Seller protection for faulty returns

[creativecrisis]

The spring update states that sellers can issue a partial refund if a buyer returns an item that's not in the same condition as shipped. How exactly will this work? Do I as a seller have complete discretion to give a partial return, or can the buyer raise a dispute and ask eBay to "step in"? If eBay gets involved, what is the process? What information will eBay consider in making a decision?

A specific understanding of how eBay intends to protect sellers is an important factor in deciding whether to adopt the recommended free 30-day return policy.

[ckbrems · Accepted solution]

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@creativecrisis wrote:

The spring update states that sellers can issue a partial refund if a buyer returns an item that's not in the same condition as shipped. How exactly will this work? Do I as a seller have complete discretion to give a partial return, or can the buyer raise a dispute and ask eBay to "step in"? If eBay gets involved, what is the process? What information will eBay consider in making a decision?

A specific understanding of how eBay intends to protect sellers is an important factor in deciding whether to adopt the recommended free 30-day return policy.

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Hi creativecrisis,

If you offer free returns, and a buyer returns an item that's not in the same condition as when you shipped it, you as the seller decide the appropriate amount to refund and then your job is done.

We want to make sure you’re protected, so if a buyer asks us to "step in" we will resolve the issue directly with the buyer and you won't have to worry about any buyer protection cases.  In some cases, we may give the buyer the rest of their refund and in other cases we may deny their request, but it will never affect your seller standards and we’ll monitor buyers who ask us to step in closely to ensure they’re not taking advantage of the program.  Also, if the buyer is unhappy with the outcome and leaves negative or neutral feedback, we’ll automatically remove it from your reputation.

Thanks,

CK

[creativecrisis]

I appreciate the clarity. Thanks!

[highglossfashion]

Hello!

Can you please clarify the following in regards to the partial refunds:

1.) Can the seller offer any amount of partial refund they deem reasonable based on the condition of the item returned? from 1% - 99%

2.) Will the seller be required to provide evidence to support the reason for partial refund? And if so, what will eBay consider suitable evidence?  I know most times eBay only considers evidence from buyers and never truly looks at seller evidence becasue the "buyer is always right".

3.) If the buyer opens a case after receiving a partial refund and eBay steps in, is it possible eBay will force a full refund from the sellers bank account - like SNAD cases? or will the additonal refund amount come from eBay's pocket?

4.) Are partial refunds available to sellers in all categories? specifically clothing, shoes, and accessories..

[banja]

I see a big problem with this on the buyer's side of things.   At least with restocking fees, it is clear upfront when they request the return that there is a restocking fee.

Now, there will be no notification to the buyer.   So they receive an item, open it, decide they don't like it, and then attempt a return.  They find out they get free shipping back, which is great.  However, now they are going to be surprised if they don't receive a full refund.   There's nothing worse from a buyer's perspective than not knowing that you aren't going to get a full refund anywhere.

I hope Ebay makes it crystal clear in their returns that if an item is opened, it may be subject to a partial refund. 

[ckbrems]

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@highglossfashion wrote:

Hello!

Can you please clarify the following in regards to the partial refunds:

1.) Can the seller offer any amount of partial refund they deem reasonable based on the condition of the item returned? from 1% - 99%

2.) Will the seller be required to provide evidence to support the reason for partial refund? And if so, what will eBay consider suitable evidence?  I know most times eBay only considers evidence from buyers and never truly looks at seller evidence becasue the "buyer is always right".

3.) If the buyer opens a case after receiving a partial refund and eBay steps in, is it possible eBay will force a full refund from the sellers bank account - like SNAD cases? or will the additonal refund amount come from eBay's pocket?

4.) Are partial refunds available to sellers in all categories? specifically clothing, shoes, and accessories..

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highglossfashion,

1. You can issue a partial refund of 50% or more of what the buyer paid and receive these protections.
2. No evidence will be required.
3. If eBay decides to issue a refund for the remaining portion, this will come from eBay not the seller.
4. Yes, this is available in all categories

Thanks,
CK

[retrose1]

Hi,

Since ALL of these are already part of ebay policy.........

We'll protect you
You can expect eBay to protect your reputation and standards and to monitor buyer behavior after the sale.

Protections from events outside your control include:

When you ship an item on time and provide tracking, and it arrives late.
If you're impacted by carrier disruptions or severe weather.
If your buyer retracts their bid or doesn't pay.
If a buyer changes their order or requests something extra.
From buyers that have an unusual rate of complaints or returns.
If the buyer returns an item after they opened it, used it, or sent it back in a condition other than the one you sent it in.

BUT many of those policies -including the one in bold - have been ignored by ebay when reported or the seller has attempted to get any kind of justice.

So what exactly has changed and can sellers get clarity about how a seller can get protection against a faulty snad or return?

[ckbrems]

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@banja wrote:

I see a big problem with this on the buyer's side of things.   At least with restocking fees, it is clear upfront when they request the return that there is a restocking fee.

Now, there will be no notification to the buyer.   So they receive an item, open it, decide they don't like it, and then attempt a return.  They find out they get free shipping back, which is great.  However, now they are going to be surprised if they don't receive a full refund.   There's nothing worse from a buyer's perspective than not knowing that you aren't going to get a full refund anywhere.

