, the error message is the head scratcher. Do you get that message if you open the listing for revision and then do nothing by save it?

[pokeplay44]

Right, I would understand that reason and other obvious reasons like changing the price or if in fact I was changing the shipping method (what it says Im doing lol) that would all impact the potential final sale. 

For me and this example that finally made me reach out (Ive experienced this with literally ANY change)…but yeah this example, I just want to remove the little ticker for having a baseline value for what offers I want auto-rejected (reserve offer). If anything, thats in no way impacting the offer and promoting a quicker sale by accepting even more other outside offers from buyers so Im not sure there is any reason I shouldn't be able to remove this (or add if I wanted to) ya know?

[pokeplay44]

@shipscript  Oops

[shipscript]

I'm a little perplexed by the inability to modify the acceptable response thresholds. It may have something to do with the programming — perhaps the thresholds are locked into the offer, or are carried in the coding for the offers and are handled at the other end.

It sounds like you are going to have to modify your option spread before sending out those offers.

I am still curious whether you will get some sort of error message if you simply open a listing for revision and then save without changing anything.

[pokeplay44]

@shipscript  My sincerest apologies for my delay in responding. Any chance you have any suggestions for me to stay involved with the community page/notifications like I would my Ebay seller dashboard? That is probably an easy question to answer by simply making sure I always open both windows/tabs when I'm online. Maybe there is something within the app so if you have any recommendations, please let me know.

About our conversation and your most recent reply: "Perplexed" is a FANTASTIC word for this one with my experience. I have actually tested your exact situation of simply opening listing for revision and then save without changing anything. 100% of the time, I receive the same original error message. In order for me to leave the "listing edit" page, I have to select cancel or discard changes (I can't remember the exact words used but basically, I can never save regardless of whether I make any changes or not). I've probably analyzed, over-analyzed, and exhausted the experiments possible. I even thought maybe there would be a difference between the "old" listing tool vs the new one...nope, same results. It's not something I run into on a daily basis but I would be lying if I said it isn't VERY frustrating when it does happen. 

I try to remain very active via pc because I find it much easier to navigate throughout the entire platform but I'm constantly engaging with members/buyers/potential buyers (i.e. sending offers to interested members). It's a tough spot when I realize that I need to change something that I personally know does not influence the areas you mention such as fixing/changing a single detail that may be inaccurate (first thing could think of) only to try and receive the error message. I at least wish the error message was one that I could comprehend or slightly relate to the potential changes but that has yet to be the case hahaha. 

At the end of the day, I may spend some time testing and trying to find a way to resolve the issue but more often than not, I have to simply move on and accept the unfortunate reality.

[shipscript · Accepted solution]

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@pokeplay44 wrote:

@shipscript  ... Any chance you have any suggestions for me to stay involved with the community page/notifications like I would my Ebay seller dashboard? 

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@pokeplay44 

To keep abreast of responses in the community, you could subscribe to individual threads or set your community profile options to be notified when someone responds. I have that service linked to my email to receive notifications.

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@pokeplay44 wrote:

...At the end of the day, I may spend some time testing and trying to find a way to resolve the issue but more often than not, I have to simply move on and accept the unfortunate reality.

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Since you have already tested so much, I suspect the it is simply not possible to modify a listing for the 48 hour contract period.  However, if you do find a workaround, please let us know.

[pokeplay44]

@shipscript 
Thanks for the bit of advice about the notifications. I will do that today. 

I will certainly let everyone know if I find any sort of changes. Each time it comes up, I tend to slightly fall down that rabbit hole for a little bit haha. Who knows, it might just be me. I explored the community but that search was very brief before I created my own. 

At any rate, it has been a pleasure and even if the "problem" isn't necessarily fixed, you've helped me a lot. I sincerely appreciate it!