eBay

michigancolor · ‎03-26-2023

I just had a buyer file an INR. USPS shows delivered to mailbox. I explained the situation to the customer, resubmitted the same tracking number to the INR case, and am waiting for eBay to close it in my favor. Not worried about it. But, this prompted me to look into the INR service metrics.

First, is my understanding that like INAD service metrics, INR cases count on your service metrics once they're filed, even if they're closed in your favor?

It shows my peers average is 0.12%. That seems crazy low. That means 1.2 INR requests out of every 1,000 orders.

Second, The service metrics policy says if your INR rate is considered high or very high but less than 1%, the rating will be adjusted to average. I have 241 transactions projected for Apr 2022 - Mar 2023. Does that basically mean if I have 2 more customers soon open bogus INR cases that also closed in my favor due to showing delivered that I will be marked as very high, and given the penalties listed in the service metrics policy? (They may add extra time to expected delivery date, hold on funds until shows tracking, and unable to give a partial refund despite being TRS if an item is returned used or damaged.)

I ship everything within the handling period, primarily use USPS but rarely UPS or FedEx for heavy or large items, always upload tracking within handling period, have fought tooth and nail to train my post office and carrier to always scan packages so they get a scan on the proper day, and there's nothing more I can do to minimize false INR claims.

dirk12955 · ‎03-26-2023

I don't know about that. I've refunded a few INR cases over the years and don't recall seeing

any dings for doing that. BUT I wasn't looking either. And, I just re-set a few days ago

and something might have fallen off.

On my seller Hub front page Seller level (Region US) There is nothing

in there about INR even when I expand it.

There is a line for "Closed without resolution"

dirk12955 · ‎03-26-2023

Just to be clear on what my "elderly" self has been under the impression. INRs have never

caused a ding if I handle it so ebay does NOT have to step in.

I get INRs all the time. If there is tracking I simply fill in the Tracking and it goes away. If there's

no tracking I always refund the buyer without screwing around with it. Occasionally I

have all that other garbage about, The order gets delivered later or I resend a second order.

Bottom line, One way or another I handle it.

And I can say that over the years I've ever been dinged by ebay.

farmalljr · ‎03-26-2023

INAD will count against you, even if the buyer doesn't return it. I don't care what other sellers here have to say, I've seen stuff like this affect my own account. If a buyer opens any case, it counts against you even if the buyer does not follow through or the case is closed in your favor.

It's not in eBay's interest to let you off the hook. When your metrics cross over into penalty territory, they get a extra cut from your sales. They have an incentive to penalize you. It's not to "teach sellers to be better" its for eBay to make even more money on fees. If they wanted you to be better there would not be a penalty fee, but a temporary stopping of your account. Instead when they deem you as "bad" they just charge you more.

If the whole point were all about a better buyer experince, it would not mean the seller goes on as usual, but paying about 50% more in fees. It would be about stopping bad sellers all together. Doesn't work like that here though.

pburn · ‎03-26-2023

@farmalljr wrote:
INAD will count against you, even if the buyer doesn't return it. I don't care what other sellers here have to say, I've seen stuff like this affect my own account.

Perhaps you've posted on the wrong thread. The OP's issue is regarding INRs, not INADs.

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-26-2023

"A Very High rating won't affect your account unless it involves at least 10 reports/requests with 10 unique buyers"

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/selling-policies/seller-performance-policy/service-metrics-policy...

A very high inr rating doesn't make your fees higher but they 'may' increase the delivery time shown to your buyers and they 'may' hold your funds for longer than usual.

michigancolor · ‎03-26-2023

@dirk12955 Weird. Did you see message 12 in this thread, where I posted 3 images? It doesn't show you the "Item not received" that I circled in red in the last image? Yeah, it's buried on the other page I showed. It's not on the main Seller Hub page. And, it has nothing to do with "Seller level" so even if you go into that area, it doesn't show it. I think a lot of people who get dinged by the eBay INR Service Metric don't know it, because the only effects of it are longer expected delivery dates to customers (I assume this may decrease position in Best Match search and therefore reduce sales, especially based on previous posts by other sellers), hold funds until the tracking number shows its first physical scan, and the inability to use the Top Rated Seller partial refund option. I took a few years off eBay, and just came back a few months ago. I used to get INR's all the time and never had problems with it.

