Books, Free Return Policy, and TRS+

[yanquita]

Not just myself, but TRS booksellers in general, have had TRS+ seals stripped from their book listings because they do not offer Free Returns with their 30 day Return Policy.    

Books are an exempt category for the Free Returns requirements.  The Seller Levels and Performance Standards page clearly states

When you use freight shipping or sell items in the following categories, you need to offer 30-day or longer returns, but the buyer pays for return shipping:

• Books
• DVDs & Movies....etc

I offer 1 -day handling and 30 day returns/buyer pays on my book listings, but TRS+ seal and benefits are gone like snow on water since 6-1-18.   Unclear what is going on.  Coding glitch?

I called Customer Service, but it seems that this is not a known issue and I had some difficulty describing the problem.  CSR will have to research a solution...? 

 A little clarity from eBay is needed.  A fix would be wonderful.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Based the number of threads about this issue, it seems that both customer service and the eBay programmers haven't been notified about the categories that are exceptions to the new policy requiring free 30-day returns.

[yourbucket]

I'm have the same issue. I refuse to pay for returns on remorse buys. They also took away restocking fee. Which I used because I pay for shipping. I don't know what there doing. But I noyiced my competitors are droppimg from 30 day returns to 14. I don't mind if the TRS badge is gone if my competition is looseing it also. It's the buyers remorse thing that i'm kinda confused on. It's the only reason I get returns. The only seller protection they can seam to tell me about is tracking, say the buyer says it never showed but tracking shows otherwise. Guess there trusting the postal service. I don't know. I'm just listing a couple of things. It's not worth spending 8 hrs on the phone.

[brian@ebay]

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@yanquita wrote:

Not just myself, but TRS booksellers in general, have had TRS+ seals stripped from their book listings because they do not offer Free Returns with their 30 day Return Policy.    

Books are an exempt category for the Free Returns requirements.  The Seller Levels and Performance Standards page clearly states

When you use freight shipping or sell items in the following categories, you need to offer 30-day or longer returns, but the buyer pays for return shipping:

• Books
• DVDs & Movies....etc

I offer 1 -day handling and 30 day returns/buyer pays on my book listings, but TRS+ seal and benefits are gone like snow on water since 6-1-18.   Unclear what is going on.  Coding glitch?

I called Customer Service, but it seems that this is not a known issue and I had some difficulty describing the problem.  CSR will have to research a solution...? 

 A little clarity from eBay is needed.  A fix would be wonderful.

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Hi @yanquita, while some categories exempt from the 30-day free returns requirement can qualify for the 10% TRS+ discount with a shorter return policy or buyer paid returns, they will not qualify for the TRS badge unless 30-day free returns are offered. The resources available on the site we not very clear on this point, so we are currently in the process of updating these pages to be clearly explain that the Top Rated badge will not appear on listings which do not offer free 30-day returns.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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brian@ebay wrote:

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 ... while some categories exempt from the 30-day free returns requirement can qualify for the 10% TRS+ discount with a shorter return policy or buyer paid returns, they will not qualify for the TRS badge unless 30-day free returns are offered. The resources available on the site we not very clear on this point...

Actually, the Spring Seller Update did seem pretty clear about this;

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/seller-updates/2018-spring/simplified-returns.html

[yanquita]

All very interesting, and I see the coders have amended the "exception" section to state that the TRS+ badge will be stripped from exception listings (like books) that don't offer free returns.  

Not a word about search placement though.  Will listings in the "exception" categories be penalized in search placement, although they keep their FVF 10% discount?  Because if "the buyer pays/30 day returns" listings ARE penalized in search, the discount is pointless there probably will be much fewer sales and FVFs to be discounted  - especially in the book category where the mega booksellers are taking the market to hell and back.

And if exceptional category sellers don't want to offer free returns AND they are being going to be punished in search results, has eBay management really brainstormed the consequences of degrading TRS status to it's bitter end?