I hope Ebay makes it crystal clear in their returns that if an item is opened, it may be subject to a partial refund. 

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banja,

After May, returns may not include restocking fees.  Partial refunds are for situations where an item is returned used or damaged and may not be used as a form of restocking fee.

Thanks,

CK

[banja]

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@ckbremswrote:

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@banjawrote:

I see a big problem with this on the buyer's side of things.   At least with restocking fees, it is clear upfront when they request the return that there is a restocking fee.

Now, there will be no notification to the buyer.   So they receive an item, open it, decide they don't like it, and then attempt a return.  They find out they get free shipping back, which is great.  However, now they are going to be surprised if they don't receive a full refund.   There's nothing worse from a buyer's perspective than not knowing that you aren't going to get a full refund anywhere.

I hope Ebay makes it crystal clear in their returns that if an item is opened, it may be subject to a partial refund. 

---

banja,

After May, returns may not include restocking fees.  Partial refunds are for situations where an item is returned used or damaged and may not be used as a form of restocking fee.

Thanks,

CK

---

Hi CK,

Thanks for the answer, but you misunderstood what I was saying.   I understand that restocking fees are not permitted, and partial refunds don't apply to items returned in the original condition.  I'm talking about when a customer opens an item and decides to return it - it will not longer be clear to them that they may not get a full refund.  When restocking fees applied and they started the return process, it was clear to them that they wouldn't get a full refund.

[ckbrems]

---

@retrose1 wrote:

Hi,

Since ALL of these are already part of ebay policy.........

We'll protect you
You can expect eBay to protect your reputation and standards and to monitor buyer behavior after the sale.

Protections from events outside your control include:

When you ship an item on time and provide tracking, and it arrives late.
If you're impacted by carrier disruptions or severe weather.
If your buyer retracts their bid or doesn't pay.
If a buyer changes their order or requests something extra.
From buyers that have an unusual rate of complaints or returns.
If the buyer returns an item after they opened it, used it, or sent it back in a condition other than the one you sent it in.

BUT many of those policies -including the one in bold - have been ignored by ebay when reported or the seller has attempted to get any kind of justice.

So what exactly has changed and can sellers get clarity about how a seller can get protection against a faulty snad or return?

---

retrose1,

Starting in June, when you offer free returns you can decide to issue partial refunds to buyers. If a buyer uses or damages an item and returns it, you can decide to issue a partial refund and then your job is done.

We want to make sure you're protected, so if you do this and a buyer asks us to "step in" we will resolve the issue directly with the buyer and you won't have to worry about any buyer protection cases. In some cases, we may give the buyer the rest of their refund and in other cases we may deny their request, but it will never affect your seller standards and we'll monitor buyers who ask us to step in closely to ensure they're not taking advantage of the program.

Also, if the buyer is unhappy with the outcome and leaves negative or neutral feedback, we'll automatically remove it from your reputation.

Thanks,
CK

[ckbrems]

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@banja wrote:

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@ckbremswrote:

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@banjawrote:

I see a big problem with this on the buyer's side of things.   At least with restocking fees, it is clear upfront when they request the return that there is a restocking fee.

Now, there will be no notification to the buyer.   So they receive an item, open it, decide they don't like it, and then attempt a return.  They find out they get free shipping back, which is great.  However, now they are going to be surprised if they don't receive a full refund.   There's nothing worse from a buyer's perspective than not knowing that you aren't going to get a full refund anywhere.

I hope Ebay makes it crystal clear in their returns that if an item is opened, it may be subject to a partial refund. 

---

banja,

After May, returns may not include restocking fees.  Partial refunds are for situations where an item is returned used or damaged and may not be used as a form of restocking fee.

Thanks,

CK

---

Hi CK,

Thanks for the answer, but you misunderstood what I was saying.   I understand that restocking fees are not permitted, and partial refunds don't apply to items returned in the original condition.  I'm talking about when a customer opens an item and decides to return it - it will not longer be clear to them that they may not get a full refund.  When restocking fees applied and they started the return process, it was clear to them that they wouldn't get a full refund.

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banja,

eBay will show the buyer the returns policy on the item listing page and at checkout, which will let them know the circumstances that will likely result in partial refunds, including opened boxes, used or damaged items, or missing parts.

Thanks,

CK

[banja]

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@ckbremswrote:

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@banjawrote:

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@ckbremswrote:

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@banjawrote:

I see a big problem with this on the buyer's side of things.   At least with restocking fees, it is clear upfront when they request the return that there is a restocking fee.

Now, there will be no notification to the buyer.   So they receive an item, open it, decide they don't like it, and then attempt a return.  They find out they get free shipping back, which is great.  However, now they are going to be surprised if they don't receive a full refund.   There's nothing worse from a buyer's perspective than not knowing that you aren't going to get a full refund anywhere.

I hope Ebay makes it crystal clear in their returns that if an item is opened, it may be subject to a partial refund. 

---

banja,

After May, returns may not include restocking fees.  Partial refunds are for situations where an item is returned used or damaged and may not be used as a form of restocking fee.