@farmalljr You may know this, but for clarity, I'm talking about INR (Item Not Received) here, not INAD (Item Not as Described.) I definitely know they usually count the INAD's against your Service Metrics. I guess there are a few rare situations where they don't, but situations like buyer opens an INAD and never returns it still count. (I had a GSP item get damaged after GSP re-shipped it, and that one wound up being removed and is no longer counted.)

@pjcdn2005 I had noticed very high INR doesn't make fees higher, but I hadn't noticed that you might need at least 10 of them before it does anything. I was thinking that was only for the INADs per category.

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-26-2023

Weird. Did you see message 12 in this thread, where I posted 3 images? It doesn't show you the "Item not received" that I circled in red in the last image? Yeah, it's buried on the other page I showed. It's not on the main Seller Hub page. And, it has nothing to do with "Seller level" so even if you go into that area, it doesn't show it. I think a lot of people who get dinged by the eBay INR Service Metric don't know it, because the only effects of it are longer expected delivery dates to customers (I assume this may decrease position in Best Match search and therefore reduce sales, especially based on previous posts by other sellers), hold funds until the tracking number shows its first physical scan, and the inability to use the Top Rated Seller partial refund option. I took a few years off eBay, and just came back a few months ago. I used to get INR's all the time and never had problems with it.

--------------------

@michigancolor

I'm not sure which page you are referring to it being buried on but it isn't showing on the 3rd image because you need to click on items not received near the top. The line under items not as described tells me that it is showing you that page, not the inr page. It is misleading.

I honestly don't think a lot of people do get affected by that metric.

The area where it mentions that very high won't affect you unless you have 10 unique buyers with problem is an aware that is talking about service metrics in general, I'm sure that it does not refer only to the nad metric.

farmalljr · ‎03-26-2023

@michigancolor Again, when ANY case is opened against you by the buyer, eBay doesn't forget or restore your metrics. INR, INAD, case opened after the return window. A case is a case.

INAD are far more common. In any event, eBay is all too happy to charge the "penalty" fee. Less product is moving off this site, so how do you think they are going to bolster their take?

I've added my two cents into the conversation. Take is how you will. I just don't get how so many people are shocked or surprised by so many things. eBay leaves it's terms very vague and very open to multiple interpretations. If anyone reads these boards, nothing should really shock you. How a sensible person would think things work, aren't necessarily how it actually works.

cardxcraft · ‎03-26-2023

As you said, the INR service metric tab can be found next to the INAD tab.

And yes, as you have stated, INR's count against you whether or not they're justified.

I just had a buyer open an INR from over 3 months ago and Ebay closed in my favor but I still received the INR defect.

As others have stated, as long as you have less than 10, you won't incur the extra fee...

Common sense says that if a case is closed in a sellers favor, it shouldn't count against them.

But, I see, INR has been re-defined as INR requests. It's not even worth the energy addressing this subject. (INR Requests). You either play ball or you don't.

dirk12955 · ‎03-26-2023

When I click on Performance, Service metrics, in seller hub all see is a chart having

to do with returns, Nothing else.

I'm TRS. Does that make a difference?

1tuna · ‎03-26-2023

this is what I see. I do not think I have ever looked at this page but I was able to find it

I noticed that the peer rate is 0.24%

@michigancolor

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up the whiskey hickon
moving right along
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pjcdn2005 · ‎03-26-2023

@1tuna

@dirk12955

On ituna's screenshot above, part of the top is cut off. If you just scroll up on that page, you will see the title 'items not received' just above the current rate box. Click on that and you will see the INR metrics chart.

This should show it to you.

https://www.ebay.com/sh/performance/service-metrics?src=filters&metric_type=INR

inhawaii · ‎03-26-2023

Wow thanks!

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
@1tuna
@dirk12955

On ituna's screenshot above, part of the top is cut off. If you just scroll up on that page, you will see the title 'items not received' just above the current rate box. Click on that and you will see the INR metrics chart.

This should show it to you.
https://www.ebay.com/sh/performance/service-metrics?src=filters&metric_type=INR

Wow thanks!

I've never seen that before.

What time frame does that cover?

I am currently at 0.28%.

3 out of 1,076 (of course they were all unfounded).

How does that affect my service metrics?

Can't We Try - Dan Hill & Vonda Shepard

pjcdn2005 · ‎03-26-2023

It shouldn't affect anything unless you are very high compared to your peers and you have 10 unique buyers that opened an inr. The time frame is right above the graph. Mine says March 22- Feb 2023. You can access your nad metrics if you click on item not as described just above the current rate box.