Good Day Fellow Sellers,
A couple of topics are hurting my back end. The Money Back Guarantee and the subjective subject of "Excellent" condition.
My first thought on Ebay's Money Back Guarantee is that it, by default, makes the Seller's statement that "Seller does not accept returns" completely and totally irrelevant and an insult, not to mention, one more reminder, that you, Seller, are second-class in the world according to Ebay. There is no 3rd class in my depiction, so, for those thinking 3rd class, 2nd is the same as last. Now, a question. Do ANY returns fall under ANY other category than the only one needed for the Money Back Guarantee? That category is the item does not meet the description. I can answer this,....zero. The Ebay data may or may not agree but that is meaningless. If anyone wants to return anything, no questions asked, all they have to do is change the reason to item does not meet description. Any data otherwise simply means the return was made anyway. My point, Ebay grants 100% returns. My problem, I cannot afford it. Ebay does not sell enough items of mine as a Seller for me to absorb any returns both financially and timewise. Now, I would not be writing this if a return was legitimate in my mind, would I? So, let's proceed to examples. I have had two return requests. One was for a $17.50 sterling silver necklace. The reason for return, " does not meet description." The necklace is not sterling silver was added with a picture of a magnet holding up the necklace by the clasp or lobster closure. The necklace was marked 925 Italy on a little tag between the clasp mechanism. The clasp was silver-plated so the clasp could not be stamped 925 so they add a tag. We've all seen them, very common. There are no industry standards for clasps except it is up to the manufacturer. Some use 925, some don't, some use both. Does a sterling silver necklace have to have a 925 clasp? I see necklaces called sterling silver and only the clasp is 925. Ha! No, is my answer. The clasp is not required to be 925 on a 925 necklace. Did Ebay care about my point and that I did not believe that my description was wrong. Well, you would have to LISTEN first. Ebay does not do that if you are a Seller 2nd Class.
My second return request is happening right now. I had a dinnerware place setting of 6 of Royal Albert Old Country Rose listed and I had a quantity of 6 to sell at $75. Old Country Rose is the most popular set of china in the world. It is beautiful. I got 12, 6-piece place settings plus all the extra sides at an estate sale recently. A week after listing, I received an offer to buy all 6 at $50 a set. No Way Right! $75 is a steal. $50 and I am giving it away. So, I offered $50 but for all 12. The offer was accepted. It took four boxes, almost 60lbs, $30 in packing supplies - Atlanta to CA, 3 hours of packing time, and $137.50 shipping charges. I packed every single piece. The buyer gets the delivery and wants to return it due to? Come people, you know the answer! I said the pre-owned used dinnerware was in excellent condition, no chips, cracks, or flea bites. The buyer said scratches all over plates, the gold was very badly worn, too old. If you know anything about Old Country Rose, you know the gold accented edges are vibrant and glowing gold and the gold fades unevenly over the sides. The gold was exactly perfect but if you did not know. You might think otherwise as did the buyer. The scratches, utensil marks on the dinner plates. Normal use marks. The salad plates, bread plates, soup bowl, cup/saucer did not have utensil marks. I used the term "excellent" condition. The buyer sees utensil marks on used dinnerware and says I was dishonest in my description. I saw in a discussion in Ebay Community that was talking about using "excellent" condition in general and one person said that it depends on the item first and then the context. So, the dinner plates were in excellent condition in my listing but not excellent to the buyer. What if there were NO scratches or utensil marks. Well, the plates would be mint. Mint in this case meaning flawless. perfect, or like brand new. You see, we don't use the term excellent when it comes to items in mint, flawless, perfect, or like brand new condition. We say this dinnerware is mint, flawless, perfect, or like brand new. If we used the word excellent to mean mint, we would not need the word mint would we? A used car can be in excellent condition. It will have normal wear. It cannot be in mint or flawless or perfect condition and show wear. I think you get it. Excellent when referring to pre-owned or used does not mean, and cannot mean, mint or flawless or perfect. Utensil marks on pre-owned dinnerware is normal. A mint 12, 6-piece setting of Old Country Roses would start where? $1,500, $2,000, $2,500? How about $600? That is what I sold mine for and it is worth twice that. It was a quick flip, only reason. The reason for returning.....UNACCEPTABLE. I am not giving away $137.50 to return, then deal with them again. There is the money lost, time lost, and the principle of a return that is NOT justified in reason or Ebay sales. I cannot absorb it Ebay, but you **bleep**balls don't even care! Ebay, if you sold my items like a Walmart, I would absorb this no problem. You don't though, but you want to think you are a Walmart with Money Back Guarantee that your 2nd class Sellers get reamed in the rear on and you lose NOTHING. For you Ebay, you treat Sellers like **bleep**. Screw you, there are plenty of other selling sites these days.
