mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
More regarding buyers opening claims or Not.
I understand Ebay recommends that we do just as you have previously describe. Since this is being pushed as being boarder line mandatory, are we moving this direction on all things Ebay Recommends? I'm not trying to be silly. I'm trying to understand when a recommendation is a recommendation and when a recommendation is actually mandatory.
@vrykalak wrote:
@millcreekrescue909 wrote:Regarding eBay not showing the handling time. This has been an ongoing issue for me as a seller, to the extend that I have added it to "Item Specifics".
I have that as a standard part of the general information at the end of every listing: if payment is received before 2pm Pacific time, the package will be mailed that day; otherwise, it will be mailed the next day.
But if you do that, and you have the need to change your handling time, then you have to change all your listings descriptions which is no where near as easy as just changing the field specifically for handling time.
@coffeebean832 wrote:
This post says Terapeak is now free with basic and above store subscriptions.
On my store subscriptions page it says Terapeak is $12/month yearly or $19/month to month. I currently have an eBay premium store.
Hi @coffeebean832! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Jen had the incorrect timeframe in that post in regard to Terapeak (we've since edited it). Terapeak will be an included as a free service in the near future (likely in March, but this isn't 100% set in stone yet). Sorry for the confusion this caused!
@Anonymous wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@papermoneyforme wrote:
@mam98031 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@goodluckselling wrote:I am seeking clarification from eBay staff about how refunds and returns should be completed and what happens when the eBay approved protocol is not followed. In this thread we are seeing a couple different understandings.
Starting with post number 7 where a forum user is telling others to just go to paypal and issue a label and refund as a way to handle a return and refund. There are also replies to post 7 in post 8 and specifically post 10 that are suggesting that eBay has told us that this action in post 7 would still reflect bad seller ratings.
To which this reply was offered from the author in post 7
That isn't exactly what Ebay has said. If you don't email your buyer within Ebay and outline what is transpiring, meaning the refund, then yes it is possible for Ebay to give the seller an OOS defect. But not if you are communicating with your buyer along the way on what is happening.
Here are the three questions all related to each other that I need your help with.
Question - Is it okay to just communicate through the ebay message system about refunds and returns and then proceed outside the eBay generated pathway (resolution center). Keep in mind these refunds and or returns could be for anything like out of stock or product damaged, not as described, or sent the wrong item, etc. You would not know unless there was communication from the buyer in the eBay message system about an issue.
Question - Is communications from a buyer and or seller through the eBay message system good enough for sellers to proceed outside the resolution center areas to complete these customer service tasks and also not receive bad ratings to our seller standards and service metrics?
Question - Does eBay want us to use the resolution center pathway for all returns and refunds or is there a high bred area like being talked about above that would be approved by eBay for these kinds of customer service tasks?
As dedicated sellers on eBay we deserve to hear eBay's official position about this. It should not be hard to give a clear and concise answer so every seller who reads this can know without doubt about what eBay intends for it's user to do and what consequence we face when we go outside the boundaries set up for us to use.
Good Luck Selling!
Hi @goodluckselling, happy to address the thread you are referring to and provide some additional context to.
- A refund should be sent via the Cancel Transaction, Item Not Received, or Return Request process when possible. The only time that a refund via PayPal would be acceptable is if one of these other options is not appropriate. The most common example is a shipping discount provided post-checkout. This could also arise when a seller wins an eBay Money Back Guarantee claim, but still wishes to refund their customer partially or in full.
- In instances where no other eBay process is applicable (those listed above) and the seller needs to refund via PayPal, we ask that the seller communicate with the buyer on eBay about the refund they are issuing and provide context. eBay messages that clarify the purpose of the refund would be acceptable and would serve to prevent an out of stock defect. Additionally, if one of the previously discussed cases has been opened and closed, this would count for the purposes of communication to explain the reason the refund is being issued.
