eBay

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

Hi everyone! Thanks for joining us for the Weekly Chat with eBay Staff. We don't have a specific topic this week, so feel free to share any general buying or selling questions you may have!

The chat thread will remain open until 2 PM PT at which point we'll close it from additional responses. After that time, we'll continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

To post your question, click Reply in the lower right corner of this post, type your question, and hit submit between 1-2 PM Pacific Time. The format of our chat mirrors the format of our Community Discussion Boards, where each post will appear in the thread chronologically. The Community Team will review each question as it comes in, and will quote the original question in our reply. This quote and the reply will appear later in the thread, so just keep scrolling down to see our answers.

jmr82 · ‎07-29-2020

I have a question concerning shipping addresses. Periodically I notice the shipping address is different in the seller hub sales record and on the emails. I questioned this with CS on Facebook. I was told the one in the seller hub is the one use and the other may be the persons real address and the package is sent elsewhere. Why is eBay doing this? It is confusing. Also, if I have a package sent elsewhere, I sure wouldn't want my address shown to the seller for no apparent reason. Any insight to this would be appreciated.

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Edit: A reply to your question can be found here.

gwzcomps · ‎07-29-2020

@mam98031 wrote:
@glgenterprise wrote:
But the customer is under absolutely NO obligation to repay. We have NO recourse over something TOTALLY beyond our control.

I have one right now that I upgraded to priority at my expense that last scanned July 18 - the day I dropped it off at the PO. It went to the sort center on the 18th, but crickets since then. It is a $150 item. If the buyer contacts me and says they don't want it any longer due to the delay - that is fine, I'll happily take a return. But to force me to be out $150 and the item due to PO issues is a systemic failure on the part of eBay. If this happens, eBay should be issuing courtesy refunds to the sellers who eBay allowed the buyer to steal from.

It really isn't apples to oranges. Outside of the ridiculous 30 day window after acceptance of the return and issuing the label to even send it back, eBay THEN allows the buyer a 14 day window to account for shipper delays? We as sellers don't get the same consideration?

This is becoming a growing problem. For myself I have had more INRs in the last couple of months than I've had in all the years before it. Some were refunded and some the item did arrive. In the cases that were refunded, about another week or so later the items were delivered to the buyer. As sellers our only recourse appears to be the honesty of the buyer.

I do write and let them know I'm aware the item has been delivered. I give them two options. Return the item or I can invoice them through PP and they can repay. Of course I flower that up a bit and am completely polite and professional. Then I wait. But if the buyer chooses not to answer or to say no, there isn't anything I can do about it and Ebay won't help. I can report them to USPS for mail fraud, but lets get real, how likely is that to do any good during the pandemic.

I have the feeling there will be no fix to this considering how eBay has no issues facilitating theft through SNADs.

papermoneyforme · ‎07-29-2020

@Anonymous wrote:

@erattix wrote:

TOPIC: eBay Buyers Filing False INAD Claims

Question: What is eBay going to do about rampant theft of goods on the site via false/fraudulent INAD claims? What can sellers do to protect themselves/reduce exposure from false INAD claims being made aside from depending on eBay's appeal process?

Background: I recently stopped selling on eBay because I got burned by an eBay buyer that filed a false INAD claim on an item I sold and shipped. I followed *ALL* of the protocols and procedures listed on eBay as well as PayPal, but, eBay still chose to refund the buyer in full. I appealed the decision, waited endlessly for eBay case resolution to make a determination during the pandemic (March, 2020), and then was told they'd found in favor of the buyer. I uploaded all of the documentation known to man: full police report (in the county I do business in and the NYPD where the buyer resides), photos of the product in its shipping container, photo of the FedEx label, photo of the packaged container and weigh in at FedEx Office, signature verification from FedEx by buyer at shipping destination, and receipts from original purchase of item. Nothing seemed to convince them. eBay says they are Switzerland, and have no way of verifying that what I sent is what I sent. This process is flawed.

Hi @erattix, we have teams working around the clock to identify any red flags or potential abuse of our marketplace. You are welcome to report any concerns you have directly through the return or through the Seller Help section of the site. If you qualify for enhanced protections, you can report any returns you feel are false for us to review and we will take appropriate action to protect you. You can read more about what options are available to you here.

As with any business it isn't possible to completely eliminate losses like what you are describing, a seller can take steps to protect themselves by ensuring detailed and accurate listing details. Many sellers calculate the losses they incur from these types of situations into their overall business model and find that they only need to increase the price of their items by a small amount (I've commonly seen amounts from sellers that are under $0.25) to cover these situations when they arise.

Is that like the Market Place story on all the counterfeits on Ebay and nothing happens yet Ebay swears they do not allow counterfeits but never even check for them.

