Defective/Does Not Work

[partsman330]

I get a lot of returns for "defective/didn't work". I work for an appliance parts distributor and work closely w the returns/warranty depts. The rate of defect is INSANELY low when dealing with new product from the major manufacturers... its almost non-existant in fact. I liquidate parts on here and I get "defective/didn't work" as a reason for return so much.

The truth is the buyer had no idea what was wrong with their appliance and guessed and bought the part they hoped would be the cheap/easy way out. They installed it and it didn't fix their problem (bc this is not what was wrong with their appliance) so they return an installed part which I can no longer sell and must throw away (or at the very least sell as "used" for much less but usually I must toss installed parts). They use me to borrow/try said parts and there is no risk to them, only cost for me. They save having to even have someone come out and diagnose their problem! Its very smart on their end.... very bad for me (and anyone else selling such product). Sometimes i wonder how many other sellers they buy and return items from until they find out what the problem was (or they give up and buy a new appliance).

Its a fun game... where I am gambling with every single item I send out. Will it get sent back? Will they keep it? Will I break even on overall sales as a result of said returns? Will my loss of inventory bc of returns by buyers looking to borrow my items to troubleshoot their appliances even allow me to break even overall? Who knows?!?

The reason many sellers leave this platform is bc one-size-fits-all policies do not work for certain products. Forced returns def do not work when dealing with appliance parts and I am sure its similar for car and other parts for just about anything. They make it nearly impossible to sell many products and sellers are forced to find another venue or they must quit bc they are literally spinning their wheels/wasting their time on here. I'm sure there are other types of product that work well on here. But there are many that do not anymore. What a shame. There is so much more money Ebay AND sellers could be making.

[coolections]

I expected that comeback. Then why say you sell parts purchased from liquidators ?

[partsman330]

I didn't say that at all. I liquidate inventory for a distributor. I don't see the point in debating this with you further. Its unproductive.

[18704d]

What percentage of total items that you have sold end up being faulty returns?

2%?

5%

10+ %

"That number is irrelevant to me."

-----------

It should be relevant to you.

It's something all such business should track.

If your (faulty) return rate, for example, is 10%

and if you raise your prices by 10% or so ...

Then that extra money from those 9 good sales, have offset the loss of the unsellable 10th return.

It's a formula most businesses use.

Lynn

[partsman330]

I raise my price then its no longer the lowest price on the site and I sell less/nothing. Outta business! Thanks for advice though!

And that number is irrelevant. If its 5% and its $15 items or its 5% and its average of $150 items. The % of the monetary loss is the only important number to me and the fact that the items are in no way "defective" on top of it. The fact is when the loss is $1000 and my net was $4000 (which was the case in March of this year) I cannot inflate my prices enough to pad that loss. Sorry, 10% won't cut it.