Thanks,

CK

---

Hi CK,

Thanks for the answer, but you misunderstood what I was saying.   I understand that restocking fees are not permitted, and partial refunds don't apply to items returned in the original condition.  I'm talking about when a customer opens an item and decides to return it - it will not longer be clear to them that they may not get a full refund.  When restocking fees applied and they started the return process, it was clear to them that they wouldn't get a full refund.

---

banja,

eBay will show the buyer the returns policy on the item listing page and at checkout, which will let them know the circumstances that will likely result in partial refunds, including opened boxes, used or damaged items, or missing parts.

Thanks,

CK

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Thanks - so it will look different than how it looks now?    Also just some feedback - as most sellers know, buyers don't pay attention a whole lot to listing details / the fine print.  I do believe buyers should also be made aware of this when they attempt a return as well.   Perhaps even a checkbox that denotes whether the item they are returning has been opened or used.

[justagirl12]

It is my understanding that the clothing and accessories category is not included in this new returns process. Is that correct?

[ckbrems]

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@banja wrote:

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@ckbremswrote:

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@banjawrote:

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@ckbremswrote:

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@banjawrote:

I see a big problem with this on the buyer's side of things.   At least with restocking fees, it is clear upfront when they request the return that there is a restocking fee.

Now, there will be no notification to the buyer.   So they receive an item, open it, decide they don't like it, and then attempt a return.  They find out they get free shipping back, which is great.  However, now they are going to be surprised if they don't receive a full refund.   There's nothing worse from a buyer's perspective than not knowing that you aren't going to get a full refund anywhere.

I hope Ebay makes it crystal clear in their returns that if an item is opened, it may be subject to a partial refund. 

---

banja,

After May, returns may not include restocking fees.  Partial refunds are for situations where an item is returned used or damaged and may not be used as a form of restocking fee.

Thanks,

CK

---

Hi CK,

Thanks for the answer, but you misunderstood what I was saying.   I understand that restocking fees are not permitted, and partial refunds don't apply to items returned in the original condition.  I'm talking about when a customer opens an item and decides to return it - it will not longer be clear to them that they may not get a full refund.  When restocking fees applied and they started the return process, it was clear to them that they wouldn't get a full refund.

---

banja,

eBay will show the buyer the returns policy on the item listing page and at checkout, which will let them know the circumstances that will likely result in partial refunds, including opened boxes, used or damaged items, or missing parts.

Thanks,

CK

---

Thanks - so it will look different than how it looks now?    Also just some feedback - as most sellers know, buyers don't pay attention a whole lot to listing details / the fine print.  I do believe buyers should also be made aware of this when they attempt a return as well.   Perhaps even a checkbox that denotes whether the item they are returning has been opened or used.

---

Banja,

The item listing page, the checkout page, and the returns page will look different than it does now. These will all show standardized messaging to the buyers letting them know of the possibility of a partial refund.

Thanks,
CK

[retrose1]

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@ckbremswrote:

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@retrose1wrote:

Hi,

Since ALL of these are already part of ebay policy.........

We'll protect you
You can expect eBay to protect your reputation and standards and to monitor buyer behavior after the sale.

Protections from events outside your control include:

When you ship an item on time and provide tracking, and it arrives late.
If you're impacted by carrier disruptions or severe weather.
If your buyer retracts their bid or doesn't pay.
If a buyer changes their order or requests something extra.
From buyers that have an unusual rate of complaints or returns.
If the buyer returns an item after they opened it, used it, or sent it back in a condition other than the one you sent it in.

BUT many of those policies -including the one in bold - have been ignored by ebay when reported or the seller has attempted to get any kind of justice.

So what exactly has changed and can sellers get clarity about how a seller can get protection against a faulty snad or return?

---

retrose1,

Starting in June, when you offer free returns you can decide to issue partial refunds to buyers. If a buyer uses or damages an item and returns it, you can decide to issue a partial refund and then your job is done.

We want to make sure you're protected, so if you do this and a buyer asks us to "step in" we will resolve the issue directly with the buyer and you won't have to worry about any buyer protection cases. In some cases, we may give the buyer the rest of their refund and in other cases we may deny their request, but it will never affect your seller standards and we'll monitor buyers who ask us to step in closely to ensure they're not taking advantage of the program.

Also, if the buyer is unhappy with the outcome and leaves negative or neutral feedback, we'll automatically remove it from your reputation.

Thanks,
CK

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This sounds all well and good if you get an average buyer who is just unhappy. 

But what it means for sellers is that they are out all the ship costs - to and from the buyer AND if the item is totally damaged or no longer mint because it's been opened, the 50% difference can not be recouped by the seller.

What is to stop a buyer from buying your mint item and then returning their broke one.  While only losing 50% instead of everything, like it is now, is much better in this situation, what is to stop buyers from abusing the system?  The seller protection update says that ebay has ways to tell if the buyer is abusing the system and will protect the seller.  So how are they going to do that and why haven't they been doing it up until now?  How much abuse will the buyer be able to do before ebay is able to 'tell' that they crossed the line.