The answer to this question can be found here

mam98031 · ‎07-29-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
@erattix wrote:
TOPIC: eBay Buyers Filing False INAD Claims

Question: What is eBay going to do about rampant theft of goods on the site via false/fraudulent INAD claims? What can sellers do to protect themselves/reduce exposure from false INAD claims being made aside from depending on eBay's appeal process?

Background: I recently stopped selling on eBay because I got burned by an eBay buyer that filed a false INAD claim on an item I sold and shipped. I followed *ALL* of the protocols and procedures listed on eBay as well as PayPal, but, eBay still chose to refund the buyer in full. I appealed the decision, waited endlessly for eBay case resolution to make a determination during the pandemic (March, 2020), and then was told they'd found in favor of the buyer. I uploaded all of the documentation known to man: full police report (in the county I do business in and the NYPD where the buyer resides), photos of the product in its shipping container, photo of the FedEx label, photo of the packaged container and weigh in at FedEx Office, signature verification from FedEx by buyer at shipping destination, and receipts from original purchase of item. Nothing seemed to convince them. eBay says they are Switzerland, and have no way of verifying that what I sent is what I sent. This process is flawed.
Hi @erattix, we have teams working around the clock to identify any red flags or potential abuse of our marketplace. You are welcome to report any concerns you have directly through the return or through the Seller Help section of the site. If you qualify for enhanced protections, you can report any returns you feel are false for us to review and we will take appropriate action to protect you. You can read more about what options are available to you here.

As with any business it isn't possible to completely eliminate losses like what you are describing, a seller can take steps to protect themselves by ensuring detailed and accurate listing details. Many sellers calculate the losses they incur from these types of situations into their overall business model and find that they only need to increase the price of their items by a small amount (I've commonly seen amounts from sellers that are under $0.25) to cover these situations when they arise.

Since Ebay changed to Simplified Returns in October of 2018, if a seller chooses to challenge the validity of a return request and asks Ebay to step in for help, 99.999% of the time, no matter what is happening on the INAD, Ebay will rule for the buyer. That is not an opinion it has been very factual in my experience.

You and I over the past couple years have had some pretty good conversations on this very subject. And I've had good conversations with others people employed at Ebay. But nothing has changed even though there have been promises by others [not you] that changes were coming. Well we got the TRS protections. And while I am sincerely grateful for that bit of help, now I only have to lose 50% instead of 100% on some of the bad cases.

No matter how much evidence a seller has, even when it is the writings of the buyer themselves, Ebay still will not side with a seller. Even when the proof is clear, Ebay will say it isn't.

What you state above can certainly help on future transactions with other sellers if Ebay ever deems the buyer to be abusive, but that does nothing to help the seller with the current issue at hand.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

Anonymous · ‎07-29-2020

@glgenterprise wrote:

But the customer is under absolutely NO obligation to repay. We have NO recourse over something TOTALLY beyond our control.

I have one right now that I upgraded to priority at my expense that last scanned July 18 - the day I dropped it off at the PO. It went to the sort center on the 18th, but crickets since then. It is a $150 item. If the buyer contacts me and says they don't want it any longer due to the delay - that is fine, I'll happily take a return. But to force me to be out $150 and the item due to PO issues is a systemic failure on the part of eBay. If this happens, eBay should be issuing courtesy refunds to the sellers who eBay allowed the buyer to steal from.

It really isn't apples to oranges. Outside of the ridiculous 30 day window after acceptance of the return and issuing the label to even send it back, eBay THEN allows the buyer a 14 day window to account for shipper delays? We as sellers don't get the same consideration?

Hi @glgenterprise, I want to clarify that the 10-day period you are referencing is specifically applicable to international shipments where there has been no update to the tracking for 10 days or more, and the buyer has opened an item not received request. Domestic transactions would look to see if there has been an update to the tracking within the last 7-days if an item not received request is opened and we are asked to step in. Since the buyer cannot open an item not received request until after the latest estimated delivery date, and they cannot ask eBay to step in for an additional 3 full business days after the item not received request has been opened, more than a flat 10-day period is allowed for a tracking update in most situations.

Though eBay won't be able to force a buyer to pay for an item that is delivered after a decision has been made in a Money Back Guarantee case, we do see that the vast majority of buyers are happy to work with a seller for repayment or a return of the shipment once it is received. I can only reiterate that you will need to work with your customer to arrange a resolution in these situations.

tyler@ebay · ‎07-29-2020

@jmr82 wrote:

I have a question concerning shipping addresses. Periodically I notice the shipping address is different in the seller hub sales record and on the emails. I questioned this with CS on Facebook. I was told the one in the seller hub is the one use and the other may be the persons real address and the package is sent elsewhere. Why is eBay doing this? It is confusing. Also, if I have a package sent elsewhere, I sure wouldn't want my address shown to the seller for no apparent reason. Any insight to this would be appreciated.