- If the buyer is concerned about not receiving their package, a refund should be issued through the Item Not Received Request process. If the buyer wishes to return an item, this return and any associated refund (full or partial) should be issued through the Return Request process. If a buyer wishes to cancel the transaction in full, the Cancel Transaction Process should be used. There are instances where resolving a customer's concerns may not fall into one of these processes, and in those instances a refund through PayPal with communication on eBay would be acceptable. A refund through PayPal without explanation on the eBay platform may result in a Cancel Transaction defect for Out Of Stock.
- This topic is touched on in our Knowledge Base article for issuing a partial refund, found here.
This has come up again because of something I said on the thread that was referenced.
I do understand and respect Ebay's position on this. But how or why would I tell a buyer that does not want to file a claim that they have to or I can't help them? Some buyers do not want to mess with the claims process. And I don't think I should tell them that I can't help them unless they do. How would that be better customer service than if I just took care of them without a claim?
I do understand that Ebay wants sellers to support the Service Metrics program. I don't agree with it as I've made abundantly clear before, but I do understand that this is a driving force in having sellers always use the claims system when a refund to a buyer is needed. However this is not a one size fits all. Some buyer just don't want to file claims.
Your buyer could have abused the MBG and may not be eligible, or does not want to be on Ebays radar for returns. If you want to support this, you could be enabling a rotten buyer.
So we are suppose to tell them we can't help them unless they file a claim?
Where does it say in the Ebay rules that it is Manditory? Please provide a link.
Over the years I've had a few buyers that have wanted to return something and not open a claim. Having concerns over if they were abusing me or the system was never even a question or concern. They had an issue that I was willing to take care of, so I did.
Hi @mam98031, we touched on this in the Fall 2015 Seller Update in the FAQ. If a buyer contacts to cancel or request a refund, the correct cancellation reason or request must be used. A refund through PayPal when there was another more appropriate process can be counted as an Out Of Stock defect. We also touch on this in the Knowledge Base article for issuing a partial refund, found here.
I'm not talking about using the cancellation process. I did not bring that up at all. That is not the point.
@mr_lincoln wrote:
brian@ebay The wording for a number of those items on that tile have always been a tad wonky ... however, and as mentioned, that 533 number used to always go DOWN when an item was Relisted and then Deleted from the folder (manually) ... now they all automatically delete and there is no choice to do them manaully because they are gone, toast, history ... BUT the number does not go down ... I hope I made that clear.
I don't care if it winds up being another folder, I just want the old functionality that when I go to Seller Hub I have ONE place to look on the Overview Page to see what if anything ended and was has not been Relisted ... if that makes it more clear. After all, that's the purpose of the Overview page right????
I agree that having the number of not relisted item's would be really useful on the Overview page. I'll send this over to the team. Thanks, @mr_lincoln!
@golf-usga wrote:
I had to adjust handling times last week because I am located in an area which is being hit very hard by a snowstorm. We have almost 2 feet of snow. Mail delivery and pick up is hit or miss and I am concerned about the sudden change in my performance. Although I changed my handling time, I usually ship in 1 day and often same day.
Now my handling time does not show and a couple of weeks ago you said that ebay makes estimations based in past performance.
As another posted suggested, putting it in the listing or the item specifics is not a good solution because I don't want to change it each time I have to change everything (vacation, snow event etc)
Am I going to have problems because I am now shipping in 3 days when I almost always ship in one day or same day (1 day handling )
Customer support was of no help when I called them to ask about this weather event. And of course it is not a big deal to anyone that does not live in this area.. snow is common in lots of parts of the country.. just not here. or at least not this much here....
Hi @golf-usga - stay safe and warm, first and foremost!
When it comes to your account there is no detriment to you adjusting your handling time to 3 days (other than the loss of a Top Rated Plus discount on items that sell with the greater handling time). As long as you are meeting your stated expectation (3 day handling) you will not incur any negative ramifications.
If you are completely unable to ship items (your local post office is closed due to weather, for example) we'd want you to contact CS for help protecting your account from such an impact. However, it sounds like you have things well in hand with the extra processing time.
Shipping estimates are always displayed with your handling time factored in - and if you went from 1 day to 3, that would show in the estimates we provide your buyers.