Hi @jmr82 - as far as I'm aware there should be consistency in shipping addresses across the board. I'll reach out for some examples so I can look into this further for you. Thanks!

Tyler,

mam98031 · ‎07-29-2020

On a lighter note. Are we ever going to get larger emojis. I've brought this up a few times. The microscopic size makes it sometimes hard to determine what it even is. Well at least for these old eyes.

😀 😍

The answer to this question can be found here

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

papermoneyforme · ‎07-29-2020

@Anonymous wrote:
@glgenterprise wrote:
But the customer is under absolutely NO obligation to repay. We have NO recourse over something TOTALLY beyond our control.

I have one right now that I upgraded to priority at my expense that last scanned July 18 - the day I dropped it off at the PO. It went to the sort center on the 18th, but crickets since then. It is a $150 item. If the buyer contacts me and says they don't want it any longer due to the delay - that is fine, I'll happily take a return. But to force me to be out $150 and the item due to PO issues is a systemic failure on the part of eBay. If this happens, eBay should be issuing courtesy refunds to the sellers who eBay allowed the buyer to steal from.

It really isn't apples to oranges. Outside of the ridiculous 30 day window after acceptance of the return and issuing the label to even send it back, eBay THEN allows the buyer a 14 day window to account for shipper delays? We as sellers don't get the same consideration?
Hi @glgenterprise, I want to clarify that the 10-day period you are referencing is specifically applicable to international shipments where there has been no update to the tracking for 10 days or more, and the buyer has opened an item not received request. Domestic transactions would look to see if there has been an update to the tracking within the last 7-days if an item not received request is opened and we are asked to step in. Since the buyer cannot open an item not received request until after the latest estimated delivery date, and they cannot ask eBay to step in for an additional 3 full business days after the item not received request has been opened, more than a flat 10-day period is allowed for a tracking update in most situations.

Though eBay won't be able to force a buyer to pay for an item that is delivered after a decision has been made in a Money Back Guarantee case, we do see that the vast majority of buyers are happy to work with a seller for repayment or a return of the shipment once it is received. I can only reiterate that you will need to work with your customer to arrange a resolution in these situations.

If that is the case, why does Ebay not refund the buyer and work with the buyer to get their money back?

brian@ebay · ‎07-29-2020

@vrykalak wrote:

At the top of the page about the new Free Listing rules are free listings that can be auction or fixed price, with no category restrictions, but they only apply to sellers who have no store or a starter store...although the TITLE of that section says there will also be extra free listings for Basic Store owners.
- where are the numbers for Basic Store owners in this table?
- why can't most store owners use auctions in any category?

@vrykalak this page gives a good breakdown of the new free listing structure. I've included a screenshot of the free listing structure for non-managed payment sellers. This includes the information for basic store subscribers, which is an increase from 250 fixed price listings to 350 🙂

Brian,
Community Team

mam98031 · ‎07-29-2020

tyler@ebay wrote:

@jmr82 wrote:

I have a question concerning shipping addresses. Periodically I notice the shipping address is different in the seller hub sales record and on the emails. I questioned this with CS on Facebook. I was told the one in the seller hub is the one use and the other may be the persons real address and the package is sent elsewhere. Why is eBay doing this? It is confusing. Also, if I have a package sent elsewhere, I sure wouldn't want my address shown to the seller for no apparent reason. Any insight to this would be appreciated.

Hi @jmr82 - as far as I'm aware there should be consistency in shipping addresses across the board. I'll reach out for some examples so I can look into this further for you. Thanks!

@jmr82

This is a bit misleading. Sellers should ALWAYS ship to the address that appears on the payment notification without exception. The ship to address on a payment notification may not be the same address seen in the other screens on Ebay prior to payment. A buyer has the right to select their ship to address at the time of payment and may not be the one on their account.

I use to ship to one of my kids away at college from time to time, or my Mom when she lived in a different city, etc. There are many legit reasons for the address to change at the time of payment.

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Edit: A response to your comment can be found here.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

erattix · ‎07-29-2020

First -- thank you for responding. I appreciate it very much.

I did report this buyer and went through all of the published seller processes for indicating to eBay that there was suspicious activity on the part of the buyer. After the buyer filed the INAD, I checked on their feedback listings and saw that the buyer had recently bought items from multiple sellers with exact product types matching what they chose to send back to me. In fact, what they returned to me was determined by my local police department to be stolen as well. This item's value was greater that $1000, so to ask me to incorporate/tack on a "small fee" to each of my listings for a rainy day/you got scammed by an eBay buyer fund is somewhat absurd. eBay makes money off of the value of my item listings via Final Value Fee, so it's in eBay's interest to take action here?

So, this is the problem: eBay refuses to look at any of the evidence I have provided (see original post for what I uploaded and sent in my appeal). I don't understand how eBay can review an appeal and simply state, "Sorry, we found in the buyer's favor. Move on." I routinely sell items with values > than $1000. And I have zero seller defects for the more than ten years I've been on this site.

I can't risk selling any other high-value items on eBay if there's no protection by eBay. At every turn in this appeal process, I've been met with eBay customer support simply saying "sorry, better luck next time!"

Please, guys. You can't just look the other way here. Tell me what I can do to protect myself for future listings that will actually work. PayPal says in their Seller Protection that this would have been covered in full. Why doesn't eBay have the same thing? I would even pay eBay an extra fee for "extenuating circumstance resolution insurance."

vociferous_commenter · ‎07-29-2020

Re: INR's & USPS Delays

It's good that eBay announced 'shipping defect protections' but the volume of issues and complaints about delays and INR's suggest there are a couple gaps that need to be covered by eBay regardless of whether there are out-of-ordinary carrier delays.

In particular, it's unlikely the issues involving USPS are going to be resolved any time soon.

SUGGESTIONS:

Ensure "Seller protections" for both shipping defects as well as negative and neutral feedback when the seller has uploaded tracking on-time when buyer claims INR (whether or not there are 'unusual' carrier delays - the problem is only exacerbated by this).
Implement (via Managed Payments) a mechanism allowing sellers to directly invoice (through eBay) buyer if/when the delivery eventually occurs (often sellers are left to their own devices to figure out what to do after eBay has refunded the buyer for the INR, then the item is later delivered).

Ideally, buyers would be appraised of what will happen if the item shows, and should be prepared to return (or pay for) the item. I don't think it's out-of-bounds to surmise this might also reduce some types of buyer fraud knowing that they can't simply claim INR as soon as possible as a means of getting a free widget.

Edit: A reply to your post can be found here

maxoptical · ‎07-29-2020

127 days, this is how long ago I submitted my first detailed report about the bug with handling time Guaranteed Delivery.

I have called at least once a week for updates, there has been none.

In order to test if it has been fixed I need to modify my 4000 listings, wait 24 hours for eBay to re index, test if it works, then when it doesn't I need to change it back to Door to Door and then wait 24 hours to get sales again.

What do I need to do to get an eBay verified bug fixed?

I have invested many many hours on this bug, it has been verified by eBay staff. I pay my thousands of dollars every month In fees, but I can't get a known issue fixed. Heck, I can't even get an actual report if the problem is being looked at.

I am very loyal to eBay but I feel like an employee that never gets a paycheck.

You really should hire me. #Brian Burke #Harry Tempkin

John Norman

Max Optical LLC.

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Edit: A reply to your comment can be found here.

tyler@ebay · ‎07-29-2020

@mam98031 wrote:

tyler@ebay wrote:

@jmr82 wrote:

I have a question concerning shipping addresses. Periodically I notice the shipping address is different in the seller hub sales record and on the emails. I questioned this with CS on Facebook. I was told the one in the seller hub is the one use and the other may be the persons real address and the package is sent elsewhere. Why is eBay doing this? It is confusing. Also, if I have a package sent elsewhere, I sure wouldn't want my address shown to the seller for no apparent reason. Any insight to this would be appreciated.

Hi @jmr82 - as far as I'm aware there should be consistency in shipping addresses across the board. I'll reach out for some examples so I can look into this further for you. Thanks!

@jmr82

This is a bit misleading. Sellers should ALWAYS ship to the address that appears on the payment notification without exception. The ship to address on a payment notification may not be the same address seen in the other screens on Ebay prior to payment. A buyer has the right to select their ship to address at the time of payment and may not be the one on their account.

I use to ship to one of my kids away at college from time to time, or my Mom when she lived in a different city, etc. There are many legit reasons for the address to change at the time of payment.

Hi @mam98031 - this is a good point, buyers are able to use different ship-to addresses. My concern is that since a sales record shouldn't be created until an item has been sold those addresses should be consistent. The only exception I can think of is sometimes with GSP, which is why I'm asking for more detail.

The general and steadfast rule, however, is that we hold you accountable to ship to the address in the Order Details screen, whether that's the buyer's registered address or the address of their child about to get a surprise care package. 🙂

Tag @jmr82 for visibility!

Tyler,